El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-01-25
Women, Save the Birds
Law That Makes 1t a Fine to Sell
Birds of Paradise and Hum
ming Birds, Is Praised.
Nv Ella WhaeIer WHICH,
By Ella wheeler WILCOX
SHORT time ago a milliner


A SHORT time ago a millinery
"A establishment was raided IN
L \ New York City and one hundred
dead humming birds and many birds
of paradise and other corpses of beau
tifuI birds were seized by the authori-
ties.
The law in New York state forbids
the killing or selling Of these lovely,
harmless and useful creatures and for
bids the millinery establishments from
keeping them in stock for the adorn-
ment of women's heads.
No man on earth can be blamed
for this traffic in birds. The crime
against our feathered kin must be
laid at the door Of gentle and lovely
woman-she who is clamoring for the
ballot that she many make the world
better.
Since this statement is a fact (Which
requires no proof other than a mo-
ment's refeletiOnl it should now De
come the duty Of all women who
really want to justify the claim OF
WOrthineSS of the sex to take part IN
affairs of state to join in a crusade
against the use of dead birds or the
plumage of dead birds IN millinery.
Every equal suffrage organization
should make this a plank in its plat
form.
All clubs organized for any humane
or reformatOry or charitable work
should further the movement
There is not one argument which
can be offered to support the use CT
these decorations.
There are arguments which can be
presented with a certain amount OF
reason for the wearing of furs.
Furs do keep their Wearers warm
in cold weather. Life would be al
most uncomfortable in many northern
lands unless the Inhabitants were
clothed in skins OF animals Wild
animals endanger human life. In our
own country there are q gOodly num-
Der of humane workers who refuse
to wear fur; but I have yet to meet
one who refuses to wear leather shoes
There seems to be no substitute yet
provided for this necessary fOOtgeaT5
and so, while all Of US protect that one
portion of the BODY with the skin OF
animals we should be lenient to those
who protect the whole body from cold
by the wearing Of furs.
But an aigTette OF a bird Of para
disc or a humming bird on wOm-
ans hat never. protected her from
cold or offered the least service in the
way of health or comfort
1t simply adOrns her in the eyes
of those who. like herself, are blind
to the unpleasant and cruel phase
of such adOrnment- To those who
are awakened on this subject there
corpses of birds or decked with
aigrettes which have been torn from
the bleeding breast of a mother bird,
who almost invariably dies a linger-
ing death in consequence and her
brood dies of starvation.
Death and blight are brought upon
ancient trees, beautiful with years,
orchards are filled with fruit and
fields ripe with grain by the slaughter
of birds and the consequent increase
of destructive insects
Plumes are always beautiful and no
more Objectionable than feathers
plucked from the goose or duck for
pillows.
The ostrich lives to a very advanced
age and grows a new plume when
the old one has been removed, as the
goose grows new down Besides 0s-
trich plumes, there are innumerable
beautiful things which can be used en-
hats The law which has been passed
forbidding the slaughter of birds
should now be extended, and make it
a fineable offence for a woman to be
seen wearing an aigrette or a bird Of
paradise or other bird corpse.
The woman who will not think on
this subject should be made to think
Copyright, 1913, by Star Company