Standard of Perfection. It has not been so much a question as to 

 what is right, as a question of what is expedient, with the Stand- 

 ard makers: a question of whether or not they dare to "turn 

 down" the breeders of the solid-fawn-and-white Runners. 



Just as this book goes to press, two interesting items ofifered 

 as news, from two dififerent "camps", come to hand. I set them 

 down here, simply that readers may watch for the future to prove 

 whether or not these prophets had solid basis for their news-pro- 

 phesies, Mrs. George Simpson, a chief representative of the 

 more rabid division of American Standard Runner fanatics, 

 says in print, with regard to the future status of the types, and 

 Runner Standard revision: "We had information only a few 

 days ago, said to be reliable and from one high in authority, 

 that we need not expect a change." Later, under the same head- 

 ing, she says: "I am informed by one high in authority that 

 that [the admission of the Penciled Runners to the American 

 Standard] is not likely to happen." In May, 1913, O. F. Samp- 

 son, of the American-English club, speaking of the Standard re- 

 cently discarded by the British Indian Runner Club, said : "As I 

 wrote before, I am pretty sure it will be the Standard of the 

 future, and adopted by the American Poultry Association Com- 

 mittee for the 1915 edition." 



There are two thoroughly good reasons why this Standard 

 should not be adopted here in 1915 : 1st, it has just been revised 

 and changed by the people who have bred Runners the longest 

 and know most about them, — the English breeders: 3nd, an 

 unwritten rule of the American Poultry Association regarding 

 the Standards it uses, makes it certain that the Standard to which 

 Mr. Sampson refers will not be used, unless all previous prece- 

 dents are broken. A third might be that the Revision Committee 

 is not likely to make the mistake of using a discarded Standard. 

 The Cumberland White Egg Indian Runner Club has also 

 presented a Standard (approved by its Directors and declared by 



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