man-of-war, or as they would regard a herald on a field of
battle. When men are assembled for fighting, the man who

notoriously does not fight must feel himself to be somewhat lower
than his brethren around him, and must be so esteemed by others.

THE HUNTING PARSON.
I feel some difficulty in dealing with the character I am now

about to describe. The world at large is very prone to condemn
the huntingparson, regarding him as a man who is false to his

profession; and, for myself, I am not prepared to say that the
world is wrong. Had my pastors and masters, my father and mother,

together with the other outward circumstances of my early life,
made a clergyman" target="_blank" title="n.牧师；教士">clergyman of me, I think that I should not have hunted, or

at least, I hope that I might have abstained; and yet, for the
life of me, I cannot see the reason against it, or tell any man

why a clergyman" target="_blank" title="n.牧师；教士">clergyman should not ride to hounds. In discussing the
subject, and I often do discuss it, the argument against the

practice which is finally adopted, the argument which is intended
to be conclusive, simply amounts to this, that a parish

clergyman" target="_blank" title="n.牧师；教士">clergyman who does his duty cannot find the time. But that
argument might be used with much more truth against other men of

business, against those to whose hunting the world takes no
exception. Indeed, of all men, the ordinary parishclergyman" target="_blank" title="n.牧师；教士">clergyman, is,

perhaps, the least liable to such censure. He lives in the
country, and can hunt cheaper and with less sacrifice of time

than other men. His professional" target="_blank" title="a.职业的 n.自由职业">professionaloccupation does not absorb all
his hours, and he is too often an idle man, whether he hunt or

whether he do not. Nor is it desirable that any man should work
always and never play. I think it is certainly the fact that a

clergyman" target="_blank" title="n.牧师；教士">clergyman may hunt twice a week with less objection in regard to
his time than any other man who has to earn his bread by his

profession. Indeed, this is so manifestly the case, that I am
sure that the argument in question, though it is the one which is

always intended to be conclusive, does not in the least convey
the objection which is really felt. The truth is, that a large

and most respectable section of the world still regards hunting
as wicked. It is supposed to be like the Cider Cellars or the

Haymarket at twelve o'clock at night. The old ladies know that
the young men go to these wicked places, and hope that no great

harm is done; but it would be dreadful to think that clergymen
should so degrade themselves. Now I wish I could make the old

ladies understand that hunting is not wicked.
But although that expressed plea as to the want of time really

amounts to nothing, and although the unexpressed feeling of old
ladies as to the wickedness of hunting does not in truth amount

to much, I will not say that there is no other impediment in the
way of a huntingparson. Indeed, there have come up of late years

so many impediments in the way of any amusement on the part of
clergymen, that we must almost presume them to be divested at

their consecration of all human attributes except hunger and
thirst. In my younger days, and I am not as yet very old, an

elderly clergyman" target="_blank" title="n.牧师；教士">clergyman might play his rubber of whist whilst his
younger reverend brother was dancing a quadrille; and they might

do this without any risk of a rebuke from a bishop, or any
probability that their neighbours would look askance at them.

Such recreations are now unclerical in the highest degree, or if
not in the highest, they are only one degree less so than

hunting. The theatre was especially a respectable clerical
resource, and we may still occasionally see heads of colleges in

the stalls, or perhaps a dean, or some rector, unambitious of
further promotion. But should a young curate show himself in the

pit, he would be but a lost sheep of the house of Israel. And
latterly there went forth, at any rate in one diocese, a firman

against cricket ! Novels, too, are forbidden; though the fact
that they may be enjoyed in solitude saves the clergy from

absolute ignorance as to that branch of our national literature.
All this is hard upon men who, let them struggle as they may to

love the asceticisms of a religious life, are only men; and it
has a strong tendency to keep out of the Church that very

class, the younger sons of country gentlemen, whom all Churchmen
should wish to see enter it. Young men who think of the matter

when the time for taking orders is coming near, do not feel
themselves qualified to rival St. Paul in their lives; and they

who have not thought of it find themselves to be cruelly used
when they are expected to make the attempt.

But of all the amusements which a layman may follow and a
clergyman" target="_blank" title="n.牧师；教士">clergyman may not, hunting is thought to be by much the worst.

There is a savour of wickedness about it in the eyes of the old
ladies which almost takes it out of their list of innocent

amusements even for laymen. By the term old ladies it will be
understood, perhaps, that I do not allude simply to matrons and

spinsters who may be over the age of sixty, but to that most
respectableportion of the world which has taught itself to abhor

the pomps and vanities. Pomps and vanities are undoubtedly bad,
and should be abhorred; but it behooves those who thus take upon

themselves the duties of censors to be sure that the practices
abhorred are in truth real pomps and actual vanities, not pomps

and vanities of the imagination. Now as to hunting, I maintain
that it is of itself the most innocentamusement going, and that

it has none of that Cider-Cellar flavour with which the old
ladies think that it is so savoury. Hunting is done by a crowd;

but men who meet together to do wicked things meet in small
parties. Men cannot gamble in the hunting-field, and drinking

there is more difficult than in almost any other scene of life.
Anonyma, as we were told the other day, may show herself; but if

so, she rides alone. The young man must be a brazensinner, too
far gone for hunting to hurt him, who will ride with Anonyma in

the field. I know no vice which hunting either produces or
renders probable, except the vice of extravagance; and to that,

if a man be that way given, every pursuit in life will equally
lead him A seat for a Metropolitan borough, or a love of

ortolans, or a taste even for new boots will ruin a man who puts
himself in the way of ruin. The same may be said of hunting, the

same and no more.
But not the less is the general feeling very strong against the

huntingparson; and not the less will it remain so in spite of
anything that I may say. Under these circumstances our friend the

huntingparson usually rides as though he were more or less under
a cloud. The cloud is not to be seen in a melancholy brow or a

shamed demeanour; for the huntingparson will have lived down
those feelings, and is generally too forcible a man to allow

himself to be subjected to such annoyances; nor is the cloud to
be found in any gentle tardiness of his motions, or an attempt at

suppressed riding; for the huntingparson generally rides hard.
Unless he loved hunting much he would not be there. But the cloud

is to be perceived and heard in the manner in which he speaks of
himself and his own doings. He is never natural in his self-talk

as is any other man. He either flies at his own cloth at once,
marring some false apology for his presence, telling you that he

is there just to see the hounds, and hinting to you his own know
ledge that he has no business to ride after them; or else he

drops his professionaltogether, and speaks to you in a tone
which makes you feel that you would not dare to speak to him

about his parish. You can talk to the banker about his banking,
the brewer about his brewing, the farmer about his barley, or the

landlord about his land; but to a huntingparson of this latter
class, you may not say a word about his church.

There are three modes in which a huntingparson may dress himself
for hunting, the variations having referencesolely to the

nether man. As regards the upper man there can never be a
difference. A chimney-pot hat, a white neckerchief, somewhat

broad in its folds and strong with plentifulstarch, a stout
black coat, cut rather shorter than is common with clergymen, and

a modest, darksome waistcoat that shall attract no
attention, these are all matters of course. But the observer, if

he will allow his eye to descend below these upper garments, will
perceive that the clergyman" target="_blank" title="n.牧师；教士">clergyman may be comfortable and bold in