The Grit-advocate., 1906-06-22
UNTHlNKINC CRUELTY.
Attention Called to the Respcnsi-
bility of Women for the Do
struction of Birds.

+. MS Is an age in which as never In
am other, women are coming Lcfore
the world as workers for reform. They
exhibit in, an ever-increasing degree
tie divine unrest" dissatisfaction
with wrong, desire to right it. But
there is one form of wrons-crus.ty.
Which women are not consistently try
ing to remedy. ! say not consistently.
The same woman who will interfere in
behalf of an overloaded or ill-trcated
horse. and who would perhaps rescue
starving cat or dog, is often To be
seen with a fayed- alive seals skin on
her back, and on her head the plum
age of slaughtered birds. To all ap
pearance unconscious of her culpabil
ity, she advertises the fact that she
either will not read or does not regard
the statements so well authenticated.
and in the case of bird plumage SO
widely and repeatedly published. con-
cerning the barbarities perpetrated in
obtaining these things.
Last October. Mr.. William butcher,
OF New York city, president OF the
National Association of Audubon So
phia at the annual meeting of the
American Humane association, in
which after mentioning what has been
cften repeated-the fact that TO OBJ
tain the white aiSrette SO largely Worn
involves not only the destruction of
parent birds. for these plumes grow
only at the time of nesting, but the
nf moi CT
he spoke also of the brutal murder
of one of the wardens in the EN- 1loy
of the association by plume hupter
at Oyster Key, Fla. This law breaker.
for whose nefarous trade feather
wearing women are responsible, re-
sented the interference Of the wal len,
and killed him. Such women may now
reflect if they will, on the fact tina, the
thoughtlessness and vanity of their
kind have incidentally been the m2ans
of numbering man, and leaving his
wife a widow, and his children or
phans. They are also responsible for
encouraging a trade of the most oru-
talizins tendencies. No man can
spend his time killing, with all the
haste :.nd recklessness possible, inno-
cent birds at the nesting period, l,av-
ing the young to starve. without lin.
self losing the last remnant of feeling
Such a man is getting the education
of a criminal. Women who wear the
products of his evil work are be :ore
God responsible, whether they think
about it or not.
Much of the capital in the millinery
trade is invested year by year in birt
piumage because it is very profitable
part of the business. So the sale o.
feathers is industriously pushed in the
retail stores, and everything is said
which will flatter the vanity of the
woman buyer. and soothe her con-
science, should it show signs of awak-
ening. The birds and plumes are
manufactured limitations very
clever copies of the genuine, but never
theess only copies" 1t is a pity that
women are not better ornithologists,
or else gifted with better judgment.
Audubon societies in every state and
wardens to protect birds would not
be needed if milliners did not use
them, nor would it be necessary to
enact more and stricter laws for their
preservation. Many varieties of birds
are slaughtered every year by thou
sands and millions, and the feathers
in the shops are the feathers of these
same birds, as the ornithologists in
the Audubon societies will testify. No
woman has a shadow of excuse for
wearing as much as one quill, for the
Audubon societies have discovered
that these are obtained by trapping
the birds. the quills being then ruth
lessly torn from their wings and the
disabled creatures turned loose; un-
able in most cases to fly, and present
ing piteous spectacle. When it is
wings that are sought, the brutal hunt
ers. grown callous through habit, tear
them off without in the least caring
whether or not the bird is dead.
One of the most incomprehensible
things connected with the senseless
and cruel bird plumage fashion, is the
silence of ministers of the Gospel.
Why can they not see that for wom-
an to deck herself with the results of
cruelty and brutality is inconsistent
with Christian profession? There is
crying need that people in all the
churches should be told definitely and
specifically what applied Christianity
is. Participation in cruelty is a sin
from which protesting Christians are
far from being exempt and 1t consti-
tutes serious and well-grounded
cause for criticism among outsiders
who are humane. They laugh at
Christianity which harps continually
on Gods mercy to us, but says little
or nothing about the mercy which we
in consequence should show to every
living creature. Can the justice of
this criticism be denied?
MARY +. LOWELL
Secretary of American Humane Associa.