MILITARY TOURNAMENTS. The modern military tournament embraces all the personal skill in the use of arms of the ancient chivalric tournament and has much of its pageantry. New inventions and contact with many nations have incorporated into military necessities and pastimes many nov elties unknown in ancient times, and these find their supreme exposition in the national tourna ments of both America and England. There is no mystery about the origin of the modern mili tary tournament; data, place, and reason are all available. In 1878 the Staff of the Military Gymnasium, Aldershot. gave an exhibition of military exercises at the Albert Hall in London in aid of the widows and orphans of the British soldiers killed in the Zulu war. It was of necessity very limited in its functions; but the next year a fully organized competition in the use of weapons of offense and defense, between all branches of the service, cavalry, infantry, artillery, engineers, and hospital corps, was held. The programme was (and still is) practically divided into two parts: one coming strictly within the line of military duty, such as feats of strength and skill with sword, lance, sabre, and bayonet, and horsemanship, including riding and driving: the other division consisting of sports and pastimes, such as tent-pegging, mounted wrestling, etc. To such an extent did the de
sire to compete extend in Great Britain that it has become necessary to impose the restriction of passing through and obtaining the first place in merit in a district tournament as a condition precedent to competition at the national tourna ment. The peg used in tent-pegging is all ordi nary wooden tent-peg three inches broad and a foot long, driven nearly perpendicular into the ground until less than one-half of it is in sight. The trooper rides at the gallop, strikes it if possible, and without relaxing the grasp of his lance or the speed of his horse, wrenches the peg out of the ground and carries it away on his lance point. In America the military tourna ment held each year in Madison Square Garden, New York, has become a recognized institution. It differs from the British tournament in that the latter consists of competitions as well as of exhibition performances, while in America it is made up entirely of exhibition work. The cadets of West Point invariably take part in the tonrnaments. which have been regularly held since 1897.