A Song of Progress. A Poem

OSTRICH FARMING IN SOUTH AFRICA 461 is cut and plucked, and the process is repeated about every nine months thereafter. The large plumes are carefully cut, leaving about an inch of the quill. As the feathers are cut at the season when they would naturally fall, the vitality of the stub is soon exhausted and it is easily removed. The operation is entirely painless to the ostrich, but, like the peacock, he does not enjoy being robbed of his plumage. It takes some skill for the attendants to tie a sack over the bird's head, after which the work becomes easy. The feathers of the male bird are superior and of a harder texture than those of the female. They are larger, retain the curl longer, are of most beautiful finish, and naturally command a higher price. In 1909, the value of feathers exported from United South Africa was a trifle over $13,000,000, an increase over the preceding year of one-third. The last official report shows a decline, a falling off in weight, the feathers exported netting $11,364,230. The export of feathers from Egypt and other parts of North Africa shows a steady decline, and United South Africa has practically a monopoly of the feather industry of the world. Port Elizabeth is the great sales-market. There one can see the beautiful feathers stacked in neat piles to be auctioned off by weight to the highest bidder. A Song of Progress Human races are emerging from a long, mysterious night: O'er the world the dawn is breaking of an era full of light. Climbing up the heights of knowledge, man and woman, hand in hand, Gain the sphere of higher ethics, give new songs to ev'ry land. Hurry up, laggards! why can't you divine The world-zvide murmur and humming.' Hurry up, laggards, and step into line, The equal franchise is coming! Can we doubt the revolution now apparent ev'rywhere? Militant, the cry is ever heard upon the vibrant air: "Equal rights and equal. suffrage, equal privileges, too; Woman is the man's co-equal, side by side their work to do." Who is ignorant of progress? who benighted, so that they Can reject the call of reason and with ancient customs stay? Onward ! Upward ! We are proving, in the progress of our time, We can reach our goal of freedom, ev'rywhere in ev'ry clime! Joseph Longking Townsend. mt. pleasant, utah