OLD MOTHER NATURE. 



Grand old Mother Nature has long been 

 misunderstood by her pet human children, 

 and ever since men with prehensile toes 

 lived arboreal lives capering among the 

 branches in the primeval forests, they have 

 looked upon good old Mother Nature as an 

 enemy to be subdued at all hazards and any 

 cost. 



In our mad effort to accomplish this we 

 have denuded the land of valuable forest, 

 wasting and burning enough timber to sup- 

 ply fuel and shelter to many generations of 

 men. We have punctured the surface of the 

 earth in search for oil and allowed enough 

 to run to waste to supply light for many 

 lifetimes. We have waged a war of exter- 

 mination on animals whose existence is of 

 the greatest value to men, and done this for 

 the pretty price their hides brought us, or 

 for the savage love of blood letting. We 

 have all but annihilated many beautiful and 

 useful birds for their skins to be used as 

 gruesome ornaments for our women's dear 

 heads and much dearer hats, and now with 

 expanded chests we exclaim : See how we 

 have conquered nature ! 



But do not think that I am pessimistic 

 for I am an optimist. What I am trying 

 to show is that we are the prodigal sons, 

 and although we may yet have to do our 

 turn as swineherds (like our biblical proto- 

 type), we have a growing consciousness of 

 our sins, and will repent in time to save 

 some of our great and incomprehensible 

 inheritance. 



We men of the campfires of America 

 know that good old Dame Nature is even 

 now patiently looking forward to our re- 

 pentance and reformation, and sits waiting 

 for the prodigal's return with a large and 

 fatted calf for our delectation. 



Among the outdoor people, there are 

 many rough pioneers who exercise a power- 

 ful influence for good; but the change of 

 heart on the part of the great masses in- 

 habiting the cities, towns and villages in 

 more thickly populrted districts is largely 

 due to the noble work of the compfire 

 clubs, Audubon Society, ornithological and 



union, and the men behind the magazines, 

 like Mr. Johnson, of the Century, who has 

 done so much for our forests. Such promi- 

 nent nature writers as John Burroughs, 

 Ernest Thompson Seton and Dr. Long, 

 also exercise a most powerful influence for 

 good, and it is to such men, and the ever 

 increasing influence of Recreation, that we 

 are led to hope that we may yet live to 

 see the day when sentiment will walk arm 

 in arm with common sense, and we may at 

 last gather at the barbecue and partake of 

 the fatted calf furnished by our much 

 abused parent, Mother Nature. 



FARMERS WERE ANGRY. 



The farmers in the neighborhood of Hag- 

 erstown, Mjd., angry over the conduct of 

 careless hunters last fall, came to an under- 

 standing, and during the recent hard winter 

 refused to furnish food and shelter for the 

 quail in their section, many of which were 

 frozen to death. The farmers say that hunt- 

 ers tear down fences, shoot domestic fowl, 

 lambs and calves, and that they never think 

 of providing food and shelter for game dur- 

 ing the winter. Fortunately the true sports- 

 men of this section awoke to their interest 

 and took an active part in feeding and shel- 

 tering the game. 



It is becoming more and more necessary 

 for the sportsmen of the country and of the 

 town to take an active part in the preserva- 

 tion of game birds, not leaving this import- 

 ant matter for the farmers to attend to dur- 

 ing the time when the birds are not being 

 hunted. 



A GOOD EDITOR. 

 The editor of the Burlington (Iowa) 

 Hawkeye deserves the support of every 

 sportsman in Iowa. He has been comment- 

 ing vigorously upon the manner in which the 

 game laws of the State are being broken by 

 would-be sportsmen. His actions in the 

 matter should be followed closely, and should 

 it be necessary to furnish him with am- 

 munition the sportsmen interested should be 

 ready. 



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