The Washington herald., 1911-08-10
NINE GOOD REASONS
FOR SAYING BIRDS
Which Every Woman Should
Take to Heart.
By ELLA WHEELER WILCOX.

CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY
How can a woman allow her vanity
to overcome her good sense, her kind
liness of heart and her reason?
There is not the slightest need for the
use of any portion of slaughtered birds
in the creation of a beautiful and modish
hat
In season where feathers and corpses
of birds were the rage in millinery, a
modish woman, who is recognized as a
perfect dresser, wore an exquisite crea-
tion, in the latest design, but it was gar
nished only with chiffon and flowers; and
was far more admired than the feather
monstrc-ities of her rivals.
The most beautiful hat the writer ever
saw was composed wholly of moss, with
one purple orchid at the side; and there
are innumerable methods of combining
ribbons, laces, flowers, chiffon, Silks and
Telvets to produce becoming results.
Every woman who takes the stand that
she will not wear dead birds or the
plumage of birds slaughtered for mil
linery purposes is helping to make the
world more beautiful and the race better.
Hats without PIumage.
Let each woman who reads these lines
hy the experiment of thinking up pleas
ing effects in hats without feathers, hats
which shall not add to the havoc now
going on among our wild birds.
Ostrich plumes do not mean the death
of bird, any more than woolen gar
ments mean the killing of sheep But
birds of paradise. aigrettes and breasts
of beautiful plumage do mean wanton
slaughter, and no woman can call her
self a good woman who is Indifferent to
this fact.
Here are a few things which women
who are anxious to protect birds and
consequently our forests can do to aid
in the WORK:
Do not shoot them or permit them to
be stoned or frightened.
Erect nesting boxes. In these ten or
more species may nest.
Prohibit unusual noise around the
premises during the nesting season. par
ticularly while birds are selecting sites
for nests.
Provide nesting material for use in
constructing nests
Put out trays of water and mud for
robins. swallows, &C, to use in building
Erect and preserve old posts, stumps
and logs with holes in them.
Discourage the manufacture sale and
use of air guns, sling shots, &C.
Do not use for ornamentation, wearing
or otherwise, the feathers or parts of
birds that are killed solely for that pur-
pose.
Organize nature-study societies for the
study and preservation of birds
Nine Good Reasons.
Because our laws forbid it.
Because they are of no use when dead
Because nobody has a right to take
the life of any animal except for food
or self-protection.
Because they are harmless and have
right to live.
Because it is cowardy to kill them
when they trust US and gather about us
to cheer u with their song
Because they act as a police force in
keeping things in nature balanced.
Because they are objects of study and
no other animal can take their place.
Because in their instincts. migrations.
nest building. food habits, and dfstribu-
tion, they symbolic the perfection of the
divine school of life.
Because 1t is estima ted by the best au-
thority we have that during the stay of
the birds in New York State each season
they destroy more than 100000 bushels
of noxius worms and insects Think of
the consequences if the birds were all
eXterminated.
(CopyTight.)