Decline of Cumberland Wrestling. 215 



their physical powers early on the village 

 greens. George Moore, whom the late 

 Archbishop Tait, also a Cumbrian, sub- 

 sequently pronounced to be the best and 

 largest-hearted Christian that he had ever 

 known, tried his strength upon his school- 

 fellows by " takin' haud " of them. Strong 

 and wiry, persevering and tenacious, he soon 

 learnt all the tricks of the art, and before he 

 left school few boys could cope with him. 

 It was hardly to be expected that he should 

 receive a very learned education at " Black- 

 bird " Wilson's school, seeing that his father 

 paid but six shillings and sixpence a quarter 

 for his tuition. His next move was to a 

 finishing school at Blennerhasset, where he 

 remained only for one quarter, at the cost of 

 eight shillings. " Here," he says, "for the 

 first time I felt there was some use in learning 

 and began to be ashamed of my own ignor- 

 ance. The master was a very superior man, 

 in fact a sort of genius. However, I had 

 made up my mind, when thirteen years old, 

 to go away from home and fight the battle of 

 life for myself." 



"The Druid's" regard and admiration for 



