The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-04
SENATOR HoAR'S "DIRDo PETITION
Queer Document That Secured a Law
Against Wearing Birds on Hats.
From the Chicago Tribune.

From the Chicago Tribune.
The petition which was ms trumental in
getting the Massachusetts laws prohibit
ing the wearing of song and insectivorous
birds on women's hats is said to have been
written by Senator Hoar. The petition
read as follows:
ITO the Great and General Court of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts: We,
the song birds of Massachusetts and their
play-fellows, make this our humble petit
dQp. We know more about you than you
II DIX We do. We know how good you are
We have hoped about the roofs and look
ed in at the windows OF the houses you
have built for poor and sick and hungry
people, and little lame n5ad deaf and blind
children. We have buff our nests in the
trees and sung many a song as we few
about the gardens andeparks you have
made so beautiful for your children, es-
peeial.y 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 whenever you do anything the other
people all over this great land between
the seas and the great lakes find il out
and pretty soon will try to do the same
We know. We know.
I'VE are Americans just the same as
you are. Some of us, like some of YOU
came across the great~saa.- But most of
a
while; and the birds like us Welcomed
your fathers when they came here many
many years ago. Our fathers and moth
ers have always done their best to please
your fathers and mothers.
Now, we have a sad story to tell you
Thoughtless or bad people are trying to
destroy us. 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 plum
age on their hats. Sometimes people kill
US for mere wantonness. Cruel boys de-
stroy our nests and steal our eggs and
our young ones. People with guns and
snares lie in wait to Kill us; as If the place
for bird were not in the sky, alive but
In shop window in glass case. If this
goes on much longer all our song birds
will be gone. Already we are told In some
other countries that used to be full Of
birds they are now almost gone Even
the nightingales are being 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
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
shall kill us to get them? We want them
all ourselves. Your pretty girls are pretty
enough without them. We are told that
II is as easy for you TO do It as for
blackbird TO whistle.
IF 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 alto
gether IN peace and love and to agree as
we do In our nests. We will build pretty
houses which you will like 20 see. We will
play about your garden and fioWcrbeds-
ourselves like flowers on wings--wthout
70.
ed insects and worms that spoil your
cherries and currants and plums and APP
pies and roses. We Will give you our best
songs, and make the spring more beautt-
ful and the summer sweeter 60 you. Every
June morning when you go out into the
Held, oriole and bluebird and blackbird
and bobOlink VIII fly after you and make
the day more delightful 10 you. And when
you go home tired after shutdown yespor
sparrow VIII tell you how grateful we
are. when you sit down on your porch
after dark, hfebird and hermit thrush and
wood thrush will sing 20 you; and even
whip-poor- viii win cheer you up a little.
We know where we are safe. In little
while all the birds will come 20 live In
Massachusetts again, and everybody who
loves music will like 10 make a summer
home with you"
The slgners are:
Brown thrasher. King bird
Robert o Linc0ln, swallow.
Yesper sparrow. Cedar bird,
Hermit thrush, Cow bird,
Robin redbreast, Martin.
Song sparrow. Neery,
Scarlet tanager. NireO,
Summer rcdbitd. Orl0le.
Blue heron, Blackbird
HummlnR bird Fife bird,
Yellow bird. Wren.
Whippoorwlll, Linnet.
Water wagtnii. Pecwee.
WO0dpecker. Phoebe.
Pigeon woodpecker. Yoke bird,