An Autobiography of an Ancient Athlete & Antiquarian

AUTOBIOGRAPHY 17r have gone on obeying the letter of the law, but justly kick at aggressive and illegal encroachments chiefly made for the purpose of improving the game and duck shooting of riparian owners. On the 4th March I lectured at St. Matthew's for the Unemployed Fund, and on the 12th I repeated my lecture (see ante pp. 153-5) on "War and Weapons of War," in which I embodied my views as to the certainty of future war with Germany and possible invasion of England, which views have since been proved to be absolutely and painfully correct, though they were very coldly received then, and I was called a croaker and a pessimist. About this time I also lectured for the Unemployed Fund at a Socialist (?) Hall up St. Stephen's. They bad the red flag banging outside the hall, but I firmly though politely declined to begin until it was hauled down. The· subscription was a very poor one, though I bad gone very much out of my way to give the lecture. Almost immediately afterwards my wife was practi– cally in a state of coma, and three of our sons came down to see her. She_ rallied a little by the 19th, when the bitter bad weather broke a little. I began archery practice late in March, but was too worried to do any good till the 3rd April, when in practice I got a 40 out of 48 for a score of 172 (one dozen for 53 !). This was better than I bad ever done, but I was shooting ends of six arrows instead of three, which made a considerable difference~ No one came over for the Easter holidays, but I went over to Horning to talk to the Rev. Meadows WhitE: (the· great organist) as to an alleged infringement of public right at the staithe, but advised him against any litigation. When walking by Trowse Bridge on 28th April I saw over the bridge a man land a very big bream, the biggest fish I bad ever seen taken in the city. Various official and uninteresting duties as Mayor· kept me employed during May. The first Archery Meeting of the season was at Small– burgh on the 10th, where I shot better, doing 22 and 97, in all r 19, which should have been 128, as a gold fell out near· the finish. On the 13th May I bad to pay an official visit to Hellesdon Asylum, where, owing to open doors and bitter draught~ all over the place (the doctor being quite in touch