The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1908-01-10
seeds, the greatest curses

the passage of such laws that the use
and enjoyment Of birds and game will
not be confined to any particular class.
1t win deal humanely because it will
insist that no birds or game be killed
unless some distinct good is to be ac.
eompiishcd; and because it will endeavor
% save for the coming generations Of
this state the abundant winged life that
means to tnuch to the happiness, pros
perity any educational Improvement Of
the pe9p1.
birds have been killed by thousands
mercy for the decoration Of women's
hats.
Birds have been slaughtered in count
less numbers to satisfy the greed and
recklessness of pot-hunters.
Birds have suffered severely from the
unchecked increase of cats and dogs.
Birds have been prosecuted by boys
and other ~thoughtless persons whose
education in such matters is neglected.
None of these causes that have re-
suited so disastrously to the birds can
be defended in the light Of modern civil
l~izatiop. Every one OF them is a form
Of ~inhumanity and criminal wasteful-
ness.
The birds that have been sacrificed to
the millinery fashions have an immense
ly greater value when alive, as a
means of educating the ear, the eye and
The heart.
The work of the pot-huntr has swept
almost out of existence the game birds
"A resource that should have continued
for years q means of moderate recrea-
lion and of variation in the national
liet.
The song-birds and other insectivc-
rous species killed by boy gunEcrs are
worth thousands upon thousands of dol
Tors to the state in which they are
found. The cotton boil weeyil is caus-
ing an annual loss of $~15,00O,000 TO
the cotton growing districts now infested
with it.; the potato beetle cuts out $10,-
100000 from the profits on the potato
the cotton worm has been known
to cause a years damage amounting to
$30,000,000. These are the insects that
make up a large part OF the diet of our
birds!
Who can doubt that it is time to deal
vigorously with this subject, and who
afford to overlook the responsibility
that rests on the people of Mississippi
in this matter. Italy is an example OF
n country largely stripped of its birds,
and the picture that it presents, as de-
sc-ibed by graphic and faithful writer's,
should be sufficient to urge upon tho
good citizens of Mississippi Immediate
decisive action in this vital matter.
If you can't work for the cause, give
membership due. II you can't spare
/ membership due, speak to those who
an. Be fair to the best interests of
he state, and do what you can, no mat
,er how little. 1t is a tax, but a small.
me, and the returns will astonish you.
Directed to the recent meeting of
county Superintendent in Jackson, and ,
o all educators directing school work in
'iississippi: !
10 Superintendent of Education in I
Mississippi: !,
-rn NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. inter '
SITS of the United States suffer an as-
Iual loss of 100000 900 from the dep
citations of insects Figures of the De !
'artment of A~griculture). The killing =
t every in]sectivorous bird means an ,
EDITION to this burden of loss. Does the '
chool boy know it? e
Thousands Of dollars are spent an
uaily, in Mississippi to make better '
nd more efficient citizens of the next {
eneration. Is the ground covered by
his expenditure if appreciation of nat 2
raj resources is omitted from the eur ]
Do we spend money to edu- I
ate children unskilled in the first prin-
iples of better care for our feathered
Are we to wonder at woman's folly ]
/ demanding the slaughtr of birds for |
err hats when she has grown up be- I
ide boys whose only thought of a bird
as to kill it? =
If an opportunity to accomplish their
has ever been presented to the
~lucators of Mississippi, it comes now in 4
Weakening better impulses among chill
rem towards birds-friends of agricul. ;
ire-objects of many of our whole. :
,mest pleasures, q~uickeners of human l
bservation and intelligence. !
Every superintendent in Mississippi 4
YES it to the teachers and pupils of
is county to initiate them in the '
Iysteries and economies of feathered :
fe. Children deprived of the pleasure
such study are being injured physi-
lily, stunted in their moral natures,
nd starved csthetically. Culture, !,
,alth and character lie in the study ;
nature.
Put your teachers and pupils within
le touch of the bird study and protec- c
forces in this state. Talk such a
alters when you visit your schools; Il
range for them in your courses of a
udy, and avail yourselves of the books y
I'd leaflets planned for the instruction !.
ID entertainment Of tchool children in :,
of this kind. u
Finally, call on the writer if he con "
you. and give him in turn the
'neft of your suggestions. "
II. H. KOPMAN, G
,ecial Agent National Association Of
audubon Societies. n