CHAPTER XVI 



SPORT AND CHARACTER 



The general character of the English sportsman un- 

 doubtedly never stood so high, if it be fairly investi- 

 gated, as it does at the present period, and it is a 

 gratifying fact that their numbers are daily increasing. 

 But it is necessary to observe the distinction between 

 the sportsman and the sporting man ; one is the 

 genuine, the other the assumed condition. Of the 

 latter I think comparatively their numbers are on the 

 decrease. In these remarks I must be understood as 

 confining my observations within the circle connected 

 with the chase, totally exclusive of all the host which 

 has sprung up on the speculative fabric of the turf. 



The term of sportsman, if properly interpreted, 

 signifies a man who delights in the legitimate sports of 

 the field, whether it be racing, hunting, shooting, or 

 fishing. And he enjoys the sport only when it is con- 

 ducted according to fair and honourable practices, in 

 which with becoming spirit he can participate. In this 

 category all classes, with the distinction of their 

 respective stations, may be enrolled, from the most 

 affluent peer to the poorest peasant. If either were to 

 transgress the conventional rules of sporting he would 

 lose caste, as the poacher does who snares the hares 

 and pheasants. The difference between the sportsman 

 and the sporting man is very clear and distinct ; the 

 former is replete with high bearing, hospitality, 

 integrity of purpose, manliness, candour, frankness, a 



