Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 110, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 May 1911 — NATURE LOVER PAYS VISIT TO RENSSELAER. [ARTICLE]

NATURE LOVER PAYS VISIT TO RENSSELAER.

CoL Isaac W, Brown, Companion of Birds, Spends Day Talking to School Children. Col. Isaac W. Brown, known the world over as the “bird and bee man,” came to Rensselaer Monday evening and today; Tuesday, he has been spending much of his time talking to the school children about the subject with which he is so deeply interested. Colonel Brown says that he has talked in every county seat in Indiana now, Rensselaer being the last’ of them. He has been trying to get to this city for eight years, but something always came up to prevent his coming. His visit will be too short. He can only impress us with some of the more important things about bird life and sow the seed of kindness and consideration for these little* creatures with the children and the young folks. Col. Brown has lived with the birds for years. He knows them by their wee voices and he knows just what important thing each was created foL He is their champion and he makes we careless and thoughtless people ashamed because we have not hitherto seen more beauty in the little creatures of the air. He called at The Republican office early this morning. He was sick during the night and had called a physician to prescribe for him. He had walked out on. the street as 4:30 o’clock and he "had visited places where the birds live. He had seen an unusual thing, a bird tragedy, and he asked the writer to accompany him to see it. He called, it a nature study. He took us to the home of Charles G. Spitler and pointed out an oriole’s nest beside which hung the lifeless mother oriole. It was a last year’s nest The mother bird had become enmeshed in a cord and being unable to free itself had died. Whether , the nest had young birds or merely eggs could not be told without investigation and the nest was high and out of reach but it told a pathetic story of bird suffering, and Colonel Brown was quick to see it and to speaK pathetically of the tragedy. He listened to the chirping birds and would say, as he touched his hand to his ear, “Sh, there's a wren,” or a robin or an oriole or a catbird. He talked to the high school.about orioles, to the higher grades about red-headed woodpeckers, and to the lower grades about catbirds. He uses neat comparisons that appeal to the •tender minds of his little listeners, and all certainly were able to gather much information, much valuable knowledge of the value of birds. He said that there are two valuable books; one is the Bible and the other is by the same author; it is tjie outdoors, the birds, the trees, the sunshine. In each room he was urged to come back and he spoke this afternoon again. At 6:30 o’clock this evening in front of the court house he will talk to all who care to see him, and if there is time before dark he will lead those who care to follow to a wood not far away and will Illustrate his talk by pointing out various birds and telling something of their habits and their usefulness. All are asked to come out to hear him. It will be worth your time and you will doubtless learn some lessons that you will never forget. Our hat comes of to Colonel Brown