Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-11-24

When the little life goes out, pray
you, sir, whose child may it be?
HUNTING SQUIRRELS.
Waterloo Courier.]
A few years ago two Waterloo
nimrods went out about this season
Iof the year for a days squirrel
shooting. The hunting was good
that day and before the sun set both
of the hunters had well-filled game
bags. But one of them as he looked
over his trophies was struck by their
beauty and innocence. There seemed
to be something accusing in their
appearance as they lay their before
him in death and he contrasted them
with the gay chattering creatures
they were a few hours before. The
hunter felt like murderer at heart.
He took his gun home, laid it in its
rack and never took it down again.
\ sudden vision had come to him
that made 1t seem wrong to take the
lives of these pretty woodland
tenants.
There are not many OF us who
have this viewpoint in regard to wild
life. We have inherited the hunting
instinct from our forefathers. They
often hunted out Of necessity to pro-
vide meat for the table. We hunt
merely for sport, entirely forgetting
that there is something british and
innuman about infiicting pain and
death upon living creatures simply
for amusement. There would be TAR
more pleasure III hunting with
camera, in studying the habits of
wild animals and birds and in making
their acquaintance than there is in
killing them, if we would only train
ourselves that way. There Is not
man living today who has gotten more
real joy out of life than John Bur
roughs and practically his entire life
has been spent in close touch with ma
ture and woodland creatures. He never
carries a gun and he has gained an in
innate knowledge of many of natures
secrets.
But very few of US would ever go
to the woods just to learn 10 know
the birds and the squirrels. If we
could not return with spells. the
trip would have no charm for us.
Nevertheless it ought not be hard
for us TO make friends with the
squirrels. No animal is more easily
tanned We have them in the trees
here in the Waterloo streets and
many OF them will eat from your hand.
1t is very much like shooting a pet to
go out and kill squirrel
THOSE INNUMERABLE MEETINGS.
Monticello Express
There is another phrase of the same
subject, and that is the innumerable
meetings arranged by churches, lodges,
societies commercial clubs civic
leagues, ETC., which the members of
such organizations are expected to at
tend or be regarded as disloyal or at
least piece of dead wood. The aver
age liner" must give UP all thoughts
of home or the pleasures of his library,
if he has one, or the tastes that draw
him to one. Most professional and
business men are willing to pay dues to
the lodges they affiliate with and their
contributions to the churches, but
when 1t comes to attending all the
meetings of both church and fraternal
societies, they do so to the neglect
of private affairs.
If a man has no private affairs, and
has no desire to commune with the
great Of all ages by spending reason
able amount of his leasure time in
their company, where they will not
bore him. and will not insist upon talk
ing ony longer than he may desire. he
can use plenty of his time sitting with
his back against wall. listening to
the oft repeated defamation of lodge
| ritual, or sit straight backed in a
church pew three or four times a week,
or play charades at all the sociables,
and spend all the rest of his time at
| 90
these various organizations. If he does
all this he will be regarded as loyal
| but what a waste of q good bit of his
time IL it is of any value.
| These things are all very well in
their way, and this is not offered as
a criticism of either the church or
fraternal societies. But there is a
limit to the amount of time at the dis
posal of a man who has work beyond
a mechanical daily routine to do. The
trouble is that the xealous ones in
charge Of these activities expect all
their members to keep the pace" We
recall a statement made by minister
once. who declared that the church ar
ranged too many services. and that 1t
was far from him to criticise his men,
bership for not attending all of them.
He was something Of an exception, but
he had wider grasp on the affairs of
life than many who believe that all
else should be subordinate to their
particular interests 1t is all very well
for man to seek some social recrea-
ton in q fraternal lodge, and attend
an occasional meeting, for he can not
afford to be recluse, but II he tries
ito do his duty by several of them,
| besides attending some church each
week, which he should always do, he
will soon abandon some Of them or
give himself up to what are good things
| in themselves, but which may be made
vanities because OF a devotion OF an
undue allowance of time to them.