Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1911-08-23
Prsssrvatio. Of Our so.s-Birds


confront IL people Of this STATE 10 the
preservation Of our song birds. Those Of
NJ who have passed middle ags can easily
remember when the sweet notes Of the
bobolink could Be- heard ct this time Of
year In svsry nsld, but to-day that song
silent. These beautiful song birds have
Tsjl-ni9h disappeared and the same may
- aid Of the bright pIumaged woodpscksr
any many other species. Aside from the
esehetic and sentimental features con-
nsctsd with the presence Of these delight
ful songrters there was an economic valre
Of tremendous Importance. Az long a.
they were with Us there was compare
lively little trouble with insect pests.
Living for the most part on this food,
these insects were kept down to q point
where sprays were unnecessary and hence
the farmer was always certain Of his crop.
All this 10 now changed. With the dis
appearance Of the birds, insect life has
increased with . rapidity that 10 truly
alarming. To-day it has become strug-
gle to raise crops Of any kind, % the work
formerly done BY birds must now be done
with sprays. In spite of all these efforts
Of man, insect life IL steadily advancing.
The bFown-tail moth has now spread al
over Maine and the gipsy 10 marching on
with precision % relentless % fate. New
forms Of insect life are also appearing and
still our people have not fully awakened
to the situation and its danger.
All this has largely come from the de-
struction Of our song birds. There ID Q
great natural law Of compensation, and
whoever destroys any CT the useful crsa-
lions OF God must suilsr the CONSCIOUSNESS
in ons way or smother. We are now pay.
ing the pspalty Of our folly ana inhumani-
~ and the end 10 mot yet In sight. The
worst feature Of this whole miserable
business 10 that our birds have been sec
rificsd to the mandates OF fashion, and for
this our own women are mostly response
BILE. To decorate their hsadgeaF with
stuffed birds and feathers they have ct
In motion an army Of men and boys who
have slaughtered our birds with no other
thought than that OF immediate profit.
They have accomplished their work only
too we'll, and now we all know the result.
What is to be done? Fashion is as mer-
ciless - the hand Of the assassin and only
the stern arm Of the law will stay its
deadly work. Argument and supplica-
tions have alike proven useless, and now
| another and more drastic course must be
adopted.
This destruction Of our birds is by no
means confined to Maine. 1t extends all
over our country and its deadly effects are
the same in all sections and all states.
The voice OF the humanitarian has failed
| to reach the heart OF the devotee Of fashion
and now the sheriff and the Judge have
been called upon to execute more strin-
| gent system.
On the first day Of the present month q
| new law went into effect in New Jersey
that bids fair to settle this problem ss far
- that state Is concerned. This law
makes,it crime for any woman to appear
on the streets, or in public, with even the
the single feather Of bird upon her per-
| son. So stringent 10 the statute that she
is liable to immediate arrest and fine OF
go for each offence. 1t matters not
whether such plumsge is from birds COM
| mon to that state or have been brought
there from the ends Of the earth.
The law is relentless in every case and
the rich and poor are alike subject to its
rigor. Already several butterflies Of
fashion have been brought into court and
suffered the penalty, much to the
chsgrin Of people whose money failed to
save them from the meshes of the law. It
10 said that the destruction OF birds In that
state is now at An end. This could never
have been accomplished by humanitarian
and economic appeals, As these fail to reach
the class for which they are intended.
When a women knows that she is liable to
arrest il she appears with single feather
in her hat she is likely to decorate her
person in some other manner and with
some other material.
| II fearlessly enforced the law Is q good
one and should be placed on the statutes
OF every state. Nearly all the laws here
tofore passed for the protection OF birds
have lacked stamina and back bone and
for this reason have proved abortive in
curbing the demands OF fashion. Cur
ethical and esthetic methods OF dealing
with this problem have been q complete
failure, and it is now high time that
we try the practical. The time has come
when we drop talking about the beauty
and delight. Of the songs OF birds and make
Q direct appeal to the pocket book. New
Jersey has done this, and the effect has
made . tremendous change. The bird 10
the greatest friend OF the farmer and the
melody Of its song is matter of secondary
consideration. Let the good work con-
tinue and the cold blooded pot-hunter
and frivolous dsvotee OF fashion will alike
come to . realizing sense that the greatest
good to the greatest number has been the
best philosophy Of the rolling ages.
Norway's Income Tax.
How should you like to pay an income
tax on next to nothingf II you were .
Norwegian living at home and earning