The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-04-22
az 4 ~ ~.
PL EA OF e BIRDS.
Senator Hoar's Celebrated titionstot
the Massachusetts Lesislature-8$SS

I ! ~
published at Harrisburg by the Penn
sylvanfa department Of agriculture,
contains Hon &c co. f. Hoar's famous
lin reproducing tor the benefit Of
readers of this paper. Mr. Hoar. as s
everybody knows. is the senior Sen
tor from Massa chusetts.
The most remarkable legal docG
ment on bird protection that the
world has ever known is this bird Pc
tition. When il was presented in the
Massachusetts Legislature the en- thu
siasm it aroused was so great that It.,
passed through both houses like
whirlwind. It should be read in every
| school and home in the country It
| viii never grow old b
To the Great and General Court Of
the Commonwealth of Massachu
sets. We, the Song Birds of Massa
chusetts and Their Playfellows,
Make This Our Humble Petition
We know more about you than you
| think we do We know how good you
are. We have hoped about the roofs
and looked in at the windows of the
houses you have built for poor and
lame and deaf and blind children.
We have built our nests in the trees
and sung many song as we flew
about the gardens and parks you have
| made so beautiful for your own chill
dren, especially your poor children
to play in.
Every year we fly a great way over
the country. keeping all the time
&c. 1r;, nd w
and we know that Whenever you do
anything. other people all over the
great land between the seas and the
great lakes find it out, and pretty soon
will try to do the same thing. we
know; we know. We are Americans
just as you are. Some of us, like
some OF YOU came from across the
great sea, but most of the birds like
us have lived here along while; and
birds like us welcomed your fathers
when they came here many years
ago. Our fathers and mothers have
always done their best to please your
fathers and mothers.
Now we have sad story to tell
you. Thoughtless or bad people are
trying to destroy us. They kill us
because our lSdlIlSi6 Ill e oSd'tA''A'
Even pretty and sweet girls, who we
should think would be our best
friends, kill our brothers and chill
dren so that they may wear their plu-
mage on their hats. Sometimes PEG
pie Kill us from mere wantonness.
Cruel boys destroy our nests anu
steal our eggs and our young ones.
People with guns and snarcss.lie III
wait to kill us, as if the place for
bird were not in the sky, alive, but
in shop window or under glass
case If this goes on much longer,
all your song birds will be gone. Al
ready, we are told, in some other
countries that used to be full Of birds
they are almost gone. Even the.
nightingales are being all killed in
Italy.
Now we humbly pray that you will
stop all this, and win save us from
this sad fate. You have already
made law that NC one shall Kill
harmless song bird or destroy our
nests or our eggs. VIII you please
to make another that no one shall
wear onr feathers, SO that no one Will
kill us to get them? We want them
all ourselves. Your pretty girls are
pretty enough withoutthem- We are
told that It is as easy for you to do it,
as for Blackbird to whistle
If you WILL we know how to pay
you hundred times over. We VIII
teach your children to keep them
selves clean and neat. We will SHOW
tiem how to live together in peace
and love and to agree we do IN
our nests We will build pretty
houses which you will like to see. We
will play about your gardens and
flower beds-ourselves like flowers
on wings-without any cost to you
We will destroy the wicked insects
and worms that spoil your cherries
and currants and p1ums and apples
and roses We will give you our best
songs and make the spring more
beautiful and the summer sweeter TO
you. Every June morning when you
go out into the field, Orlole and Black
bird and Robo1ink will fly after you
and make the day more delightful TO
you; and when you go home tired at
shutdown, Vesper Sparrow will tell
you how grateful we are. When YOU