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~--~------~--~~,---------------Vol. 1. No 43
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Saturday, November 28. 1914
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Price,
latest Service rifle. Of. course it should self j in the town he io only :a unit SW'ILY'e<l:11 be the aim {)f eTery Volunteer, to acquire by the selfishness 'and the lateSt and best magazine , rifle, but, which every town is ' failing that, he should ' have no hesitation the Country the issue 'is in ' iett~ a single.shOt. ' Howth or - Martini patriotism is lived and Enfield. But there is no IIlS6 in getting either unless pains are take:n to· become familiar with the weapon, to prattic.e 'V{ith , you don't get an it and to -acquire such a degree of effi. it will help you to c:.ency with it as will inspire ' confidence iCheme of things, and will adapt yo,urse1f to the other slacking off 1S V?lunteer work is ill. it and' in himself. in which the rifle will be of su;pre~y. :'il~ =ywhe1fe~' Rifle l'ra.ctice and ,work claim the best energies qf the men everywhere, and gratifying progress R~lJges. has been.m:l.de in every county in Ireland, The issue is as clear ~s ever, the need of ' How is this confidence to be acquirM? apparent than Simply by praotice. ~nd there are ' ample facilities ,for rifle practice in Ireland In strategy. the 'country 'p articularly every glen 15 a ~eier did circum- rifle range and every hill a means ' of fixto hearten Irishmen ing a target or of utilis ing as targets fea· in the 'lVork of preparation, and never h~6 tures alread:y\ existing. The Volunteer Ireland so well respondec.i to , the nation's should ailn at making the rifle just e.g call, North and South, East and West mtic}:l a necessity of his or~iRa'ry aV6caarmy of Ireland is at work, ~nd in tions as a ,watch 01' a bicycle, ' and should village- in Ireland there is the niean~ make a greater effort to be a good shot ....;;;A~:r(:>t comparison between the Irish , Volun- than a ' good cyclist or a go9d hurler o~' teer .and the English -soldier, and the com· athlete. Above all, the man who is for· parison , :is -f.r and away in f~vour of the tunate enough to Iive ' in the .country has former. , Man for man the Volunteers Me ilxceptional 3.dvantages foz: tJec01lling prosuperior in physique, in discipline, in ficient in field work and for judging disinte1ligence and initiative, and better still, ,t ances, without which the , ri~ is 'o f com· in 'Juiving a. clear conception ,o f duty and paratively little value. any rifle patriotism in which' neither money nol' trained , to self.gratification 'counts. It is no wonder ~ end the that envious eyes are cast upon the march: ing ranks of stalwart Irishmen and that muscles, and in acquiring a mastery so many attempts are' made to win their the weapon is a great asset in _0\5 well as the patriotism ' that is founded services for abroad, for to~ay in Ireland practice with .tae service rifle. For 3llilllt:se.,," there is an army worthy of the best tra- upon the love of the people and the in- ment during the long nl gh-ts, too, u~e,r~~iF< individuality 9f ditions of the best .soldier nation in Europe. stitutions and separate nothing in the world t o compare the national temperament, there is a love rifle. Billiard1 are poor and -fiat OOml>aI:ed of the 'physical a-spect of the country 'i tto <the range, aJ;ld ever so many ca:n self. Ther~ is as much individuality in a , ;pete at the one ti me. Kat a town in field as in a man to the nature lover, and Ireland but has a h.<)..11 ,apable of being an Iri,sh quartz rock is as different from fitteg up in a few h ours as a first.clas~ Leaving aside the. gas .pipe rifles there an 'E nglish quartz ;:!s an Irishman is d i ffer~ miniature range. L et u s make a start, is in Irelan.d a: good number of service ent from an, Englishman, and the travel- ,and when the sprin g comes, ,ye will 'iia.ve noticeable rifles, which in the , han~ of skilled men ler who- has seen maay lands feels the dif· thou sands o f g ood miniature shots would d.o e xcelle,lt work. The idea hither· ference between the topography of varilent for 5,treet ' woIk ), a nd ,pot enti.al Shdfl!l!~[ to . held iliat everything depended upon ous' countries at a moment's notice. There with th e service rifie ~ the rifle is g:ving place to an ' argumeJll.t is, of courlle, a ' corresponding difference equally fa11ac1011s, that everything depends between the towns of' different nations, but upon the nian. The high~st authorities ,it is not so pronounced, for the artificial life on rifle shoo:ing are nc,w agreed that of the town that gave rise to the town itseU given ·pracfca.Jly any p attern of recent at m-st and continues there afterwards has rifle, with m en traine d to use it, the re- taken on a cosmopolitanism from Ufl-nasults will be far bette r than the htest tional 0];, outside associa tions that weakens magazine r ifle in the hands of unskilled its dis~}ive ch aract eristics. T he Volunmen. Part of the armies engaged in the t eers s1l'ila get a way from t he towns , away ~ the para de grou nds an d the present war a re arme d 'With wh at in ceremonial of the streets "O ut t o t h e stimuinfluence of 't.he coun try , itself. rifle, '.' and Among the rocks and marshes and the r eaching a the n~ feels t he confid ence .of J . comparison Ireland believing, ' or professing to believe, in the double duty joke, but there are hundreds. ·@f corps drilled" armed and dis~ ciplU;ed ,w ho believe that their first duty is to Ireland and who meail to petform Oi,at-. duty. / '
Getting Ready.
Rifle
Country Craft__
Arms.
The "Small Natj'o n
that Needs He~p 15