86 STAG-HUNTING RECOLLECTIONS 



hounds question for friend and foe alike. Time is on the 

 side of those who would like to see the Buckhounds given 

 up, but the time is not yet. Middlesex I give up. But the 

 pheasant people in Bucks only require occasional considera- 

 tion : all about Ascot it would appear that the villa industry 

 is suffering from over-production ; on the Surrey and Hamp- 

 shire side a wide extent of rough country can very easily 

 be extended, with advantages which will be referred to else- 

 where. 



It has often been observed tha^ those who attack institu- 

 tions, and especially institutions resting upon the titles of 

 time and custom, are usually better up in their case than 

 the defenders. The sub-editor of any thoroughpaced progres- 

 sive newspaper could ' arrange,' in the French sense of the 

 word, the House of Lords in a fashion which would astonish 

 and bewilder a respectable handful of average peers. The 

 fact is that, unless perhaps the ratepayer can be directly 

 interested in the matter, the conservatism of mankind has 

 always to be reckoned with when any definite proposal is 

 made to alter a usage or transform an institution. Thus, 

 when any such enterprise is in question, the attacking 

 forces have to take great pains. It is advisable to know the 

 strong points before attacking the weak ones. In discussion 

 it looks well to give these strong points full recognition. 



But, in this matter of getting up their case, the agitation 

 against the Buckhounds seems to me rather an exception 

 to the general rule. I suppose it is a natural inclination to 

 see what suits us, and to shut our eyes to what does not 

 suit us. Very likely I shall often do so myself in the course 

 of these pages, but the critics of the Buckhounds appear 

 to have done this to a quite unusual degree, and their case 

 has suffered in consequence. Either stupidly, or perhaps 

 from the fact that their occupations and aptitudes do not 

 permit of any practical knowledge whatsoever of stag-hunt- 



