Fashion and the Birds

New Zealand Tablet, 20 August 1908, Page 9

Fashion and the Birds

In early New England the -sturdy Puritan settlers (says it-non-Catholic historian) ' christened their children by Old Testament names. They -regulated female attire by law. They -considered long hair unscriptural, and preached against wigs and" veils.' The sternly honest and uncompromising Pilgrim Fathers and their early descendants erred, no doubt, on the side of severity. But circumstances occasionally arise which call ior the existence of a sort of censor who shall have power to say to Dame Fashion, Governor of this World : ' Thus far shalt thou go, ,and no farther.' We allude, in- particular, to the custom of wearing the heads and wings and s bodies of birds forpersonal adornment. Fashion has been a Bajazet, a Tamerlane, and a Zenghis Khan— all rolled into one— for many of the most beautiful species of our feathered tiibe. The wholesale slaughter of birds for feminine hats and bonnets and the rest of their rigging (we are by no means clear as to its terminology) has caused much and needless suffering, and has already deprived some of the world's forests of their living color,- and left them almost as voiceless as net and snare and shotgun have made the Pyrenees. « A large and influential deputation recently waited upon the ' Australian Federal Prime Minister and pressed upon him the following requests : — (t) That the exportation of the skins and plumes of certain Australian birch; "should be prohibited; (2) that Lord Avebury's bill in the British Parliament? tie supported ; and (3) that the Federal power be used as far as practicable for the preservation of the bird life of Australia and Papua. In tha course of his reply the Prime Minister said :—.: — . If we dared to speak our minds we should say that it is anothel- sex than ours that has the greatest power of control in a matter like this. If the womanly ' pity which is so freely in many worthy causes were only attracted to- the abominable misuse of dainty little- creatures for the purposes of' decorative display, you would have accomplished nearly the -whole of the reforms you have at your hearts.- If Australian women were active in this regard they would, by their mere abstention from the use of the plumage of birds", accomplish a reform within Australia which the law will be powerless to reach for years to come.' * He furthermore undertook to do what lay in his power to further the deputation's 1 first request— namely, to prevent the exportation of the .plumage of birds. ' We" may,' say_s_a merciful writer; ' smile at fashion and even admire her,' so long ns she is. pot cruel; but beauty .grows barbarous instead of angelic wiien^it forgets to be -kind and womanly/ We make merry at Catullus, writing a poem" to soothe the 'grief of his pagan ladye-love for the loss of- her pet' sparrow. But the pagan lassie had -at least heart enough' to regret the death, of a feathered friend. ,' \ - ' '• ■ ' • '