, 1877-09-09

/ grounds Another, in the same condition, gaincs
the seef M of the batn; one, severely crippled, jus
| 10 slop on the top OF fence, but fell over, appa
5ently having no nse Of 1ts lese. If it had any leg
went down in the cornaeld near the barn; one,
hard hit, with feeble wing flew low down TOWARD
tue spectators and disappeared among them
another, be'rildercd by the shock from It'll injuries.
took course directly toward the shooter, his
| mead and into the judges window; md another
strnck asa.nst the west wing Of the tent occupied
est part, where it settled just their llea1s.
Two escaped unharmcd.
By the 'AGatherern to the shooters stand, near
| IT. and then, il living, dispatched BY. wrine1n.
their neeks- No attention was given to those fall
ing outside, at least during the progress Of the
| match. The last bird TINT Was shot fell with
broken Wings some distance from the trap. It
Was taken BY the gatherer, - who, his way to
ture four different times up into the air and catch
lng Il US It came hutterlns down, killed 1t he
did the Othere.
That the shooting was better On this day than
the reporter Ind seen during the summer, IS not
doubted 1t WAS much better, perhaps, and, OF
course, 90 much less cruel to excite his admira
ton TO that degree OF extravaganza found in The
above quotation.
Hnt it is not MY purpose to comment on this cx-
hibition. stale the facts, and others may judge
whether the cruelty WIS reality or a myth.
General Agent of the Society for r. c. A.
Talking this matter and this communication
over yesterday with some of the feminine visit
ors ut the Gun Club exhibition, 1t was astouisli-
ing to find that the taste aud feeling Of good
aud Kind women, not wanting in intelligence,
could bc SO obscured by use and fashion. One
Of the arguments that met Inc was this:
''Wul, 1T Is VERY COMMON SPORT WITH THE
ENGLISH.
Do you remember what your favoritc Disraeli
says OF it through his characters in Lothair!''
-whereupon that much misunderstood book,
which since it was published has been bya great
number OF persons accepted from first page to
last as the most serious earnest on the external
face OF it, instead Of the slycst, ceyerest satire
that was ever pellncd ,-whercupon this book was
brought forward, aud the little scene which Cor
isande called the Tournament OF doyes,'
touched all through with Disraeli's subtle mock
cry, WIS read as clincher. 1t WAS very
easy to reply that, from any point
OF view, this would be no reason
why Americans should make br1tcs OF them
selves because English people did; that and the
question whether the English system Of 1ag-
giDg, which last year succeeded i'll manning for
life one boy aud killing another, should be re-
spected and adopted because it was an old En-
glish custom, fell equally tiat upon the intelli-
of fashion, and the cffect Of the soaring and
binding habit OF life and thought that grows
out OF q close following in the footsteps OF that
wayward goddess.
But, to turn to plcasantcr theme, it is de-
1ishtful to observe the era Of good feeling
which is brought about On this common ground
Of meeting. Years ago Newport was always
oyERFLow1SG WITH souTuEKSERs,
but the War stopped that; and it is only until
quite recently that they begin to return to tho
shores they love. This absence is partly due, Of
course, TO change Of fortune but not alto |
gctller. Newport is the very heart Of New En-
gland, and Fort Adams was bristling with 1ler
guns in the days Of the War and after it. But
gradually the Southern feeling tenlpers softly
toward lis, and the other day we saw tile fierce cx-
Confederate Gen. Young talking anlirably and |
going over war-lnaps with his old antagonist, !
Maj.-Gen. I. W. Sherman, U. s. 4. !Anu in |
entertain Postmaster-Gcneral Key, and then all |
the ex-Confclerates and their Northern breth-
ren will meet in social jovial fashion, aud we
shall thereafter be 50 much the nearer to the
antagonists which every loyal heart is praying
[or. n z,