Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1908-10-16
THE PLACE OF BIRD IN NATURE AND
ITS PRESERVATION.

very Qq6p0ndent--l heard the notes
of little bird, sweetly chattering
bird-song on the limb of a tree
near the front porch. The little
creature seemed so very happy,
that became a little jealous, and
questioned how it could be that
bird could be so much happier
than /? But the sweet chatter of
the little thing, called ny attention
so completely away from self, that
/ lost sight of my own miserable
feeling land my mind moved away
from self and selfish matters, to the
day of creation; when the Great
Creator by the word of his power.
brought into exis-ence-not only
fowls, but all animals, and creeping
things-and it is lovely to notice
just here, that God was so careful
of mans happiness in the future
that he prepared all things neces-
sary for the full and complete hap
piness of all human, before he Gre
ated the human. Everything ready
prepared and ready for Mans
coming, nothing for man to do
but to live on, and on, and enjoy it
full complete. Let us note that God
made man, not like the beasts,
fishes and Birds, was created
in the image, and likeness of God,
and was given dominion over all.
the work of His creation, not TOT
wantonly waste, kill, and destroy
but for meat for man. Oh man
you who were created in the I'm
age and likeness Of God, and who
has dominion over all creatures of
his creation-stop for one moment
and consider honestly, fairly and
impartially, Gods kindne IS to you
in comparison with your treatment
of the creatures over which you
have dominion. l am one that be-
lieves there is something noble in
every man, although he may have
become ssdissipated and debauched,
still there are times when his bet
ter nature gets the ascendency, and
for time he condemns his own &C
lions. So in this case, every one
that has been guilty of the willful
and indiscriminate slaughter for
sport, of the fowls, fishes and beasts,
which were created only for food
if he will only things of these
things, and let the good part of
himself set in judgment on his in
dlvidual conduct in this matter in
nine cases out of ten he will stand
self convicted.
kAfter while | awoke from my
reverie, my half sick dispondent
condition was gone-the little bird
was still chattering. in the bush
contented, and happy, and it, one
of the smallest ofiGcd's Creation,
had been the means of driving
away my miserable respondent feel
ing, and l thought how could ANY
man. all of whom are made in the
image of and likeness of God, take
gun, walk out to (when this
Bird was so sweetly singing) scare
from its perch and shoot it dead,
while in an effort to escape? | say
how can any man afford to dc so?
The birds are useful to man in de-
stroying insects that are destruc-
tive to the farmers interests. And
in times past, there was in this
country, a specie of bird; which
destroyed certain insects, that are
now doing the farmers very great
injury. This kind of bird is now
extinct. When the woods were
alive with birds, you could hear
but little complaint about insects
destroying the farmers truck, and
now, it is almosc discouraging to
try to get anything started to grow
ing, especially vegetables, on ac-
count of the millions of insects
ready to suck the life out of them.
Therefore there can be no question
about the value Of birds to the
farming and trucking interest, and
the sportsman ought to remember
that the farmers interest are the
sportsamns interest also, for he
must have bread too.
1t is hard to know what kind of
heart a man has who can make up
his mind to shoot birds for sport.
Still they do it, and while the
birds is gasping and fiuttering his
life away from the shot of sports
man, the sportsman will turn to his
comrade in arms and boast of the
splendid shot he made. l venture
to say that some of these fellows
would spend fifty cents shooting
innocent inoffensiye birds who have
just as good right to live by vir-
tue of the laws Of creation, as the
sportsman unless the sport 'man
wants it, and need it for food
that would not give needy widow
two-bits to get bread for her hun
CRY little one. This is hard judge
ment, but | honestly believe it is
true in many cases, and if true, any
one can see how inconsistent it is,
and proves the great evil Of this
sport.
DAN MCLEOD.
Leakevsille, Miss.