Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1906-04-12
FOR WOMAN'S VANITY
BIRDS AND BEASTS ARE TOR.
TURED AND KILLED.
Every Plume and Feather in Femi-
nine Headgear Costs the Life of
One of Gods Creatures-Christia
Principle Involved

This is an age in which as never in
any other, women are coming before
the world as workers for reform.
They exhibit in an ever increasing de-
gree the divine unrest" dissatisfac-
tion with wrong, desire to right it.
But there is one form of wrong
cruelty-which women are not con-
sistently trying to remedy l say not
consistently. The same woman who
will interfere on behalf of an over
loaded or ill-treated horse, and who
would perhaps rescue a starving cat
or dog, is often to be seen with a flaw
ed alive seals skin on her back. and
on her head the plumage of slaughter
ed birds. To all appearances uncon-
scious of her culpability, she adver-
tises the fact that she either will not
read, or does not regard the state
ments so well authenticated, and in
the case of bird plumage* so widely
and repeatedly published, concerning
the barbarities perpetrated in obtain
ing these things.
Last October Mr.. William butcher
of New York city, president of the
National Association of Audubon So
cletfes, made an address in Philadel-
phla at the annual meeting of the
American Humane association. in
which after mentioning what has been
often repeated-the fact that to OBJ
tain the white aigrette so largely
worn, involves not only the destruc-
ton OF parent birds, for these plumes
grow only at the time of nesting. but
the death of their young from starva-
tlon.+ He spoke also of the brutal MUIR
der of one of the wardens in the en-
ploy of the association by plume
hunter at Oyster Key, Florida. This
law breaker, for whose nefarious
trade feather wearing women are re-
sponsible, resented the interference
OF the warden and killed him. Such
women may now reflect, if they will
on the fact that the thoughtlessness
and vanity of their kind have Incl
dentally been the means of numbering
man, and leaving his wife a widow
and his children orphans. They are
also responsible for encouraging a
trade of the most brutalizing tenden-
cies. No man can spend his time kill
ing, with all the haste and reckless
ness possible, innocent birds at the
nesting period, leaving the young to
starve, without himself 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 before God responsible
whether they think about it or not.
Mr.. butcher. in his address, spoke
of the killing of birds in general; the
utter folly of it on account of the loss
to agriculture through the ravages of
Insects; the cruelty, and the impos-
sibility of existence for the human
race were 1t not for the birds. He
spoke of the laws his association has
secured and is aiming to secure, and
there was one at least of his hearers
who hoped that the day might
speedily come when women cruel
enough or needless enough to wear
bird plumage shall be liable anywhere
to arrest and fine as law breakers.
Millinery that costs suffering and
slaughter, the killing of Gods beauti-
full innocent and most useful
creatures, should be condemned by
"Ostrich feathers can be humanely talk
en- from the bird, but there is reason to
believe that even these are cruelty torn
out in many instances.