The Washington herald., 1907-06-02
BY DEXTER MARSHALL,

has been for years, but this years fishing
expedition OF the Rev DIT Henry Van
Dyke, of Princeton. attracted more al
tenti0n when announced. some eight or
ten weeks ago. than any other current;
piscatorial enterprise whatever.
This IS partly because Of the expedi-
toners wide popularity as a writer and
lecturer and preacher. and partly because
of his purpose 10 angle in the Sea OF Cali
lee and the River Jordan. He has never
nshed so far afeld before though there
has hardly been a year since he was old
enough 70 hold a rod en- boyish hands that
he hasn't practiced the gentle art of old
Izaak Walton somewhere. and always
with enthusiasm and growing skill. He
should be back i'm America in a few
weeks
Dr. Van Dyke was taught 10 fish by his
fathcr-a Presbyterian minister in his
DAYS as the son now is-who spent the
latter half Of his life I'm Brooklyn and
used 70 take the boy 20 Coney Island and
Sheepshead Bay on holidays 70 train him
in the use of the rod and reel. For many
years the two fshed together every long
vacation, often in waters no further away
than Lake George. the Catskills. or the
Adirondacks. but not infrequenuy as re-
mote as Canada; while one year, at least,
they whipped foreign streams in company.
1t seems to have been a notion Of the
elder Van Dyke that Solomon might bet
Ter have referred 90 fishing rod than 20
a rod cf punishment when he wrote his
famous dictum about the spelling of the
child. Anyway. the younger Van Dyke
got his first individual set Of fishing
tackle as a sort of reward Of merit while
he was stI young enough 20 have very
short legs, just after having played
truant with surreptiuously borrowed
tackle and q little brother still shorter
legged than himself
DIR. Van Dyke resigned his last pas.
t0rate-of the New York Brick Church
some years ago 10 take a Princeton pro-
frssgrship and have more time for writ
ing. and now has resigned the professor
ship I'm order 10 have still more time for
the pen, but there never was a day. he
has said in print. when he would not
rather go a-fshing than read the best
book I'm the world
His fishing trip to the Holy Land Is IN
line with his settled plan OF life. which IS
TO include as many parts of the earth
as possible I'm his fishing grounds. Some
of his most Aeresting experiences. as ne
tells the story. were found ON the Resti-
souohe River. which forms part of the
boundary line between the provinces Of
Quebec and New Brunswick. Much Of
his Restigouche fishing. ne explains. has
been done from a "house yacht" This is
really "a scow with q cabin on il, such as
the river dweue-s on the Mississippi term
q "shant- boat and others a house
boat" which Van Dyke thinks too
English.
T. was mostly salmon that he took from
the Fesug0uoEa. bu- he caught his first
salmon when angling on the Island Of
Lewis. one 0f the Hehrides, off the Scot
land coast Here Is his own story of the
adventure.
u went forth with q tall, red-Iegged
eilI= t1 try for my first salmon. The
giIue handled the big rod as if il had been
q fairys wand, but To me it was like
giants spear IT. was a very different
affair from fishing with five ounces of
split bamboo i'm q Long Island trout pond.
The moustrous fl-. like an awkward bird
went futter.ug everywhere but in the
right direction II was the mercy Of
Providence that preserved the Eil.ie's life.
But he was very patient and forbearinE,
leading me from one pool % another, as
spoiled the water and snatched the hook
out NJ the rising fish. until at last we
found a salmon that knew even less about
the uiceties NJ salmon fishing than I did.
'Tie seized the fly firmly before could
pun il away. and then i'm q moment
found myself attached 70 creature with
the strength Of q whale and the agility Of
a flying fish, He led me rushing up and
down the bank like "a madman. He played
on the surface ike p whirIwind and
sulked at the bottom ike Il stone. He
wod.tated with 0wiUoUs delay i'm the mid
die Of the deepest pool, and then, dartiug.
across the river. flung himself clean out
of the water and landed far up on the
green turf Of the opposite shore. Ny
heart melted like p snowflake i'm the sea,
and I thought that 7 had lost him for
ever But Dee rolled quietly back into the
water with the hook still set I'm his nose
A few minutes after I brought him within
reach of the gafT, and my first salmon was
EiitJerinE on the bank beside me-
Il would take a long search to find
better description of "a first salmon take
than this Yet trout fishing is really DR..
Van Dykes greatest delight. He has
taken trout iu the eIaboratelv protected
mountain streams and lEkelets of the
Tyrll and Switzerland, as well as the
wildly turbulent rivers and lakes of Can
York and New England, less wild than
the waters of Canada. but less closely
regulated than those 1f the OId World.
Presidential Fishermen.
Dr. Van Dyke is particular friend OF
Grover Cleveland. and the two are neigh
bors I'm Princeton. Cleveland is the last
Of the Presidential fishermen 10 date;
Roosevelt shoots bears and things occs-
s.0nally, but cares little for angling. Nc
Klnley used TO fish some, and Harrison
was a famous angler. Arthur fshed a
good deal and at the time Of his death
was president Of the Resugouche Salmon
Club, founded by Americans. mostly New
Workers, and whose clubhouse stands on
the bank Of one Of the rivers Dr. Van
DYKE has made famous.
Van Dyke does not DO much fishing in
salt wa-e--I have never heard of his
doing any since DE was a boy-but Mr.
Cleveland says "Van Dyke is a king bee
I'm all sorts of sweet water fishing
cleveland fishes I'm both fresh and salt
water with equal joy, but does not care
for the tarp0H. the great game fish of
FIorilas east coast and the Gulf of
Mexico. He likes 90 catch fish that are
good 90 e3t and although the tarpon
would satisfy the hunger Of a famished
man, it is not especially appetizing
Cleveland has fsrod i'm Florida, however,
20 his great satisfaction.
Cleveland angles I'm fresh water mostly
nowadays. principally in New Hampshire,
where he has a farm almost on q line he
tween Tamwortu and North Sandwich.
DR. John Finley president Of the College
of the City Of New York, being his neigh
=