34 



Bird - Lore 



there is nothing to worry about there ; we 

 have just started an Audubon Society," as if 

 a declaration was ail that was necessary, you 

 will understand the necessity of the injunc- 

 tion to "keep on pedaling." 



As the societies have, for their motto. 

 The Protection of Birds, so, if they would 

 work with any hope of success, they must 

 stand upon one platform, Public Education, 

 and public education is something that is as 

 endless as the race itself. It is true that 

 public education in a general sense has 

 obtained long enough in this country to be 

 regarded as an inalienable right ; but until 

 the lesson of protection of all forms of 

 harmless and useful animal life is so well 

 learned as to become part of the heredity 

 of coming generations, any relaxing in 

 vigilance in the different branches of pro- 

 tection will be fatal to the whole cause ; and 

 for this reason every society should have 

 special committees ever on the watch for 

 pitfalls. 



In every community there are people, 

 both men and women, equally interested in 

 the cause of protection, of widely different 

 intellectual gifts and degrees of tact; upon 

 the wise sifting and classifying of these may 

 depend the whole success of the local 

 organization. 



The committee on Bird Study in Schools 

 should be composed of people of both sexes 

 who not only have a knowledge of the child- 

 mind, but of the amount of work already 

 obligatory in the different grades; then less 

 fault will be found with teachers for "not 

 showing interest" and greater results will 

 follow. 



The Legislative Watch-Out Committee 

 should be composed of the shrewdest men 

 available, with a knowledge of state poli- 

 tics. If one is a lawyer all the better; he 

 may save the rest from running their heads 

 into legal nooses at times when they most 

 need them. A good committee of this sort 

 will often engage the interest of many men 

 who would otherwise see no work for them- 

 selves in an Audubon Society, not appre- 

 ciating the value of a promise "not to wear 

 the feathers of song-birds for decorative 

 purposes." 



On the other hand, a large mixed body — 



drawn from widely different corners, the 

 more so the better, can be organized under 

 the head of Committee for the Posting of the 

 Laws. This vast work cannot be done by a 

 few, and the work rivals in importance 

 the making of the laws themselves; but if 

 fifty or one hundred persons in each state 

 could be relied on to undertake the matter, 

 these in turn may employ local help until 

 the chain is complete. How much more 

 interesting would be the oftentimes per- 

 punctory annual meeting if these three 

 before-mentioned committees brought in full 

 reports ! 



One of the beauties of a progressive 

 country is that where everything moves 

 nothing can be fixed; it must either go for- 

 ward, backward, or drop out. Partof legal 

 prerogative is that any legislative session 

 may untie the knots made apparently firm 

 by another, so the Watch -Out Committee 

 must be never-ending. 



As any legislative session may change 

 a law, so is the work of the Committee 

 on Posting Laws unending. 



As it is to be hoped that children will 

 not cease to be born, so must the work of 

 the Educational Committee be unending. 



As we hope that bird-life may never be 

 extinct, on our continent, at least, so must 

 the work of the Audubon Societies be 

 perpetual. 



All cheer for 1904, good friends; hold 

 your handle-bars firmly, mind sharp — 

 legislative — curves, and, above all, "keep 

 on pedaling." — M. O. W. 



National Committee Notes 



By the Chairman 



Some persons seek work and some have 

 work thrust upon them ; this is another case 

 of the lady or the tiger. We have an am- 

 bition, as chairman of the National Com- 

 mittee, to see our official organ, Bird-Lore, 

 increase its circulation from the present small 

 issue to at least 100,000 copies of each 

 number ! When this happy time arrives 

 the propagandist can feel that the principles 

 of bird protection have taken firm root in 

 the hearts of the people and the ephemeral 

 stage has passed away forever. However, 



