The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1907-10-18
FISHING AT THE DAM"
Or. J. II. Mackay of This City Writes
in Field and Stream"

IN FIeld ana Stream"
The following article appeared in
the October number of Field and
Stream" over the signature of DR.. J.
II. Mackay of Norfolk:
Glance at the map of the United
States and observe how many of it's
cities are located on water courses.
Consider likewise what inestimable
blessings these streams confer on
cities-drainage modification of tenn
perature and drouth, water supply,
power, ventilation and breathing spac-
es; for here are not alone streams but
above each river of air extending up
to the skies, open and not covered or
polluted with buildings. Damned,
bridged or INSTRUCTED. the stream
flows irresistibly EDWARDS over, under
or around obstacles. 1t is a type of
something apart from the buildings,
streets or other features of a city; a
prehistoric thing set down among mod
ern paved streets, bridges, tenements
and livery stables; a thing everlasting,
unimpressible and unchanging, coming
as if out of infinity and going out into
eternity-flowing down year after year,
yesterday, today, tomorrow, as it has
done since the stars first lit the firma-
ment and the earth awoke from the
void of Nature. How many lives its
music has comforted and ennObled;
what vice, idleness and misery it has
prevented: what health it has brought,
what inspiration it has given how
many thousands of boys have stunned
the allurements of town to go fishing
and what boy could think of mean
ness when fishing? What great lives
have grown from the germs of a boys
meditation while fishing. To those
who have never heard the brook call
ing to them the ineffable wooing of
its ripping music, the mystery, the
yearning in every boys heart that goes
down after each bit of driftwood-
down, down over the ripples and
through the eddies between those tree
fringed banks, out into the unknown
world the big world whose voice is
the river forever calling to boys; you
can not comprehend the feelings of a
boys heart as he sits by the dam fish
ing and dreaming of the outside world
and the great things to be done by and
by. To him the pot Of gold at the end
of the rainbow is tangible, the Indians
traditions real, and the great world
with its ungarnished treasures and I'M
bestowed rewards lies beyond in that
mysterious realm towards which the
river is ever Fastening.
Thus, after the days work was fin
ished, unused, as sat on pile at the
dam, filling my pipe and waiting for
the light to leave the water; for the
sun was still up the height of broom
handle in the western sky; and hath
not that great philosopher of angling,
the venerable Izaak, said: mo man
can expect to get the hook into the
mouth OF fish unless he uses good
store OF tobacco" 1t was the same
genial soul who said: There is night
fishing as well as day-fishing; for you
are to note that the great old trout is
subtle and fearful, and lies close all
day, but in the night feeds boldly"
And although there were no trout in
the pool below the dam, suspected
there were pickerel there, hiding from
the boys who had been flashing 1t all
the afternoon and that they would
be hungry and moving at sunset, now
that the boys had departed. Though
the pickerel has more courage than
the trout, he is both subtle and fear
full" Therefore | determined to put
the advice OF the philosopher into
practice.
The dam was deserted. The water
trickled over it in a limpid cascade,
mingling its music with the rumbllng
bass Of the -four mill and the gentle
lowing o. cattle winding homeward
in single file from the pasture. What
a wonderful range of notes running
water seems to give voice to! Sour.