The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-12-17
SPARE THE INNOCBNTS
The Rev. DR.. Vail Condemns
the Women Who Wear
Birds Plumage.

| congregation at the First Universalist
Church last night, preached on 'Ihe
Slaughter of the I~nnocents." He at
| tackled not only sportsmen who make a
| practice of cunning for pleasure but al
so the ladies who wear birds; feathers
| on their hats, and all who in any way
| encourage the willful destruction of bird
life.
His text was:-"Are not five sparrows
| sold for two ~farthings? and not one OF
| them is forgotten in the sight of God.
/ 'sThe infinite life" he said, ''reyives it
| self to the faculties of man perhaps
| more effectively in small than in large
| things. Sometimes the microscope is a
| better preacher than the telescope The
former brings lessons of reverence to the
child where the latter fails. The mosaic
hat sets in brilliant colors the butter
flies wing may prove to us more thar
the rings of Saturn. The power that
giveth life and careth for the sparrow
may suggest to us a Providence near
and absolute, which we may miss in the
history of a nation. My text, in suggest
ing this Gospel of and for the sparrows,
brings us back to the ever certainties OF
religion-not the disputed dogma, but the
~indisputable kindness, not the question:
able Greco DuI The ulQuGSllOnGQ lcliQC
| ness, not what you think about Heaven,
but how much H-eaven-making power
there is in you. According to my think
ing the nly way utterly 10 easI GUT
dogmas of endless woe and its correl-
atives, is by increasing the tenderness
of the human heart. Come, frlends, Il
by tenderness and if we want to perpetu-
ate Christianity let us make 1t synono-
nous with kindness, let us reduce the
$50 I ~ fha-rrArl1 -
CRUELTY TIC IGNORANCE.
Cruelty holds kinsh npr,d to i= sgIf3ralnss
springs from stupidity. Life is ruthless
ly destroyed all about us for want of the
simplest conception of what life is.
Thoughtlessness is the most fertile
toa him how uncomfortable the turtle
must feel on his back he certainly would
find some other amusement: II he
are to be left in the nest, he would GER
tainly shoot at come other mark than
the mother bird,
What are they compared with those
q the old glaaia.9rial shows
gayest, breathlessly watched the
contest between a starved lion and a
doomed man. Come down through the
ring of the bull fight, much that goes
with the modern horseracing, the pigeon
shooting, etc. Now | do not wish to go
beyond the limits of common sense. l
believe in passtimes and like the dex-
grim law of the survival Of the Attest
But I cannot but believe that a higher
religious STANDARD will shame both the
PoT HUNTING COMMENDED.
1.-THE only hunting that | can find
any religious justification in is what has
business, not as a passtime. l honor the
man who with rod or gun succeeds in
feeding hungry children and contributes osari ties
not the man who takes life for the chief
purpose of displaying a marksman's skill.
l wish we could do more to. teach our
boys the sanctity of life in all its forms,
the sacredness of all Gods creatures.
Aye, net only our boys, for we are just
being aroused in these days to the awful
denuded of its brightest ornamentation,
it's sweetest songstsrs, not by the wan
ton hands Of the male sex either, but
termed the lead bird wearing gender.
1t is estimated that there are 30,000,0W
human beings who belong to this class
Of them are of the dead bird wearing
age. A careful student has estimated
that this 12,000,00 o. will average one bird
tates the sacrifice of 5000, 900 birds every
year to decorate American women"
Here Mr.. Vail gave. many. statistics
sacrificed. Concerning ostrich feathers,
he said, that under the present system
of ostrich farming they were legitimate
articles of m and a commenda-
pEssEcRATEs FINER FEELINGS.
Nov the worst thing about this bird
sacrifice" he continued, lis that it I'M
consciously desecrates so many of the
finer feelings of the human heart, it
deadens boys to the sanctity of life and
makes them boastful of their deeds of
cruelty. / believe in o-rnamentation, and
see no reason why under certain cir
cumstances the cast off plumage of a
bird may not be used for decoration. I
object only to sue plunnage as involves
the sacrifice of a life for the obtaining
of the same. Not emily for the sake Of
calling your attention to the deleful facts
and for making a plea for the bird
cent but because l recognize
in these small things of men the
great things of God. Lowly claims pre-
sent to us high duties. Upon the spar
rows are based the laws which make
choiring angels possible. Upon the lily
and sparrow does the Kingdom of Meav-
an find sure foundation. Let us all join
in trying to increase the value of life.
Although all progress is a series of
death as we'll as births, let us not
.wanton1y destroy. In the name of the
practical, the beautiful, the useful, let
us religiously heed the five sparrows hi
cost but two ~farthings, for they are also
Aoo~ar7 - F-