A Saint Bartholomew of Birds 229 



the non-shedding of blood shall be the central 

 tenant. When such a super-consciousness be- 

 comes universal a stain shall be removed from 

 church, and the school and from all homes. 



Back of the Plume Pirates, shall we say higher 

 up, are the women of our best society and back 

 of them hideous, merciless Dame Fashion. Is 

 there no flash of sympathy common to all moth- 

 ers? Is it really possible that a human mother 

 knowing that her borrowed plumes are secured 

 at the cost of death to other mothers, dumb moth- 

 ers, and the slow starvation of nestlings, can still 

 want to wear trophies of a savagery that would 

 shock savages? 



Men are not a whit behind the mothers of men 

 in showing themselves merciless, though in their 

 own cases they themselves are the killers, and 

 back of the killing of big game you have but to 

 scrutinize the so-called prowess to discover in it 

 a vanity akin to that of the plume wearer. The 

 great Arctic explorer, Stefansson, puts this thing 

 in its true light: "With me, the matter of big 

 game hunting is another case of swords sticking 

 to hands that seek the plough. I am afraid that 

 I am not a true sportsman. It is impossible for 

 me to get enjoyment out of killing and if I did, 

 I should get* a job in the Chicago stock-yards 

 rather than follow poor frightened wild things 

 around with a rifle." 



