Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-08-20
The Birds.

Inc MaSSaCnuSeJIS legislature OF JDlS
year enacted a law making it an offence
punishable by fine to have in ones posses
sion the body or feathers of any song bird,
or to wear such feathers for purpose of
dress or adornment. The law was intend
ed to prevent the use of wild birds feath-
ers for millinery purposes. The law will
fail of its full intent, however, since the
Massachusetts, attorney general interprets
it as forbidding the women of the state to
wear on their hats only the feathers of
birds taken within the state, and they may
therefore wear the feathers of birds killed
outside the state, provided they are vain
and foolish enough to do so. The Spring
field Republican, commenting on the at
torney generals decision, says:
"But while little of the law remains for
practical application to a crying evil, its
enactment will not be in vain if such a
recognition of decent and humane senti-
ment shall help in making the wearing of
the plumage of birds unpopular and mat
ter for general condemnation. 1t would
seem as if no self-respecting women could
hereafter sin in this way, law or no law.
unwritten law more powerful than the at
tempted enactment of the general court,
while men do their part in discouraging
the slaughter of song birds. An awakened
public opinion can avail much"
The purpose of the Massachusetts, law
was commendable and it had the approval
of all rght-minded men and women. AS
the event proves, however, its greatest eff
feet will be in arousing public attention to
a shameful evil. But the Republican is
right in suggesting that the final and eff
fective method of stopping the shameful
slaughter and determination of the wild
birds must be through the aroused con-
science and humane impulses of the wom-
en- themselves The facts as to what this
slaughter means have been so often and so
fully stated that no intelligent woman is
ignorant of them. Knowing these facts,
no woman with a woman's heart in her
can wish to give her aid to the evil. Let
the women stop wearing birds plumage
and the milliners will stop providing it,
and the slaughter of the birds will stop.
Already public sentiment is so much
aroused that no woman can appear in pub
lie with adornment of birds plumage
without being the object of conscious OBJ
servation and remark. But to complete
the work and eradicate the evil must be a
matter of time and education. Teachers
in the public schools from the primaries
up should show their pupils what the bird
slaughter means and the needless cruelty
and wickedness of it. 1t is subject
which ought to engage the attention of the
women's clubs, the Kings Daughters, the
Endeavor societies, the Alliance, and the
women's guilds and societies of every kind.
The literature is abundant for many an
evenings reading and study. As soon as
women really begin to think on this sub
ject they will stop wearing birds plumage,
and the milliners will gladly ply their deft-
est art to give them dainty adornment of
ribbons, laces and flowers instead. No
woman who, as child or adult, has made a
study of the birds and become acquainted
with individual members of the great fam
lily, will ever wear the body of a dead bird
on her hat.