Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1900-05-31

And man, with all his boaStcd worth,
Would disappear from oil tho earth.
Now, what return do we receive
From men for favors that wo givoP
a cruel death to get our plumcs,
Or cage confinement in their homes
The tyrant Fashion everywhere
Demands our life to deck tho fair,
And boys and men with trap and gun
Destroy our race and think it fun.
Where once were heard our riches
strains,
4 solemn silence sadly rcigns,
Where once were seen our COlOrs bright
We look in vain-thcy'vc passed from
sight.
The trade in slaves of human kind
Has passed away, timc out Of mind,
But still it lives us birds to curse,
Our race now needs Wilbcrforcc.
The bird with wings to soar away,
And voice to sing in charming lay,
Is not itself within 4 cage,
And cannot live out half its ago.
And when it dies, or soon or late,
Its plume will deck some lady'S hat;
While plumcS, if woln, on men should
go,
For nature surely teaches so.
The birds Of gender masculine,
All wear the plumcs that brightest shine
II human beings plumcs should wear,
The males should sport thcm-not the
fair.
Just think Of hens like roostcrs dccked
And turkeys like the gobblcrs ilcckcd,
What IN upSCtting this would be,
Of what mon call nrpSnprity'
I've been Il slavc-a slave to man,
And learned by sight his ways to scan,
llavc suffered much in cages vile,
from their effects | suffer still.
And yet the pain my body feels
Is but part of my sad ills;
My temper spoiled, is getting worse,
For man has taught me how to curse
In ladies' presence, fearful words,
Unfit for ears of men or birds,
We uttered oft while in Il cage,
When aggravated to Il rage.
While ladies left, at words so ill.,
The boys were laughing fit to kill,
And men around, looked pleased galore,
And said by actions, do il more!
Pm not to blame for badness shown,
MY throat is Ii kc graphophonc,
kccclring words awhile to stay,
To be evolved some future day.
If these bad words dcmoralize,
The blame rests on the mon and boys,
Whose dread account may soon appear,
For idle words they utter here.
If, when grim death shall end my woes,
Some man shall sell my cast of clothes,
To decorate some lady's hat
will not care fig for that.
The life | live while am here,
| want to pass in pleasant chccr,
Hut how can, | cannot ken,
While parrots are slaves IF men
My ncighbor here, the eagle proud,
I'm soaring high above the cloud,
Looks down to see his fellows plumcs
Upon gay brides beside their gr0oms
My ncighbOr there, the ostrich strong,
with wings and feet propelled along,
Is forced TO sec in gandv spread,
Ills feathers on some human head.
Niut all'S not gold that has its hue,
Aud ostrich plumrS and eagles, too,
OFT grow on turkeys, geese and hens,
lhal get their food in poultry pcnS0
My babbling friend, the mocking bird,
Whose melody my soul oft stirred,
Looks in the church with deep regrets
To find his form on many hats.
My tiny friend, the humming bird,
Whose music by its wing is whirrcd
I'm llittinG round lady's head,
Has found 'mong flowers its partner dead.
The sweet canary, orange dressed,
W nth vocal power divincly blcSt
| nnISS - tn 70
Just like itSclf-a slave confined
some thin that birds, though made to
roam.
Esteem cage as Il good home,
And yet they always close the door,
Lest they should so to come no more.
There are some men by grace refined,
W no, to all creatures are most kind,
ol such II give Il sample true,
To show how men TO birds should do.
\ pcddlcr once in Scotia land
Had several dozen birds on hand
All closely coopcd in Il low cote,
Aud rainly trying to get out.
The man was Offering them for sale,
At what the merchants call retail,
When suddenly, as if by chance,
stranger gave the birds a glance.
Asking the price Of all the lot,
When told, he paid it on the spot,
And opened up their prison door,
10 max" thcm free in air to soar.
Al looked aGhast, and thought him mad
To lose the cash and birds he had,
When he explained in a brief say,
Why lac had acted in that way.
My stranger friends, you sec in me,
\ prisoner once, who now is free,
Ana freedom now so fills my mind,
can behold poor birds confined.
# their freedom had not bought,
Their prison life would haunt my
thought;
Their happy light in The free air
Helps me their happiness to share
II all mankind were like him wise,
They q make this world paradise,
Restoring much with little cost,
That man by his tranSgrcssion lost"
The sudden firing Of a gun
Produced noise that birds all shun-
The parrot from the platform hoppcd
Ana the convention startled, stopped.
The ostrich to the desert fled,
The eagle Sunward raised his head
While all the birds oG fcobcr wing,
Excited, scared to shine or sing.
q ~ Srr@rT n