Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-06-16
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For. 10, the winter Is past, the
rain is over and gone. The flowers
appear on the earth, the time of the
singing of birds is come, and the
voice Of the turtle is in our land.
The fig tree putteth forth her green
figs, and the vines with tender
grapes"
1t seems that everything this beau
tiful June day, both in nature and in
grace, is praising its Creator. The
mountain forest, and the green val
leys, decked with flowers, are re-
joicing from the fact that the time
of their resurrection Is here again.
The soft evening zephyr that floats
among the trees, and the littIe birds
that fit from limb to limb seem to
be praising the Lord. But our OBJ
ject in writing this article will be in
defence of the Southern mocking-
bird--a bird that can live and sing
only in Dixie. 1t is, and has been
for ages, the glorious songster of the
Southland, but it has been we'll
nigh eXterminated. The young me-
gro with gun and pebble-shooter
seeks the society of man for his pro-
lection, but Is no longer afforded it.
The nest near the farm house and
village garden becomes the prov of
the small boy, who has found that
the Northern visitor is willing to
pay small stipend for a young one
We find that every spring the North
ern visitor, returning to his chilly
climate, must take home one of these
birds in cage. The poor little ex-
&c soon dies-he cannot live outside
of DiTie.
The worthless English sparrow
does not permit a song bird in the
towns, and every year the mocking-
bird becomes scarcer. We think
there Is a provision in the laws of
this State making it unlawful to kill
or capture any song bird or destroy
the nest or eggs of same, but it does
not serve the purpose for which 1T
was intended.
Let us unite in saving our sweet
singer from destruction. His notes
so faithfully translate and portray,
by day and by night, the mysteries
or human sentiment, its Joys, it's
hopes, its bright aspirations, it's sor-
rows and its miseries, in tuneful mel
ody. Save the mocking-bird before
1t is too late. Once gone he is gone
forever. In the cool of the morning,
while the dew is sparkling on the
grass, and while the mind is vigor-
Gus, and the body Is fresh, stop and
listen to the mockingbird; and at
night, when the moon unveils her
face, and the stars from their silver
sockets throw soft, mellow light upon
the earth, and you are tired and
from ho
day, this same sweet Southern song
ster will continue to send out to the
air and the cloud her soft, sweet
music while all nature Is silent and
still Then it would be we'll to lis
ten to the mocking-bird; it would
be an inspiration to things that are
high, and pure. and good.
'Oh, listen to the mocking- bird"
was played by the bands in the Civil
War with almost as much enthusi-
asm as Dixie. While Dixie is one of
the most enthusiastic songs known
to the musical world, "The Mocking
Bird ranks second to Dixie" At
the Battle of Charlottesville (Va.)
just before Gen. Kershaw's Brigade
made the advance against Gen.
Hooker, the band began to play, ooh,
listen to the mockingbird." A
young lad in the ranks made this
remark, Some of us will never hear
the mocking-bird sing again" That
same boy was killed under the flag
that day. Let us protect the South's
sweet singer, because there is no
other bird in the South that can be-
gin to compare with it in song and
sentiment, and then because it wears
the Gray. j. Russell Wright.