Page:Item 10 1862.pdf/205

From Historical Hastings
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Don't talk to me about Educating the Masses! (said one of the old school gentlemen to the present writer). I dont believe in the necessity or efficacy of the plan?. Now, it so happened that this faithless old gentlemen was not a letter carrier, and therefore had not before him so many tests of certain requirements as he would have had if the Fates had doomed him to the drudgery of a man of letters. Drudgery did we call it? Surely it must be a pleasure to ponder over the large hand, small hand, running hand, angle-hand, round hand, long hand, short hand, bold hand, neat hand, cramped hand, free hand and no hand at all of the many thousands of epistles which pass through the Postman's hand. The following is a veritable copy of the superscription of a letter which in the year 1864 was received in St, Leonards, which may be taken as a sample of the pleasing duties of a postman, as well as an instance of how little () education is required.

Mrs maryann

Bryant at evenfild

sehitlenards on sey, no

so near hustings.

Fox-Hunting Sport.

To place on record the general proceedings of the East-Sussex Hunt is not one of the projected features of this History, but an occasional allusion to the sport may be allowable when a meet takes place within the borough. One of these was on the morning of Friday, the 4th of November. The meeting took place on St. Leonards Green, and some idea of the number of persons present may be gathered from the fact that there were no fewer than 57 well filled vehicles and over 100 horsemen at the rendezvous. The sun shone brilliantly and reflected alike the scarlet coats of the huntsmen and the less prominent but elegant attire of the ladies. Altogether the scene was of a picturesque and animated description. At about half past eleven the hounds - followed, probably by a thousand persons - were led off by the huntsman to a copse at Hollington, where they soon scented the object of their search. No long time elapsed ere they uncovered Mister Reynard, who made away up the hill towards the church in gallant style. At the brow, however, he was met by a greyhound, who disputed his advance, and poor pussy was compelled to double back to the wood. The dogs were recalled and soon got again on the track of the fox, who gave them a run for a short distance in the opposite direction. The chance of getting clean away surrounded as he was by to large a number of pedestrians and horsemen was so slight that the affrighted annual stole back a second time to his hiding place. He was at length caught and killed in the presence of a large number of onlookers who were in at the death, and who -