Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-03
Regards Duty as Paramount.

Regards DUTY as paramount.
Mr. Burroughs who is seventy-six
years of age. came all the way from his
home in West Park. y. Y. to attend to
this paramount duty Of his latter years
Mr. Thompson Seton ought 10 be in
Europe, where his winter plans would
have carried him. but he postponed the
trip so that he might participate in this
altruistic mission.
Favorable action on identical bills be-
fore both houses of Congress-the Mclean
bill in the Senate and the Weeks bill in
the House-iS urged by the naturalists.
They are here to try to make Congress
see the grave necessity of passing the
measures.
The bill would extend national protec-
ton to migratory birds all over the
United States. providing for closed game
seasons The Mclean bill has passed
the Senate. The Weeks bill is still in
committee. although there have been sew
eral hearings on the subject.
Washington is not new field of enter
prise for the great naturalist. He start
ed in Washington to become a great nat
uralist, great poet. world famous
writer. a Observation-Disclosures which
school he is the last surviving exponent
and here he was the friend of Walt
Whitman. the great American poet whose
song is since hushed in death He lived
here. too, when he enjoyed the friend
ship Of Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Ten Years Treasury Clerk.
For ten years, from the beginning of
1864 to the end of 1873. Mr.. Burroughs
was a clerk in the Treasury Department.
He was a young man of twenty-seven
years when he came to the National Cap
ital. For nine years more. following his
experience as a government clerk. Mr..
Burroughs remained a government en-
ploye as a national bank examiner. So
Washington much of him.
On the site Of the present Senate office
building Mr.. Burroughs had his little
farm. where he first learned to he nat
uralist. He kept chickens and raised gar
den truck and flowers and fruits and
studied them with the intimacy that has
brought to him lore OF the naturalist
greater than the wisdom of any other
man.
There is nothing left of the old farm"
he complained. I'm building the Senate
offices-a structure that to my mind is
ugly-they even had to dig up the dirt
which grew the trees and plants and
shrubs | planted. so that they could put
in a deep underground cellar.
All that part of Washington was rural
at that time. Mr. Burroughs said There
were farms all around him. The roads
were dirt roads and paving was little
known in any part Of the city.
Soldiers Love of Whitman.
On a day In 1854 Mr. Burroughs stood
with his friend, Walt Whitman, and.
watched regiment after regiment march
south to the Long bridge on their way
TO join Grant i'm the Wilderness.
AS the soldiers marched by. Mr.. Bur-
roughs tells, every few moments one
would drop out OF the ranks to come
over to shake hands with Whitman.
These were frequently mon the poet had
nursed over their wounds in northern
hospitals. Some of them would urge
and Whitman would comply. Mr.. Bur-
roughs trudging along for the few blocks
1t was while in Washington that Mr..
Burroughs wrote Wake. Robin 1t was
published in 1871. This was his first ven
ture as naturalist into literature al
though he had previously written Notes
on Walt Whitman as Poet and Person"
published i'm 1861.
Talking Of the proposed legislation
for the protection of birds. Mr.. Bur-
roughs lamented that throughout the
south the negroes are killing off every
sort of bird that can be eaten. The
robin, which eats every day more than
its own weight of pestiferous insects.
is fast disappearing from the land,
he said.
Slaughter in Northwest.
Mr.. Buck also told of the conse-
quences of Inadequate game laws in
the great northwest, where birds are
being eXterminated by food hunters
and agents of millinery houses. 1t is
from this latter source that the only
opposition to the proposed legislation
is looked for.
Plant-feeding insects do millions and
millions of damage to the crops every
year. the three naturalisist all agreed.
and this is increasing steadily in pro-
norton to the decrease in bird life.
Not a crop can come to maturity, they
are confident should the birds be ex-
terminated. This is a practical point
of view to which the nation and its
lawmakers cannot fail to give thor
ough heed. i'll their opinion
The esthetic value of bird life is not to
be estimated in dollars and cents. says
Mr.. Burroughs. He would consider il I'M
fortunate if only the practical side Of the
argument carried appeal TO those who
have il in their power TO arrest the de-
struction of bird life.
The naturalists do not expect TO be
heard before the House committee. but
intend to make their arguments direct
to the influential members of Congress
whose aid can assure action on the bill.