Feb. 15, 1913 
FOREST AND STREAM 
207 
years he attended the school, he secured enough 
knowledge to make an appearance before his 
illiterate parents and brothers. Dad thought he 
should know enough to preach a sermon, and 
just before his home-coming of the third year, 
the old man went around to his neighbors and 
notified them that his son would preach his 
maiden sermon on a Sunday morning of a given 
date. The district was sparsely settled, and 
preaching was only held once each month by a 
circuit rider. Any thing extra in the way of 
entertainment was sure to draw, and Eli faced 
a large audience on his first attempt to expound 
the gospel. Eli was notified that he must per¬ 
form, and that he must prepare for his perform¬ 
ance. Fearing if he did not he would not be 
allowed to go back to school again, he assented 
to all arrangements and notified his father that 
he would be ready. He prepared his sermon 
from the fight between David and Goliah, which 
appealed to his football nature of rough and 
tumble. He arose in the pulpit on the Sunday 
appointed, and addressed his audience as follows: 
“David! David! David! David wus er daisy 
—he wus. David wus er dandy. Say! you 
know whut David done ter Goliah? Yer don’t? 
Well, Fll jist tell yer. Little old David knocked 
holes in that ere jint big’r’n punkins. Oh! little 
ole David wus er scrapper frum Scrappersville 
—he wus. Whut he done ter* that ere scounel 
wus er plenty. He wus er cracker-jack. Say! 
I jist want ter stan’ flat-footed an’ bet any yap 
in this ere house a ten spot thet little ole 
David —” 
“Shet up yer trap, Eli. Every time yer 
opens yer mouf yer darkens ther cause.” 
This ejaculative interruption came from 
Dad, who was occupying a seat in the amen 
corner together with Mam and all of the family 
—a seat that was very close to the pulpit. The 
injunction was issued as the old man arose with 
a two-pound Bible drawn back in his right hand 
as if to say to Eli, “If you don’t you will get 
this against the side of your head.” It is need¬ 
less to say Eli subsided. 
When the laugh had died away on the soft 
balmy air, the parson turned to me and said: 
“Well, what are you going to do to-day?” 
“Who! me! I am going fishing,” I an¬ 
swered. “I didn’t come down here a thousand 
miles from home to fish and expect to be bluffed 
on Sunday. If I were at home I would go to 
church; go to sleep and dream I was catching 
a big one, but down here I am going to do the 
real thing, if there is no law against it.” 
With his index finger pointed at me, he 
said: “If you go er fishing on er Sunday, the 
devil ull get yer shore.” 
■'The devil is dead,” I said; “don’t you 
smell him?” 
‘ Wl-fn tlie devil is alive, he is as odorless as can be, 
W hen the devil is dead, the devil of a smell makes he.” 
I said no more, but gathered up my tackle 
and departed for the dock, the parson repeating 
his warning. He also shouted the fourth com¬ 
mandment after me as a parting and a warn¬ 
ing of my obstinacy. 
1 here was a bench on the dock which re¬ 
sembled a church pew. The dock was about 
fifty feet long by about ten feet wide, and was 
built on piles driven into the sand. It was about 
six feet above the water. Deep water com¬ 
menced almost on the shore line, consequently 
the outside edge of it was over very deep water; 
about forty feet. It was built close into shore. 
A broad walk led out to it, and the whole struc¬ 
ture looked like a railroad depot platform. It 
was located immediately in front of the cottage, 
which was situated about thirty feet from the 
water’s edge. 
I made myself comfortable on the bench, 
which had a high, solid back shutting out or 
Continued on page 219. 
Fishing in New Jersey in January. 
Asburv Park, N. J., F'eb. 6 .—Editor Forest and 
Stream: The wonderful mild weather experienced 
this winter was notable for many oddities of 
nature, grass growing, trees blooming, etc., and 
in addition thereto, one feature which will last 
in the memory of anglers who reside in New 
Jersey for a long time to come, was the fishing 
in the fresh-water lakes and ponds in the month 
of January for pike and pickerel. The open 
season for catching these fish is from May 20 
to Nov. 30. and from Jan. i to Jan 31; and 
when it is taken into consideration that there 
is a law prohibiting catching fish through the 
ice, it would appear ordinarily that the open 
season for the month of January was unneces¬ 
sary. However, this year it proved an accept¬ 
able exception, much to the delight of fresh¬ 
water anglers. 
