Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-01-31

and of delight TO all people. The boys
come upon and plundcr the nests of use
ful birds. and neither they nor tho Of
ticials who pay for the eggs can. as n
rule. discriminate between the various
kinds OF eggs or the heads OF the nest
llngs.
Moreover. when a boy hardens him
self to the wholesale killing of one spe-
cies of birds. II is of little use to argue
with him about sparlng the useful
kinds, killing, like other acts, tends to
become a habit and our law by Offer
ing the bounty. causes both the thought
and the practice OF killing to como into
active operation
at recent lecture before the nature
classes at the University of Utah. Prof
Goodwin OF the Agricultural College
asked these pertinent questions:
why Is 1t that so little interest Is
taken in bird life? Why are officials
throughout the state SO Indifferent to
the protection and preservation of The
birds? Why may and do. the boys
violate ordinances and state statutes
by Carrying nlppcrs and other death
dealing Instruments with impuuity2
Why are the boys and girls willing To
kill the birds for any reason?"
The professor stated that II Is be-
cause they have not been taught bet
tor things. Because they have not
been shown that II is to their interests
both from cultural and from Il ma
tcrIal point of vicw-that the birds
should be saved The children are not
at fault they have not been taught.
Most people fail to take an Interest in
mattors of which they have no knowl-
edge From the least to the greatest,
in affairs that concern men, II Is need
full that there shall be knowledge in
order TO induce right action Hence
the campaigns OF education as they are
called which precede or accompany so
many of the great movements whi,h
have made history. Bird observation
as part of school work is as useful
In the ethical development of the child
as 1t Is to the artistic sense. the scien-
tific tendency and to the formation of
the habit OF accurate observation.
Every boy or girl. rightly taught. will
admire the birds. and will refrain from
destroying them.
In reference to tho law offering n
bounty on dead sparrows, tho Proses-
sor denounced 1t as "one of the most
Internal laws on the statute books
and argued that the teacher alonc is
in a position to form public sentiment
on this very important subject. He
would have teachers so instruct the
boys and girls that they would know
and love these feathered friends, TO
study tho birds and not to destroy
them; to learn how much more of hap
piness and satisfaction can come from
an understanding of some of tho thou
sand interesting problems connected
with bird life. than Is possible when
the bird is destroyed; to understand
that there Is a broader meaning to the
words: None OF us livoth in himself
alone" than that which would limit
their application to mon; to sense the
fact that tho birds everywhere about
them, with the insects and tho flowers
so SN1Itcltu osci eiio nuns
and valleys of our state. all stand In
certain relations to man-to them. and
that 1t is of Importance for boys and
girls to know something about those
this public service can
best be performed by the teacher in
tho public school.
Tho teacher, next 10 the mother.
comes nearest to tho springs Of
thought and action, and so may pro-
vfdo much OF that which determines
the events of the child's life.
Wc agree most heartily with these
The teachers opportuni- |
ties for serving the state and of saw
ing tho finer sensibilitles OF childhood |
are almost equally great and apparent |
at this time in the matter OF preventing |
tho killing of sparrows. But parents. |
and, finally, legislators them |
selves can act upon these matters, to |
which all can and should contribute
their portion.