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The Art of Manliness

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Throw a Classy Bachelor PartyYesterday

If you are selected to be your friend’s best man in his wedding, you have several important responsibilities to fulfill. The first is to plan a bachelor’s party for your buddy. When most people hear “bachelor party,” they think keg stands and g-strings.

In today’s article, we discuss the honorable origins of the bachelor party and how you can throw one with real class for your bud.

The History of the Bachelor Party

Men may be surprised to learn that the tradition of having a bachelor party is rooted in ancient times. The Spartans, who originated the idea in the 5th century BC, would hold a dinner for the groom-to-be on the night before his wedding. The evening would be spent feasting and toasting the groom and each other.

The tradition of having a “bachelor’s dinner” continued into modern times. In the 1940’s and 50’s the occasion was called a “gentlemen’s dinner.” It was thrown by the groom’s father and involved the same toasting and eating that the Spartans had enjoyed. These bachelor dinners were designed for male bonding and to celebrate the groom-to-be’s important

So You Want My Job: Nuclear EngineerYesterday

Today we return to our “So You Want My Job” series, in which we interview men who are employed in desirable man jobs and ask them about the reality of their work and for advice on how men can finally become what they always wanted to be when they grew up.

For this installment, we interviewed Jack Gamble. Jack’s a nuclear system engineer. Many thanks to Jack and his green-glowing fingers for typing us out these answers.

Be sure and check out Jack’s blog: Babeled.

1. Tell us a little about yourself (Where are you from? Where did you go to school? How old are you? Describe your job and how long you’ve been at it).

I am 28 years old from Manahawkin, New Jersey. I earned my Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rowan University in 2005. Most of my work experience has been blue collar; pool installation and commercial fishing, making this my second “real job” as they say.

I am a System Engineer at a nuclear power plant. I am better known as The Control Rod Drive (CRD) System Manager. In a nutshell, I am responsible for monitoring and maintaining the ability to safely and quickly shutdown the reactor. The

The Best and Worst Magazines for MenJanuary 7

One of the reasons I started the Art of Manliness website was because of the dearth of quality men’s magazines out there. None of them really took the idea of manliness and what it meant to be a man seriously, and they were filled with the same, tired articles on how to bed the ladies and attain six pack abs.

My hope is that AoM has filled a niche in talking about aspects of manliness and a man’s life that don’t get covered elsewhere. But of course, practically speaking, there’s still a need for magazines. Magazines help pass the time at the airport and provide a little extra relaxation when you’re sitting upon the porcelain throne. And it’s definitely nice to get something fun in the mailbox every month. Therefore, AoM set out to discover which men’s magazines were the best. We read through 2 months of issues from a variety of men’s publications. (Note: while magazines like Popular Mechanics, Sports Illustrated, and Field and Stream have a predominantly male readership, we concentrated on magazines that were designed and targeted as general men’s interest publications).

We spent many hours reading and note taking so that you don’t have to. We examined who the magazines seemed to be mar

Please Vote The Art of Manliness for Best Culture Blog of 2008!January 5

Hey gang. We are happy to announce that The Art of Manliness is a finalist in the 2008 Weblog Awards. The Weblog Awards is, according to the site,  “the largest blog competition on the web.”  Voting starts today and we would definitely appreciate your help. The Art of Manliness is up for “Best Culture Blog of 2008.”

You can vote here. There’s no sign up required. Just point and click. We have some pretty stiff competition, but with your help and support we can win this thing. I’m not even sure if there’s a prize, except for a stroked ego, a badge to put in our sidebar, and maybe some publicity. Please email this post to your friends and family and ask them to vote for us. Voting ends January 12 and you can vote once every 24 hours. So vote early and vote often.

Thank you for your continued support of The Art of Manliness. You all make this site a success.

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Bartitsu: The Martial Art of GentlemenJanuary 5

Image from The Journal of Manly Arts

Before Randy Couture and the Ultimate Fighting Championship, there was Edward William Barton-Wright and bartitsu. Bartitsu was probably the first instance of what we know today as mixed martial arts. Mr. Barton combined elements of boxing, jujitsu, cane fighting, and french kick boxing in order to create a self defense system that could be used by discerning gentlemen on the mean streets of Edwardian London. It grew to such popularity that even Sherlock Holmes was practicing bartitsu in his mysterious adventures.

While bartitsu died in the early 20th Century, E.W. Barton left a legacy in the field of martial arts. What follows is a brief history of bartitsu as well as a guide to get you started on learning the martial art of gentlemen.

The History of Bartitsu

When unarmed, William Barton-Wright would use his mustache as a weapon.

Bartitsu was created by William Barton-Wright, an English railroad engineer. Barton’s work as an engineer took him to Japan for three years where he was introduced to jujitsu. He studied the art at the school of Jigoro Kano. Barton must have been excited about what he learned. When he returned to England, he quit his career in engineering and opened up a martial arts school where he taught jujitsu.

In 1899, Barton wrote an article in the London based publication, Pearson’s Magazine, entitled “A New Art of Self Defense.” In it he set out his system of self defense that he called “bartitsu,” an obvious melding of his name and jujitsu. While bartitsu was based mainly on jujitsu, Barton explained in his article that the system included boxing, kickboxing, and stick fighting.

Barton opened a school called the Bartitsu Club. He brought in some of the best martial arts teachers from around the world to teach at his new school. Among these were Japanese instructors K. Tani, S. Yamamoto, and Yukio Tani as well as Pierre Vigny and Armand Cherpillod. One journalist described the Bartitsu Club as “… a huge subterranean hall, all glittering, white-tiled walls, and electric light, with ‘champions’ prowling around it like tigers.”

The popularity of bartitsu in England was widespread. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle even had Sherlock Holmes practicing “baritsu” (a misspelling of bartitsu) in The Adventure of the Empty House. Because Conan Doyle misspelled bartitsu, scholars of Sherlock Holmes were confused for years by the reference. (Note: Robert Downey, Jr. will be showing off his bartitsu chops in an upcoming Sherlock Holmes film. )

Bartitsu declined in popularity as rapidly as it had ascended. By 1903, the Bartitsu Club closed and most of its instructors established their own self defense schools in London. Barton continued to develop and teach bartitsu until the 1920s. Because of the lack of interest in his martial art, Barton spent the rest of his career as a physical therapist. He died in 1951 at the age of 90.

A Mini Documentary on Bartitsu

Bartitsu in Action