156 TROUT FISHING 



the Buddhist, whose view of the here- 

 after is but a variation of the hopes of 

 the European peoples ? Surely it cannot ; 

 and surely, also, if pleasure is in the 

 expectation of all theologians the supreme 

 quality of the ultimate life, it cannot but 

 have a natural sanction in the present. 



This reasoning might be developed to 

 vindicate sport against the aspersions of 

 the many persons who feel that there is 

 something dubious, probably sinful, in all 

 not-absolutely-necessary actions that give 

 pleasure to men and women ; but that is 

 not at present needful. I am not assum- 

 ing that sports require defence. I am 

 only assuming that one of them, angling, 

 may be made the more delightful by 

 being interpreted as something other than 

 one of man's many inventions. It is an 

 invention, unquestionably ; but if the 

 argument about design in nature is not to 

 be wholly abandoned, the sport, it might 

 be held, has no less a sanction than that 

 of having been part of the creative plan. 



Now, the argument from design always 



