The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-12-18
THE STATE AUDUBON SOCIETY

THE STATE AUDUBON SOCIETY.
Features of the Annual Report Just
Issued.
At the fourth annual meeting of the
Connecticut Audubon society, held in
Stamford, on May 25, 1901, Mr.. C. D.
Hine, secretary of the State Board of
Education, addressed the audience on
the educational value of bird-study.
Following out the thought given us by
Mr.. Hine. at this meeting, the eXecu-
tive committee have worked togther OH
educational lines during the past year,
seeking to have the children in the
schools taught the high value of ma
ture and bird study. leading them to
the thoughts of high minds, training
them in right thinking, and bringing
them to right impulse of doing, in the
protection of birds and in general hui
mainly.
The society now distributes to schools
and village libraries through the board
books on birds and nature, and thirty
eight sets Of bird charts, and three IL
Illustrated lectures.
The board of education asks us for
one hundred libraries, and a chart for
every public school in the state saying
that all could be well used. 1t is our
wish this year to raise money to pur-
chase these books and charts. During
the past seventeen months the execu-
hold hi vt
meetings to transact the business Of
the society. The membership of the
society has been increased by ten adult
members, fifteen teachers, six hundred
and ninety junior members, and 1857
associate members, a total of 4,352.
The associate members are children
who do not pay fee and do not receive
a certificate, fibut who sign a pledge to
protect birds and who receive an Audi
bon button. You will notice that the
majority of the new members are chill
dren. and you will then see the result
of the work which has been done in
schools by the teachers, and through
our local secretaries. We have Z local
secretaries in thirty-sev towns in the
state Reports have been received
from twenty of them, and they tell of
such great interest in this work among
the children, and such desire to keep
the bird charts permanently in the
schools.
Quoting from some of these reports,
one says, 1.-THE intelligence In regard to
birds grows each year, and even the
crow has his friends" From Madison,
Conn, we hear that interest in bird
song has been kept up and increased
so much that as regards work in the
schools, there are almost literally no
more worlds to conquer; our teachers,
all being members of the Audubon So
ciety and enthusiastic bird students,
the efforts of the local secretary are not
required to arouse interest among the
young people. She is, however, sure of
a welcome and an eager response when
she drops in at some district school to
ask a few questions about nests and
rare feathered visitors. In most of the
schools, the smallest child knows from
fifty to one hundred birds, while not
the toughest boy in Madison now
dreams of mo1esting nest Of eggs or
young, WIN the result THAT never We
fore has our village been so thrOnged
with tuneful neighbors. The birds may
be said to have conquered Madison"
In Stamford the local secretary pre-
scented two libraries to the different
schools. She says: principal, teach
ers, scholars alike forward in every
way Audubon work by their enthusi-
asm and earnestness, the result being
1.479 new Junior or associate members"
The secretary in New Canaan borrowed
a collection of bird studies from a nat
uralist and used them in illustrating
bird talks in schools and clubs.
Unionville reports bird classese with
the young people, and together with
New Milford and many other towns re-
ports the strict keeping of the game
laws. Bridgeport reports that twice
public lectures have been given for the
school children, and there is a growing
interest among them. Our Hartford
secretary says, IF people only knew
what pleasure it is to talk to the en-
thusiastic little children, more would
go to work in the public schools. The
path is all smoothed for use by the
very charming principals and teachers
and the children themselves do half the
talking, and would do it all if one did
not want little sayrones self"
Added to this educational work, the