THE GREATER EVILS. 135 



exhibitors lor their peculiar di.-regariis of regulations will consider the numlier of regulations 

 of all IvinJs which are practically olisolele so far as observance of them gaes, it may ilis-^ 

 pose him to be more lenient in his judgment of them. 



To me the evils of these practices, as between competitors, do not seem to be of as much 

 importance as the evils which may follow after the exhibition. Every exhibitor under>tand8- 

 — or has opportunity to know and understand — that such manipulat'oiis of birds as pluckin;; 

 foul leathers, washing white birds to give them the pearl white color required, coloring, or 

 strengthening the color of legs and toes, etc., etc., are generally practiced, and knows also thiit 

 the results of competition in the show room depend as much on the ability of exhibitors to 

 condition their birds and fit them properly as upon their skill in breeding. The competition in 

 the show room may, therefore, be considered one in which all meet on the same level, it being 

 understood that each competitor, in addition to exerting his utmost skill to produce fine speci- 

 mens, has also availed himself to the extent of his ability of the advantages to be gained I'V 

 skillful preparation; it also l)eing generally appreciated that birds which could go into com- 

 petition without special tilting, with any hope of winning, are very rare. 



Now, if with this general understanding tlie competitors meet, prizes are awarded, and each 

 takes his birds home, we cannot readily discover that any particular harm has been done to 

 anyone. The breeder who has exhil)ited birds whose faults have been treated knows what 

 these faults were, and therefore can make an intelligent effort to eliminate them or reduce 

 them in the progeny of the stock in the next generation. But suppose he sells them with the 

 assurance to the customer tliiit they have not been treated in any way, and the customer, 

 relying upon his positive assurance, buys the birds, and perhaps in his ignorance of their fault 

 mates them in just the way that will reproduce and perhaps exaggerate them in the offspring. 

 Here we have a case which the consensus of opinion among poultrymen does not excuse, ami 

 while there are, of course, no data covering such points, I think it is a fact that in transactions 

 ijetween exhibitors the sellers will, with few exceptions, inform buyers of faults of this ela,--. 

 I have known many instances where, without stating their reason, exhibitors refused to sell 

 such birds. 



Another fact not generally understood liy novices in exhibitions is that a fowl, having none 

 of the blood of a variety, or perhaps but a fraction of blood of that variety, may to all out- 

 ward appearances be a fine specimen of that variety, and the owner of such a fowl mKy 

 exhibit it in the class to which, in appearance, it belongs without violating any rule of either 

 the Standard or the association giving the show to which he sends the bird. The judire pro- 

 nounces judgment on the specimens as they come before him. Neither he nor any officer of 

 an association assumes to go back of the entries in considering the merits of a fowl. The 

 Standard calls for certain peculiarities, but does not prescribe how they shall be produced. 



I do not think it misrepresents the general attitude of poultrymen to say that they would see 

 no special wrong doing in entering such a specimen lor competition, but would consider it 

 wrong for the owner of the bird to sell it except lor just what it was. The distinction they 

 make may not satisly every requirement of a rigid moral code,"but measuring the extent of an 

 evil by its special results their attitude has something to commend it. 



In a general way the extent to which a practice prevails affords a tolerably accurate measure 

 of the degree of toleration or condemnation which the general opinion of the community or 

 class interested assigns it, and the newcomer in a community and the novice in an interest alike 

 need to be slow to condemn what may at first seem to them very serious and inexcusable faults 

 commonly practiced by persons of general good character, for on further acquaintance with the 

 factsit may develop that considerable justification of the practices in question may be found, 

 ;ind that toleration of them by those accustomed to them is as likely to be the toleration devel- 

 o|ipd l)y a better understanding of conditions as the toleration ol indifference to wrong through 

 familiarity with it. 



Buying and Borrowing Exiiibition Birds. 



Thou-'h I had cited only the liorrowing of exhibition birds as aif evU to be specially con- 

 sidered here, that can hardly be discussed as It should be without some reference to the buying 

 of Ijirds lor exhibition. 



