An Abominable, Foolish Fashion.
By Editor
WHAT is it that merits such strong language? Nothing less than the fashion which is quite prevalent, of using birds as hat decorations. Not content with a few feathers, nor even with a wing, which, we have been informed, is torn from a living bird, fashion has decreed that a whole bird must be worn. A correspondent of the Congregationalist writes to that paper as follows:— "A week or two since I received a letter from a lady, a stranger to me, begging to know whether something could not be done to prevent the destruction of song birds for millinery purposes. She had been reading a newspaper article upon the subject, which, as she said, had filled her eyes with tears and her heart with anguish. A few days afterwards the January number of the Auk reached me, and in that I found some extremely vigorous remarks upon the same theme. The magazine is a strictly scientific one, into which goes nothing popular or sentimental; but the editor writes, in his own way, quite as strongly as my feminine correspondent, not hesitating at such adjectives as 'terrible' and 'appalling.' And to-day comes a circular from a committee of the American Ornithologists' Union, in the same strain. The Christian women [Heaven save the mark] of the United States, it appears, have so encouraged (or demanded) the killing of our native birds for use in decorating(?) hats and bonnets that the men of science, who are thought to be none too tender-hearted themselves, have felt obliged to interpose, lest certain species should be absolutely exterminated." Could those who adopt this fashion know how they are regarded, they would certainly abandon it, unless their sensibilities have become so blunted by continued concentration on themselves, and by blindly following cruel fashion, that they are incapable of appreciating honest scorn. We sincerely wish that a stop may be put to this foolish and wicked fashion; but have not much hope, for "fashion" is as inexorable in its demands as it is senseless.