332 



Injury from destrnyiug Birds. 



Vo. n.L 



at in hope, but perhaps in vain while on the 

 wing but slain in revenj^e when it alights to 

 rest, is making more sure and effective the 

 seed of the sower, is surely increasing the 

 bread of the reaper, and food for indiistriou;- 

 poverty and national wealth. The race was 

 not formed in vain. Each one has its task to 

 perform ; we sin in wantonly destroying them, 

 tirst against him who made them tor his glory, 

 then agamst ourselves, willingly ignorant ol 

 their untaught " labor of love." 



We would appeal, then, to the young, the 

 most active and thoughtless enemies of the 

 feathered creation : to the rising generation, 

 the Jiopeofthe country, who are unwillingly, 

 and perhaps, as laras motive is concerned, in- 

 jiocently doing that country which it is their 

 high ambition to serve, an injury, which is ir- 

 reparable, and deep. And what is more di- 

 rectly interesting to themselves, though per- 

 haps not so deserving of thought, tliey are by 

 every act of destruction, injuring that dispo- 

 sition, and those sensibilities, which are so 

 lovely in many of the young, but which is lost 

 as manhood steals apace, perhaps by the united 

 indulgence of this and other hardening habits. 

 If to such an aspiring youth, joyful and giving 

 joy, in the glad hope and promise of future 

 usefulness, the soft intercession against cruel- 

 ty of a tender mother or a fond sister, come 

 in vain, or are derided and disobeyed, as the 

 weaknessesof feminine hearts, we would offer 

 the higher and more sacred consideration, 

 that if they are too manly to yield to such 

 mild petitions, they should be manly enough 

 to feel and to be proud to feel, a responsibility 

 for their country's welfare, breaking in witi] 

 every ray of knowledge, and beating with 

 every pulse of young and buoyant life. They 

 are not too young to be gladdened and en- 

 nobled by the thought that even they are con- 

 tributing tlieir mite, and that in a compara- 

 tively important way, to national honor, 

 growth and advancement. We appeal to all 

 tiieir warm and peculiar feelings which can 

 be brought to bear upon the subject, that we 

 may induce them to give, if not their positive 

 assistance in helping on the work ofreforma 

 tion in this respect, at least theii negative 

 aid in restraining tlieir own strange propensi- 

 ties and temptations to slaughter, tor amuse- 

 ment, this useful race. 



If then, these creatures, when considered 

 collectivel}% are of so much advantage and 

 profit to the cultivator, and have so imf^ortant 

 a connection with the agricultural interests 

 of the community — if their destruction is so 

 widely and inconsiderately carried on, and 

 their decrease so rapid and alarming — if the 

 fact presses upon us that even in this the 

 youth of our government, when our jubilee 

 of republicanism has scarcely passed, and in 

 his thinly settled state of our country, we 



ire fast losing from eye and ear the flight, 

 the song, and especially tlie services of these 

 feathered fellow- workers in the culture of the 

 soil — if they ar(i fast disappearing from 

 among us and around us, last yielding to the 

 hum and the danger of crowded settlement.s 

 and busy and wanton life, and leaving their 

 iuinual work undone, — we must awake; as a 

 great agricultural people we must awake and 

 ook to our interests ; we must protect these 

 servants in their old habits and employment 

 — or we will gradually, but irrecoverably 

 lose their services. With these reflections 

 we are brought to the remaining part of our 

 subject — Is there no remedy for the evils we 

 have described ? 



And first we would propose the attainment 

 of this great object, to the parents, guides and 

 |)receptors of the young — they are the great 

 tbuntain head of efibrt, the sources of deep 

 and well directed endeavor. We would pro- 

 pose it to them as patriots, as friends and up- 

 liolders of the stalwart fanners of our coun- 

 try, the strength of the community, the honor 

 of our government, and especially as affec- 

 tionate well u ishers to the youth over whom 

 they have the charge and oversight. They 

 iiuist feel its importance; let the feeling guide 

 them in social counsel, training and govern- 

 ment. Let them teach, with other more 

 usual branches of instruction, the sirT and 

 folly of the species of cruelty which consti- 

 tutes the injury complained of; and we need 

 not look beyond thsur labors for the remedy 

 of this evil. They are supreme, each in his 

 own circle. Let them in kindness, but with 

 unyielding steadiness, perform toward their 

 offspring, this with other family duties and 

 the work is done. But vve are not over 

 sanguine in this view of the subject. United 

 and combined effoit in this quarter, cannot 

 be reasonably expected. Truth may take 

 root and flourish here and there; but as for 

 a general and immediate attention to the ob- 

 ject proposed — it is scarcely thought possible 

 at least it is improbable. 



Again we would appeal to the self-interest 

 of owners and cultivators of land. They 

 must, surely, be ignorant of the injury which 

 is in progress when they allow it to go on 

 unreprnved before their eyfs. We would ap- 

 peal even to their own selfishness and love of 

 i,rain, if no higher motive will reach them, 

 ;ind entreat them as their influence gives 

 them opportunity, to give themselves to a 

 work, the first consequent of whose success 

 will be their own weltiire, the second the 

 welfare of their cmntry. They are supreme, 

 each one over his own territory, be it large 

 nr small. Let them resist and punish every 

 trespass of the wanton slaughterers of birds 

 — let them declare war against the whole 

 tribe of truant murderers, whose daily sport 



