| Who–
Me?
Yes, you
and all the rest of us who traipse the hills and dells reveling
in outdoor recreation. Sooner or later, in a careless or unthinking
moment, we neglect something or do something, which breaches
the boundaries of courteous treatment of others.
A famous
person in writing to a friend once said, “Politeness
costs nothing and gains everything,” and in this simple
statement lays the answer to many of the problems facing us
all today.
It is
human to resent and rebel against a discourteous act, whether
it is intentional or not. Even small, individually unimportant
actions can leaven a feeling of irritation, especially when
magnified through numerous repetitions. This is the basic
reason why the sportsmen of today are being faced with more
and more “No Trespassing” signs in their hunting
areas. And this is why it is time for all of us who love the
great outdoors to start wiping the mud from our own feet before
asking the other fellow to shine his shoes.
To be courteous is the normal act of a gentleman. It does
not require greatness, intellect, wealth or effort. This automatically
embraces most of us. Many of us could well use a little more
polish if we want to brighten the surface of our daily contacts
with our fellow beings. To gain respect and friendship, and
all the enjoyment that come from such rewards, we need only
to be considerate of others-to respect their feelings and
property-and we have become gentlemen and sportsmen, regardless
of race, creed, or position in life.
We are
geared today to a fast pace of living. We travel faster-go
farther-and try to cram a few precious hours of recreation
in between our workday efforts. But recreation itself is something
that should not be hurried. Our hast should not be so great
that we overlook or by-pass those little things which not
only enhance our pleasures, but also gain friendships which
in the long run are far more valuable than the fleeting moment
it took to make a friendly gesture of courtesy.
A “Thank
you” to the landowner who permits us to park on his
property and use his lands and waters-a greeting to the fellow
sportsman we meet-a helpful hint to the novice who appreciates
the outdoors as much as we do but doesn’t know how to
reap its full benefits-these are small things individually
but they bear the brand of courtesy.
We should
all remember these things when we go afield. They are important.
They are as much a part of our pastimes as the equipment we
buy to use. The response we get from others depends on them.
We eagerly check our gear and impatiently await the hour we
are to use it. Let’s not spoil any part of our outing
by leaving a scowl behind us when our day is ended.
It takes
only a moment to close a gate behind us-a few seconds to clean
up our lunch debris or police the camp we’re leaving-a
minute to express our appreciation to our host the landowner.
The time spent in sowing these seeds of gentlemanly conduct
will reap a harvest of reciprocal friendships between landowners
and sportsmen throughout the years to come, and will open
the way for us all to have a continuation of our outdoor pleasures
in the future. Reprinted from
(Anonymous,
Game Bulletin, Washington Game Department. April 1954.
Vol. 6, No. 2). |
