The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-04-08
MRS. F|SKE PLEADS
FOR LIFE OF BIRDS
DECLARES AIGRETsrEs. ARE PRO-
CURED ONLY THROUGH ACTS
OF TORTURE.
o ENLIST MOTHERS
REAL PARENT COULD NOT WEAR
ONE OF THE FEATHERED ADORN-
MENTs AFTER LEARNING
THE TRUTH.

Mrs. Minnie Maddern Fiske, one of
Americas foremost stage players, and
regarded by many as the very leader
in the delineation of that which Is
held best in stagecraft, Is an ardent
member of the American Audubon So
ciety, and Is doing all In her power for
the protection of bird life.
Aside from her stage work, in which
she and her talented husband. Harrt-
son Gray Fiske, are cooperating 80
successfully. for the betterment OF the
stage, Mrs. Fiske finds much time to
devote to other things, notwithstand-
ing the fact that she is one of the
hardest workers and busiest women OF
the stage. She la very much in earnest
In her crusade against feathered MILL
merry adornments.
Gives Out Statement.
Yesterday she gave out the follow
ing statement from her apartment al
the Jefferson, where she Is stopping
during her brief engagement in this
city:
Women wear aigrettes and birds OF
paradise and other unnecessary hat
adornments, simply because they do
not know the horrors that attend their
procuring. Women do not know that
the aigrette is torn from the living
mother bird; they do not know that
ture is tied to a shrub and propped
up as a decoy for other aigrettes, and
that sometimes for days in this help
less condition, within sound of the
call of their starving young, these
birds are gradually eaten to death by
the red ants of the Southern coun-
tries.
This is only one of the horrors that
might be cited in this dastardly bust
ness
Women who have become enlight-
ened invariably pledge themselves
never again to wear aigrettes or birds
Of paradise or other hat adornm ents
that are associated with such afro
cities Ostrich feathers are humanely
obtained. and can be worn. and there
are many beautiful ways of trimming
hats without resorting to these un-
speakable acts. No real mother will
ever wear an aigrette after she has
once learned the truth about them.
Ask Congress to Act
Today the United States congress
convened in special session for the
purpose of passing the revised tarin
act The officers of the Audubon So
ciety have strong ground for believing
that 1t will be possible to have inserted
in this a provision prohibiting the am
portation of aigrettes. The Audubon
society EAE sent QlA eh dpkfV0t 80 'r
a wide campaign of publicity at this
moment We must act quickly 4
understand that a number Of distin-
guished women in Baltimore are 10
meet and take some action in the mat
ter. 4 number of prominent New
York women have already abolished
the aigrette. 1t is to be hoped that
the women of the South will do the
same thing. II will be fine thing
II American women abolish the al
grette In the United States
In the Hands of Women.
The thing is in the hands OF our
women. We should notify our nailli'
ners that we will withdraw patronage
from every establishment that permits
the sale of aigrettes, birds OF paradise
or other hat adornments barbarously
obtained.
Many. women who go into strange
millinery shops ask, before they make
a purchase whether or not aigrettes
etc. are sold If informed that TREY
are sold, the women explain that they
cannot make purchases IN any shop
that permits the sale of these adorn-
ments. When the women OF our coun-
try make this thing clear to the MILL
mars the gigrette traffic Will cease.