Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 July 1893 — The Feathered Patti. [ARTICLE]

The Feathered Patti.

Let the boy fish, boat, canoe, swim, and tramp through the woods on exploring trips to his heart’s content; go with him if possible, and encourage healthful exorciso and observation as much as possible, but don’t teaoh him nor allow him to acquiro unlawful and inhuman tricks. Upon nearly every one of furred or feathered things seen during June and July dopends a family of helploss lives, which may bo doomea to the miseries of slow starvation by ono thoughtless shot. The boy with the firearm sees a bird and says, “Watch me plug him," and. if the aim prove true the boy thinks ho has done something clever, and most likely his fond father tells him that ho has so done. In reality he has broken a law, and probably sounded the doom of half a dozen wretched fledglings hidden in a nest near by. Men will cheerfully give up a handful of dollars for the privilege of drinking in the wondrous melody from the trained throat of a Patti, and go into raptures over the sweetness and elevating influence of perfect music, yet the same men will blithely murder a poor little feathered Patti and still forever life and song such as n" Patti ever aspired to—in fine, desUvy what the concentrated brains Und skill of the world cannot replace. And for what purpose? Simply to grrt.ilv -a taste for the shambles, or to -■: v.vsfefT —to prove that an eye can glance along a bit of iron or steel truly enough to insure the planting of a nugget of lead within the limit of a poor, unsuspecting creature’s body—so kill a beautiful, happy bird. It is not right to slay without good reason; it is doubly wrong to kill a bird during the breeding season. Slay the oyster patty if you must slay something -it can be replaced—but lot the feathered Patti live in peaoe.—Outing.