THE art of angling does not seem to flourish among 

 the lower classes in the country. Your true labour- 

 ing man is not, as a rule, either a lover of nature 

 or a follower of the gentle craft. When labourers 

 are boys, they will fish in noisy companies by somo 

 pool-side ; anl sad it is to see them, for their 

 language is foul and their voices discordant. The 

 rustic youth is not, as a rule, by any means a fine 

 specimen of human nature. He has not the quick- 

 ness and intelligence of the town boy, neither has 

 he any perception of the beautiful about him. 

 Hence, as the raw material is seldom the stuff of 

 which anglers are made, it is not wonderful that tho 

 finished product should seldom pass his days by 

 the river-side, and enjoy the " innocent and calm 

 recreation " which seems so peculiarly suitable for 

 a country life. Perhaps it is that the dull mono- 

 tony of his daily labour so deadens his perceptive 

 faculties that he cannot see pleasure in angling, but 

 sees a great deal in leaning on a gate, or drinking 

 bad beer in the public-house. The case is somewhat 

 different with the corresponding class in our towns. 

 Town-life gives a greater activity of mind and in- 



