To the True Purist all things are pure. We are not all true purists. In every angler, however, the purist lurks. In one he is predominant, in another he is subordinate to the hunter. I confess that in me the hunter is the top dog. When I see a trout, for instance, a beast of prey rises within me and chokes the sportsman. I want to catch, not to fish. But when I see a bull-head the lust of slaughter is less fierce—I cannot say why—and I am ready to be an artist for art's sake. The fact is that I have not the skill to be a purist in trout-fishing, and I know that there are many anglers who are in like case. The object of that which follows is to indicate to these, my weaker brethren, a direction in which their better natures may perhaps find room for development. Let it be understood that I do not address the purist of the chalk-stream. That which follows is intended for those whose purity is equal only to the strain attendant upon the
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