FOREST AND STREAM. 



427 



all parts of the world, as of all who have paid casual visits 

 to the range, have hut, corroborated this early professional 

 opinion, and to-day Creedmoor stands as the model range 

 of the world. As to hcalthfulness, it is fully up to anything 

 to be found within the accessible area about New York. It 

 has a soil easily drained, and when the trees now set out 

 shall add their leafy shade to that already upon the range, it 

 will be a not unpleasant summer resort. 



The Association owe it to the life members that there 

 shall be no diminution in the privileges offered them. Those 

 who joined under the notion that a range was to be forever 

 open to them, are not to be put off with some inferior shoot- 

 ing ground. 



If the movement has for its motive only a feeling of en- 

 mity or pique toward the railroad company, it is even more 

 unwise than it would appear on a first inspection. A sensible 

 business-like treatment of the road and its managers 

 ■would, no doubt, be met in a corresponding way, and a 

 policy of mutual helpfulness would be inaugurated to the 

 advantage alike of riflemen and railroad meu. As certainly 

 is it. true that a change of base could only injure both classes 

 — the range patrons to a large, and the road managers to a 

 much smaller extent. To start the move as a sort of " bluff" 

 game.on the railroad managers is simply ridiculous, since the 

 affairs of the Association are known to all ; and besides, the 

 experience of the railroad people with Creedmoor and 

 Creedmoor control is not such as to make them particularly 

 anxious for its continuance. 



There is another view of the case which may turn out to 

 be a very important one : Creedmoor to-day is one of the 

 designated State ranges ; it has upon its grounds much State 

 property, and has received a liberal share of sstate assistance 

 since its first inception. All this has been done, with the 

 unanimous concurrence of legislators, press and public, 

 under the impression that it was to benefit the National 

 Guard. Such benefit has followed, and there is not one 

 word of complaint to be laid as yet; the troops have been 

 abundantly accommodated by special trains on the days set 

 apart for their practice on the range. In its appointments, 

 in its size, and its easy accessibility, Creedmoor leaves noth- 

 ing to be desired for the troop practice of the New York and 

 Brooklyn divisions. It would be impertinent therefore, and 

 should lead to some very sharp investigation if the N. R. A. 

 managers, who are also officers of the National Guard, go to 

 Albany with an application for permission to sell the present 

 range. The Adjutant-General has but one interest in the 

 matter, beginning and ending in that of the National Guard. 

 When the militia are served well he can ask no more, and 

 to discommode the soldiery for the purpose of furthering 

 other aims and ends, or merely as a matter of accommoda- 

 tion to subordinate officers, will not;bring upon the Adjutant- 

 General many utterances of praise. 



It may be said, in short, that if the merest fraction of the 

 time, money and labor which will be required in fitting up a 

 new range be spent in securing for Creedmoor its one need 

 — a good railroad communication with the metropolis, the 

 difficulty will be solved, and a vast saving effected. It is 

 one of those cases where "the more haste the less speed" rule 

 can be properly applied, and whatever is to be done should 

 only be after full consideration and discussion. 

 . . ■ . . 



THE TONE OK SPORTING LITERA- 

 TURE. 



I N another column will be found the communication of a 

 J- Boston reader, who takes very decided exception to the 

 notion that there is any necessary taint of the whisky flask 

 and brandy bottle upon field sports. In disclaiming any con- 

 nection between true sportsmanship and spirituous liquors we 

 join our correspondent fully and unconditionally. Such has 

 ever been the tone of our editorial utterances . We are as- 

 sured that no constant reader of the Fobest and Stream 

 could infer from its pages that the enjoyment or success of a 

 sporting expedition was to be measured by the amount of 

 whisky guzzled upon the trip, or, indeed, that the bottle was 

 at all a necessary adjunct of the sportsman's outfit. We have 

 always opposed any such notion; how persistently, could be 

 appreciated by the general reader only after a review of the 

 manuscripts which are expurgated as they pass through our 

 hands. 



It would be a curious fact, did we not understand the influ- 

 ence which induced it, that very many sportsmen, who sit 

 down to pen their reminiscences of camp and field life, feel 

 obliged to make the most of what little liquor they may have 

 carried with them. Our correspondents persist in doing this, 

 despite our repeated excisions of objectionable passages. 

 The cause of this it is not difficult to discover. It is found in 

 the simple fact that one man's writings have been more 

 thoroughly and widely read by the American sportsman than 

 those of any other author in the same field. Their spirit and 

 morals have as a consequence been more generally accepted 

 and amateur wielders of the pen have in large measure mod- 

 elled their literary efforts in a similar vein. The Bporting 

 sketches of " Frank Forrester " and his school are redolent 

 through and through with the fumes of the whisky flask. 

 Whatever Herbert may have meant by " true sportsmanship" 

 it is very certain that he did not recognize temperance as one 

 of its elements ; and that he did not is a matter of very seri 

 ous regret, when we note the influence of his popularity. If 

 there be a taint of the bottle upon field sports, "Forrester" 

 and bis school have put it there, and kept it there. An edi- 



tion of these classics with the whisky element carefully ex- 

 punged, might be an infinite improvement upon their present 

 character, but they would no longer be recognized as " Frank 

 Forrester's." 



