1050 



by its brave mother, got well, and was soon indis- 

 tinguishable in the rapidly growing family. 



After this, and, ir.deed, long before, we were 

 ashamed for having named her so disrespectfully; 

 and we said that, if she would permit it, we .would 

 tie a white ribbon to her wing and call her our 

 " W. C. T. v.'' fighting mother — worthy exemplar or 

 prototype of those saints with souls who are rapidly 

 " inheriting the earth " after 45 years of faithful 

 endeavor. 



Tell me, friend Root, was the defense and attack 

 of our ill-named Crazy Hen " the reflex action of an 

 automatic machine " or was it not rather an exhi- 

 hition of what in man is called presence of mind, 

 tlie prompt action of faculties inherited, sharpened, 

 laid developed by personal experience? That valiant 

 mother had encountered hawks before — doubtless 

 often fruitlessly; but, as in this case, also with re- 

 sults conservative of the race. 



Is intelligence an attribute, a function of soul? 

 Can there be soul without intelligence, wibhout rea- 

 son, without morality? What and where are the 

 lines of definition? 



'•Morality in chickens! How absurd!" I hear 

 some one say. T could, nevertheless, write an in- 

 teresting chapler on the family relation of the poul- 

 try-yard. Immorality of poultry is the product of 

 conditions created by man. The hen is by nature 

 ciiaste and continent, seeking and giving her affec- 

 tions to one honored spouse only. It is a scandalous 

 libel on the hen to call her an immoral (or unmoral) 

 automaton. She is neither. That chapter in the 

 psychology of the hen is one of the most pleasing, 

 but it cannot be written now. 



Force has no place in the training of young 

 animals of any .'^pcciee. Mature animals with all 

 tiieir inherited and environic tendencies fully de- 

 veloped are not easy to subdue to the will of man. 

 Force is etfective only as it demonstrates man to 

 be more powerful and resourceful, thus inspiring 

 icar. But fear is a very unsafe basis for any re- 

 lation-ship between man and the lower animals, since 

 it arouses and accentuates the natural cunning of 

 the animal, placing it constantly on the watch to 

 take its trainer at a disadvantage. Such animals 

 are not tamed at all. Another is a state of war 

 instead of peace and good will between man and 

 his victims. 



Every animal, when it meets man, is an interroga- 

 tion-point — the question scintillating its brain being, 

 "Is he friend or foe?" There is scarcely more 

 than a moment to reach a conclusion, and almost 

 invariably the animal gives itself the benefit of the 

 doubt, and flees or prepares to fight. He who would 

 enjoy the companionship of the lower animals, 

 whether bird or beast, must learn how to get a 

 different answer to the opening question. Many 

 animals are eager enough to establish friendly rela- 

 tions witli man; but the latter is too unintelligent 

 to understand their advances. 



Geo. W. DiTHKiDGE. 

 Vencedora, Chih., Mexico. 



T wish to call particular attention to the 

 two last paragraphs: 



My experience is that domestic animals, 

 especially chickens, after they find that yon 

 are really a friend to them, instead of an 

 enemy, greatly enjoy friendly relations; 

 and, as has often been said, the hen that 

 lays the egg-s is the happy hen; and when 

 the fowls begin to understand that their 

 owner is a friend and protector, they soon 

 begin to enjoy companionship, and are 

 delighted to see and meol their protector. I 

 wi.'ili to emphasize, also, the point our friend 



GLE.\NINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



makes, that, when it is necessary to kill a 

 fowl, do not let any of the rest of the flock 

 witness what is going on. Running down a 

 fowl, when one is all at once wanted for 

 dinner, is bad and demoralizing all around. 

 Take them quietly off the roost, if possible. 

 ]\Iay God forgive me for having become 

 vexed' with sitting hens or hens with broods 

 of chickens in times past ; and may he help 

 me to rctnember the good points presented 

 in the letter above, when I am tempted 

 again to become vexed Avith the chickens T 

 love, down in my Florida home. 

 iiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiii,iiiiiiii:!iiiiiiiii!niiii:iiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii>i!iiiiiiiinnii!ii:Miiimiiiiiiii:iiiiiiiii!'<iiii^^ 



HUMBUGS AND^ SWINDLES 



$239,000,000 GONE TO swindlers; the 



" electro-chemical " FINGER-RING. 



Our older readers will recall how we 

 fought the " iron finger-ring " in years past 

 in connection with " electropoise." See the 

 following from the Ohio Farmer of Nov. 6: 

 During the past four years over 239 million 

 dollars have been filched from the American public 

 fraudulently. That is a big statement, but it repre- 

 sents only a part of the money that has been taken 

 dishonestly during that period. It is merely the 

 sum that federal officials have reported to have been 

 so hfted. It has often been said that the American 

 public is fraud-loving; it likes to be humbugged. 

 But no matter how true that statement may have 

 been at one stage of our history (and of the circus 

 business) it is becoming more and more out of fash- 

 ion with the passing years. The postoffice depart- 

 ment has been largely instrumental in causing the 

 decrease of fraud. In its effort to reduce this form 

 of piracy the department has issued 56 fraud orders 

 during the past year. These orders deny the use 

 of the mails to the person or firm named. As a 

 result of this policy of the department the number 

 of fraudulent schemes has been greatly reduced, but 

 still the aggregate is tremendous. The solicitor of 

 the postoffice department states that one fraudulent 

 concern had receipts of over $350,000 last year. A 

 certain " anti-fat " concern spent over |50,000 in 

 a single month in advertising, according to the same 

 authority. Last year over 40,000 complaints and 

 inquiries relative to frauds were received by the 

 department and over 4000 cases were actually in- 

 vestigated. One of the most profitable fields seems 

 to be that of working on the imagination and cre- 

 dulity of people who are in ill health. Inspectors 

 report that one progressive Ohio manufacturer re- 

 ceived $46,500 from the sale of a metal " electro- 

 chemical " finger-ring, which was sold for $2 to 

 some and $4 to others. It was explained that inas- 

 much as certain diseases are caused by acid in the 

 blood, they would be cured by wearing this ring, 

 because the acid and the ring would create an elec- 

 tro-chemical action, causing the removal of the ex- 

 cess of acidl The diseases which the ring was in- 

 tended to cure ranged from Bright's disease, St. 

 Vitus dance, epileptic fits and spasms to adenoids, 

 gout, and cancer. It would surely seem that there 

 was considerable acid in the disposition of a man 

 who would make such claims, the cure for which 

 would rest in an iron ring about the ankle from 

 which led a strong chain to a heavy iron ball. Be- 

 ware of paying for things which are not understood. 

 Beware of charms, wonderful cures, and invest- 

 ments said to make tremendous returns The people 

 behind such schemes are not in business for their 

 health — at least not for the health of the investor. 



