234 Sportsmen Parsons in Peace and War 



Eyeworth. Lord Peel was patron of the latter, and the vicar 

 was still spoken of as " Master Maurice." 



The East End children were not forgotten, and parties of 

 them were invited for a week or two's change into the country. 



We always think slum children would love the country and 

 that we are being very kind in having them for a while from 

 their dirty, squalid homes ; but this is not always the case. I 

 have known the little cockneys utterly miserable and lonely 

 away from their gutters and orange-peel ; they would rather 

 play with a treasured and battered old sardine-tin in puddles 

 caused by pails of dirty water thrown out into the street, than 

 have a clean face, clean clothes, and be told to play in a field of 

 golden buttercups where terrifying cows and sheep are feed- 

 ing. They miss the crowds and noise, miss the swearing of 

 drunken men, miss the scraps of food they love, the floating 

 pieces of orange-peel, odd lettuce-leaves and rotten fruit thrown 

 from the barrows. 



I have known them cry miserably day after day until it was 

 time to go home again. A pig wandering down a lane or an 

 inquisitive cow coming to look at them in a field caused them 

 sleepless nights and horrid nightmares. 



It is disappointing when we have done our best and are 

 patting ourselves on the back for taking so much trouble to 

 make them happy. I do not suggest all are miserable in the 

 country, but I have known quite a number who were, though 

 when safely home again, with no possibility of cows and pigs 

 coming round the corner, they have talked bravely of their 

 experiences ! 



Mr. Peel had no far-reaching schemes by which humanity 

 was to be benefited and the country purified until the lion and 

 the lamb were lying down together and the country over- 

 flowing with the milk of human kindness ; but wherever he went, 

 and in every parish where he worked, he took the trouble to do 

 what is often overlooked by the clergy, namely, he took con- 

 siderable trouble to bring together and introduce people of the 

 same tastes and same way of thinking, which resulted in happy 

 intercourse and sociability. 



How often we find people starving amid plenty, so to speak, 

 because they know nobody who is interested in what appeals to 

 them. A man may be fond of reading and be of an enquiring 



