The American Boy 131 



and shift for himself not to box or play foot-ball. 

 There is, of course, always the risk of thus mistak 

 ing means for ends. Fox-hunting is a first-class 

 sport ; but one of the most absurd things in real life 

 is to note the bated breath with which certain ex 

 cellent fox-hunters, otherwise of quite healthy 

 minds, speak of this admirable but not over-impor 

 tant pastime. They tend to make it almost as much 

 of a fetich as, in the last century, the French and 

 German nobles made the chase of the stag, when 

 they carried hunting and game-preserving to a point 

 which was ruinous to the national life. Fox-hunt 

 ing is very good as a pastime, but it is about as 

 poor a business as can be followed by any man of 

 intelligence. Certain writers about it are fond of 

 quoting the anecdote of a fox-hunter who, in the 

 days of the English civil war, was discovered pur 

 suing his favorite sport just before a great battle 

 between the Cavaliers and the Puritans, and right 

 between their lines as they came together. These 

 writers apparently consider it a merit in this man 

 that when his country was in a death-grapple, in 

 stead of taking arms and hurrying to the defence 

 of the cause he believed right, he should placidly 

 have gone about his usual sports. Of course, in 

 reality the chief serious use of fox-hunting is to 

 encourage manliness and vigor, and to keep men 

 hardy, so that at need they can show themselves 



