The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-07-19
1884,

derous and valuable. It has leaked
 out that the committee has decided
 that the public exhibition Of an im-
 prisoned hawk Is demoralizing and
 must cease. The public is with the
 committee in this decision. Not that
 the adult Litchhelder has anything to
 fear. If all of Noah's collection of wild animals were to be encaged and dis
 tributed up and down North and South
 streets. the adult Litchfielder would
 walk from one end to the other with
 out imperiling morality His fear Is
 for others. for the young and the un-
 sophisticated. in whom the microbe of
 cruelty is easily engendered and propa-
 gated. It is also reported that the mes
 eessities of advertising will have no
 weight with the committee as a plea.
 If an act be immoral in itself. the pur-
 pose Of It's use cannot be considered.
 In fact the only point remaining is the
 point stated at the beginning of this
 letter: Shall the hawk be killed?"
 The alternative Is to open the door of the cage. release the inmate and per
 init him to resume his predatory hab-
 fts
 l Just at this point rumor has been
 started that the hawk is blind of one | eye, and moreover has been so long In | captivity that even with both eyes in-
 tact he would not be able to take care | of himself if given his liberty. Killing
 on the spot would therefore certainly
 be more humane than exposing to cer-
 tain starvation.
 | The committee when appointed. and
 those appointing 1t, had little idea of
 the labor imposed. Testimony on the
 points at issue must be taken, Ex-
 perts must be summoned and enter
 tained Ornitho-occulists are rare even
 In Litchfield and their time Is most
 valuable. Besides, who is to tell what
 a hawk may do, or may not do, with one eye? It certainly cannot take two eyes to see one Litchfield chicken. But can the hawk with one eye be so sure of his swoop as to be sure of seizing the chicken? All this, mind you, Is on the
 supposition that he has but one eye; fact not proved and most difficult of proof The proposition of putting the matter to practical test by tying string to his leg, letting him soar. and at the proper moment exposing a fat and seductive chicken, can hardly be entertained. In the first place the string would interfere with natural | soar and natural swoop. And where in all Litchf1eld could a man, woman or child be found to pull him back from the empyrian heights of liberty to the | encaged confines of captivity? Not | chicken man, or woman, could be found | in all the county who would not rather lose dozen chickens-perhaps it would | be safe to put 1t at half dozen-than put hand to so hard-hearted an act! No; the matter must be decided the oretically and by experts. But when | decided will not other questions arise? | Suppose the ornitho-occulists find that | the bird is indeed blind of one eye. | Suppose the Society of Colonial Wars, | to whom has been confided the delicate matter of the hawks pedigree and his- tory, finds that he is truly a Litchfield hawk and has been verify incapacita- ted by long confinement. What then? Will Atchfield kill a poor, decrepit, semi-blind creature? Never! Perish the thought! On the contrary, large and commodious cage will be forthwith built and the hawk will be fed for life at the public crib. It is reported that the Village Im- provement society feels slighted because l 1t was not consulted by the H. s. of L. at the outset; alleging very rightly that the sight of the imprisoned bird Is as much of an offense to Litchfields aes- thetics as the fact of its imprisonment is an offense to Litchfeld's humanics. The, V. I. S. is, 1t issgiven out, to be placated by being put in charge of the inscription for the new cage. The in scription, which is to be of worked pattern with 8 raised border, will set forth all the facts, so that a casual ob- server can read and understand at a glance. If the committees of the club can be kept quiet all will go we'll. If they insist upon sticking in their oar matters will become complicated and life in Chicago may be preferable.
 In the meantime the sad hawk, with his pathetic eye, or eyes, as the case may prove to be, gazes with interested | inquiry at the groups which form and l reform about his cage. A placid smile atstimes illumines his rigid features as 1 the conviction wells up from his heart l to his brain that he must be among friends and that he too is Litchfelder. FERNANDEZ. TRACTIONS.