44 



At the age of uinety-one Mr. Potter penned me the 

 following interesting sketch : "I am often asked what 

 has been the cause of ni}' robust health. I can best 

 answer by giving my manner of life from the begin- 

 ning. From ni}' early childhood I fished the cold 

 streams of Herkimer and Otsego Counties for the 

 speckled trout with an alder pole, with chalk line, and 

 angle worms, and passing through all the gradations 

 of the art up to the rod and reel, with a book of selected 

 flies. For over fifty years scarcely a summer has 

 passed that I have not spent several weeks on the north 

 shore of Lake Superior amongst the trout and bass, 

 taking in all the favorite fishing grounds from the Soo 

 to Fort William, including the famous Nepigon. My 

 profession, being a lawyer (I was the first law3'er that 

 hung out a shingle in Toledo), required close applica- 

 tion to office work, but in the fishing season, on every 

 Saturda}^ morning before breakfast, I took my fishing 

 traps and spent the entire day, taking neither food nor 

 liquors of any kind until my return at home in the 

 evening. My Saturday's respite from office labor I 

 continued for nearly sixty years. I can say without 

 boasting, although nearly a hundred 3^ears old, that I 

 see well, hear well, feed well, digest well, and sleep 

 well, and without any organic impairment, and can 

 keep with my bird dogs afield from morning until 

 night. I will say for the young people, and knowingly 

 too, that there is no sport that brings a person so 

 closely into contact with nature at her best as angling. 

 It first charms, and then makes the art recreation. It 

 leads you into the woods, where you are delighted with 

 new scenes and sweet sounds ; it gives you ample exer- 

 cise for every muscle of your body. The music of the 

 mountain brook, the cool air from the mossy cascade, 

 the scent of wild flowers and rare ferns, and the most 

 perfect picture of woodland beaut}^ are all the fortunate 

 heritage of that happy man who goes a fishing.'' 



