46 
FOREST AND STiREAM. 
[Jul If i§, 1903. 
Game Preserves and Adirondack 
Ruin. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
In the beginning God created the heavens alld the 
earth, and the waters on the face of the earth, and 
commanded that the earth bring forth grass, and herb, 
and fruit-bearing tree, and fowl that may fly above the 
earth, and beast of the earth, and that the waters bring 
forth abundantly of life. And he saw that all which he 
had created was good. Lastly he created man, and 
gave to man doininion OA-er all the other things which 
he had created. The word "dominion," as here used, 
clearly means control, use and enjoyment. He gave 
this dominion to "man," not to a man, or to a class of 
men, neither did he give to any man or to any class 
of men the right to deprive other men of this do- 
minion. 
Man is naturally the most selfish of animals. Most 
animals are satisfied with enough to make them com- 
fortable and happy, but man is never satisfied. Ever 
since Adam gave the first exhibition of human greed 
in the garden of Eden man has sought to get more 
than that which is justly his own, and to aid him in 
satisfying his greed he has set up false standards of 
right and wrong which he has named law. I cannot 
believe that this is in accordance with the divine will. 
I cannot believe that it is the divine will that the 
wealthy class shall corner all the good things of this 
life for its own benefit regardless of the rights and 
well-being of the poorer classes. Christ did not tell 
the rich young man to buy a game preserve and ex- 
clude the poor from it. On the contrary, he told this 
young man that if he wished to do right to sell his 
goods and give the proceeds of the sale to the poor, 
which is a radically different way of irsing wealth and 
treating the poor. 
The almost irresistible temptation of the wealthy to 
use their wealth for the gratification of their own selfish 
desires regardless of the rights of others, and the 
wrongfulness of this use of wealth, is no doubt what 
prompted our Savior to say, "It is hard for a ricli 
man to enter into the kingdom of heaven." And then 
to define just how hard it is for the rich to resist this 
temptation he added, "It is easier for a camel to go 
through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man 
to "nter into the kingdom of God." 
Now I believe our Creator ordered everything for 
the greatest happiness of mankind. 1 believe the divine 
law is better than our human law, and that if we try to 
enforce a human law that antagonizes the divine law 
it will sooner or later get us into serious trouble. It 
is not my intention to preach a sermon, but I do wish 
to call attention to a few fundamental truths which 
some people seem to have lost sight of in their de- 
sire to prove that the rich can do no wrong. 
Selfishness begets selfishness, and hate begets hate 
just as surely as good-will begets good-will, and love 
begets love. 
We should not sow the wind if we do not wish to 
reap the whirlwind, and it is the people of wealth who 
should heed these maxims most, as they have the most 
at stake as well as the greatest power at their com- 
mand for good or evil. 
The history of a little lake, which I have in mind, 
shows how the good gifts of God may be converted 
into a curse by the selfishness of man. This lake lies 
embosomed among hills and mirrors in its clear depths 
both forest crowned mountain and pleasant groves. 
During my childhood and early manhood it seryed 
as a playground for the inhabitants of the surrounding 
country. Its waters furnished sport for those who de- 
light in fishing, and the fish taken from it were usually 
made into chowders. The leafy arcades of the groves 
on its shores furnished the dining halls in which these 
chowders were eaten, and also furnished arenas in 
which games and sports of many kinds were enjoyed. 
Here the young and the old, the rich and the poor, 
met on a common level, and were taught in this school 
of friendship and brotherly love to know each other 
better, to become better men and women, and better 
citizens of their country. The lake was an educator 
for good, and who shall say that in thus furnishing an 
opportunity for relaxation and enjoyment to several 
hundred people, it was not fulfilling the destiny for 
which it was created. 
About a score of years ago a person with money and 
inclination to put an end to this happy state of affairs, 
came, saw, and "lawfully" appropriated the little lake 
for his own use, and thereby converted it into a teacher 
of envy and hate. Now this is dangerous teaching. 
