The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-04-28

Rambling Remarks About Fishing and
Bathing In the jams.

There IS a class Of men, and be 80 said.
4 much abused class, whose greatest
pleasure is 10 30 fishing. wv hat do you
so lor3" is often asked. You never
catch enough 10 pay FOR the trouble.
oh. shade OF Isaac Walton, kindly soul.
what would he have thought 10 have
been accused Of fishing only for the
spCilst What does be- 20 fort Why.
TO commune with nature, 10 set away
from books and business. 90 hask I'm The
sunshine, and listen 10 the music OF the
whisperiug pines. or the waters ripping
in the creek. Then there are the birds
and squirrels 90 watch. as they nutter
about. or scurry among the branches.
Your old fisherman is sure 20 ind
comfortable seat among The gndrlcd roots
of some old beech growing askant the
stream; there Dee cGrls himself up and
dreams. philosophers. lives among kings.
princes. heroes or the ancient world.
builds glowing air castles, and-dh yes.
he smokes
The kindly weed affords him a solace
found IN nothing else. and with the
circling blue smOke-Wreaths vanishes
FOR the time all the trials and disappoint-
memts OF life.
But stop: there Is a bite. and our fisher
man bestirs himself. matching his skill
against the strength and cunning Of
some great pike. perhaps
When ar last 10 lies h0undering on the
bank. and the hook IS rebaited. ne goes
back once more TO this fairyland Of the
imagination.
However much men school themselves
20 the pursuits OF business or OF letters
there remains an inherent longing after
the streams. the woods. and green fields
Sometimes he allows this feeling 10 carry
him for time among such pleasures,
but more often, unfortunately for him,
he does not
As 70 Is 10 the youngsters we must
look for all natural feelings and impulses
which their natures have not been
trained 10 subdue. so IN the boys We see
this longing manifest. and more Tor
there Is nothing 10 prevent him from
taking his fill Of such enjoyment. That
Is. If boys are like they used 10 be. ana
find sport among the rocks and streams.
With the first hint Of returning spring
when The trees began 10 put forth their
blossoms. the small boy rugged up his
hook and line and hied him 10 the banks
Of the James. striving 20 inveigle the
willy perch and mullets from their usu-
ally turbid home. And such times
those were. there Is no pleasure III after
life equalling that Of the small boy along
the banks Of the old river II he pos
sessei a boat, be II never so common
a plank skin. he was an aristocrat among
boys. one 10 be looked up 10, followed,
BATTERED. aDd Toasted on various daint-
les by his chums. I'm expectation OF an
invitation 10 ish In his boat.
Every evening and certainly every
saturday found him on the river. With
four or five slowed away IN perhaps q
small boat, We hshed land ] may as Wen
acknowledge personal eNperiencel from
Rockets 10 Drewry's Blum, pulling up
some creek In the middle OF the day.
There. under the cool shade OF the over
hanging willows we would eat our lunch'
II fortunately u had not been forgotten.
No small AFFAIR. such as nshing-worms
crawling into H. would have spoiled our
iftetites IN the least
mn better than all Of this. was the
time. usually about the lst of June. when
IL grows warm enough 10 20 swimming.
Right here let ne say that we have mere
~ home the best swimming holes and the
nues. swimmers | have ever seen.
The river-bed in summer Is simply
beautiful. suggesting scenes, without the
hills, OF the Scotch highlands. The land