To overcome the effect of such models is not the work of a 

 day. A pure sporting literature is necessarily a thing of slow 

 growth. That the tone of what is recognized as characteris- 

 tic American sport is constantly improving must be apparent 

 to any one who will take the pains to give the subjebt a little 

 careful thought. 



We shall be disappointed, however, if we look for a uni- 

 versal ideal plane of morals where such does not exist. Con- 

 viviality is a feature of the woodland jaunts of very maDy 

 men, whose knowledge of woodcraft, skill with rod and gun, 

 and hearty enjoyment of the pleasures of the field entitle them 

 to the name of sportsmen. To studiously ignore this feature 

 were vain. That we do not attempt it must not be construed 

 by our readers as an indorsement of it. 



COLLEGE HAZING. 



XN the January Scribner'a Professor Charles F. Tkwmg, 

 who has recently contributed to the magazines several in- 

 telligent papers on college topics, discusses College Hazing. 

 The origin of the custom, Professor Thwing finds, wc think 

 rightly, in the artificial distinctions of rank which obtained 

 in all branches of early American society with a despotic 

 sway hardly to be conceived at the present day. It was 

 natural and inevitable that these distinctions should be strin- 

 gently observed in the institutions of learning. The evil in- 

 fluences of such divisions were further fostered by the adop- 

 tion of the English fagging laws, by virtue of which the new 

 student was little better than a serf subject to every caprice 

 of his elders. As a direct imitation of European customs 

 then, and as an outgrowth of the spirit of the times, it is not 

 strange that hazing was grafted upon our American college 

 system. It is more curious that now after the decadence of 

 the spirit which originated it, and the obliteration of like in- 

 stitutions in other branches of society hazing has maintained 

 itself. 



To understand its persistency we must remember that the 

 college student, who is strictly mi generis, neither boy nor 

 man, is in a receptive stage. His life so far has been spent in 

 healing and believing. It is his duty to receive what is told 

 him by his seniors. Upon entering college halls the student 

 finds his religion even all cut and dried for him, as it has 

 been for scores of classes before him. In his studies the 

 dicta of his professors are received in the same delightful 

 faith with which years before his eyes had widened at the 

 story of Jonah and the big fish. And the sophomore he be- 

 lieves with a blinder faith than is accorded even to professors 

 These same sophomores are tyrants by a sort of divine right ; 

 giants in the path to fame, against whom he must wage as 

 best he may. Happy freshman if he be not in the fray utter- 

 ly consumed ! And when a year has rolled around he too 

 becomes a tyrant (he knows now it is not by divine right) 

 and turns giant, which is but another word for coward. 

 "There is nothing so very manly in clubbing together and 

 sousing a poor fellow's head under the pump ; everyone 

 knows that, but," reasons the collegian, "my head was 

 soused, and my father's head was soused, and his 

 father's head was soused ; it has always been the custom. ' The 

 thing that hath been, it is that which shall be ; and that which 

 is done is that which shall be done,' " and our undergraduate 

 philosopher says this with something of a different meaning 

 from Solomon's. If our collegians would only think for 

 themselves, as they are learning to do, such reasoning would 

 soon be consigned with the practices it perpetuates to where 

 they both belong — the slums. But reason or not reason, 

 hazing must soon disappear. It is in its very nature coward- 

 ly and unjust, in its spirit directly opposed to the age. As 

 such its days are numbered. A very potent factor in its 

 abolishment is the healthy tone of public sentiment regard- 

 ing it. The time has gone by when men may win a reputa- 

 tion as clever fellows by relating their barbarities, euphuisti- 

 cally called "college pranks." Nor can collegiau3 afford to 

 be ruffians and cowards when the newspapers are quick to 

 publish their ruflianism and cowarice to the world. Only let 

 this be understood and our colleges will be rid of the reproach. 

 Amherst long ago abolished hazing, Harvard was next in line, 

 and the Yale faculty have adopted effectual measures lor 

 suppressing the abuse at New Haven. Other institutions 

 must follow their example. Ten years from now American 

 college hazing will be a subject only for the antiquarians. 



Ektuhn op Oapt. Bovton.— Capt. Paul Boyton, the in- 

 trepid swimmer, who has been making an extensive tour in 

 Europe, displaying the many excellencies of Captain Merri- 

 man's life saving suit under a great variety of circumstances, 

 has recently returned to his home in this city. The talc of 

 his adventures during his three years' stay abroad, the excit- 

 ing and often perilous situations while descending rapid 

 rivers or shooting falls, would form a narrative full of the 

 most vivid and thrilling descriptions of skill, dariu.g and en- 

 durance. It is needless to say that his life saving dress as 

 well as his bravery have been highly appreciated abroad, and 

 that he returns laden with medals and ensigns of honor be- 

 stowed upon him by the crowned heads ami dignitaries all 

 over Europe, and that his trip has not been without reward of 

 a more mercenary sort. He will soon set out again for Europe 

 in the fulfillment of contracts undertaken. Let us hope that 

 he will have the time to spare, and that his modesty may not 

 prevent his giving to the world the history of his exploits at 

 an early date. 



