The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-10-06

In Decorating Herself with the Birds
:" ANA rArir PIumase.

IN DegeiHvtI' i
wacn the Audubon Society was flrst
,rr,nized 1t seemed comparatively
s'mpIa taing 20 awaken in the minds of
MI bIra,wcaring women a sense OF
,rbot their decoration" Involved We
c,rer4d ourselves that the tender and
.,r,Dasionate heart OF woman would at
49, rssu5nd To the appeal for mercy
sr,.,,,ar many months OF effort we are
't'l.gsi 90 acknowledge ourselves mis-
-, Iu our estimate OF that universal
roupa. lion, that tender heaTl ~ wh'eh
aIieyad Not among the ignorant
md untulured so much as the educa-
,aI and enlightened do we ma Inc IN
adherence and hardness that baliles ana
Ts-1reXes us. Not always, heaven be
nrlgsaal but too often-I think may
a, I'm two-thirds Of the cases TO which
w. apppal one lady said TO me, Il
,sfrE mere Is n great deal Of sentiment
n9s,nd on the birds There are so many
" Them. they never viii be missed, any
,,ar. than mosquitoesl | shah put birds
"n INV new bonnet" This was fond
and devoted mother, cultivated ana
sr,omplIshed woman. 1t seemed des-
nar,te case indeed, but still l strove
vlt1 1t. why do you give yourself so
mich trouble?" she asked. "phey VIII
g1aD 20 OUT of fashion, and there Will
M an end to IT," THAT may be" re-
pIed hut fashion next year may order
,bcm back again, and how many wo-
men will have human feeling enough 10
resnse TO wear them" 1t was merely
waste of breath, however, and she went
her way. a charnel-house OF beaks and
claws and bones and feathers and glass
eyes upon her fatuous head,
Another, knocking, says: why don't
y1u tgv 10 save the Vile Dishes in The
sae?" and continues TO walk the world
Win dozens OF warblers' wings making
her headgcar hideous. Not one in fifty
is found willing TO remove at once the
birds from her head, even IT, languidly,
she does acquIesCe in the assertion that
Il ls cruel sin against nature TO de-
stray them, when these are worn out
am willing to promise not TO ouy any
more" Is what we hear, and we are
thankful, indeed, for even so much
grace; but alas! birds never wear out"
And as their wearer does not carry a
pIacard stating their history, that they
were bought last year, or perhaps CIV
en- TO her, and she does not intend to
bnv any more, her economy goes on
setting the bad example. or It may be
her Incidence is to blame-one is as IA
raj as the other. Occasionally, but too
rarely we meet with a fine spirit, the
fire Of whose generous impulse con-
sumes Mt once all selfish considerations,
who recognizes the Importance OF her
own responsibility, and whose action is
swift as her thought to pluck out the
murderous sign, and go forth free OF It's
dIshonor. And how refreshing is the
sight OF the birdless bonnetl The face
beneath, no matter how plain It may
he, seems to possess a gentle charm.
She might have had birds, this woman,
for they are cheap and plentiful
enough, heaven knowsl But she has
them not, therefore she must wear with
IN things infinitely precious-namely.
good sense, good taste, good feeling.
Heaven bless every woman who dares
turn her back on Fashion and go about
thus beautifully adorned!
In one OF the most widely circulated
newspapers the fashionable news from
Parts begins; Birds are worn more
lndl tNtls arc NOl'' AhAhNA
phrase! Sentence of deadly slgniticancei
birds are worn"-as II that were final,
as II all women must follow one anoth-
er like flock of sheep over a wal, and
forget reason, forget the human heart
wftllln. forget everything but the empty
pride OF being "in the fashion" All.
me, my fire-heckea oriole, watching
your airy cradle from the friendly
swinging elm bough, go get yourself an
inky coat. Your beauty makes you but
target for the acCursed gun that shat
tiers your lovely life, quenches your de-
licious voice, destroys your love, your
bliss, your dutlful cares, your whole
beautiful being, that your dead body
may disfigure some womar's head and
call all eyes to gaze at her! But no
that Will not save you. Bhclbirds are
not safe, they ''are worn" Carbon
crows "are worn," unsavory scavengers
though they be. No matter on what
they may have fed-they ARE worn"
Soar, swift sea- swallow would 1t
could be millions of miles away from
the hauptB OF men; to the uttermos:
parts OF the earth and the ocean carry
your grace, your slender lovellness of
shape, your matches dellcaCy OF tint
and tone OF color, soft, wondrOus like
gray cloud and silvery snow-ily! dear
and beautiful creature: seek the centre
OF the storm, the heart Of the arctic
cold, the winter blast-they are not so
unkind as-woman's vanity. Do | not
see you every day, your mock!ng sem
bance writing as II In agony round
female heads-still and stark, sharp
wings and tail pointing in stlh distress
TO heaven. your dried and CHASTITY head
and beak dragged down to point to
the face below, as II saying "She did IT,
The albatross OF the Ancient Mariner Ia
not more dreadful. Yesterday | saw
three Of you on one hat! Three terms
at once. a horrible confusion OF death
and dismay
Does any woman Imagine these with
cred corpses, (cured with arsenic) which
she loves to carry about are beautiful?
Not sol the birds lost their beauty with
theIr lives. To-day saw q mat woven
Of warblers' heads, spiked all over Its
surface with sharp beaks, set up on a
bonnet and borne alOft by It's possessor
in pride! Twenty murders In one! and
the face beneath bland and satisfied, for
are not birds to be worn more than
VN'l THtt buuulllptI, lIOll Nle htd =
marain to some loneliness, remote and
safe from the noble race OF man! No
longer In the soft May twilight call
from cove TO cove along the shore, In
notes that seem to breathe the very
spirit of tender Joy Of happy love, Of
sweet content, tones that miugle so d.
yiney with the warm waves murmur
With the south winds balm, and sound
In music through the dusk, long after
the last crimson flush of sunset has Ia
dod from the sky. Year after year YOU
come back to make your nest In the
place YOU know and love, but you shalt
not live your humble, bllssful, dutiful
lie; YOU shall not guard your treasured
nome, nor rejoice when your little ones