46 Sportsmen Parsons in Peace and War 



to say there are not many great and good clergymen now who 

 are not sportsmen. What grieves me is that so many earnest 

 and good men should have so little power to attract or hold our 

 interest, A short time ago I was discussing this very subject 

 v.'ith an ex-master of hounds, who has seen a good deal of the 

 world, has done his bit for his country, and will now carry the 

 marks of it with him to the end of his days. He said, " The 

 old Sporting Parson was a dignified man one could respect and 

 admire. The Roman Catholic priests I respect and admire ; they 

 are dignified, well-educated, often intelligent, and social assets ; 

 but man}^ of the English Church clergy are such crawling 

 creatures and so ill-educated and childish, if I get into the train 

 with one I feel I must apologise for him, and when I bid him 

 ' Good-bye ' I feel I ought to speak to him as if he is a child and 

 say to him, ' Ta-ta ; say good-bye to the lady nicely and run 

 away and play robbers.' " 



It is the fashion to-day, as I have already said, to run down 

 sporting parsons, and undoubtedly there have been specimens 

 who have brought them as a class into disrepute, but no one 

 could ever say they were a crawling lot, or wish to bid them 

 " Ta-ta." 



In 1879 Lord Poltimore offered the living of Black Torring- 

 ton to Mr. Russell ; this meant £500 a year and a good home, 

 so though he felt leaving Swymbridge, the need of cash neces- 

 sitated it. When he said good-bye to his old neighbours and 

 friends they presented him with a cheque for £800, all his 

 parishioners and friends, including the Prince of Wales, having 

 subscribed. It was presented to him in the Duke of Bedford's 

 House in Eaton Square, and many kindly things were said about 

 the work he had done in his parishes, and of his Christian 

 charity. 



At Black Torrington Mr. Russell fixed himself up very 

 comfortably, papered and painted the old rectory, built new 

 stables at considerable cost, and just as they were finished a 

 fire reduced them to ashes, and unfortunately two good horses 

 and a couple of valuable terriers shared the same fate. The 

 rat-catcher's charm had not brought him much luck. Once 

 more his financial calculations were thrown out ; but he was not 

 a grumbler, he squared his shoulders and bought a horse — and 

 a good one, very cheap, being, as he expressed it, " speechless 



