Evening star., 1947-02-07
This and That
Bu Charles E. Trace1Dell.

A correspondent says: IT am writing
to beg you to use what influence you
may have in Congress to prevent the
slaughter of the starlings proposed by
the District Commissioners. 1t is cruel
and inhuman and will have an evil
effect on the minds of young boys,
causing them to kill songbirds indis-
criminately. The starlings are only with
us few months. AS for the dirt made
by them from trees on the Avenue,
couldn't the trees be cut down? They
can, for any other reason, real or
fancied, regardless of age. Hasn't the
war wrought suffering enough for most
people as we'll as for birds and animals?"
Our influence in Congress is strictly
nil, so We are afraid no help for the
starlings can be gained that way.
What would help them would be a
spontaneous clamor from many honest
people who resent the planned destruc-
. ton of any birds.
This clamor does not seem to be
arising.
So, from the official standpoint, that's
that.
Here Is an excellent opportunity for
sincere persons to show what they can
do, but they do as most humans do to-
day-they want somebody else to do
it for them.
There are points for and against the
starting in our urban life.
Whether the minus points merit de-
struction by gunfire, as appears in the
cards, is question.
We can set Our correspondents fears
at rest, however, in one respect. If Q
bill is put through Congress authoriz-
ing the issuance of licenses to shoot
starlings, it Is not likely that any one
/. else except the licensed starting mur-
derers will be granted permission.
There ought not to be any general
shooting Of song birds as a result Of
starting massacres.
If the starlings could talk, they would
say, we think:
1--WE who are about to die, salute you,
but advise you. to read what Ray STAN
nard Baker, a hard-headed journalist,
had to say about us.
"He was, as doubtless you know, q
man who led double life. as writer.
For many years, not even his pub
fishers knew this.
"As one man, he was Baker, the
Pulitzer Prize winner in biography in
1910, with his monumental work in
eight volumes, Woodrow Wilson: Life
and Letters
"As another man, he was David Gray
son, who wrote essays on country life.
on the common people Of the country,
and on joys Of living simply and de-
Gently.
"If you will turn to Davidson Gray
sons Adventures in Solitude" you will
find that the subject of Chapter v is
guess what?
why, starlings, to be sure!
"He was Ill. in hospital, and some
of us came every day and whistled and
put on a show for his benefit.
"He thought he heard a bob-white,
and he thought he heard several other
birds, but we were doing 1t, all the
time
HE learned to love us. then, as you
might do, If you have as much brains
as he had.
do you know what he wrote about
us: No birds had known before gave
such an impression Of distinct and Wig
orous personality as these
I'VE starlings are proud Of Chapter
", and also Chapter VI, which also
talks about US.
"If you want to read about it, Double
Gay d Co. put out an omnibus volume
just last year, entitled More Adven-
lures With David Grayson,' containing
Adventures in Understandings 'Adven-
lures in Solitude and Great Posses
sionS'
kill us, if you will, but we will be
back We belong to the black things
of this world, that are used to persecu-
ton, but we are old, and wise, and
strong. Kill us one place, we crop up
another. Ha, ha, ha! We will be back,
no matter how many Of Us you kill.
| Ha. Ia. hal"