Evening star., 1921-07-03
OWLS SHOULDLNE
IS JURy'S VERDICT
Youngsters Authorized by
President to Investigate
Birds Habits File Finding.

The owls can live. The John Bur
roughs Club jury. appointed by Presi-
dent Harding when visiting the White
House some time ago to consider the
question, says so, and the jury SO re-
ported in a memorandum filed by the
youngsters with George 3. Christian,
/ jr., the Presidents secretary. The find
ing of, the jury Is based upon the CLUB 8
investigation and upon hundreds OF
briefs filed with the American Forestry
Association for the club from every Sec
tion of the country.
These briefs took up every phase Of
owl values as pest destroyers to their
tabled influence on the lives OF human
beings. Some of the writers called upon
President Harding to get rid Of the owls
at once IL there are any in the White
House grounds. and predicted all kinds
Of bad luck for his administration. The
John Burroughs Club. however. consid-
cred only the economic value or the
owls. for the question. put to them by
! that preyed on other birds being allowed
Finding Of the Jury.
The. finding Of the jury as filed at the
White House follows:
| "In spite of the fact that these birds
destroy others of their own i!k. they
have to their credit and in defense OF
| their lives the fact that. they are OF
much economic value and have certain
other qualities in their favor
I'VE shall take. for instance, the
| crow, whose value in lessening the
number of harmful insects was so
great that for long time scientists
working for the government were un-
Able to say whether, his bad acts
counterbalanced his good deeds.
Next we take the great horned
owl. whose bad habits are we'll
l H. Ill Inn
and other rodents.
| "Finally we come to the coopers
and sharp skinned hawks. who. espe-
cally the ooopers hawk, have brought
| wrath and hate upon, the heads OF
even the less destructive birds OF
prey OF the country.
Not Fair to Convict All.
But, then.~ can we convict whole
class of Gods creatures because a
| few have been known to slaughter
their own kind? Can that inexorable
! law of nature. "the survival of the
| fittest." which has been since the
| world began, be broken by us who
| owe so much to it, even unto our very
| existence? Do we put a sentence of
death on all bears because a few
have been known to eat domestic ami
mails? We kill them If we know
they are guilty, that is all. If we de-
| stroy the feathered murderer we
must also pass sentence on the para
site vine. which encircleS and saps
the life from the sturdy forest tree.
should Not Die. Is Verdict.
Nay. it is not for US to do these
| things. If it were Gods will they
| should perish. 1t would be unneces-
sary for US to pit our puny selves
against the countless flocks DER our
nation; therefore. we. the John Bur-
roughS Club of Force School wish
| to state to his honor. the President
of the United States. sitting as a
| judge in this case, that these birds
should not die. but should be allowed
| to remain alive in their native haunts,
| with no Legislative sentence hang
| ing. a dread menace, over their
heads.
Signed: Harold V. T. Roach, Ed
| ward r. Tindell. Esther j. Rogers
Charles Keene. jr.: Hamilton Brad
| ley. Dorothy Sheckells. Merrill K
Clementson a9d James B. Bradley"