It is of the sort that develops the highwayman, the 
anarchist, the firebug and other types of criminals. It 
is of the sort that caused the guillotine to drip with 
blood during the Reign of Terror in France. We 
can only hope that the seed this person is sowing will 
be killed by good influences before it shall produce 
its terrible crop. Or better still, that it may fall on 
uncongenial soil, where it will never germinate. In- 
deed this is a subject oh which every good citizen has 
abundant reason to "feel strongly." 
I have been a frequent visitor to the Adirondacks, 
and have witnessed the arrogance of the preserve own- 
ers, and heard the mutterings of the gathering storm 
of wrath which has culminated in fire and destruction. 
Great and deplorable as is the ruin which has been 
wrought, I fear that even greater will be witnessed in 
the future if a better understanding and a better feel- 
ing cannot be cultivated between those whose interests 
are involved. ... 
The "Mailed Hand" is powerless m this case. As 
well might one try to crupper the whirlwind as to try 
to. prevent the work of the fire fiend in this vast do- 
main with police or military power. 
I believe the best remedy for this deplorable condi- 
tion of affairs is a compliance with the divine law, 
"Give to the poor." I believe that a compliance with 
this law would be a sovereign remedy for most of the 
troubles and evils of this life. 
If those who are rich in money, rich in knowledge, 
rich in opportunities for enjoyment, rich in friendship 
and good-will, rich in anything which has power to 
elevate and make better, would give freely of their 
rich?§ the poor, i, e., those who lack such riches, I 
believe that even the detested firebug, who, it must be 
admitted, is one of the poorest creatures that curse 
this earth, would be transformed into a good citizen. 
When the poor of the earth had been made rich with 
these good gifts they in turn would become givers, 
then would this earth become a heaven of happiness, 
and the givers would receive their reward. 
Jos. W. Shurteh. 
Gansevoort. July-lO. 
Maine Association. 
Bangor, Me., July 11. — Editor Forest and Stream: The 
week just ending has been an interesting one for Maine 
sportsmen in many ways, since this was the date of the 
annual mid-summer outing of the Maine Sportsmen's Fish 
and Game Association at Kineo, when piscatorial interests 
and politics get well mixed, and the policy of the Associa- 
tion in the way of future legislation begins to assert itself, 
or those in charge endeavor to mold it as they think best. 
There was a big gathering at Kineo, some going the 
Fourth and remaining until' Monday next, the large num- 
ber doing this being a constant proof of the beauties of 
Moosehead, which can draw and hold so many people for 
as long as they can spare. The outing proper lasted Mon- 
day, Tuesday and Wednesday, and during that time there 
were public meetings, informal discussions on the broad 
veranda and in the office, contests on water and land hy 
the guides, fishing contests by the members, and excur- 
sions to points of interest about the great lake. 
The central feature of the ouling was the public meet- 
ing of Monday evening, when the gathering discussed, 
through speakers called upon by the chair, the advisability 
of prohibiting the killing entirely of doe deer and fawns, 
or the limiting of the number of does to be killed by one 
person, and the forbidding entirely of the carrying of 
firearms into the woods in close season. President C. A. 
Judkins, of Kineo, presided, and there were several 
speakers, several of them sportsmen, and still several 
others owners of wild lands, the general opinion being 
that it would be impossible to secure the passage of either 
proposition in the Maine Legislature at this time, al- 
though the speakers were about evenly divided as to the 
advisability of cither measure. It was admitted by several 
of the speakers that there is a great number of deer in 
Maine at the present time, in fact, almost more than the 
natural conditions will support, and that, aside from 
sentiment, there is no good reason for protecting does 
more than bucks at present. 
