New-York tribune., 1899-01-27
FINE FEATHERS MAKE FINE BEDS.
BUT SEA GRASS. PINE NEEDLES AND SOME
OTHER THINGS MAKE BETTER ONES

OTHER THINGS MAKE BETTER ONES
Tell Aunt Dinah. tell Aunt Dinah. tell Aunt Dinah
The old gray goose is dead;
She's worth saving. she's worth saving she's
worth saving
To make a feather bed
(Old song-Alr. Saw Ny Leg Of'O
The rates Of life Insurance on birds went down
yesterday sympathetically with decline in
feather stock. in which tho dealings light.
and at the same time stocks in pine needles. hair
corn husks and bran took a strong upward move
ment. The Of all this was dispatch from
Berlin which was published in a morning paper
The dispatch said that Frau LiIli lehman had
written a letter to German paper. in which she
said that out Of consideration for the lives of
birds she had long ago relinquished the pleasure
OF sleeping feather beds and pillows. that now
she had all her mattresses and pillows stuffed with
seagrass and that she counseled everybody else 70
do the
Frau Lehman, like many other good women.
thinks that it is wrong Kill birds in order to wear
their wings or their feathers their whole skins
on hats and her attitude with regard 70 beds is
only logical result Of the same theory II yet
more women. with that genteness OF thought which
is supposed to distinguish them. would make the
resolutions the lives ~ many beautiful Great
ures would be saved and industry would be pro-
NOTED in the preparation of substitutes for feathers
Yet the thought is suggested that Frau Lehmann's
sacrifice in giving mp feather beds may not he so
great as It would seem to the average reader of
Berlin paper. Frau Lehman has lived for long
time in this country. and she may have discovered
how much more comfortable it Is 10 sleep on q good
firm mattress than and under and in many
ather beds the average German thinks essen
tal to life and health. n is not likely tnat she
has to violence 70 avoid feather beds in her
hotel On the contrary. II IS not likely that one IS
used in the house. unless some German insists on
having
limo Te,r tft.fs fa- .ba : ae
not convenient for the archaeological editor call
on her and learn her views in more detail yester-
day, but he has studied this whole question Tor
sides OF it The argument on the side Of the birds
and good arguments that they are beautiful and
delightful and benehcent creatures. and that their
lives should not be taken except I'm cases of abso-
lutte necessity
This obviously disposes Of the birds on The hats
As for the beds and the pillows. IT is represented
that after one is used to them, other SUBSTANCES
are not only more comforahle 10 sleep on. out lar
more hygiene. Nobody VINO is used 10 hair wants
featners. Nopody VINO mas tried a mattress aiig d
then there the needles that contain the hr
Moreover anybody who has good health can pass
good nisht or any number Of them mi, on mat .nd
gradually give up more germs than all these other
things put together
weak and truculent voice II the women on ms
side we're honest, they would sa! We don't care;
Seads that that Is all there is OF the argument that
IS worth anything And mat Is really worth & good
1t Is deolared also and doubtless with truth, that
the most OF the feathers used for beds are those
OF fowls which are killed for food
This disposes Of the charge Of cruelty ss far as II
goes But dealers used 10 advertise-apd prob
ably they do still-"live geese feathers These
wore understood 10 be feathers plucked OUT Of
geese while they still alive. and they were
thought 10 be somewhat better than the feathers
Of dead geese.
II is Of no use TO say that the pelican feeds its
young with the blood from its own breast and
thereby hurts itself much the pluckinS or
feathers would do. It would he as reasonable 70
argue that Il right 10 steal a man 3 money be-
cause he would otherwise spend lt on his family
There IS another weak argument. The birds are
already dead" say the women when We buy their
feathers. We cannot bring them 10 life again. ana
II the feathers make our hats look pretty We may
as well have them" Rank sophstry. Every
woman VINO trims her hat with the feathers Of
bird auehered for the purpose encourages the fur
ther slaughter, because for the cruel woman who
will have feathers anyway new bird must be
slaughtered when these would have done for her t.
the first woman had not used them
Does Frau Lehman sing in operas IN which he'll
are worn? Yes. surely. But she cannot help that.
she has done what she could and nothing is further
from the thoughts Of the archaeological editor than
10 deprecaie or 10 ridicule her position
il may be that when she refuses 10 use pillow
Of hens feathers she Is taking prscaution which
is not necessary the logical pursuit Of her theory
But her theory is right She is an artist and
woman II there more artists like her. the
musical world knows we'll what gain IT would
be And If there were more women like her, per
hans IL would be n gain, too.