Evening star., 1946-11-01
This and That
Bv Charles E. TraceUeu.
"GEORGETOwN.

Dear Sir:
"One of my favorite pastimes is get
ting big sack Of peanuts and feeding
the pigeons in Lafayette Park. just
stopped by the office of friend Of mine,
this afternoon, to see If she'd like to 60
with met is such nice day--and she
said:
"T hate pigeons. I kick them when
they get In my way. They are un-
sanitary and spread disease and germs
through the drinking fountains In the
parks. It's getting so never walk
through Lafayette Square any more, and
hate to 60 past the Treasury Building,
there are so many Of them
This made me very sad, because the
pigeons are 50 tame and 1t seems like
they wouldn't harm any one. Also many
people enjoy feeding them, and having
them perch on their shoulders and come
up and take nuts from their hands, just
as I do.
els it true that pigeons are unsanitary?
They are such Joy to the Washington
to get into the country, it would be a
shame. Sincerely, j. D."
4 4
u
brought against the pigeon, the starting,
the English sparrow. the gray squirrel,
the cat and the dog.
In other words, any one who does not
like a particular creature sets up
clamor Of "unsanitary," and some times
it works.
A few cities have gone on pigeon
Staying campaigns, and our own beloved
city is now set to put on an unnecessary
and uncivilized starting massacre.
Pigeons, as most living creatures, are
victims of certain diseases, and 1t Is
possible that one of these might be
transmitted to human beings.
There is not much likelihood Of this,
however, since contact Is made outdoors
In the fresh air and sunshine.
AS far as we know, there is no au-
thentic instance of q human being
given this or any other disease by q
pigeon in the outdoors.
Certainly the average person who likes
to feed the pigeons in the parks has
nothing whatever to fear
We have always felt. personally that
one is better of by keeping the large
birds on the ground.
Permitting them to stand on ones
shoulder is unnecessary.
BY keeping them at some little dis
tance one gets all the pleasure and
interest they have to give, and at the
same time practically nullifies any pos
sible contamination from them.
Any one who does the daily good
deed of seeing that these creatures have
something to eat need never feel that
he is running any particular danger.
It. is true that cats and dogs both
have worms, at times, but this Is no
reason for demanding their extermina-
ton.
Yet it has been done, time and time
again, by certain persons who see in this
the opportunity both to get little fame
for themselves and at the same time
take vicious kick at their pet "peeve"
The danger of beginning to extermi-
nate creatures is that there is no end
to it,
If campaign against starlings sue
ceeds, the next demand will be for one
against pigeons, and then against cats
Is humanity, itself.
Many sincere lovers of living things
believe that there Is no chance whatever
for universal peace until the succession
of Staying is broken at its root. It is
for this reason that they abhor the
planned destruction of any species of
living things. That snacks too much
Of Hitlerism. The barbarities of 1934-46
are always possibility to any race
which once begins to 60 in for too much
science and planning of a cold-blooded
intellectual scale. We should beware of
allowing any man or group Of men to
entice US into killing creatures unless
they actually harm us, and then only
II the harm Is deadly.