The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-06-28
country's Hope of Future Feathered
Resources Rests on Boys and Girls
Schools Spread Movement.
s1EKs.

NEW YORK, June 2S.-To enlist
every American boy and girl in one
great child army to guard the bird re-
sources of their country is the object
of campaign that has been begun in
this city today. Under the direction
of the National Association of Audi
bon Societies it is planed to try to
reach every one of the twenty million
school children scattered over the con
tinent and form them into an active
and united fighting force for the
feathered crop guards whose butcherY
is now threatening the agricultural
wealth of coming generations. AL
ready it is reported that the children
of many states are enrolling in the
ranks of this national array of boys
and girls on whom the Audubon off
Gals base their brightest hopes of
future protection for the birds.
To muster the children OF the south
into the van guard of this boy and
girl army T. Gilbert Pearson, secre-
tary of the Audubon Association, has
today gone to Knoxville where he will
lecture to several thousand teachers
at their summer school on the rela-
ton of birds to agriculture and the
best methods of teaching this import
ant subject in schools. With an en-
dowment of 100000, which it is hoped
may be obtained from the Peabody
fund next fall, this branch of educa,
ton will be pushed and extended
throughout the southern states till
every child in this section has become
an active advocate of the proper pro-
lection of its valuable bird resources.
From Ohio it is reported today thai
the boys of Cincinnati are already
heading an extensive child movement
in that state by building 1900 houses
for the birds who sadly need their
shelter in the parks. Instead of rob-
bling birds nests of their eggs, these
boys as we'll as many others through
out the country are now interested in
the equally interesting occupation Of
making and placing these bird shelters
in the trees where they will be pa
tronized by the native flocks. Some
work has been done in Germany for
a long time with splendid results.
On the Pacific coast and in New
England the children are now ready
to organize for the work of guarding
their birds in which their elders are
actively interested. In New York
State hundreds of thousands of school
children are known to be eager to en-
list. The boys and girls of Illinois
are also reported to be preparing to
make up good large section of the
young army. Thousands of pamph-
lets showing the children the uses aud
habits of over sixty American bird
species have been distributed in
sS~SSAS WI thC ShtuS COuHlly W
the National Association of Audubon
boys and girls. If sufficient funds be.
come available for this educational
campaign it is planned to spread the
knowledge of every bird in the land
in THIS way to every school house on
the continent.
1--WE must depend on the little folk
to take up this battle for the birds
which We have waged for years all
over the country said William
butcher, president of the National AS
sociation of Audubon Societies at its
headquarters, 141 Broadway. today.
Besides the great sentimental inter
est which the children take in tho
feathered songsters of their nome
country, they must be taught to real
ize that their native land will become
barren in a few generations if the in
sect-eating birds are not preserved |
and increased. This is a great and |
vital work of national education and |
We hope to rally thousands of parents |
to its active support"