The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-01-17
FASHIONABLE CRUELTY.
Slaughter of Birds for Ladies' Hsts---what
Mr.. Bergh Thinks of 1t.

ShoG1f
Slaughter of Birds for Ladies' Hats---What
MIR. Bergh Thinks of 1t.
Walking up Broadway one fine after
noon lately, Tribune reporter noticed
an unusually large display of plumage
on ladies hats. He saw the wings,
plumes, heads, and bills OF red birds,
yellow birds, robins and humming- birds,
and almost every variety of the feath-
cred songster known, doing duty in
adjoining the headwear and trimmings
of the enthusiastic devotees of fashion.
In many instances the birds that looked
SO pretty on these jaunty hats were
complete, and the stuffed songster
looked as gay as in life. In the windows
of a millinery store. frequented mainly
by wealthy ladies of fashion, the repor-
ter saw many hats thus decorated. With
hesitating step he went in, and was
met by a stout dame, who wore an
elaborate dress dotted with dead fire.
| flies In life these fire-flies had under
gone a squeezing process, which caused
| the phosphorus in them to exude, and
has the effect of making brilliant cos.
| tune.
The store-keeper informed the repor-
ter that the fire-fies are imported from
warm countries, mainly the Indies,
where they are prepared for market
She had them for sale. One of the
| large counters was almost entirely COW
cred with stuffed birds end various parts
of birds, ready to be placed on hats and
trimmings, as the fancy or taste of the
wearer might suggest.
''Are you not afraid of being arrested
for cruelty?' asked the reporter,
mo, indeed! We import them" re-
| piled the woman, looking the reporter
out of countenance. They would not
arrest womanp" she asked. or rather
stated, in the most assuring
! The reporter called on President
Bergh, who said: Il have noticed lately
that this cruel onslaught is increasing.
There is greater display of these little
| tortured creatures than ever before.
notice it in the fashionable stores in up
per Broadway, in cheap Sixth Avenue,
and down in Eighth Avenue. This wan
ton slaughter, tlaying birds alive and
tearing feathers from their quivering
| bodies is the most barbarous cruelty
| that can be practiced. 1t is an insult
to the civilization which we boast The
savages can do no more than that. II he
| does take few feathers from fowl it is
the pride of warrior that prompts him,
not a mercless vanity, and he is there
fore more excusable than our more cul-
| ers are plucked from these living birds,
| lxas.- he tlnx,
| while in the agonies of death, under the
impression that if the feathers are cured
while the blood is warm they have a
fresher and more lasting tint
They may import few continued
Mr. Bergh, ''but the demand for birds
has become SO great of late that the
Jersey farmers are now trapping pig
cons and raising squads for this market,
to be sacrificed to cruel fashion s
| whims. The squads are killed when
only few weeks old and their plumage
is fresh and bright. A stuffed squad
sometimes looks more cunning on a
hat than full-hedged pigeon. Stuffed
squirrels are also largely used. What
is more ridiculous and yet suggestive of
Unsuitable vanity than to see couple of
squirrels on a woman's hatp These
squirrels are brought over from Jersey
and the Long Island boys by boys who
sell them at fifteen or twenty cents
each. The young squirrels are gen
orally selected for this bloody sacrifice
because of their more desirable size.
Cats were formerly used, but there was
so much trouble in cutting their skins
down to the proper size that kittens
have been substituted.
ut seems that nothing-not even the
most defenseless and prettiest of Gods
creatures-the birds of the air, can
escape the merciless hands of fashion s
slaves Fashion has such an unlimited
power that our women are not only
deaf to mercy, but ruin their own health
and sacrifice their lives in following its
arbitrary DEGREES. A few years ago
England, and even India, took steps To
prevent the slaughter of birds. But
America has done practically nothing.
'If the wealthy ladies of fashion of
this city should set the fashion by dis
countenancing this cruel practice, a
great deal could be accomplished. II
the leaders of society would cease using
ornaments that were obtained only
through cruelty, there would soon be
no demand for them. The prevention
of this slaughter rests with the leader:
of fashion more than with this society,
for the work is done so secretly that we
can not trace the doors to their butcher.
shops or get even the slightest evidence.
We only see the results of their cruelty.
So popular has this cruelty of pluckine
live animals become that live geese are
picked under the impression that the
feathers make better bed than if they
were plucked after the goose was killed. J.
~ y Tribune.