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Bird-Lore 



these secretaries are women with family 

 cares, who conduct a correspondence that 

 amounts to a business wholly without pay. 

 The editors of Bird-Lore cheerfully an- 

 swer all like requests so far as possible, but 

 there is promotive (I would use the word 

 missionary but that it covers so many in- 

 discretions) work to be done in this wide 

 field both by voice and pen that can only 

 be accomplished by the undivided attention 

 of a discreet man who will not only make 

 it his business to keep informed of all local 

 and general work, but also when possible 

 either attend the meetings of game pro- 

 tective associations, granges, horticultural 

 societies or spur some local representative 

 to do so, who in short must act as the 

 secretary of the National Committee. 



So far the imperative mood carried the 

 day — then came the conditional, the pay- 

 ment of this important officer? 



This must be done by the joint contribu- 

 tions of the state societies and their friends. 

 If each society will pledge itself for one year 

 from July i to give a certain sum down or 

 if more convenient in quarterly payments, 

 this most important experiment may, at least, 

 have a fair trial ; and its efficency can be 

 proven in no other way. 



Of course many societies are themselves 

 struggling and hampered for funds, but the 

 tonic effect upon the whole cause will in 

 itself be retroactive in no small degree. 

 "There are so many calls for money," is 

 the constant plea of those who are ap- 

 proached, "and surely human needs should 

 be considered before those of animals." 

 Certainly they should, and the protection 

 of what is elevating and wholesomely beau- 

 tiful is one of the most crying human needs 

 of today. What is left for humanity 

 when there is no convenient retreat from 

 where indoors and city and self are fettered 

 together. 



In today's push and scramble humanity 

 must everywhere have refuge where Heart 

 of Man may realize that however much he 

 may have changed, the fowls of the air and 

 the flowers of the field are as of old, and 

 that Heart of Nature still lives and is work- 

 ing out the plan made him by Heart of 

 God. 



Give ! give that we may thus work for 

 the dawn of a new day and banish from 

 this peerless land the lowering of a night 

 wherein no call of migrant birds shall drop 

 from above.— M. O. W. 



Minutes of the First Meeting of the 



National Committee of the Audubon 



Societies of the United States 



Pursuant to a resolution passed at a con- 

 ference of the Audubon Societies held at the 

 American Museum of Natural History, New 

 York City, on November 14, 1901, Mrs. H. 

 T. Grant, Jr., secretary of the Rhode Island 

 Society, was appointed temporary secretary 

 and was requested to correspond with each 

 Audubon Society then organized or which 

 might be organized prior to April, 1902, 

 and ask them to send one delegate to a 

 meeting of the Committee of the National 

 Audubon Societies, and also to designate 

 the time and place when and where such a 

 meeting could be held, the object of the 

 meeting being for the purpose of organizing 

 a Ways and Means Committee and discus- 

 sion of the scope of the committee's field of 

 action. 



In response to this call the first meeting 

 of the delegates was held in New York 

 City, on Friday morning, April 4, in the 

 small assembly room of the American Mu- 

 seum of Natural History, the use of which 

 had been generously given by the museum 

 authorities. 



The meeting was called to order at 10 

 a. m., delegates from the following state 

 societies being present: Vermont, Massa- 

 chusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Dis- 

 trict of Columbia, Virginia, Iowa and New 

 York. 



Mr. Frank M. Chapman, the chairman 

 of the conference held in November, 1901, 

 temporarily presided, and welcomed the 

 delegates in behalf of the museum. 



Dr. T. S. Palmer, delegate from the 

 District of Columbia, offered the following 

 resolution: 



Resolved, That William Dutcher, dele- 

 gate from New York, be and he is hereby 

 made chairman of the National Committee 

 of the Audubon Societies. This motion 

 being duly seconded was carried. 



