Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-08

Ia children, organized into over
O six hundred bands OF mercy
i to protect dumb animals. are
being formed in the public
schools Of the city, and it is expected
that when the task is completed there
will be an army of fifty thousand school
children enrolled under the Humane So
ciety Of the National Capital, all of them
pledged to TRY to be kind to all living
creatures and try to protect them from
cruel usage"
This organization, or rather the group
OF bands throughout the city. was started
toward the last art. of the preceding
school year. By the end of the year.
however, hardly more than ten thousand
or the fifty thousand graded school chill
dren had been enrolled, and so with the
beginning Of this school year the work
was taken up, and now almost half of the
total number have been enrolled. The
Humane Society in cooperation with the
American Humane Education Society OF
Boston. Walter Stilson Hutchins, presi.
dent OF the local body. is enthusiastically
forwarding the work, while Miss Mary
Harold Is the agent working in the white
schools. and Mrs. Emma d. Wormly the
agent In the colored schools.
AT the present time the work of or
ganizing these little Bands of Mercy is
ABOUT half completed. Each band is
class at school. The work is done
from the first to the eighth grades in
elusive. Miss Harold goes to a school
ana talks to each class fifteen minutes,
explaining the aim Of the Humane So
When ready to leave she gives the
teacher blank book In which is printed
the pledge Of the society. Each child
IN the class who wishes to join then
N hrnn A
week Miss Harold returns and secures
copy OF the names and gives each
child card to certify that he or she
is member Of the Band of. Mercy of
the Washington Humane Society and
also OF the American Humane Education
society, which is kept by each child.
Then, best OF all from the viewpoint of
the children, she sees that they receive
badges.
Aside from this. all Of which is done
without cost to them. each band receives
a copy each month of Our Dumb AMI
mails" the organ OF the American HUI
name Education Society. as wei as
considerable printed matter which Miss
Harold distributes herself. After the
band has been formed the children elect
out OF their number president and sec
rotary. and then are supposed to hold
regular meetings. at which dumb ami
mails and their protection are discussed.
To the president of each little band is
Sent IrOm bOStOn SpeClai Stdr OaUSe
as a recognition Of the Office he or she
holds. Not only is it the aim Of the
Humane Society to teach the children
tenderness with relation to their own
pets. but also to awaken them to the
responsibility which rests upon them to
aid all dumb animals in distress, es-
pecially horses. In so far as is possible.
The beginning Of the present campaign
being undertaken in Washington is due
to the interest of a Washington man.
For a considerable time" says Presi-
dent Hutchins. 1.-The society kept receiv-
ing letters from q man who always
wanted us to take up some new work.
and blaming us for not doing more.
Finally he came to the Office and saw me.
1t is not that I don't believe in the HUI
name Society, he told me. because
do. And I realize that You are doing
as much as you can. but still l want you
to do more Many of the ideas that the
man had were radical. but under it all !
realized that his heart was in the work.
After a long conversation asked him If
he would mind telling ME where he had
first become interested In the work. He
told me that ~ boy he had belonged to
. Band OF Mercy, and that what he had