Fox-hunting Past and Present \ 



i 



ness of hunting makes nervous and irritable ' 

 masters. " Better luck next time " is a fine 

 consoling axiom, cheering alike to fox-hunter, i 

 gunner, and fisherman. Fox-hunting, being a \ 

 sport, whether a fox is killed, or a fox is lost, i 



or a fox is mobbed, or a fox is earthed, makes 

 no difference in the balance at the bankers. 



On the principle that a new broom sweeps 

 clean, gentlemen taking the onus upon them of | 

 M.F.H. are apt to slave and toil like servants. ■ 

 The fox-hunter goes out to ^' fresh fields and | 

 pastures new," hears all the news, the fun, the ■ 

 nonsense, the gossip of the world ; his mind i 

 enlarged, his spirits raised, his body refreshed, i 

 and he comes back full of life and animation. ; 



Dining out is almost indispensable for an ' 



M.F.H. , for friendship can only be riveted over a I 

 mahogany. It is convenient, too, in some cases, 1 

 such as hunting a distant part of the country. An j 

 agreeable change this, if the party have not been 

 hobnobbing at the county club for weeks to- 

 gether. One of the mistakes non-hunting people 

 used to make : ^' None but fox-hunters will do to 

 meet fox-hunters." We have changed all that 

 now. In a few hunts at any rate hunt dinners 

 are still in vogue. These reunions among members 

 of hunts have somewhat lapsed ; not so the balls 

 in January and February. 



To discuss further the duties of the would-be 



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