Lancaster High School - Mirage Yearbook (Lancaster, OH)

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DEBRIS. 13 □ 11= =□111—j||i i||i=3||i Hli—Him »1 □ 0! OUR BIRDS. 1 □ i '■•‘ia iiit=3iH □ E of the most delight- ful divisions of zoology is ornithology, or the study of birds. This science takes its devo- tees into green fields and shady woods where nature blends all in perfect harmony. Yet. although rural districts arc most favorable for the pursuit of bird lore, many of our feathered friends find homes in cities, and can be studied from the humblest garret window, as well as on the beautiful lawn which surrounds the palatial home on the avenue. There are many reasons for the study of birds, yet all may be con- densed into a few leading ones. Birds are sensitively organized creatures, and respond so readily to the influ- ence of their surroundings that ill their distributions, structure, and hab- its they furnish naturalists with in- valuable evidences of the workings of natural laws. In preventing the un- due increase of insects, in devouring small rodents, in destroying the seeds of harmful plants, and in acting as scavengers they are man's best friends in the animal world. Without their service, the earth would not long be habitable. Therefore we should spare no effort to protect them. We have an inborn Interest in ani- mals which, properly developed, will not only afford us much pleasure, but will broaden our sympathies and mor- ally elevate us. Birds being the most abundant and conspicuous of the high- er animals, may be most easily stud- ied and observed. They are beauti- ul in form and color and exhibit an unequaled power of flight, their ac- quaintance thus stimulating our love of beauty and of grace. They are un- rivaled as musicians: their songs arc the most eloquent of nature's voices, and by associations may become in- expressibly dear to us. The migra- tion of birds excites our wonder and admiration, and their periodic com- ings and goings not only connect them with the changing seasons, but « alter the character of the bird-life of the same locality during the year, that their study Is ever attended by fresh interest. In their migrations, matings, nest-buildings, and home- lives. birds not only display an intel- ligence that attracts us. but exhibits human traits of character that create within us a feeling of kinship with them, thereby increasing our interest in, and love for them. With birds the individual lives. In the species: the robins we hear in our childhood we may hear in our old age: therefore birds seem never to grow old. and acquaintance with them keeps alive the many pleasant mem- ories of the past with which they are associated. Thus possessing so many and such varied claims to our atten- tion. birds more than any other ani- mals may serve as bonds between man and nature. Are these reasons not sufficient for every one of us to give some attention at least to the study of birds? We cannot help noticing them when some day in March the weather chan- ges, the sun shines and we realize that spring will soon be with us. Robin Redbreast Is perhaps the first to be seen. This bird o' free- dom shares the honor of proclaim- ing the glad tidings of spring with his friendly rival, the Bluebird alone. Dr.r'ng the uncertain days of spring Robin remains in the shelter of the woods, but when spring has come for sure, he reclaims the old haunts, and rejoices in song. Robin is an inspir- ing singer. Yet he sometimes con- ceives passages which are too high for him. and these he hums unaudib- ly. like a tenor with a cold. When the music comes back to his compass he resumes where he left off. Thus singing and nest-building he whiles away the spring months. Then there Is our friend, the Blue Jay, a curious mixture of Beauty and the Beast. He is the outlaw among birds, and never hesitates to remove the eggs from the nests of other birds, yet sometimes vengeance comes to the Blue Jay in the form of a crow, who robs Blue Jay's nest while the latter looks on pleading with him to cease. The crow is no saint, yet it does not conceal his vil- lainies under a coat of blue and white. The Cardinal, or Red Bird, is per- haps the greatest favorite of all. He is beloved not only for his splendid plumage and the magic of his whist- ling song, but also for the gentle boldness of comradship. The law now forbids a Red Bird to be impris- oned. yet there was a time when no such law existed, and Red Birds were frequently kept as pets. There is in- stance in which one was kept in cap- tivity for thirty years, and when it died was mourned as a member of the family. Without the Red Bird summer would not be complete, for in the words of the poet: Along the dust white river road The saucy Red Bird chirps and trills. H!s liquid notes resound and rise Until they meet the cloudless skies And echo o'er the distant hills. The most widely distributed of any of our American birds are the Bam Swallows. Year after year they re- turn to the old nest, a neat bracket or half-bowl of mud luxuriously lined with grass and feathers, and cement- ed to the beam of a bam. They are of a confiding nature, and their liv- ing is full of gracefulness and poetry of motion. On a day in late April while walk- ing through a damp wood a dark fig- ure suddenly rises from the dead leaves at one's feet, and uttering a low cry moves away with ghostly noislessness and drops down into a bush a rod or so away. So perfectly do the softly-blended colors of the Whippoorwill blend with the leafy world that it is useless to look for him. The Whippoorwill is a noctur- nal bird and catches insects during the night as he flies through the air. aided by the bristles that project from either side of the beak. The mellow liquid notes of this songster are heard more often during the first hours after sunset, but sometimes ex- tends far into the night. The prince of American songsters is the Mocking Bird. As a mimic it has no peer. A stoutly contested dis- cussion is carried on between the friends of the European Nightingale and those of the Mocking Bird as to which is the greater singer, but mu- sic itself is so diverse in conception and execution that comparisons are

