Page 11 - Crappie NOW | May 2015

By Keith Sutton

S ince I was a young boy, I have

loved books. It is quite natural that this is
so, for my mother was a librarian. Every day
she brought home a new book for me to
read. This continued from the time I was six
until I was well into my teens. On those rare
occasions when she was unable to do this, I
felt neglected until I got my next literary fix.
I became a book junkie, prowling
dusty shelves for hardback highballs and
soft-cover fixes. And like most junkies, I
eventually narrowed my choice of poisons
to one in particular that gave me the biggest
rush. I got hooked on books about fishing
and hunting.
I never made an attempt to kick the
habit, and to this day, I’m strung out on the
words of people like Ernest Hemingway,
Zane Grey, Havilah Babcock, John Madson,
Charlie Salter and more.
My years as a bibliophile have led
to some unusual quirks, including one in
particular—bookmarking or turning down
the corner of each page where I chance
across some magical combination of words
that says something special about the
pastimes I love. Last night, for example, I
was compelled to bookmark a page where
President Herbert Hoover was quoted
as saying: “Fishing is the chance to wash
one’s soul with pure air. It brings meekness
and inspiration, reduces one’s egotism,
soothes over our troubles and shames our
wickedness.”
My God, I thought. Those words say
what I wish I could say, and they say it better
than I ever could. It is a line that is magical
and unforgettable and insightful all at once.
When I read it, I wondered if President
Hoover, an avid fisherman, had to struggle
with the words as he tried to connect them in
just the right way, or if he put them to paper
with hardly a second thought.