There are numerous lakes and ponds situ¬ 
ated within a radius of fifteen miles from As- 
bury Park, N. J., which not alone afford good 
sport for pike, pickerel and yellow perch, but 
also contain numbers of black bass, which can 
be taken in season. 
Large numbers of pike and pickerel have 
been taken in the numerous lakes and ponds, 
and it was not at all exceptional to see the 
angler discarding his overcoat on account of 
the springlike atmosphere. On New Year’s 
Day the writer was one of a party of three who 
captured fifteen pickerel weighing from one to 
three pounds apiece, and on the last day of 
the season, Jan. 31, eight of similar weight. 
Daily fishing parties would take advantage 
of the unusual climatic conditions prevailing. 
In Deal Lake alone, which is situated at Asbury 
Park, numerous pickerel were captured, the 
largest weighing 4^4 pounds. It is improbable 
that similar conditions will prevail for many 
years to come. Hartie I. Phillips. 
Stocking Pennsylvania Streams. 
The Pennsylvania Department of Fisheries 
under its new system of distribution furnishes 
a blank form upon which the recipients of fish 
state the number and condition when they are 
received. There is much gratification felt in the 
Department over the fact that in nearly every 
case the fish are reported to arrive in first class 
condition, and to this is added the congratula¬ 
tions upon the character of the fish, the larger 
size now being distributed seeming to strike the 
popular fancy. Some of the recipients speak 
of the increased interest that is being taken by 
people in the restocking of the streams. One 
correspondent from Montgomery writes as fol¬ 
lows : 
“In placing these last fish in the streams to¬ 
day, I was surprised at the favorable sentiment 
of all the property holders I talked with, and 
am inclosing you a copy of the wording of the 
notices I have secured permission to post these 
streams with just prior to the opening of the 
seasons for several years, and from the expres¬ 
sion of sentiment I believe it will pay to go to 
the extra trouble and expense, as I find it is 
always necessary for someone to go ahead and 
work these things for any amount of success. I 
have been doing probably more missionary work 
for this cause than is customary, especially with 
your Department, but as I have fished for all 
kinds of fish locally ever since I could sit up 
and hold a rod, I certainly am only too glad to 
go ahead and see personally that these plantings 
are properly done at any time any fish are sent 
here.” 
. The following is a copy of the poster which 
the correspondent anticipates using along each 
stream each spring: 
CAUTION! 
Fishermen desiring to see in this stream 
good trout fishing, must be moderate in their 
catches for a few years. 
Do not try to catch the limit of the law, 
especially while they are just planted. 
Give them a couple of years’ light fishing, 
catch a decent mess, not over fifteen or twenty 
in one day, and quit for that day, coming out 
oftener. 
By restocking carefully and fishing carefully, 
we can soon have good fishing for all. We in¬ 
vite you all to take an active interest in restock¬ 
ing and supporting our home fishing grounds. 
Committee of Fisheries. 
Luncheon to Col. John H. Wallace. 
Through the good office of Secretary 
Haskell, of the American Game and Protective 
Association, last week, a luncheon was given at 
the Drug Club for John H. Wallace, Jr., State 
Game and Fish Commissioner of Alabama. Col. 
Wallace had just returned from Washington, 
where he worked himself to a frazzle in an 
effort to push through the Senate the McLean 
bill for protection of migratory birds. One 
readily can realize Col. Wallace’s power to in¬ 
fluence Senators in the way he thinks they should 
go. He is' straightforward, sometimes at the 
cost of being politic, but his sincerity is so evi¬ 
dent that not even the most delicate could take 
offense. Much of interest concerning game 
legislation was discussed and some sound propo¬ 
sitions formulated. Those present were: Dr. 
William T. Hornaday, President of the Ameri¬ 
can Zoological Society; John H. Wallace, Jr., 
Game and Fish Commissioner of Alabama; Wil¬ 
liam S. Haskell, 'Vice-President of the American 
Game Protective and Propagation Association, 
and J. O. Pierson, President of the Audubon 
Society, and W. G. Beecroft, editor of Forest 
AND Stream. 
The Eastern Mud Minnow. 
Globe, Ariz., Jan. 26.— Editor Forest and 
Stream: I have just read with much interest 
Barton Warren Evermann’s article on the East¬ 
ern mud minnow and would like to take this 
opportunity to thank him for the information 
therein contained. 
Lest others al.<io be misled by the signature 
I wish to explain that Dr. L. O. Howard is in 
no way responsible for the. article, nor must he 
be credited with my lack of knowledge of a sub¬ 
ject upon which he is probably well versed. 
L. O. Howard. 
