Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1923-07-18
FUR ANIMAL IS
FASHION, s VICTIM
NATURALISTS SAY MANY KINDS
ARE IN GREAT DANGER OF
EARLY DETERMINATION.
GOVERNMENT MAY INTERVENE
Having Saved the Migratory Game
and Song Birds, Uncle Sam Might
Take Action to Preserve Fur-Bearing
Mammals.
Rx EDWARD 3. CLARK

Washington.-Uncl Sam has sue
ceeded in saving the lives of the mi
gratory game and song birds Of the
United States, and now naturalists and
lovers Of the wild life generally hope
that soon means may be found by
which the government can at least help
in the plan to save the fur-bearing
animals of the world from being sacrf-
feed on the altar of fashion.
Uncle Sam has proved his power in
the bird case and it may be that he
can prove his pow err in the case of the
mammal. Signs point to the consum-
nation Of plan to prevent the whole
sale slaughter of the innocents of the
field and forest and to force woman to
give over her desire to wear furs in
sweltering hot weather as well as in
winter, the said woman being willing
to sacrifice her comfort for the purpose
of being in style.
The government has great many
naturalists in its employment and,
while they have not as yet associated
themselves in any movement to check
the killing of fur-bearing animals it
Is known that naturalists in other
places are considering such a move
ment. Necessarily if plan is proposed,
1T will find support in certain bureaus
of the Agriculture department, and Ia
ter probably will find its way into the
halls Of congress for action. !.
Pioneer of Anti-Cruelty.
Two centuries ago Rev. James Gran
ger, clergyman of the Church of
England, preached a sermon against
cruelty to the brute creation. He spoke
OF the sufferings that the fur trade in
volved, and he censured generally the
abuse Of animals. The parishioners of
Mr.. Granger said the sermon was i'm
pertinent and, in formal protest, they
declared that it was altogether derog-
atory to the dignity of the Church of
England, that horses, dogs and other
animals should be mentioned in the
pulpit and that cruelty should be main
tanned as contrary to Christian mercy"
The history Of this particular case
shows in one place that the parishion-
ers rather liked Parson Granger, and
so, after rapping him over the
knuckles, they apologized to the rest
OF England for his conduct by saying
that he should be held blameless be-
cause he simply lost his temper. That
was two centuries ago, but the sound
ing of a note of protest against cruelty
even in this day and generation occa-
sionally is considered as sufficient evil
dence that the sounder ought to be
locked up in lunatic asylum.
The American Museum Of Natural
History is today attempting to secure
from different parts of the world few
specimens of some of the mammals
which are vanishing with incredible
rapidity. The museum authorities fear
that all these animals will be gone in
short order, and their desire is not
to hasten that extinction but to secure
a few specimens which, anyway would
be killed by the agents Of fashion, in
order that posterity may know what
these creatures looked like when they
lived upon the earth.
Slaughter Should Be Checked.
It is from the American Museum of
Natural History that there comes the
warning of the extinction of the fur
bearing animals of the world, and with
1t the appeal for some kind of an or
ganization or movement which NAV
check the slaughter and save to the
woods and fields some of the inhabi-
tants which add to their charm and to
their living interest.
Prof. Henry Fairfield Osborn. the
president Of the museum, quoting from
a report on the subject, has Just said
this:
Nothing in the history of creation
has paralleled the ravages of the fur
and hide trade, which, with the bone
fertilizer trade, now threatens the en-
tire vertebrate kingdom. The legiti-
mate use of furs for protection in cold
weather has long since passed. Furs
are now a fashion, just as feathers
were 80 years ago. The trade has
passed almost entirely into the hands
of people of Oriental and Asiatic orr
gin. Furs are worn in midsummer
purely for ornament and personal
adornment, or to make a display of
wealth and luxury"
In the art gallery Of the National
Museum In Washington there hung re-
Gently an oil painting at which, at
one time or another thousands upon
thousands Of fur-wearing women
stopped to look. The picture repre-.
sented snow scene in the north, with
a fox in the foreground with one leg
fast fixed in a steel trap. The snow
was blood-covered, for the plain in
ference was that the animal had strug-
gled and had torn his leg cruelty to
free it from the trap. Washington
naturalists and lovers OF the wild
generally have been wondering ever
since if this picture had the remotest
effect on the women who looked unon