Back in the OLDEN days, when men were men and women were ladies ...

Remember that phrase?  Worked equally well for the Old West, Down Under, Far East, London Town, Old South, High Society, or any other romantic place and time before our time... a time when everyone seemed to know how to behave politely without being told, and how to treat each other with respect ...

(Sigh) Part of that olden time was not only the attitude and the manners, but the accessories men and women wore when all dressed up. Men wore high top hats, then derbys, then racing caps.  Women wore elaborate headresses, then wigs and hats with veils, then small hats with large feathers. Men wore gloves, and spats, and cumberbunds. Women wore corsets, and three petticoats, and longer gloves.

The list above was a jumble of fashions from a variety of places and times. It went along with men holding the doors open for women to go through, and walking with a woman between her and the street. Men were expected to be protective, and to, above all other things, let "the women and children go first!"

Enter the walking stick.

You've seen the movies, of a dapper young man dressed to the "nines" (nine of what?), with his top hat, gloves, long coat with tails, spat-covered shoes, and a walking stick tucked under one arm as he strolls jauntily along.

What's wrong with this picture? Why is the so-called "walking stick" under his arm instead of supporting his weight or keeping his balance? Well, it might later on be used for that, especially if the path he is strolling along is a cobblestone street, or an unkempt road with potholes.

Right now, it is a mark of his stature in society. Y'see, only the rich, the well-to-do, the legendary and the "old money" people could afford a walking stick -- they were made of imported exotic wood and topped with elaborately carved ivory or silver or gold. Even the opposite end was tipped with metal, the more expensive the better.

They were originally weapons of self-defense -- if a mugger or a thief approached a man escorting a lady, he was expected to scare the baddies off. If I was a mugger accosting a dandy and he waved a gold-tipped stick at me, I'd snatch it away and run for it. Probably worth more than his pocket change, anyway!

The walking stick started out as a shepherd's crook, to control the flock and beat off wild dogs or other animals looking to make a meal out of them. It evolved into a hiking staff, then into a long staff, like Robin Hood and Little John used in their first and last fight at their meeting. Someone had to get out of the way!

So, the staff was used to support a climber (they did it for survival in the old days -- not to break any records) and defend him or her from wild animals. Later it was used to defend him or her from wild human animals who thought to prey upon them. It turned out to be an effective deterrant.

In those times the staff was a dead branch laying by the side of the road and trimmed of errant smaller branches, and shortened to make using it more likely. This was in the days before much metal work was done, so a sharp stick could be, and was, a deadly weapon.