REMARKS ON ANGLING. 



"A taper rod, a slender line, 



A bait to tempt the fishes. 

 And in the shade of oak or pine 

 One may the wicked world resign 



And all its sinful wishes." 



'A gamy fight, a landed prize. 

 Perhaps a bass to mention. 

 And tho' the world may advertise 

 'Twill never out of art devise 

 A parallel invention." 



' O wearied souls that sigh for peace 



And search the town, e'er failing. 

 Here is unwatered bliss to lease, 

 With interest beginning to increase — 



And 'sou'west' winds prevailing." 



^'"T^ngling is probably the most ancient of out- 

 jreations. In the Apostolic days Peter 

 go a-fishing," and his brother disciples 

 responded, " we also, will go with thee." Before 

 the dawn of the Christian era angling was 

 enjoyed as a pastime, thongh it had not developed 

 mto a profound science. When the Divine hand 

 brought order out of chaos, created the earth, and 

 apportioned to the surface three-fourths water 

 and one-fourth of dry land, the relative importance of fish- 

 ing as compared with the sports of the field, was forever 

 fixed and can scarcely be questioned. It has been said in 

 favor of angling that " it is a one-handed game, that 

 would have suited Adam himself ; it is the onlyone by 

 w^hich Noah could have amused himself in the ark," and these truths 

 seem self-evident. 



Of ancient angling, as practiced b}' the EgA'ptians, the Assyrians, the 

 Romans, and other races of ye olden time, little need be said in this volume. 

 It may be safely assumed that the majority of fishers in that past age 

 fished for food, not for pleasure. The angling appliances of the ancients 

 were so crude and coarse — as evidenced by the relics of this kind pre- 

 served in various museums — that it would be ridiculous to term their 

 method of fishing a " gentle art." Sinews and strings of raw-hide were 

 the ordinary fishing lines, and the hooks were roughly formed of bone or 

 metal. Respect for the reputation of the good and great men who inhab- 

 ited the earth when it was comparatively new, prevents modern authors 



