The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-03-13
BY THE WAY.
Being a RanblOr'S Observations on Things
in General.
Anglers and Their Resorts-Prevalence OF
Prizf-Fighting = Pride in Pedigree.
Drawing in the Schools.
Written for THE MORNING CALI

Ii one may decide the point by the num-
Der OF people who on Sundays and other
days are TO be seen with bamboo pole and
basket slung over the back, San Fran
cisco Bay affords fishing sport to numerous
followers OF the gentle art They may be
seen in groups perehed on the rocks be-
tween Sausalito and Lime Point, or throw
lug their lines into the broken waters be-
tween the Cliff House and Fort Point, or
industrously plying their rods off the rail-
way piers on the Oakland and Alameda
! side, while not few hook tomcod and dog
| fish at the end of the wharyes along the sea-
| wall. The amount of satisfaction a disciple
| of Izaak Walton derives from angling is not
measured by a great catch nor altogether
banished by complete failure to land even
crab or starlish. 1t is the outing and the
associations that delight the angler. If his
| fish are neither numerous nor big he can at
| least describe the welghty baskets he OBJ
tanned on some other occasion or find fault
| with his tackle, and once stories are started
| there is no limit to the size the fish may at
| tain. Those that pop their heads out of
water, or show their tails, and then wriggle
| off the hook are naturally noble and gamy,
! and would break the record in a COMPETE
| ton. To spend whole day thrashing the
| water and seeing never a fin is TO onlookers
| at least, diseoaraglng, but praeticed hand
knows way to convert chagrin into sue
cess, so that his friends are cheated out of
laugh at his expense. 1t is always possible
to buy good specimens from the fshmongef
and to empty the basket with an air of tri-
umpb. The angler need not be too particu-
lar in describing how his trophies were
hooked and landed. 1t is sufficient to point
to them as yeritable existences that lived aud
swan and are now available as a course for
dinner
But the fisherman who is at all an adept
be frequented by fish rarely returns with an
empty basket Occasionally a grilse sal
mon is secured after show Of fighting al
| most as exciting as if the prize were caught
in a river pool. The CAPTURES ordinarily
are of common fish, not considered superla-
lively delicate for the table, but that is
matter which depends very much on the
| skill of the cook. If ray were caught
| probably IL would be thrown away as coarse
| and only fit for Cinnamon. Yet French
man would know what to do with Its flap
| ping sides, and would produce dish in pei
| fecIiOn. not TO be surpassed by what are
| termed prime fish. Skate is delicacy in
! the Paris markets. A Frenchman even un-
Gerstands how to make q palatabe dish out
| OF the teGtacles of tie octopus, and in
| towns on the coast he has occasional feasts
| upon boiled limrets. Why not limpets as
! well as CLANS or mussels? Few or our
anglers bethink themselves of the pleasures
| common pastime for New Workers. Steam
| erS 60 far beyond the outer bay with crowds
| OF passengers bent upon fishing. They
| either bring their lines with them or hire
| ments afterward given Of the catch are re-
| liable prod gi0uS success attends these
| expeditions. The sport of hauling blue
| fish into boat under sail is relished as ex-
| citing and spirited.
Anglers are much addicted to chatting one
another over the incidents Of the day.
| When two or three are together it is by no
/ means silent gathering Jokes are in
| Vulnerable on the monsters that have been
| hooked, but wont come up, and audaciousy
| swim off with bait and hook and a section
! of cord When the luck is positively ex-
| ecrable pipe is great consider, and pull
| at the flask, usually part of the fisher
| mans equipment, tends much TO sustain the
| cheerfuneSs of the nervous system. At
| times the angler is to be condoled with.
| When he entangies his line under rock or
| mass OF twisted weed, and all his efforts
| at eXtrlcatlon are desperate, II Is unsafe to
| approach him and almosr madness TO ven
ture upon suggestions. y picnic party look
! ing on at the spectacle sOadS the unlucky
| fisher into a rage, and that reaches the
| dangerously explosive stage If anybody
| laughs or if lie has the misfortune to smas b
| his rod or tumble waist deep into the water.
The midest thing he can say with con-
| strained expression is, on We got the
laugh on me nowg' a very little success,
| however, restores him 10 amiability. if not
! actual exuberance of spirits, and he returns
| home refreshed physically by his outing.
| Prize fighting cannot be termed sport.
| Its euphemistic description is the manly
art, and BY a large sprinkling of refined peo-
| pie who have slight share in the control of
things terrestrial. it is regarded as the
brutal art, only few degrees removed in
| debasement from dog-fghting. The extent
to which the manly, or brutal art, whatever
| 1t may De called, has risen In popular favor
| as a spectacle, topic of discussion, a dis
| semiaatOr of slang and pivot for betting,
is one of the remarkable phenomena of our
| time. If a prize-hght between two of the
| most noted bruisers known TO international
| puglism were open to spectators free, the
| crowd that would assemble in any of the
| populouS centerS OF America would be far
| greater than anything short OF a large city
on fire could attract. John L. Sullivan,
as hero, divides popular honors with the
| leaders of armies, the strategiSt who up.
lifts his own nation and casts another dowu
by the magnitude of its reverses. To be a
boxer OF renuwn is to figure as a parsonage
| of importance daily in the newspapers OF
a continent. and 10 have ones portrait re-
produced Ia o hundred styles OF diSsimliarity
| and responsiveness Whenever a fight occurs
each blow is chronicled with a particu-
| IarltY WUlcO WAS only tolerated q lew
years ago In avowed sporting papers.
/ The common conversation at boarding
| house breakfast among the men is as to
who won the fight and how it was fought.
Is civilization much changed from what il
was la Roman times? The Romans admired
| courage and endurance and the doggedness
that bears up against defeat and personal
| Injuries. They had their gladiatOral COM
bats. which In our enlightened times are
| pronounced barbarOus, but kindred quail
| ties OF proweSs are needed for an encounter
under QaeenSberry rules or for bull-fght
with a Madrid crowd for spectators. A
famous espada IN Spain is more the idol of
the people than the statesman who sways
n Cabinet. 1t is true that ladies were pres
ent at the gladiatorlal contests, and they
are very demonstrative at bull-fghts.
| Thus far ladies are not fashionable at prize
fights. Public taste is not yet so democrat
lied as to welcome the presence of the fair
sex, and long may it continue in that mood,
| for a pastime at which the presence OF
ladies cannot be tolerated requires some
apology.
Theorizing on methods of education
affords occupation for the greatest minds,
and education IN art comes in for its share,
How art should be taught in the public
schools is a problem of never-ceasing in
| terest. There is no unanimity of opinion on
| the subject, but on the contrary distract
ing diversity of practice. with, in the main
| very poor results. In mechanical drawing
rules must be followed very precisely. One
| general conclusion may be affirmed of teach
ing the pupil from c0uies-the teaching
is absolutely useless in developing faculties
OF observation or training the hand to work
from nature. Anybody may copy. and
pupil may produce very beautiful example:
from copies, and possibly feel pride il
them, hut first work from nature after
long experience of copies is bitterly disap
pointing. The practice in San Francisco
and probably in every other town in th,
State, has been to set copies before th