~— • — 



Buooklyn Am Association.— The winter exhibition of the 

 Brooklyn Art Association closed last Saturday, after a season 

 of three weeks ; but the great majority of the pictures will 

 remain on view until after New Year's. As a whole, the Ex- 

 hibition has been a success, although the aggregate of really 

 meritorious works was not- aa large as usual. Many fine 

 pictures have been sold at satisfactory prices, realizin fully 

 $3,000 altogether. 



Skating.— The " ball is up," and Brooklyn and New York 

 are now enjoying such skating as they have seldom had 

 before. The thermometer on Tuesday registered 1G eg. 

 above zero. Great preparations for sport are being made by 

 the Curling Clubs. 



Bran Flip.— This is a Canadian game at which two cau 

 play. We have never heard of it before. It is described by 

 our vivacious correspondent in his article which we print to- 

 day, entitled " Among the Moose and Bears." Perhaps some 

 of our youngsters will try it. 



—The Cuvier Club of Cincinnati have issued some tasteful 

 and beautifully embellished cards of invitation to their annual 

 reception, January 1, 1879. We regret we can't bo there. 

 Happy New Year and long life and prosperity to the Cuvier 

 Club ! 



—Texas has been in a chronic state of mud and flood for a 

 month past, and the weather is likely to continue wet all the 

 winter season through. Sportsmen are disgusted, but the 

 game has a better chance. 



—The Erie Railroad has just completed its third (narrow 

 gauge rail) from Buffalo to New York, and regular freight 

 trains will be put on at the beginning of the year. This will 

 give increased facilities for the Erie's enormous traffic. 



Soura Cabolina Oranges. — We read much of the delicious 

 quality of Florida oranges, but that fruit equally fine can be 

 grown in South Carolina, is proven to our own satisfaction by 

 the boxes of choice oranges and grape fruit which we annual- 

 ly receive as a Christmas gift from our esteemed friend Chas. 

 G. Kendall, Esq., of Palmetto Island, near Port Royal. The 

 oranges measure ten inches in circumference, and the grape 

 fruit twelve and more. For the latter a taste must be ac- 

 quired, and when acquired one becomes passionately fond of 

 them as he does for tomatoes. They possess a peculiar dietetic 

 quality and act beneficially upon the liver. Mr. Kendall has 

 devoted most careful attention to improving the quality of his 

 fruit, and we are convinced that none better can be found in 

 Florida. Specimens can be found at the commission house of 

 Lichenstein & Co., 83 Barclay street, carefully picked, with 

 stems and glistening leaves attached, very charming for 

 Christmas trees and holiday tables. 



GAME PROTECTION 



THE GAME LAWS OF THIS STATE. 



T^OR several years past we have urged upon those in -au- 

 -*• thority the necessity of so amending the game laws of 

 this State as to make the dates during which game is permit- 

 ted to be sold to correspond with the ppen seasons. At 

 present quail and grouse can be sold for two months later 

 than they can be shot, and the result is that the market is kept 

 supplied with birds that have been netted or taken in some 

 other illegal manner. In addition to the destruction carried 

 on in this way the law as it now stands prevents many per- 

 sons who desire to do so from turning out birds. While nets 

 and traps are being set in every direction there is very little 

 inducement offered to those who have the disposition to send 

 West and South for birds with which to keep up the supply 

 always made precarious by reason or the uncertain character 

 of our winters. The letter of our correspondent, which we 

 print below, is to the point : 



NBW Tokk, December 20, 1ST8. 

 Mr. £ditor-Iu Fokbst and Stream of December 10 you state that in 

 most of Hie states tho close season lor game begins Januai 

 State, according to seetion 33 of tbe game laws, any per.- 

 or have In lila or her possession prairie chicken and quail ft 



l to March l, au<l ruffed grouse from January 1 to Fein 



shall uot be hold liable for any penalty, provided hs proves Buchbirda 

 were killed within the period provided by this act, or were killed out 

 side the State at sonio place where the law did not prohibit such killing' 

 How absurd these two latter clauses aro and what a premium we offer 

 to poachers and law-breakers in this and other States by having this 

 open market lor them, rati! -Jie date of selling ends with the date of 

 killing, illegal ahootiug and trapping will go on in this and other States 

 At most there ought oaly to be a difference of Ave to ten days, to allow' 

 dealers to clear off their nock. All sportsmen throughout the country 

 could not but be benefited by tbe change. 



1)EL. 



In this 

 y sell 

 luary 



iary 1, and 



A MIGRATORY QUAIL AT LAST. 



TT gives us great pleasure to be able to announce to our 

 1 readers that the migratory quail, which we owe so largely 

 to the enthusiasm and painstaking efforts of Judge Everts, of 

 Vermont, and Mr. Hapgood, of Boston, seem to be on the in- 

 creass. We had the pleasure, a few days since, of receiving 

 a fine specimen of a bird of the year from a correspondent, 

 G. H. C., of Centre Brook, Conn., for whose thoughtful care 

 in preserving the bird and sending it to us we cannot b« 



