Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-06-17
BIRDS.
A Strenuous Protest Against the Slaughter
of the Innocents.

The story of the butcher who looked
out in the soft summer moonlight and
announced that something ought to be
done on so fine IL night. and he guessed
he would 90 and starter was told TO
Melissa, who calculated pretty Obs and
Abs, and said, '.Bu; how vulgar!" Yet
had some dreadful Nathan heard the
words. and beheld Melissa rs she spoke,
he would have raised his voice and
pointed his finger and said: Thou art
the woman!' For the delicate lady
was the wearcr of dead birds in her hat,
and encouraged the 'slartcrn of the
loveliest and sweetest of innocent song
birds merely to crafty her vanity. The
butcher, madam. may be vulgar, but
at least he docs not kill in order to wear
the horns and tails of his victims.
How hideous!' cxclaims Belinda, IA
she sees the pictured head of the savage
islander rings in his nose! how hid
eousn' And the gentle Belinda shakes
the rings in her ears in protest against
such barbarism. Sylvia, too, laughs
gayly ut the wife of the Chinese ambas-
sador stumping along upon invisible
feet; and Sylvia would laugh more free
ly, except for her invisible waist. 1t is so
prepostcrous to squeeze your feet, she
remarks; il is Il dcformity; it oatragcs
nature. And the superb and benignant
Venus of Milo smiles from her pedestal
in the corner, and with her eyes fixed
upon Sylvia's waist, echoes Sylvia's
words: ut is u deformity; it outrages
nature"
The Puritan preacher who, somewhat
perverting his text, cried, "Top-knot,
come down. declared war upon the
innocent ribbons that, carefully trained
and twisted and exalted into tower
ing ornament, doubtless nodded from
the head of Priscilla to the heart of John
Alden. and melted it completely, while
the preacher could not even catch his
wandering eye. The preachers course
was clear Top-knots must come down
If they allurcd TO swceter worship
than he inculcatcd. But those ribbons
were made for that pretty purpose of
adornmcnt. They were not victims
They slenced no song; they hardened
no heart; they rewarded no wanton
cruelty; they destroyed no charm of
field or wood. They were not memoir
ials of healtlcss slaughter They were
simply devices BY which maidenly
charms were heightened, and little
grace and taste and beauty were lent 10
the Sombrc Puritan world.
But the top-knots of to-day are bought
ut Il monstrous price. Carlyle says of
certain enormous firc-Hies on an island
of the East Indies that. placed upon
poles, they illuminate the JOURNEYS of
distinguished people by night. Great
honor to the tirc-tlcs he cxclailns; but
1t is great honorto the colden-winged
woodpcckcr TO be shot and then dantily
poised upon tho hat of Cyrlla, us, envei-
oped in Il cloud of dudes. she promcna-
DIES the Avenue on Sunday AFTERNOON
great honor 10 the woodpcckcr, but:
The naughty dog in the country which
hunts and kills chickens is made to
wear dead chicken hung round his
neck, and ut last is slammed out of his
murdcrous fancy. How If Cyrilla, stroll
ing in the summer fields, haply with
young Laurence hanging cnthrallcd
upon her sweet eyes. her low replies,
should meet the eur disgraced with the
dead chicken around his neck. she with
the dead woodpccker upon her head!
The lovely iady puts 4 premium upon
wan'on slaughter and n,rcakable
cruelty. She inriics the nlurterous
small boy and all the idicr> and Migrants
to snare aud shoot tile singing birds,
and silence the heavenly music of the
summer air. She cries for ..slal1er, y
and, like the white cat enchanted into
the Princess, who leaps to the floor in
hot chase when the mouse appears, the
Queen OF Beauty, with 4 feathered corpse
for 4 crown, Begins TO seem even to
Laurence unhappiiy enchanted.
Henry Bcrgh is one of our great
modern bcncfactors If beasts could
speak, or knew TO whom they owe the
decpcs, gratitude. his path would be
hallowcd by the prayers and blessings
OF the innocent and helpless whom he
has relieved But the birds of the air
are not less our dependents than the
beasts of the field. 1t is as plainly the
duty of humane and Christian ciyiliza-
ton TO protect the birds as we protect
the beasts against the wanton cruelty OF
human savagrs. And Melissa. Belinda,
sylvia. Cyrilla, and their mates-''the
rosebud garden Of girls"-will they
consciously make themselves accomplices
in crime against the innocent? Let
them not ask whether the pearl hanging
upon their bosoms or fixed in their ring,
is any less a proper ornament or less
beautiful because 1t is called ~ diseased
secretion" There is no cruelty in the
making or taking of the pearl. 1t does
not consciously diminish the life and
beauty and melody OF the world. But
the dead bird upon Cyrilla's hat does
all that, and it brutalizes those who dc
the mischief.
Like many a fashion, the wearing OF
dead birds is thoughtless wrong. and
the protest against it which is now not
only raised. but organized. rs one of the
most effective methods of staying the
1 massacre of the innocents. will suggest
TO many a gentle heart that unconscious
ly it has aided and abetted an ofienct
against which every humane and gener
Gus feeling protests; and rs the offence
is swiftly removed from hat and bonnet,
IN the sweet and happy voices of the
birds of this summer their hearts will
hear hymn of gratitude. Georg,
William CARTS, ia Hdiper's MGgdsine