Two of the most influential speakers came out flatly 
against the proposition to prohibit the carrying of fire- 
arms into the woods in close season, one speaker urging 
that in his opinion it abridged unlawfully the right of 
every citizen to bear arms, while the other suggested that, 
having gone to the limit in the enactment of last winter's 
law licensing non-resident hunters, it was now a good 
time to stop and wait for developments and see how the 
present laws work before continuing an agitation that 
could but create a feeling of unrest and insecurity upon 
the part of the thousands of visitors who come to Maine 
to spend their money. The representative of the guides 
also objected strongly to the propositions, and saw no 
need for either, although admitting that the guides are 
not perfect, but on the whole willing to see the spirit of 
the present laws upheld, if not more restrictions are im- 
posed. "The passage of the hcense law last winter was 
bad enough," said he, "it seems to us like rubbing it in 
pretty hard to attempt to saddle the game laws with more 
innovations that would curtail the guiding business, al- 
ready hurt considerably by the recent work of the Legis- 
lature." So emphatic and strong was the opposition, that 
Secretary Farrington felt called upon to state, at the 
close, the reasons for naming the questions for discus- 
sion, as he had in making up the programme, which, he 
said, "are bound to be burning questions with us in a 
few years, and it is well to thoroughly consider these im- 
portant points before they are forced to our attention by 
a great need." 
There were batteau, canoe and other races between the 
guides on Tuesday, and some very interesting contests 
were carried out. In the afternoon twenty-five guides 
shot at a wooden deer for a rifle and gun case as first and 
second prizes, and of the guides entering, only four made 
scores of 20 and above out of a possible 25. Frank 
Tomah, a Greenville guide, made a score of 24, with E. E. 
Harlow 23, and E. J. Masterman 22, all of Greenville. 
The scores of the majority of the contestants would not 
indicate that the deer are in great danger from their 
marksmanship, either in close or open season. 
Herbert W. Rowe. 
Meadowlafk and Robin« 
Buffalo, N. Y.,' July 11. — Editor Forest and Stream: 
Coahoma did not quite get my idea in regard to shooting 
meadowlarks and robins. I did not make a very strong 
point in reference to shooting meadowlarks for sport, but 
I do insist that there should be no degree of sportsman- 
ship attached to the shooting of robins. 
Audubon may have considered meadowlarks as legiti- 
mate objects of sport, but there were many things done in 
his day in the pursuit of game which would be considered 
as highly unsportsmanlike in our day. A correspondent 
in last week's issue of Forest and Stream writes that 
meadowlarks are protected in Kentucky, the Rev. Craig's 
State, as they are also protected in the State in which 
he was arrested for violating the law, and if he was any 
kind of a sportsman he would not hunt without first mak- 
ing himself acquainted with the game laws in the State 
ill which he was hunting. 
And this is why we protested against Coahoma defend- 
ing a lawbreaker, and putting his article in svjch a way 
that the game warden appeared as doing something under- 
handed in arresting him and the Rev. Craig being put to 
personal inconvenience to which he should not have been 
subjected. 
If the point of view in Mississippi admits of such sport, 
we will grant that it is a proper thing to do; but if the 
point of view in Nebraska considers that a man is break- 
ing the law in shooting these birds, Coahoma must per- 
mit us to arrest and fine such lawbreakers, and ought to 
be in sympathy with such action. 
I was interested in reading what he had to say about 
shooting robins in the South. It seems, nevertheless, that 
the South has enough of legitimate game birds so that it 
ought not to be necessary to try one's gun on song birds. 
While the robin may not sing in Mississippi in the win- 
ter, nevertheless he does sing in certain times of the year 
in the North, and he is a song bird. I haA'e read many of 
Coahoma's articles with much interest, and feel that he is 
a good sportsman, and I hope that I may enjoy many- 
more of them in the future, but I hope to see the time 
when he will be arrayed against shooting these birds, and 
be for their protection. We may have to bring him 
North to do it. I have lived in many of the Southern 
States, though, and never learned to regard robins as 
game birds. Dixmont, 
California "Sooners/* 
San Francisco, July 8. — Chief Deputy Vogelsang, of 
the Fish Commission, is very much pleased over the cap- 
ture of several game laAV violators who chose to go hunt- 
ing on Independence Day, instead of celebrating in the 
usuial manner. The offenders all appeared in various 
courts of the State yesterday. 
Antonio Smith, of this city, was cauglit with crabs in 
his possession by Deputy L. N. Kerchival. Judge Fritz 
separated Smith from $20. 
Deputy W. P. Heustis came upon Eugene Emerson 
with deer in his possession in the wilds of Humboldt 
county and haled him before Justice of the Peace Digham, 
of Scotia, who sentenced the offender to pay $35. 
