y there are only two cuts--from
right to left and from left to right, high and low--and two guards, one
a variation of the 'hanging' or 'engaging guard,' formed high or low,
right or left, according to the part attacked, and the other the 'second
guard,' where the point of the sword is necessarily directed upwards, to
guard the right cheek and shoulder."

This is very brief, and, to my mind, the effort to be concise has tended
to somewhat confuse. It may, however, be well enough for the army, where
there are plenty of instructors ready to explain the meanings of terms,
etc. For ordinary beginners it is certainly better to take the old
target and thoroughly master the seven cuts and three points, with the
corresponding guards and parries, as by so doing the learner will more
readily acquire a thorough appreciation of true edge-cutting. The
general statement that there are two cuts--viz. variations from right to
left, and variations from left to right--is correct enough, and a
swordsman understands it; but it is bad for beginners to start with
loose notions on the subject. Better far learn all the cuts, and learn
them _well_, in the first instance. By this means a man and his sword
become one, as it were, and the point and edge of the weapon are in time
brought so completely under control that they can be directed as easily
as the pencil and brush are directed by the hand of a skilful
draughtsman.

As the reader will have surmised, the lines drawn through the centre of
the circle indicate the directions of the cuts; but a little further
explanation is necessary, for it must not be supposed that a mere
following of these lines with the point of the sword is all that is
required. The flat of the blade (or, more accurately, a plane passing
through the edge and a line drawn down the centre of the back of the
blade from hilt to point) should, throughout the entire cut, coincide
with the plane intersecting the plane of the target at right angles in
the particular line in which the cut is being made.

Careful attention to this will ensure cutting with the true edge, and,
in the first instance, all the cuts should be made slowly and
deliberately, so that errors may be instantly corrected. This may be
somewhat tedious to the impetuous learner, but it really saves time in
the end.

The target should be hung up on a wall with the centre about the height
of a man's shoulder from the ground. Directly below the centre a
straight l