The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-12-13
WOMEN AND BIRDS.
Take the Dead One From the Hat and
Open the Cage Door.

For several years past the newspapers
have been waging war against the use
of birds for millinery purposes, and the
war is a righteous one, although il
would lie an excellent plan to broaden
the scheme of the campaign so that ii
would include offensive tactics toward
the barbarous sport of pigeon shooting.
which is quite as cruel and needless a
practice as it would be if the skins of
the mutilated victims were used for
decorative purposes. However, it is not
the dead birds that have suffered the
most. Tt is the wild, living songsters
that are captured and shut up In close
cages to spend the rest Of their wretched
days in yearning for the liberty that
is their birthright.
1t is not so wonderful that thought
less children and cruel and ignorant
men and women, who have never
learned anything beyond what the daily
experiences Of a sordid and debasing
life can teach them-it is not so Won
derful that they capture, sell and de-
stroy with no reverence for the gentle
gospel of tenderness and pity toward
the harmless creatures whose free and
natural life is so beautiful. But it is I'M
fortunately true that refined and Guilt
waited women, who would consider them
selves insulted by the accusation of
cruelty to any living thing, keep as pets
robins. thrushes and bluebirds. that
drag out I'm miserable and hopeless cap
tivity the life that was meant to be a
blessing TO the world at large.
The argument that they are unable to
take care of themselves cannot be Of
fered as an excuse for keeping these
hardy. native birds imprisoned. The
canary, whose ancestors have been cage
bred for generations, is an artificial
production, without strength to fly or
skill to supply his own needs. But the
singing birds Of our woods and fields
are quite capable of supporting them
selves without human assistance. If
against the practice of catching and
combining wild birds, they might ac-
complish great deal.
But the outlook for such a movement
is not encouraging. The writer Of this
article knows a household composed en-
trely of women. wealthy, well bred
and we'll educated-one of them has a
college training-who every spring steal
from the numerous nests I'm the trees
and shrubbery OF their large garden
young birds that they attempt to rear
by hand. 1t is necessary to obtain a
fresh supply every year, because the
majority OF the birds die after few
weeks of prison life. This feminine
household Is so tender hearted that IL is
ruled by it's servants and dogs, but
nevertheless the annual slaughter of the
innocents goes on. Perhaps they sue
coed i'm keeping one victim out of a
dozen alive to cheer his captors with an
occasional heartburst of song when the
bright sunlight and the blue, unattain-
able sky tell the prisoner what his life
was meant to be.
How many scores of birds these wom-
en- have destroyed In the kindest and
most lingering way possible 1t would be
hard to compute. and they have their
prototypes i'm every town and village.
The advice. Take the dead bird of
your hat" might well have added TO Il,
land open the cage door of the living
one" KATE CHASE.