Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-07-02
Senator Hoar's Bird" Petition.

The petition which was instrumental in
getting the Massachusetts law probi}lit-
ing the wearing of song and insectiVorous
oifdS on women : hats Is said 70 haVe
been wfitto by Senator tI0ar. he pu-
1ition read as follows:
To the Great and General Court of the
Commonw ea4tn of Massachusetts:
We, The song birds of Massachusetts
ana 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 nave built for poor and
sick and hungry people. ana little lame
and deaf and blind children We have
built our tests in the trees and Sung
many a song as we flew about the gardens
and parks you have made 50 beautiful
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 whenever you
10 anything the other people all over
thiS great land between the seas and the
great lakes find it out and pretty soon
viii try to do the same. We know. We
know
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 have lived here for a long
while. and the birds like us welcomed
your fathers when they came here many.
many years ago. our fathers and mothers
nave always done their best toplease your
Now. We have a sad story to tell you.
Thoughtiesss or bad people are trying to
destroy rs. They kill us because our
feathers are beautiful Even pretty and
sweet girls. who We should think would
be our best friends. kill our brothers and
children so that they may wear our plt-
mage on their hats. Sometimes peopl )
Xii us for mere wantonness. Cruel boys
destroy our nests and steal our eggs and
our young ones. People with guns and
SHARES lie in wait to kill US as if the
place Tor bird We're not in the sky
alive, but in a shop window or in a glass
case. II this goes on much longer all our
song BIRDS will be gone. Already we are
TOD N some other countries that used to
ne luil or birds, they are now almost
killed in Italy.
Now !, we humbly pray that You will
stop all this and will save us from this
sad fate. You have already made a law
than no one shall kill harmless song birds
or destroy our nests CT our eggs. VIII
YOU please make another one that no one
shall wear our feathers. so that no one
snail XIII us to get them? We want them
al ourselves. Your pretty girls are pref
Y enough without them. We are told
blackbird to whistle
II you Will, we know how to pay you
= nuhured times over. We will teach
your children to keep themselves clean
ana neat. We Will show them how to live
together in peace and love TO agree as We
do in our nests. We will bui,l pretty
houses Whlch you will like to see. We
VIII play about your gardens and flower
peos-oilrselves like flowers on wings,
without any cost TO you. We will destroy
the wicked insects and worms that spoil
your cherrles and currants and plums and
apples ana roses. We will give YOU our
best songs and make the spring more
beautiful and the summer sweeter 10 YOU.
every June morning when you go out in
TO the field. ofiole and bluebird and black
bird and boholink will fly after you and
make the day more delightful TO you.
ana , when you so home tired after sun
down Nesper sparrow will tell YOU how
srateluA we are When you sit down on
your porch after dark. fifebird and her
init thrush and wood thrush will sing to
you and even whip-poor-will viii o.heer
YOU up little: We know where we are
SsIe- In q little while all the birds will
come TO live in Massachusetts again. and
, everybody who loves music will like to
make summer home with you.
The sagrers are:
Brown Thrasher, K;no p;ri
Robert o. Lincoln. S,g,iin,.
It sll.. o.nIusn Cedar Bird.
'espe9 SPARROW, Cow Bird,