Editorial
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Editorial
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Date
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January 1939
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volume
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4
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issue
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1
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page start
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2
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2
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content
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en
EDITORIAL
We enter a New Year starting another volume in this magazine's life history. The 1939 fencing season is two months old, with new records already in evidence, indicating greater interest and participation in the sport than ever before in this country. Old 1938 was a lively year, but, with the 1940 Olympics one year nearer, 1939 should hum with still greater fencing activity.
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It is customary for the so-called experts and all self-styled oracles to make forecasts each New Year. As Editor, we felt obligated to try a forecast for fencing. We tried meditation in the relaxed method but only fell asleep, losing a valuable hour at a time when the printer was pressing for his 'copy.' We tried meditation in the concentrated method, but every time we concentrated all we could think of was Hedy Lamarr. Next, we tried a complex form of numerology, but unfortunately, our fencers have names that put the Fordham backfield to shame. Our system just naturally bogged down with 'wrong numbers.' We thought of doing a bit of star-gazing, but the snow was then five inches deep and still falling fast. We have tried the Dow Theory, the Corn-Hog Theory, and the strawless vote. We are still in confusion.
Being inept at these highly scientific methods of forecast, we were left to pure surmise. Our guess is that there will be more fencing in the United States during 1939 than ever before, and that the quality of that fencing will be improved not only because of increased fencing but also because of the fact that American fencing is rapidly coming of age. We believe that somewhere in the fencing rooms of America, the champions of only a very few years hence are but now learning their rudiments, and that their rise will be very rapid. We see evidences of youthful fencers pushing upward to threaten the equilibrium of that less than score of fencers who have dominated our sport for the past ten years. We can see no upsets of drastic nature in 1939 but feel that 1939 will prove a most important year in the development of the American 1940–1950 fencing leaders. There will be no change in America's concentration upon the foil as its favorite weapon.
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Although the American fencing team which visited Cuba accomplished its victories in the last few days of 1938, we did not learn of the actual victory and its details until 1939 had already rolled around. Let us be among the first to congratulate our team upon its victories and hope that 1939 may provide many other occasions upon which similar congratulations will be in order.
