CHAPTEK I. 



THE KATIONALE OF HUNTING. 



Fifty years ago, the question, Why should fox-hunting, 

 or any other form of hunting exist ? would have met 

 with universal ridicule at the expense of the questioner. 

 But, alas ! the old order changeth, and new prophets 

 have arisen, whose sermons are inspired by the teach- 

 ings of our old enemy, "the dog in the manger." 

 This expression is not original on our part, for on 

 Saturday, April 3rd, 1897, at the annual dinner at 

 Windsor, given to the farmers in the Queen's country, 

 Sir George Eussell, who was in the chair, remarked 

 that the antagonists to the sport consisted only of 

 those who were unable to enjoy the sport, which was 

 a polite way of calling the said antagonists so many 

 dogs in the manger. This meeting, we may add, was 

 in favour of sport without a single dissentient, 

 whether the sport consisted in hunting the carted 

 deer, or riding after Mr Garth's foxhounds, and was 

 considered of such importance as to demand attention, 

 and in some cases leading articles, from the London 

 daily papers ; a result which could hardly have been 

 acceptable to the faddists, who, with no knowledge 

 of the subject, decry sport in general and hunting in 

 particular. 



The effect of the disturbance has been to call forth 



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