t 
FANCIERS’ 
JOURNAL 
AND 
fe Cale ny EOC AN GB: 
Vou. I. PHILADELPHIA, 
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE AMERICAN 
POULTRY ASSOCIATION. 
Ir is not with any desire to be captious or hypercritical 
that I take up the Constitution of this Society and point 
out what I think should be altered or amended. In draw- 
ing up such an instrument, some respect should be shown 
for the purity of the English language and its grammatical 
construction ; it prevents vagueness and ambiguity. There 
is no order or sequence in the arrangement of some of its 
articles; and the sentences are thrown together in the utmost 
confusion and without any regard to completeness; and 
words are used regardless of their precise meaning, or their 
adaptation to the ideas meant to be conveyed. 
Take up Article I. Ido not say that it is an ungram- 
matical sentence, but the words are not arranged in their 
proper order; nor is the word ‘designation’ used in its 
proper sense. It is an awkward sentence and can be made 
simpler and more expressive of meaning by reading thus: 
“This organization shall be known by the name of the 
American Poultry Association.’’ Article II is open to more 
serious objections. It is troublesome to understand it as it 
now reads. Since the Association declares it has more than 
one ‘‘object,’”” should put that word in the plural number ; 
and as we do not expect to be tinkering on the “Standard ”’ 
forever, but hope to get it about right at some future day, I 
should strike out the word ‘‘always.’’ If it is going to be 
an interminable job, I should prefer to leave the work for 
the coming generation. I must say that there is something 
very unpleasant in the sound of that sentence, ‘‘ the Standard 
shall be ‘ exclusively’ the property of the Association ;”’ nor 
do I like its appearance right there in the very first part of 
the article; it is in bad taste—looks greedy, wolfish. Declar- 
ing it to be the ‘‘exclusive’”’ property of the Association 
does not “secure it against pirates.’’ Whatever is produced 
by the work of the Association, either by its hands or its 
brains, is as much the property of the Association as its 
furniture; and the only way to secure the Standard as its 
property, is by that law of Congress for the protection of liter- 
ary productions. ‘To consider and discuss all matters of a 
national character, regarding the poultry interest at large,”’ 
is too spread-eagle, too much like a speech I read last 
December; it is too vague and is contradicted by a subse- 
quent clause of the article. We wish to discuss local as 
_well as national matters in the poultry line, I should make 
Article II read something like as follows, to wit: 
‘¢ ARTICLE II.—The objects of this Association shall be 
the perfection of the American Standard of Excellence; to 
unite the poultry interests of the country by an inter-com- 
munication of amateurs and breeders for the improvement 
and perfection of stock and its qualities for food; to discuss 
“all matters in relation thereto; to advise with and assist all 
poultry organizations in the selection of competent and 
honorable judges; to secure the cordial co-operation of the 
poultry poclotits of the country in fixing the time for hol- 
ding their various exhibitions, and adopting appropriate 
\ 


AUGUST 217, 1874. 
rules and regulations for the assistance of judges in their 
duties, and to do all that is in our power to discountenance 
and check dishonesty and chicanery among poultry dealers 
and breeders.”’ 
I should so amend Article III as to read as follows: ‘* All 
candidates for membership of this Association shall first be 
approved by the Executive Committee. Hach member shall 
pay an initiation fee of three dollars; life membership, ten 
dollars.”’ 7 
To publish the proceedings of the organization of the 
Society was a good idea, but the insertion of the President’s 
off-hand remarks does not contribute anything to its history, 
and would have been better left out. I make these sugges- 
tions for no other motive than a pride I feel in having this 
Association appear to the world that it is composed of men 
of culture as well as practical skill. The hasty and negli- 
gent manner of framing our Constitution should not belie 
our real status. Outsiders judge very much by our inside 
arrangements. Our rules and regulations should be clear, 
intelligent, and easy to understand, and written somewhat 
in accordance with correct grammatical construction and 
good taste. I do not wish to be understood that these sug- 
gestions of mine conform to my ideas of perfection, but I 
think I have given some hints where we may improve, and 
no doubt have left considerable room for others better quali- 
fied than myself for the work: 
TeV Wis 
GREENVILLE, N. J. 


oe + 
DEATH OF THE LION JULIUS. 
THERE are many of the Herald readers who, no doubt, re- 
member the lion Julius, the subject of this obituary. He 
was the oldest animal of his kind in the United States, hav- 
ing attained the venerable age of thirty-one years, nearly the 
maximum of life of the lion in his wild state. Julius was 
said to be the largest lion ever imported into this country, 
and besides being of royal lineage himself, he had the honor 
at one time to belong to royalty, having been the pet in the 
ménage of one of the small princes of Africa, from whom he 
was purchased by some English agents of an animal dealer 
in London. After his arrival in that city the subject of this 
notice was purchased by Bradley, the showman, and at once 
trained for cage performances. His majestic appearance at 
once made him a public favorite, and it was not until some 
two years afterward that he lost caste. While performing 
one night in Edinburgh, Scotland, he became suddenly en- 
raged about something, and attacked his trainer, who, by the 
way, was a new one, and before any one could interfere his 
terrible paws and teeth had done their deadly work. The 
man was literally torn into shreds. Some American purchas- 
ing agents finally obtained the brute, and he was transferred 
to Van Amburgh’s menagerie, and for many years delighted 
the gaping crowds that witnessed him perform. Some 
twelve or thirteen years ago, while being handled in the 
training cage during a visit of Forepaugh’s menagerie to 