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Photo by Mookk. CLASS OF ‘09 n m

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14 D E URIS. c nu-uniiiKlcMt. One Mocker In captiv- ity was once timed, and he changed tune eighty-seven times in seven min- utes. And yet, this chief among sing- ers is content to be heard, not seen. The enemy to all our smaller birds is the English Sparrow. Without question the most deplorable event in the history of American ornitholo- gy was the introduction of the Eng- lish Sparrow. It is a nuisance with- out a redeeming quality. A bird cen- sus of Illinois by a university profes- sor recorded eighty-live species. The number of birds was estimated at 30.000.000. of which 5,000.000 were English Sparrows. The Song Sparrow is in direct con- trast. A modest bird, whose silver- tongued melody is compared to sun- shine-bountiful. free—ever gratified as it calls Peace, peace, be unto you, my children. What a dreary world this would be without birds. Can any one conceive of a spring time without them? Take the birds away, and imagine the fresh flowers, the trees beginning to burst forth in all their glory: all without the joyful twittering of birds and the fluttering of little wings among the branches, no sound but the snapping of a twig under foot; over all that solemn, unbroken quiet. Half of the Joy and gladness would be gone. WILXA HAZEL SOLT. ’09. ■ -:- -;- -:- -:- -:- ■ -:- % Should (iirls Be Educated? % ■ v ERTAINLY there is a leep feeling among even the most worldly of us, that an educa- tion ought to fit a girl to become a better citizen, wife and mother. We have heard, and we believe, because it is logical, that all kinds of knowledge, no matter how far removed from the immediate field of endeavor, are of use in devel- oping capability; and whether it be chemistry, cooking, or carpen- try that a girl learns, if she learns it with her mind, will add some- thing of deftness to her touch in h nulling a type-writer, a fryin pan, or a husband. It has been said that a college girl has a crushing advantage over any other girl in any job she puts her hand to.” A certain minister says of the college girls, They arc a boon to the race; they intro- duce new ideas into the most com- mon-place affairs of life. The other day I christened the first baby of a married college girl, and all during the ceremony it smiled up beautifully into my face. Now, babies usually cry while they are being christened, and so I con- gratulated the young mother on her little one's lamblike behavior, and what do you think she said? 'Why of course he behaved well. His father and I, with a pail of water, have been practicing chris- tening on him for the last two days.' Who but a college girl would think of such a thing?” It is a woefully narrow mind which regards an education as necessary only to the woman who expects to earn her living or to seek professional glory. Every life worth living is a career in the fullest sense, and needs direction just as much if it is ever to be fruitful in results. One of the greatest needs in the education of women is the ability to concentrate, the power to rise superior to the petty distractions of every day life and give herself wholly and calmly to the work in hand. The school girl who has spent two or three hours in solving a physics problem, surrounded by the noise of a fudge party next door, the drifting echoes of the jolly basket bailers only a block away, and with the conciousness that tomorrow is Easter, and the other girls will be at church with their new spring hats, while she must wear her old one, has learned more than that physics problem. If school girls do not know how to cook, it is not because they have an education, but simply be- cause they have no desire to learn. As for the educated girl’s facility for taking to” household duties, the opinions of her admirers differ. But most agree that there is little sense in that phase of the argu- ment. since nobody can prove that domestic tastes are peculiar to any class of American women. I am heartily sorry for the poor little ignoramus who is depending on her face and clothes for her fu- ture happiness, and who scorns the thought of knowing about” business and politics and big questions” because she fancies men think it unfeminine.” She is no wiser than a washwoman I once heard of, who could not read or write and explained the lack by saying that she stopped school to get married, because married wo- men didn’t have no need of school- in’. But I fail to see how an edu- cation could be a hindrance to a woman in any vocation. Elita M. Graham, ’ll. IF YOU WANT TO KEEP COOL GO TO PETER MILLER'S SONS For a Fine High Art Hand Tailored SUMMER SUIT And a Genuine Panama Hat. Many Styles and Shades to select from, at prices that will surprise you. PETER MILLER'S SONS, Clothiers and Tailors. Discriminating TTousc-keepcrs Insist on 1 1 oilman's Hill-Top Grocery Service. There's better grocery service for you. In asking Central for—Six-two. Get in the Class of 1909. c