Comments on: Humane Sermon in Three Parts, 1917

By: Mark B.

Mark B. — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:40:11 +0000

Well, if he were a true lover of vegetables, he should have had a bit more concern for all that were put at risk by those marauding deer! : )

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 23:10:08 +0000

Thanks for the link, Tod — that’s a great summary of Mormon thought on the life of animals.

I’m not able to confirm vegetarianism on the part of JFS. I do, however, have a letter he wrote to his missionary son soon after World War II where he speaks quite tenderly of the deer coming down out of the mountains onto city streets, and his worry that they might be hit by cars. You’ve given me a hint for a post on another day.

By: Tod Robbins

Tod Robbins — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:51:54 +0000

Wasn’t Joseph Fielding Smith an avid animal lover and vegetarian?

Awesome post Ardis. I’ve been meaning to look into Humane Days for a while. See also: http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=31ce535cedb1c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

By: Clark

Clark — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:31:54 +0000

As noted in the OP, the kindness to animals theme went beyond the LDS church. The first Norman Rockwell painting for the Boy Scouts, “A Scout is Kind,” shows a young man tending to an injured dog. The BSA even offered a “first aid to animals” merit badge for many years prior to WWII.

The early boy scout handbooks teach that kindness to animals is a indicator of whether one is kind to his fellowman.–I guess that’s what Joseph Smith was trying to teach Zion’s Camp with the rattlesnake incident.

I enjoy steak as much as the next guy. I think it’s the needless killing Pres. Kimball–and the cartoonist–were protesting.

By: Bookslinger

Bookslinger — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 03:13:28 +0000

Ok. checked it. Indiana does have a Canadian goose season in the fall/winter.

By: Mark B.

Mark B. — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:40:37 +0000

I don't think Canada geese are a protected species. There are so blasted many of them, they shouldn't be. There was an article in the New York Times just last Friday about a plan by the city to reduce the number of those geese in the city by 170,000!

By: blueagleranch

blueagleranch — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:10:01 +0000

Ardis, I wonder if the “birdies” memory comes from those who spoke derisively about President Kimball’s admonition. I know I remembered it the same way you did and I can vividly remember several avid hunters mocking President Kimball’s statement in a raspy-voiced imitation. They may have used the childish “birdies” to emphasize how ridiculous they thought such a restriction was. That memory is so clear because I was so shocked at their responses. (P.S. I want you to know that I restrained myself from a really bad pun. . . but it was tempting!)

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:42:27 +0000

I know that happened (the re-recording of a talk) on a single occasion, and I know that often some editing occurs between delivery and printing (that’s a very old and very widespread tradition — the Lincoln/Douglas debates as printed, for instance, were much more polished than they were given live). But this time I’m afraid it’s just me, and how I heard the talk discussed afterwards. Because it was a priesthood session in the days when men either had to go to the Tabernacle or to a direct wire broadcast at some chapel, I never heard the talk in SWK’s voice, either live or rebroadcast.

I just checked the printed Ensign from 1978, and it does in fact say “birds,” not “birdies.” That’s what it actually should say, given that it’s “birds” in the 1909 Deseret SSSongs that others have cited.

So this time, fer shur, it’s my inaccurate memory. (But still, google “Spencer W. Kimball birdies.” You’ll find that I’m far from the only one who remembered it that way!)

By: bbell

bbell — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:36:56 +0000

Back around the turn of the century there was a large demand for bird feathers for decorating hats. Many species of birds were decimated by commercial hunting… esp water type birds. cranes, egrets etc.

In addition to this there was a popular hobby of shooting and mounting/using taxidermy on birds

As a result of this commercial carnage there was a campaign to stop the large scale extermination of bird populations.

I suspect that this is why there was a campaign at this time to protect birds and the church became involved. Many federal laws that protect migratory bird species were passed at this time.

Most states have a goose season. The feds set the timing and bag limit on a year by year basis to protect the population. Again this system of hunting migratory wildfowl comes from this time frame

By: Bookslinger

Bookslinger — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:30:33 +0000

Ardis, your memory might still be accurate. The live conference doesn’t necessarily match the Ensign. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard things in Conference that I couldn’t find in the written talk. One that stands out is when Elder McConkie said you go to hell if you don’t believe the Book of Mormon. He put a lot of lawyerly qualifications in between the two clauses, so that it fit with the doctrine, but when I read the written talk, there was no hint of what he actually said.

I’ve read that they’ve even re-recorded some conference talks so the edited version would go out on the cassette tapes that the church used to distribute, and even re-shot the video in some cases.

If you want a copy of it truly unedited, you have to record the live version at home or at the chapel.