The morning call., 1894-08-18
Dove Killings Pleasures
for Some.
FIN DE Steele ARGUMENTS.
The Symbol of Conjugal Love
Shattered.
BACHELORS AND WIDOWERS.
These Are the Men, and Wanton
Slaughter Their Method or
Balancing Things Up.
BACHELORS AND WIDOWERS.

the blood of the pooT, defenseless DIGS OF
purity and content; the air they Dreathe
will be laden with it,. The purllng
streams that glide gayly through the
woods will be red with the sangulnary
fluid; and the willows. silent emblems OF
! sorrow. will bow their stately heads still
lower, as they mourn for the victims OF
the slaughter and sigh for the inhumanlty
of man:
| There will be blood everywhere, but
redder, aDgrier, indelibly stained on the
heads of the men who wantonly kill the
gentiest OF Gods creatures, will 1t show
on their heads. They are certain to be
marked with it. some one way or another !;
there is no escape for them.
From time immemorial, up to within
few years ago. it has always been cOnsid-
cred abominable-nearly criminal-to
wantonly slaughter doves. In every day
life the unsophisticated and guileless have
been known as doves or pigeons, and the
sharpers. who have the steady nerve, the
Drawn and the skill. have always been
known as rocks. That being the case be-
yOnd dispute, what term of opprobrium
could be invented to designate the cruelty
and malice of the gentleman VIII o-kill-
uOfCo ny WIG AOA hhO oiFht - hhO
blood he spills. Is the man who fleeces an
innocent Of his own species-the rock Of
the card tables-a more cruel, despicabe
character than he who butchers hundreds
Of cooling doves? That is a question that
some people are studying now.
it has been suggested that there is an
other reason why the gentlemen-who-kill-
doves do so. The bird has always been
noted as the exemplar of conjugal love.
Taking: this fact into consideration and
the knowledge that most of the gentlemen
who-kill-doves are confirmed bachelors, or
crusty widowers, who cavil continually at
conjugality, it would not take such yiO-
lent stretch of the imagination TO figure
out their hatred of the dove. The con-
frmed bachelor and the crusty widower
openly hate the happily married. Why
wouldn't it be easy to imagine that this
hate, which they can only covertly crafty
among their own species, they take out on
Ihe-deves.
That was merely a suggestion. but it
seems to be largely borne out by. the facts.
Itcomes stronger home to them when it is
admitted, by themselves at that. that
there are hundreds of other sports more
oracing to the nerve, more. quickening to
the eye, more ,healthful and exciting than
dove Observation-Disclosures of sports.
| But what's the difference. they say. we
want birds to Kill and kill them we shall.
| They never stop to think that is pig
hea6edness, not sport. In the general
aeceptation of the term sport it is neces-
sary that the bird or animal hunted be in a
wild state in the first place. It's legitimate
sport then to KILT. Otherwise it would
| be sport to go out and kill dominickers in
! the barnyard, or canaries in cage. Either
one of these are wilder than: the dove,
which almost feeds from the hand of man.
90 Under these circumstances it looks like
| pure perversity to slaughter doves. If it
| is birds they want, wild ones at that, diff
| cult shots and plenty of them, why don't
they hunt ducks or geese? California is
| full of them and the sport is certainly
exciting. Such an eminent authority as
ex-President Harrison, who is an ardent
! sportsman, who hunted here not long ago,
stated enthusiastically that the geese here
| made the finest kind of sport. Aristoeratic
gentlemen sportsmen who don't kill doves,
and who come from all parts of the coun-
try, back up his opinion.
What's the matter with the California
gentlemen who kill doves? Are not
geese good enough for them? or, maybe
the shooting is too difficult and they would
bag nothing but failures !! It's funny how
little thing like that will be overlooked.
isn'tit?
I And. then it's so much easier to pot a
daZed dove, whose pinions have been
cramped in coop, and as its blood flows
from its wounds to chuckle TO yourself nd
imagine what a great stab you. have given
at conjugal love.
That's probably the way to look. We
confirmed bachelors and crusty widowers.
who shoot doves. To the old Harry. OF
| Ned, or Nick, or whatever you have a
! mind to call him, with the happy coniugal
relation. Set 'em up in the other alley.
If the definition given by General Lucius
| II. Foote of gentleman be correct then
those who kill doves for sport are assur.
! eddy ''not in it," to use a common buI
forceful phrase: Certainly few have had
the worldwide experience of Genera
/ Foote. AS a diplomat in the service OF the
| United States Government he has visited
various countries and as literary man
his opinion stands second to none on the
coast.
The general would Willingly have thought
over the matter. but, on being pressed &c
give his opinion. extempore, remarked
slowly: 81 think man who has a con-
sideration for the feelings and rights oil
others has the first marks of gentleman
Of course good breeding and manners
while they are usually Accomplishments o.
man who has consideration for the feel
ings ana rights of others. are not alwayt
certain indications of gentleman" Their
the general thought a little more, anC
added, ."Manner are superficial No maj
is a gentleman unless he has sensitive
ness in regard to both man and animals
Certainly that feeling extends to animals
"Then you do not think, General Foote
that man who butchers doves for spor
is gentleman.
'Emphatically no." was the response
''but | should say that my idea in this re
spect may be somewhat warped because
am so sensitive myself. l cannot bear t,
see any dumb creature abused. The wan
ton killing of animals is brutal instinc
incompatible with the nature of tru,
gentleman"
DO the Orientals indulge in the kllinI
of birds for sport?" was asked.
SWELL, the orienials are cruel. verl
cruel, and think little of life, but l. mus
say during all my experience in the 0rien
have never heard of anything similar t,