Evening star., 1897-04-17
BAN ON BIRD FEATHERS.
Women Declare Against killing Birds
for Decorating Hats, &c.

From the Chicago Evening Post
1t is no longer good form for the mem
bers of the Chicago Woman's Club to wear
birds on their plumage on hats and bonnets.
The club has practically declared boycott
against the fashion and entered on a cam
paign of education, whose effect will be
felt first of all by the milliner. 1t has
pledged it's efforts to the creation Of a set
tied public opinion adverse to the bird
wearing fashion. and will bring the subject
of protection for the birds before the next
conventions of the Illinois Federation of
Women's Clubs and the General Federation
of Womens Clubs.
All this came about at meeting OF the
club yesterday afternoon, at which 300
members were present At the end OF the
program Miss Ada c. Sweet presented a
set of resolutions, which everybody voted
for. and then nine out of ten of the MEM
bers made a rush for the SecretaryS desk
and signed a promise. 1t was pledge for
swearing the signer against trimming her
hat or bonnet with anything in the way of
feathers more brilliant than the plume of
an ostricn or the tail of rooster-but there
were lots Of signers. Some of them forgot
to pull the aigrettes out of their hats after
putting down their names, but that form
of enthusiasm could scarcely be expected.
These Are the Resolutions.
The resolutions which reflect the senti-
ment of the club are as follows:
Whereas, the Chicago Woman's Club is
convinced that the reckless slaughter of
wild BIRDS which is now going on to such
an extent as to threaten the extinction of
bird life, can be finally stopped by the gen.
eral refusal of women to wear wild birds
and their plumage as ornaments or trim
mings, and believes that such action on the
part Of women can be secured if they be-
come acquainted with the facts which un-
derlie the traffic in birds and their plumage;
therefore. be it
Resolved. That the Chicago Woman's
Club will use it's earnest efforts to create a
settled public opinion adverse to the bird
wearing fashion: and be it further
Resolved. That the club shall, through its
proper officials, request the Illinois Fedora
ton of Womens Clubs and the General
Federation of Women's Clubs to arrange
for the subject of the protection Of birds at
their next state and rational conventions,
and also to encourage. as best they can, all
clubs to take up the matter at home.
From the Brooklyn Eagle.
Congratulations to the Civitas Club on its
exhibition of bonnets These bonnets have
not single dead bird in them And they
are good bonnets.
A woman looks Just as distinguished un-
der them as If she had a bushel of little
corpses on her head and she looks a deal
more attractive, to tell the truth. There is
something unpleasant in the association of
a fair face and the SlaShed, stuffed figures
Of creatures that have given up their lives
and left their young to starve, for the COM
bination suggests vanity and heartlessness.
Cruelty takes the softneSS and charm out
of the most beautiful face, and the murder
of birds is cruelty of the worst kind wheth-
er the cause for it be vanity or gain. When
intelligent and cultivated women desist
from the practice of wearing birds they
may be sure that the cheap women who
continue the practice will stop it. Then we
shall hear music in our fields again and the
farmer will not have to confront an annual
problem of distress.
The women who have not the courage of
their convictions say that they would join
their more gentle sisters If only the milli-
ners would stop selling birds to other wo-
men. This same argument can be used by
men who like to get drunk. and will prom
ise to stop II the bartenders will stop sell
ing drinks to loafers. The way to stop this
outrageous and long-continued slaughter
of our birds Is to stop wearing them. Then
they will no longer be shot. Don't wait for
milliners or murderers; just leave the birds
off and wear a Civitas Club bonnet.