Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1893-06-24

World How delightful it all is this
getting ready for outdoor life; this
dash for liberty and defiance of the
conventional; this surGng up and ~.
assortment of the wild, aboriginal In.
stinct in human nature. What old camp.
er that does not envy the rresh eNper-
fence Of those who for the first time
are preparing themselves for the camp:
Who of us can not recall the first night
we ever slept in the woods, ever lis
tened to the strange night cries of bird
and beast, ever opened our eyes and
saw, not the ceiling Of a room. but the
beSpangled heavens above us? Shall
we ever forget that night-the excite
meut the pleasure, ana the fear Of it,
too? Forget it? No, not while memory
lives.
And all these letters before me are
for the most part from those who have
never camped out What strange seek
ing is theirs for knowledge. How var
ious the knowledge called for; how
earnest the Interrogation; how precise
and definite as to detail. shall l
take a frying pan or a gridirou ("
Both, my boys; both-you viii need
both if YOU shall be as hungry as l
used to be
'Shall I take a beltknile, or VIII
a pocketllnife doE
Take all the knives you can buy or
borrow, dear girl you win never use
either sort and win lose them all before
you have been i'm camp a week.
what shall we do for napkins in
the woods?'
Steal some, madame, az the last hotel
before you take your boats That's
the only way you win ever get your
moneys worth from the table
Now, Mr.. Murray, l want your hon.
est opinion Win 1000 cartridges be
enough for Il three'weeks' trip:'
I don't know, my noble undergradu-
ate but | trailed a month once in Lab
rador with an OUTFIT of twenty and
brought back six, and ] didn't starvo,
either
So run the letters, brstlng with in
terrogations and brimful of zeSt.
Only one need | enlarge upon. How
shall we know when we come to a
good camping spot, and do You think
that a cross person should be invited to
make one Of the partyF"
As to the camp. ground, let it be dry.
under pines, if possible, near a spring
or running brook, on an island or point
Of land with good view in Ill di-
rections. Such place is a possible
heaven. As to the cross person, if You
have the spirit of Il missionary, take
him along; if not, let him or her live
ana die at home.
But this win bear enlargement, rs the
preachers say. / know wen that nature
Is pervaded with influences which make
for refinement. and that these influ
ences are so potent and pcnetrative
that few, if any, however hardened may
resist them But, like all fine forces
they operate slowly and produce their
choice results along lines Of leisurely
movement. Hence 1t happens that
whatever evil or course habit or quail
ity man takes with him into the
woods, that same habit or quality win
remain with him while there 70 veX
and torment not himself chiefly. but
the rght-minded and gentler souls that
must bear the infection Of his presence.
And what an infictiOn such a creature
can become, Who can fish or eat or
sleep in the same camp with a profane
man? Who has ever found any meas
ure for profanity unless be has heard
it belched forth in the stiffness Of the
woods
1 know well that every language has
its explosives and EXPLANATIONS, and
that these are essential to its perfec
ton and the longevity of those who
speak the yernacular. They are the
safety valves through which danger
GUS tempers escape and an overnight
pressure is safely blown off The word
damn is a good old English eypletive
and has saved more life I dare say
than the knife Of an ancient phleboto.
mist, 1t is classic, and is honored
rs such by all anglers when the biggest
fish of the season is lost Especially
if the exasperating result has come
about by the fishermans own bungling
An angler who can lose such fish
under such circumstances and not say
anything is certainly acking in some Of
( the essential qualities which belong to
every ardent and rightly constructed
fisherman.
( But these honest, earnest and healthy
/ explosions Of pentup excitement are
not only natural and innocent, but
ideally proper They harmonic with
+ the surroundings and the catastrophe.
and artistically are a part Of it When
under the strain Of q mighty fish the
gut suddenly parts, and the fish goes
one way and the point Of the rod
springs the other a eroan, q grunt or
roar from the Disguised angler is alb
solutely musical Ia such conditions an
expletive Of any sort, so it have hon
est usage and is strong enough. be-
longs to the eternal harmonies.
But profanity Is a widely different
thing. 1t Is rude, wicked and uniustl-
fable. and never 50 much So as 10 camp.
For y eornr in tho woods or on the