Swordmaster

With ten sword instructors at West Point under the swordmaster the lessons to cadets would all be individual and special.

Mr. Roux’s pupils form the majority of the swordmasters at the twenty German Universities and the Polytechnic schools, and Mr. Roux is regarded as the first who taught a manner of broadsword practice which may be best called the ‘‘fencing with broadswords, in which every blow is also guard.” This practice is methodically based on the properties of the lever, the pendulum, and the wedge, and one of its funda- mental principles is to choose the shortest way of assault and the quickest ‘‘recovery.”

So far as it appeared to the eye, they were singularly well matched. Of the same height, with the same reach of arm; broad of chest and narrowing at the hips; with well turned limbs and supple in wrist and ankle, an experienced swordmaster would have pronounced them admirable antagonists.

He has given the sport a lifelong devotion, and to his unfailing interest and enthusiasm are due the success of our teams. We also owe much to the other swordmasters for their patient work with us in our preliminary training. To these, for the Academy, we wish to extend our thanks and appreciation.

We recommended increasing the pay of one swordmaster to $1,800; and of assistants, one at $1,600 instead of $1,500, and one at $1,400 instead of $1,300, and so on.

The swordmasters of Europe sing the praises of this weapon from the beginning of the sixteenth century to its close, by which time its use had almost entirely disappeared. In Scotland, however, it appears to have continued in use for almost another half century, and it has been said that it made an appearance at the battle of Kilhecrankie in 1689.