Deputy A, F. Lee apprehended Oscar Hobard and 
Harry Mentz with three quail, in their possession in the 
western part of Lake county. The first named offender is. 
the proprietor of a resort in the vicinity of the capture, 
and his companion, whose home is in San Francisco, was 
his guest. They were taken to Kelseyville, where Justice 
of the Peace Hunt imposed an aggregate fine of $65 and 
ordered the three quail confiscated. 
Nebtaska Bounties. 
As THE last Legislature of Nebraska abrogated the wolf 
and coj'Ote bounty law, the stockman's association have 
fixed upon a bounty of $7.50 for each gray wolf slaugh- 
tered regardless of sex, and $15 for a female gray wolf 
over two j'ears of age. The bounty on cubs is $2, and on 
coyotes the same. ' Sandy Griswold, 
— ^ — 
Proprietors of fishing resorts will find it profttable to adyertiM 
them in Forest and Stkbam. 
Canoe and Camp Life Along the 
Delaware River. 
XVI. — The Canoe. — Some Musings, 
Where the rocks are gray and the shore is steep, 
And the waters below look dark and deep; 
Where the rugged pine, in his lonely pride. 
Leans gloomily over the murky tide; 
Where the reeds and- rushes are long and rank. 
And the weeds grow thick on the winding bank, 
Where the shadows are heavy the whole day through, 
Lies at its moorings the old canoe. 
The above lines, quoted from memory, havfe appealed 
to many a reader, bringing back not only the life along 
shore after he became an adept with the paddle, but his 
hfe as a child, when he watched from the top of the high 
bank the old birch-bark canoe as it teetered, swayed, and 
swung, the key of its fastened lock and the coveted pad- 
dle both hidden by cautious father or big brother. How 
he longed for a ride in that canoe all alone; braving the 
flogging promised to him if he so much as went near it ! 
He remembers the glad morning when he was permitted 
to sit on its bottom while his brother paddled; and the 
afternoon when he slowly entered it alone, first peering: 
about to make sure no one saw him, and then pushed it 
out to the length of the old chain, and nearly tipped it 
over — a great fright. But it seemed almost a privilege 
to be drowned by a spill from the charmed, buoyant 
craft that made him summon ^-isions of feather-decorated 
Indians, and solemn, blanketed squaws with pappooses 
tied on their backs. 
There she floats on the deep pool in the river sum- 
moned by memory — tied to a dingy stake or half-decayed 
log — the old canoe, leaky perhaps, or half filled with 
rain-water, but also saturated, like the wood of a violin, 
with water music, leaf music, bird music, wind music. It 
has its being in a kingdom to be traversed and explored 
and joyed in when he becomes a man. And then, as Jo 
Gargery would say, "Wot larks !" 
The boy dreams of guiding her over rapids and through 
cascades, of sailing her on long, still reaches of deep 
w^ater, and of having the small, specially liked miss, the 
sunshine of the country school-house a mile away, share 
those trips with him, to see how well he can wield the 
paddle. But now the boat is "locked up," her patched 
and tarred sides dipping and rising into the bar of sun- 
light that streams through a wide cranny in the over- 
hanging foliage. 
"And dizzily out and in again. 
It floats the length of its rusty chain." 
Even when she is condemned and left to moulder, sub- 
merged, on the bottom of that pool, he watches her dim 
outlines, far down through the slowly passing _ current. 
Now his hopes cluster about the new boat being con- 
structed by his father in the woodshed. But even there 
the stern order of "Keep siway" chills and saddens him. 
He studies the withes, pieces of bark, overlaps and 
ribs as the boat slowly takes form. He follows her, fas- 
cinated, and dancing his joy, as his big brother lifts it, 
bottom upward, gets under it, and goes off tOAvard the 
river — only a swaying pair of straining legs to be seen 
under a long, gigantic, sky-pointing hat! How easily 
that canoe is launched. How lightly she floats. _ And 
what a puzzle the whole family struggles with in finding . a 
name good enough for her. 
Trivial incidents, but vital to that boy; for they mak^ 
