FANCIER®D’ 
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JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 
371 

nals had existed twenty years ago, as they do now, your boast- 
ing would have been small. 
‘You owe the fancy a great deal. Suppose you spend your 
remaining days in trying to ‘make amends. As you have 
such a cacoéthes scribendi, I would suggest one way in which 
you may do this. Let us have some of your secrets and ex- 
perience in regard to breeding fowls. Take them up in turn, 
avoid the beaten track, give us something really new; and 
when the next convention is called, we will have our lesson 
by heart, and go to work understandingly. A great future 
lies before us; we may yet attain “‘cocks with spurs on their 
heads,’’ thou being our leader, Oh, Burnham! In regard to 
the members of the A. P. A., I would state that I have every 
confidence in them, and have no doubt they will make all 
necessary corrections in the standard, and ably acquit them- 
selves of their thankless task. 
NEw YorK, 
Yours, 
Gro. C. ATHOLE. 

THE NEW STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE AND 
THE AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION. 
At a meeting of the Western New York Poultry Society, 
May 22d, the following preamble and resolutions were 
unanimously adopted : 
Whereas, The American Poultry Association was. called 
into existence in consequence of an urgent demand on the 
part of breeders and fanciers, from all parts of the country, 
for a ‘‘new Standard of HExcellence,’’ to take the place of 
the old one; and 
Whereas, In obedience to the said demand for a ‘‘new 
standard,’’ the American Poultry Association did publish 
and spread broadcast an invitation to all who felt an interest 
in the work to come forward and unite with them in their 
efforts to make a Standard of Excellence that should be 
worthy to supersede the old one; and the said invitation 
especially urged upon all interested not to stay away from 
the Convention, and after it had finished its labors to find 
fault with those who had spent their time, money, and 
honest toil upon said work; and 
Whereas, In pursuance to the said call of the American 
Poultry Association, there did assemble, in the city of Buf- 
falo, January 16th, 1874, the largest number of representa- 
tive breeders and fanciers ever assembled together in this 
country ; and 
Whereas, The said Convention of the American Poultry 
Association did, as we believe, labor both faithfully and 
honestly for the best interest of the whole poultry fraternity 
in their endeavors to perfect a Standard of Excellence that 
would, as nearly as possible, meet the diversified views and 
prejudices of the large number of persons composing the 
poultry breeders and fanciers of America; and 
Whereas, We have examined the said new American 
standard published by the American Poultry Association, 
the result of which examination and comparison with the 
old standard convinces this Society of the superiority of the 
new standard as compared with the old. The same exami- 
nation leads this Society to believe that the new standard 
was burried to press without that care that should attend 
the publication of a work of so much importance. 
Resolved, That we recognize the American Poultry Asso- 
ciation as being the only Society in this country composed 
of well known representative breeders and fanciers from all 
parts of the United States and Canadas, in whom the fra- 
ternity at large have confidence, and by virtue of being so 
composed, is eminently qualified and competent to compile, 

adopt, and publish a Standard of Excellence which should 
be,accepted by breeders and fanciers generally. 
Resolved, That we do adopt the said new American stan- 
dard, as published by the American Poultry Association, as 
being in every way better than the old one, and more in 
consonance with the advanced views of poultry breeders 
and fanciers of this age. 
Resolved, That as long as the American Poultry Asso- 
ciation is composed of gentlemen who are competent, and 
evince the same willing disposition to do justice to all and 
to outrage none, as characterized their labors at the Buffalo 
Convention, we shall look to said Association for a Standard 
of Excellence which shall be our guide in judging and 
awarding premiums, and in all of their undertakings to 
improve the said standard they will have our hearty support. 
Resolved, That we recommend the said American Poultry 
Association to inaugurate immediate measures to have all 
errors in the present (first) edition of said standard corrected 
with the least possible delay, in order that the corrected 
edition may be ready for use at the coming fall and winter 
exhibitions. 
Poultry papers please copy. 
BuFFALO, May 23, 1874. 
Gro. W. WHITE, 
Secretary. 

A NATIONAL STANDARD. 
“ And no discerner 
Durst wag his tongue in censure.” 
I shall now call your attention to the Constitution of the 
American Poultry Association. By examining its funda- 
mental laws we shall better be able to understand the pur- 
poses of its organization and the extent of its powers, since 
its authority over all organizations of a like character 
must be commensurate with the powers granted or delegated 
by the representatives of these organizations respectively. 
‘What now is the extent of the reserved powers of these so- 
cieties? Examine and see how they have actually curtailed | 
their freedom and independence, or, in other words, how 
much of their rights and privileges as separate and inde- 
pendent societies they have endowed the Head Centre. You 
will find it an interesting study—a matter of no trifling 
moment. 
In Article 2, of the Constitution of this Association, we 
shall find specified the objects of its founders. It declares 
the perfection of the American standard to be one of its 
purposes; and so much value do they place upon this, that 
they have incorporated in its organic law their right of 
property in this standard and exclusive control over it, so 
that no use can be made of said standard without the express 
sanction of the American Poultry Association. The fanciers 
of the country are no better off than they were prior to the 
the meeting at Buffalo; and as for the societies that were 
there represented they are infinitely worse off, having been 
shorn of much of the power they formerly possessed, and 
become mere dependencies of their great Central Head. 
The American standard is an offshoot of the old English 
standard, used for years in this country; and the miserable 
additions were made by a member of the now defunct New 
York State Poultry Society, in order to procure a copy- 
right and turn an honest penny by its sale. But the poul- 
trymen, having become disgusted with this kind of Siamese 
twin standard, called a general Convention to be held in 
the City of New York, to revise, correct, and make up a 
standard suitable for their purposes, and this is the true 
origin of the American Poultry standard. It was published 
