第73部分(第4/7 頁)

an　exception　in　favour　of　fishing；　and　I　daresay　that　if　salmon　came　my　way　I　might　once　more　throw　a　fly　for　them。　I　do　not　think　that　fish　feel　much；　also　I　always　remember　that；　if　He　did　not　fish　Himself；　our　Lord　was　frequently　present　while　others　did；　even　after　His　Resurrection；　further；　that　he　ate　of　the　results；　and　indeed　by　His　power　made　those　results　more　plentiful。　Lastly；　on　one　occasion　—　I　allude　to　the　case　of　the　coin　that　was　paid　for　poll…tax　—　this　fishing　was　not　carried　on　for　the　sake　of　food。

Again；　harmful　creatures　must　be　destroyed　since　man　must　live；　and　so　must　those　that　are　necessary　to　his　physical　sustenance；　such　as　sheep　and　cattle；　that　is；　until　he　bees　a　vegetarian；　as　perhaps　he　will　one　day　—　a　long　while　hence。　In　fact；　subsequent　to　this　date；　I　fell　into　great　trouble　and　was　held　up　to　the　readers　of　sundry　journals　as　a　cruel　brute　by　persons　who　call　themselves　“humanitarians”　because；　as　a　farmer；　I　advocated　an　organised　State　crusade　against　rats　and　sparrows；　which　（owing　largely　to　the　destruction　of　the　hawk　and　owl　tribes；　and　of　other　creatures　of　prey　in　the　interest　of　game　preservation）　work　such　incalculable　damage　in　this　country。　“Humanitarians”　evidently　do　not　earn　their　living　from　the　land。　If　they　did　they　might　take　a　different　view　of　sparrows。　It　is；　however；　cheap　to　be　pitiful　at　the　expense　of　others！

I　know　that　the　above　views　on　shooting　may　be　thought　a　hard　saying　by　many　who　greatly　enjoy　what　they　consider　a　harmless　and　a　healthful　sport。　But　really　it　is　not　so；　since　in　such　matters　every　man　must　act　according　to　his　own　heart。　If　his　conscience　is　not　afraid　of　a　thing；　let　him　do　it；　if　it　is　afraid；　let　him　leave　it　alone。　So　talks　St。　Paul　of　whatever　is　sold　in　the