The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-08-27
PISTOL MApElIN N11LnBURY HALF A CENTURY AGO.

game killing in the mountains, and an
other genera ton an appalling paucity
of chickens, geese and ducks. Time
has demonstrated, says the Omaha
World Herald, that man, the tyrant of
all creatures, has destroyed all life he
has had the opportunity to destroy. He
has slain both animal and bird, though
he knew there was no more in the
world. 1t is only the species whose in
stinct teaches them to keep out of the
way of man and which are fitted sue
cessfully to flee before him, that can
keep their place ON the earth.
| Look at the great wingless birds OF
the past, where are they? Where is
the dodo? dubbed off the earth.
| Where is the great aux? Exterminated
down to the last specimen. Where is
the duck of Labrador? Gone, forever
gone-the wild pigeon, a fable and a
| romance-the buffalo, a recollection
The extreme rarity Of bird or animal
! instead of being accounted a reason for
| protection is regarded as affording an
4 added stimulus to its capture and de-
| Struction.
| Look what the moose lis fast coming
| to. Let a bird or animal stray from
its customary range, and, diverging
from the limits laid down for it in the
| books, adventure new haunts, it has
| crossed a dead-line and flies to sure
/ death. The collector man or boy
awaits it with powder and lead. The
rarer the species the more eager the
pursuit of it; if pair were thought
| to be the sole survivors of their kind,
men would shoot one another in their
| mad scramble to bag the last one. He
| liogabulus has been dead these 1000
| years, but this spirit of remorseless,
cruel, unsparing selfshness is alive in
the world today, as the record of fast
disappearing bird and animal life dem
onstrates.
We must go to the swine for a name
to apply to some of those who use the
| rod and gun. This is certainly not a
very fiattering commentary on the field
manners OF the times; and it is ire
mendous pity that there should be so
/ many fishermen and so many shooters
to whom the title belongs, and who are
subject. to this application. Neverthe-
less it remains a truth, there are many
alleged sportsmen who are entitled to
no other name than the one that has
been appropriately selected for them,
| and that is game-hog.
There are too many shooters and too
many fishermen who are possessed of
an indecent mania for killing. They
kill purely and simply for the sake OF
| doing to death the greatest possible
number of victims in, the
| shortest posi- Die interval of time.
To out-score in gross weight or num-
Der the record holder is the goal on
which is glued the hoggish vision.
After the display is made of the kills
or catch, they have no further concern
as to the disposition of the game or
fish. They have made their record, and
rest on their laurels, proud and con-
tent until some other game-hog out
does them, when envy bids them again
fall in. They stop at nothing as
long as it is light enough to see and
fish as long as there is chance for a
strike.
They are not sportsmen by instinct,
| nor belong to the anglers or hunt
ers guild, but as imitators, pretenders,
who practice the craft, but lack the
spirit, they are au fait. We talk and
write of the beauties of nature as re-
vealed to him who goes afield of the
inspiration one may find in the woods
and fields and by lakes and streams, of
the message whispered by the cotton
woods. sung by the rolling Elkhorn or
i gurgling Platte, intoned by the mighty
voice of all outdoors But speak of
4 these things to some men who handle
the rod and gun and you speak to un-
needing ears. AS well speak to the deaf
/ and dumb Some men hear never the
/ pipe of Pan, but ever with strained
j senses catch the song of Circe.--Omaha
| World Herald.