BlIITAMY AND THE CHASE. 



From what race do Englishmen derive their love of 

 sporting ? Is it of Celtic, Danish, or Saxon origin ? 

 Surely of Danish. Tlie famous sea-kings were but sports- 

 men on a large scale, who beat land and sea for game, 

 hated boundaries and game laws, and after their sport 

 feasted jovially like hearty fellows. Commend me there- 

 fore to the worthy Danes, for they have given us a not 

 ignoble quality. Show me a good sportsman, and I will 

 show you a good specimen of the genus Homo. To con- 

 quer the king of beasts, to select at will and capture the 

 choicest of the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, and the 

 beast of the field, proves the superiority of intellect and 

 moral courage over brute force, while it does but carry 

 out the will of the Creato'r, which bestowed on man the 

 dominion over them all. For hunting was one of the ear- 

 liest pursuits of which we have mention, as it was the onl y 

 means of acquiring animal food ; and as to all necessary 

 acts a kind Providence has superadded pleasure, so in this 

 lias He stimulated us to supply our needs by the keen relish 

 implanted in all healthy minds for the sports of the field. 

 We know that Nimrod was a mighty hunter, and it is 

 probable that Adam and his sons were the same. The 

 opinion of the vegetarians that no animal food was eaten 



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