The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1897-10-14
NO. 80.
PLEA OF THE EIRDS,
An Eloquent Appeal of the Beautiful
SonSsters in Words


rently passed law prohibiting the
wearing of songbirds' feathers on
women's hats or otherwise in that state.
1t is expected that the law will be care
fully enforced.
One of the most remarkable features
attending this novel bit of legislation
was petition drawn up by United
States Senator George +. Hoar, pur-
porting to be signed by the songbirds
of Massachusetts. This petition, which
has just come to light, is bound to add
materially to the reputation of that
genial and scholarly statesman, who
usually saves his abundant fund of
sentiment for his friends, and seldom
shares it with the public.
Here is the petition in full:
TO the Great and General Court of
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts:
We, the undersigned songbirds of
Massachusetts and their playfellows,
make this our humble petition. We
know more about you than you think
we do. We know how good you are.
We have hoped about the roofs and
looked in at the windows of the houses
you have built for poor and sick and
hungry people and little lame and deaf
and blind children. We have built our
nests in the trees and sung many a
song as we flew about the gardens and
parks you have made so beautiful for
your children, especially your poor
children, to play in. Every year we fly
a great way over the country, keeping
all the time where the sun is bright
and warm. And we know that when
ever you do anything the people all
over this great land between the seas
and the great lakes find it out, and
pretty soon will try to do the same
We know We know.
1--WE are Americans just the same as
you are. Some of us, like some of you,
came across the great sea. But most of
the birds like us welcomed your fa-
theirs when they came here many years
ago. Our fathers and mothers have al
ways done their best to please your IA
theirs and mothers.
"Now, we have sad story to tell
you. Thoughtless or bad people are
trying to destroy us. They kill us be-
cause our feathers are beautiful,
Even pretty and sweet girls, who, W;
should think, would be our best
friends, kill our brothers and children
so that they may wear our plumage on
their hats. Sometimes people kill us
for more wantonness. Cruel boys de,
stroy our nests and steal our eggs and
our young ones. People with guns and
snares lay in wait to kill us; as If the
place for bird were not in the sky,
alive, but in shop window or in glass
case. If this goes On much longer all
our songbirds will be gone.
Now we humbly pray that you will
stop all this and will save us from this
sad fate. You have already made law
that no one shall kill harmless song
bird or destroy our nests or our eggs.
Will you please make another one that
no one shall wear our feathers, so that
no one will kill us to get them? We
want them all ourselves. Your pretty
girls are pretty enough without them.
We are told that it is as easy for you to
do it as for blackbird to whistle.
eff you will, we know how to pay you
hundred times over. We will teach
your children to keep themselves clean
and neat. We will show them how to
live together in peace and love and to
agree as we do in our nests. We will
build pretty houses which you will like
to see. We will play about your garden
and flower beds-ourselves like flowers
on wings-withou any cost to you. We
will destroy the wicked insects and
worms that spoil your cherries and
currants and plums and apples and
roses. We will give you our best songs,
and make the spring more beautiful
and the summer sweeter to you. Every
June morning when you go out into
the field, oriole and bluebird and black
bird and bobolink will fly after you and
make the day more delightful to you.
And when you go home tired after sun
down vesper sparrow will tell you how
grateful we are. When you sit down
on your perch after dark, fifebird and
hermit thrush and wood thrush will
sing to you, and even whip-poor-will
will cheer you up little. We know
where we are safe. In a little while all
the birds will come to live in Massa-
chusetts again, and everybody who
loves music will like to make a summer
home with you"
The signers are:
Brown thrasher. Kingbird.
Robert o'Lincoln. Swallow.
Hermit thrush. Cedarbird.
Vesper sparrow. Cowbird.
Pobip rod hreacf Marian