The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-04-23
KEEP THE SONG BIRDS.
The Fashion Mongers Must Be Beaten
Out of Sight.

A fight has begun that should be car
ried to the finish. Laws have been en-
acted by nearly every state forblddlnS
the killing of song birds. But the de-
struction has gone on. in spite of legis-
lation and public sentiment, until there
is danger that the more beautiful and
useful of our birds viii be entirely ex-
terminated. The hatmakerS and dress
makers have cooly announced that the
decorations worn by women in 1908 will
more than ever consist of birds and
their plumage. Agents are going all
over the southern states, bagging their
victims by the tens of thousands and
shipping them to the northern markets.
Audubon societies have protested as
vainly as legal statutes have been en-
acted. Fashion has snapped its fingers
at the law and despised the petitions of
mercy
The Audubon society of New York
sta te has now entered upon a campaign
against this slaughter and the illegal
traffic in birds and their plumage that
bids fair to be of some moment VIII
liam butcher of the executive board has
addressed a statement to dealers. in
which he rehearses the state and federal
laws relating to the protection of nom
game birds and warns them that the
society intends to prosecute all viola
tors to the extent of the law. Three
thousand copies of this statement, sign
ed by the president. Norris K. Jesup, by
Frank NJ. Chapman, chairman of the
executive committee. and by William
butcher. chairman of the committee on
laws. have been sent to such dealers as
are to be affected. and to presons and
organizations otherwise interested
This is not contest of a sentimental
sort. It has quite passed that stage. II
is not a matter of mercy to the beau
tiful songsters alone; 1t is question
whether the best friends of agriculture.
the very mainstay of the orchardist.
shall be destroyed. The most careful
research shows that man can hardly
carry on his fight with the insects alone
Aside from their power to make the
world delightful for us. the chief service
of the bird is to enable US to comDete
with our insect rivals. Prof Hodge
says: For this work we have vast
mechanism in nature; an army as plas-
tic almost as air; on wings, powerful ana
beautiful. able to carry their fiyine
squadrons hundreds and even thousands
of miles whittier food abounds and
where insects threaten destruction to
vegetation
But 50 recklessly have we dealt with
these friends OF ours that more and
more are they fighting shy Of civiliza-
ton" This is true with some excesl-
and certain towns where we find Illus
trated the delightful harmony and cor
hdence which may exist between bird
life and human life. Burroughs says
that the birds sing with more confidence
and coDlousness in England because
they are protected by civilization.
Wood birds here are house and garden
birds there" They sing more hours III
the day and more days in the year. H.
thinks that If cur birds were uniformly
safe they would come closer to us and
become our companions. With proper
care MANY of our best son=sters ard
most useful birds that are now rare
might become more common, filling our
parks and the thiclzly planted portions
of orr towns. and even our cities. -
The Christian Register