Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-01
PROTECTION OF BIRDS
Annual Meeting Of Audubon Society
of the District.
BRIEF HISTORY OF TIE ORGANIZATION
Officers Elected and Business Of
Importance Transacted.
THE WORK ACCOMPLISHED

| The first annual meeting Of the Audu-
| bon Society. of the District of Columbia
was held yesterday afternoon at 4:3O
| o'clock in the lecture hall of the Column
| bian University. Surgeon General George
NJ. Sternberg, U. 8. A, president of the So
| ciety. was in the chair. Mrs. John Dew
! hurst Patten acted as secretary. There
| was large attendance at the meeting.
Mrs Patten, the secretary, read an in
| teresting report. The society was organ
| lied last May, and as a result of eight
months work. the secretary reported
| nfnety-seven names were enrolled as menu
| bers. This, however, represents but q
small portion of those whose attention has
| been called to the necessity of bird pro-
lection by the hundreds of circulars sent
out by the society. In addition, the secre
tary has answered a large number of let
tiers from all sections asking for informa-
tion relative to bird protection, inquiries
regarding the organization of Audubon so
cietieS, requests for the literature of this
society and other details Every effort has
been made to encourage the esta biishment
of societies in different states, and the sec
rotary has received a number of letters
with appreciatiVe thanks for the suggeS-
lions made.
Societies in the States.
Societies have been established in the fol-
lowing states: Massachusetts, Pennsylva-
mia. New York. New Hampshire, Illinois,
Maine, Wisconsin. New Jersey, Colorado.
Others are formed in Rhode Island, Ohio.
Iowa, Indiana, and within the past month
letters asking for information have come
from Atlanta, Ga.
The report states that the public press
of Washington, notably The Evening Star,
10 al of
bird protection by editorial notices and
other reports.
Besides the initial circular the society
has published two leaflets, one by Mrs.
Olive Thorne Miller and one by Miss Eliz-
abeth V. Brown, both Of which may be
had upon application to the secretary.
The society has published and crculat-
ed 800 copies of the leafiet published by
the New York society, 200 copies of a.
farmers bulletin, entitled Some Common
Birds in Their Relations to Agriculture"
These have been circulated in rural dis
tricts through the agency of the society,
| as well as a number of copies of the re-
port of the American Ornithologists'
Union on protection of birds of North
America. pin for the society has been
designed by Mr.. Robert Ridgway.
AS the work has progressed the execu-
tive committee has become more fully con-
WINGED that the greatest and most success
| full fields for work lie with the children
Future Work.
The main object for the ensuing year
will be to stIenuously urge a most ex-
| tended instruction In regard to birds in
| the schools. Circulars will be prepared
more especially for the primary depart
| ment in which valuable information will
| be given in a popular form. The commit
| tee on millinery expects to make some
( further impressions upon those merchants
and milliners who sell wild bird feathers
| Most of them who have been interviewed
| haf n1N 1nty, tia
| favor of the movement, but say they are
| forced by the demands of their customers
| TO traffic In the plumage of those birds
| which it Is necessary to protect. One, NIL
| liner is reported as declining to keep such
| feathers In stock
| 1t is proposed, if possible to have
| special exhibition in the spring of hats
| and bonnets without feathers and il is
| satisfactory to the society to announce
| that several Of the leading establishments
| OF Chicago are advertising such millinery
| as a speciality.
| The work of the society I'D to this date
| has been of Il rather preliminary char
| acter. the report states. Now that the Or
| ganization IS complete and the objects
| clear, it Is expected that more successful
| work will be ACCOMPLISHED and that the
membership will steadily increase.
| At yesterdays meeting Mr.. Richard Syl-
| Vester read synopsis of the new game
law. and DR.. T. 8. Palmer spoke in favor
| of it, and 1t was the general o2inion of
| the members present that 1t was an eX-
| cellent thing in all respects.
| The Officers Chosen.
| The following officers were reelected:
| President-Surgeon General George M.
sternberg. U. s. A.
| Honorary vice presidents-Mr. Charles ].
Bell. Mrs. Henry F. Blount Mr.. Andrew c.
Bradley, associate justice of Supreme Court
| of District of Columbia; Mr. John Bur-
roughs, Miss Alice Fletcher. DR.. Theodore
| Hubbard, Mrs. Rudolph Kaufman, Mrs
| William Bruce King, Mrs. e. Bradford
| Leavitt, DIR. c. Hart Merriam, Mrs. Olive
Ihorne Miller. Miss Virginia Miller, Mr.. Will
| liam B. Powell, Mrs. F. d. Power, Mrs
Wallace Radcliffe. Rev. J. Haven Richards.
| S. j., president of Georgetown University;
Mr.. Robert Ridgway Miss Alice Riggs. Mr..
| Theodore Roosevelt, assistant secretary of
| the navy; Rt. Rev. II. Y. Satterlee, D. D.
bishop of Washington; Mrs. Frank Sewall
| Miss Olive Risley-Seward, Mr. Thomas W.
| Sidwell, Mrs. o. II. Tittmann, Mrs. G. D.
| Walcott, Rev B: L. Whitman. D. D., presi-
| dent of Columbian University; Mr.. James
| Wilson, Secretary of Agriculture A.r. s.
| w. Woodward
Secretary-Mrs. John Dewhurst Patten.
| Treasurer-Miss Westcott.
Executive Committee-Miss Elizabeth "
| Brown, Mrs. Arnold Hague, DR.. L. o. How
| ard, Mr. Bernard T. Janney, Miss Lehman,
Mrs. George Cotton Maynard, Miss Flor
| ence A. Merriam Dr. James c. Merrill Mr.
| Henry Olds, DR.. T. s. Palmer DR.. d. Web
| ster Prentiss, Mrs. Robert Ridgway, Mrs.
| George F. Schayer, Mr.. Richard Sylvester,
| Mr.. Henry L. West.
The following is list of the standing
| committees:
| Milinery-Mrs. Patten. chairman; Mrs.
| Hague, Mrs. Ridgway.
| Schools-Miss Westcott, chairman; Mis-;
| Brown Mrs. Rdgway.
| Legislation-Mr. Sylvester, chairman; Dr..
Palmer
| Publication-Miss Merriam, chairman:
Mr.. West, Mrs. Patten, Mrs. Maynard, DIR.
| Howard.
| Aims of the Society.
| The Audubon Society of the District OF
Columbia for the protection and study of
| birds, founded May IS, 1897, in co-opera-
| ton with the American Ornithologists'
| Union. announces Its aims and purposes in
| the following circular:
lit Is now becoming known that some OF
cur most beautiful birds have been all but
| exterminated to supply the demands of
| millinery. 1t is also coming to be under
| stood that the food habits of birds make
| them invaluable as destroyers of insect
| pests and there is, moreover a growing
appreciation of the fact that birds as well
| as flowers, lend beauty and charm that can
i'll be spared from our outdoor life. This