VANDALS REFORMED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 February 1940, Page 6

VANDALS REFORMED

A SCHOOLMASTER'S SUCCESS. A school teacher resident in Taranaki i'.as given the Forest and Bird Protection Society a very pleasant report of his success in the conversion of young vandals into enthusiastic bird-protec-tors. “By chance, one day.” the teacher says, “I saw some of my boys ‘winging nestling birds by the head until they were decapitated. When I questioned them about this cruelty they replied that their father had told them that birds were no good. I took twelve of tb.e worst offenders and made them members of the'Forest and Bird Protection Society so that they would receive the Society's quarterly magazine. Tlte boys proved io be keen, intelligent readers. The result now is that those twelve lads are the main force in the protection of birds in the district, jrhey are a very vigilant and a very active little band."

The president of the Forest and Bird Protection Society (Captain E. V. Sanderson) expresses a hope that many I other schools will follow the example of the Taranaki school and send along the names and subscriptions of ten or more pupils. The Society will then do its full share by issuing to each pupil quarterly for one year their magazine "Forest and Bird" which is printed at just double the cost of the subscription. The North Auckland Forest Society has already given :m excellent lead by paying the subscriptions for -120 school children of Iho district as members of the Forest and Bird Protection Society (Box 631, Wellington).