The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-01-01
'NGs WITHOUT WORDS: BIRDS
WITHOUT SONG


tnoutions to the world are not the
theme of present writing, although in
them a strain of heavenly joy, from
earth often banished might be heard,
AZ attentive ears should catch the
meaning of the minor chords that vi
pirate with the human heart-strings,
when alive with feeling for the choris-
tiers that earth ought gratefully to ac-
knowledge. ..
Mendelssohns Songs" can never die.
They are secured to the world through
hands that can convey the wondrous
music; while the spirit that wrought
with them goes spiritually on to fuller
understanding of it's gift of sweetness
and light
But how about the song-singers of
feathered kind? The Creators thought
of them seems sadly misconstrued.
The religious devotees within the
churches may raise the sound of 90 all
We fowls of the air, bless We the Lord;
praise Him and magnify Him forever!''
With singular response the woods and
field and forests cry out:
Spare, spare, the birds of air;
Give, give the forests share
OF righteous feeling!
In point of fact the forests are stead
lily deprived of the God-created beings
that are meant for protection of the
trees; the delight of human ears; the
happy creatures trusting in life, until
slain by merciless hunters. The songs
Gil Nntfhnr a
life nor the song could humanity give.
But it has persisted in taking away
For what purpose? For the vanity of
woman!
Woman it may be said is not the
chief sinner since man need not heed
her foolishness with such Indulgence as
to hunt or slay for her pitiless passion.
AT whatever door we lay the origin of
the sin, sin it surely is, and one in
which men, women and children have
been all too long participating. Chill
dren are the least in blame Few chill
dren are there without natural tender
ness of feeling They are quickly influ-
enced by their elders. Indeed some of
them have set the righteous example
for their elders; an example not always
encourag ed.
I1eIG, THERE, every WuSIe, Lulll WHICH
way one will, is seen the display of wo-
mans petty vanity 1t has gained lu-
dicrous favor-a meaningless parade
of feathers, feathers of even artificial
hues (would that all were of artificial
conlpositionD and the more colors that
are combined, it would appear, the
greater the vanity.
Songs without words are sacrificed.
Birds without song are raised high
upon the heads of mortals, singing
hoping the hope of-immortality!
To cite from Canon Ransley's belief
in this matter: "It is a travesty of re-
ligion and a mockery for women with
hats decked with aigrettes to sing in
the words Of the Benedicite, o all We
fowls of the air, bless We the Lord!
praise him and magnify him forever!"
The birds themselves have been de-
prived of song. Without words they
have acceptably praised their Maker.
With a vain flow of words, shorn of
meaning, human throats assume the
good Gods acceptance If their wor-
shpping-wn is the human heart!
If the maternal instinct is not suffi-
Gent in the human breast to cause en-
deavors for the putting down of this
great wrong,-'fthe slaughter of the in
nocents,'' as one has named it,--if
fashions Unsuitable demand be not ig-
nored by faithful womankind; example
enforced by thousands of thinking,
feeling, women and children, called of
'the gentler SEX" how shall the forests
be saved from destruction, and the
birds bestow their gratitude in song
and loving labor?
There was a time" says one man,
''when we could attribute the wearing
of birds to the thoughtlessness of Wo-
men. After all that has been said and
written in condemnation there is no
longer room for charity. There should
be no hesitancy in denouncing every
woman who appears in public adorned
with dead birds as heartless, shameless
and a disgrace to her country. A vile
woman In the city of Paris set the hid
eous fashion, and women considering
themselves cultivated and Christian
are following it; protesting to worship
God, yet ruthlessly sharing in the de-
struction of one of his most beautiful
creatures. Let the people demand the
enactment of a law which shall make
the killing, selling or wearing of song
birds a punishable crime. The result
of the recent election has saved the
honor and manhood of our nation.
Now let something be done to save the
womanhood, and we may stand APP
proved of God and angels. There must
be beginning, however small, to any
a effort of this kind. Let men, women
and also children, who are in sympathy
with this movement, send name and
address to Superintendent, Christian
Rescue Temperance Union, 474 Tenth
street, Brooklyn, N. Y.
In the year 1886 the Audubon society
achieved such influences as to perne-
ate the country with knowledge that
caused the turn of public sentiment
against the wicked practice of orna-
mentation by means of birds and plu-
mage. For lack of funds the grand
work discontinued. Individuals can
turn against this sin, and by example
and word of intelligence to the igno-
rant, Ignorant some must bed and
help to abolish slavery to fashion!
The writer has this to say of New
Ravens women: Some of them are al