Annual Meeting 1908 279 



to such I appeal for help at this time as well as in the future. Later, I will detail 

 many special objects, any one of which is worthy of a fund of liberal size. The 

 general public means you, and you can at least contribute once a year the small 

 sum of $5, or, if you prefer, a life membership of $100, which will produce an 

 annual fee in perpetuity. You will then have the satisfaction of knowing that 

 your good deeds will follow you long after you have done with life's work. This 

 appeal is not one to be passed by lightly and thoughtlessly. It is of too great an 

 interest to you personally, for I know that no matter what your occupation 

 in life is and just how you toil for your daily bread, somewhere the welfare and 

 protection of birds touches and is of moment to your daily vocation. Surely, 

 under these circumstances, you will be willing to do your part toward caring for 

 creatures that are so intimately woven into your daily life and well-being. I 

 forbear to touch upon the esthetic aspect of this question; the economic feature 

 is of such momentous interest to you personally that no other incentive should 

 be needed to cause you to do your part in this work. 



EDUCATION 



Try to imagine what the result would be in a generation or two if all the 

 schools and educational institutions were to be closed. Ignorance and its sister, 

 Crime, would take the place of peace and civilization. It is a sad fact that today 

 there is too much ignorance regarding birds and their relation to the human 

 race. It is a rare occurrence to find a person who can name a dozen of the common 

 birds that may be found about his home, and it is still more difficult to find one 

 who can tell how each bird is benefiting him. How wide-spread this ignorance 

 is may be illustrated by the fact that a prominent paper recently published an 

 editorial in which it recommended the extirpation of all Sparrows, on the ground 

 that the European House Sparrow is a public nuisance. The editor, who should 

 have been able to form correct public opinion, was so ignorant of birds that 

 he was not able to differentiate between the great number of native Sparrows 

 and the introduced pest. 



There should be a great fund established under the direction of this Associa- 

 tion, to carry on the work of education regarding birds. 



Press Bureau. — In order to bring more rapidly to the notice of the public 

 the vast importance of bird protection, I urge the expansion of our press bureau. 

 There is no surer or more rapid method of diffusing knowledge of birds than 

 through interesting, but absolutely correct stories of their habits and value. 

 A large part of the success of the Audubon work may be attributed to the articles 

 that appear at frequent intervals in the most widely read papers of the country. 

 The first knowledge that our great benefactor, Mr. Willcox, had was derived 

 from a newspaper item regarding the Audubon Societies; this fact alone warrants 

 not only a continuation, but an expansion, of our press bureau. In this way, 

 every hamlet can be reached at the minimum of expense. 



