168 THE ANGLING CLUBS AND PRESERVATION 



years, or the working of that strange unwritten law which 

 would seem to hamper some unfortunates with the unvari- 

 able and accursed sting of poverty, sink gradually into a 

 pitiable state. Before its institution, and when a properly 

 accredited member of an angling club fell into distress, 

 there was nothing by way of relief save the " whip round " 

 with its open declaration of distress, sometimes especially 

 hurtful to a man's feelings, but which, to the credit of his 

 comrades, they were never disposed to shirk. Now a dis- 

 tressed angler simply makes his case known to the Com- 

 mittee of that institution, and he is instantly relieved to 

 the best of its ability. 



But is this institution, which should be one of the first 

 and most important, properly supported ? No, I answer 

 emphatically no ; yet the very men probably who hesitate 

 in the time of prosperity to put their shilling into its funds 

 are the very men who would think they were hardly dealt 

 by if, in the hour of need, they were not offered pounds. 



My friend Mr. Geen, the hard-working practical " anglers' 

 friend," if ever man deserved the title yet, has lately written 

 a paper, which has been read before various Angling 

 Societies, upon "The better Organisation of the London 

 Anglers." I had not intended to trench upon the ground 

 he, in that admirable and sensible essay, has taken up, but 

 he speaks so much more powerfully than my feeble pen is 

 capable of expressing, that I shall not hesitate, with many 

 apologies for so doing, to quote here and there his opinions, 

 mainly as a means of strengthening my own. 



Hear what he says, ye London Anglers, concerning this 

 same " Anglers' Benevolent," and mark, learn, and inwardly 

 digest the wisdom of his repeated warnings. 



" Another fault, and not a small one, is the difficulty of 

 getting members to join. One of the chief reasons which 



