Date: April 6, 1931
Location: Northampton, MA
(Original document available here)
Now that the fields are growing green again the thoughts of many will be turned to the flowing streams. At heart we are all fishermen. Some of us never had a chance to practice the art. Some have known it only through the use of expensive rods and fancy tackle, on elaborate artificial preserves. But the real fishermen associate the sport with a barefooted boyhood, where pole, bait, stream and the alder branch on which the fish were strung were all the product of nature. Only the hook and line were commercial. With the bending rod and sparkling water such men can redeem the joy and peace of their youth. But those to whom the pleasure of such memories is forever closed cannot fail to find a lure and charm in the gentle art. The open country, the unhurried silence, the refreshing leisure are a stimulation to the body and a benediction to the soul. Even the imagination expands and the credulity is disciplined in telling and listening to adventures with rod and reel. There is something natural, homely, wholesome and un spoiled about fishermen which we shall all do well to cultivate.
Citation: Calvin Coolidge Says: Dispatches Written by Former-President Coolidge and Syndicated to Newspapers in 1930-1931 (Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation)
The Coolidge Foundation gratefully acknowledges the volunteer efforts of Madison Thornton who prepared this document for digital publication.