User:Meriden Bird Club

File:Bird Masque Cast

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• Historical picture featuring principal cast from Sanctuary: A Bird Masque, 1913. Original photograph by Arnold Genthe.
  Historical picture featuring principal cast from Sanctuary: A Bird Masque, 1913. Original photograph by Arnold Genthe.

Ernest Harold Baynes Naturalist, Crusader, Author.(1868-1925) He was born in Calcutta, India but grew up in the United States, living in both New York and Massachusetts. He married Louise Birt O’Connell of Boston and lived in Stoneham, MA until being invited to Sullivan County, NH, where Baynes would accomplish his most important work in wildlife conservation. Baynes was an enthusiastic naturalist and author, though he never formerly trained in biology, botany or zoology. Baynes spent countless hours studying and documenting many species of animals in their natural habitats. He published these first-hand experiences as short stories and novels. He became well known for his articles on wildlife, which appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines, and were illustrated by photographs taken by him and his wife.

Career and Personal Life

Similar to the fictional character Dr. Doolittle, who spoke to animals, Baynes seemingly possessed an amazing ability to connect with wildlife; his patience, determination, and keen understanding of the environment enabled him to develop relationships with individual animals, including a bear, fox, wolf, faun, and others, which became subjects for his books. One story followed his interactions with “Jimmie,” the bear, a mischievous cub who came under Bayne’s care, and who enjoyed sneaking into the family’s food pantry to eat crackers.

Based on his observations of animal behaviors, Baynes formed his own opinions, sometimes contrary to popular beliefs. He did not adhere to sentimental nature worship as did many other naturalists of the time. He believed that wildlife should be respected and deserved society’s protection when needed. As a wildlife activist, Baynes championed two major campaigns to save the American bison and common birds, species which were brought to the brink of extinction from excessive hunting and needless slaughter.

Louise Louise ‘Birt’ O’Connell (1876-1958), was an art student when she first met Baynes. As an avid herbology enthusiast and photographer, she photographed many plant species and contributed her findings to the field of botany. Throughout her marriage, Louise remained devoted and supported her husband’s wildlife pursuits. They did not have children, but indirectly became ‘parents’ of many wild critters over the years.

Blue Mountain’s Menagerie Banker and railroad tycoon, Austin Corbin, owned a wildlife preserve called the Blue Mountain Forest Association, locally known as ‘Corbin Park.’ The reserve spanned five New Hampshire counties, encompassing areas of Croydon, Cornish, Plainfield, Grantham, and Newport. Animals imported from Canada and elsewhere to inhabit in the park included antelope, elk, caribou, moose, deer, beaver, and wild boar. While some species did not survive, others acclimated and grew in great numbers, causing overpopulation. Although the park began as a preserve, it developed into a private hunting club in order to control animal numbers. Baynes’ experiences with wildlife and his desire to settle near the park were known to Corbin, who invited him to live in the area and study the park’s animals. In 1904, the Baynes’ moved to the park and settled in a house they called “Sunset Ridge.” It was at the park where he met most of the animals he would write about in his books.

Due to Westward expansion and over hunting, the American buffalo were on the brink of extinction. Corbin had witnessed the destruction of the herds first hand, and purchased some to breed at his park. Baynes spent time studying the buffalo, and became motivated to take actions for their preservation. To help promote the cause, he began a letter-writing campaign and caught the interest and support of President Theodore Roosevelt. Baynes gave lectures, organized exhibitions featuring buffalo relics, and gained recognition in the newspapers, all the while, raising awareness and gathering supporters. With the assistance of President Teddy Roosevelt, Baynes and other prominent supporters formed the American Bison Society in 1905. At the society’s insistence, Congress approved the creation of the first federally-funded range for the buffalo herds, which ultimately helped save the animal from extinction. Herds of bison from Corbin’s Park, helped repopulate buffalo numbers in Montana’s National Bison Range, which also contributed to the herds in Yellowstone National Park.

“Of all the works of the late Mr. Austin Corbin, the preservation of that herd of bison was the one that would earn his country’s deepest gratitude. His experiment led to the founding of the American Bison Society and was connected, directly or otherwise, with the formation of some of our national parks.”

-E.H. Baynes, Wild Life in the Blue Mountain Forest Two for the Road Baynes gathered attention and appealed to supporters through his accounts of two bison calves he named, “War Whoop and Tomahawk,” which he broke to yolk. The calves resisted, but Baynes was determined to rear them. After much kicking and head-butting, they eventually yielded and were seen pulling Baynes around Meriden in a wagon.

The Feather that Broke the Camel’s Back Passenger pigeons were among the most abundant species in the 19th century, known to darken the sky in flocks stretching for miles and taking hours to pass overhead. By the 1900s theses pigeons were nearly all extinct. Their loss in numbers was attributed to over hunting, habitat devastation, and use as an inexpensive food source. On a visit to the Cincinnati Zoo, Baynes saw the last living passenger pigeon, “Martha.” and was greatly moved. He became increasingly concerned for the well-being of other birds species which were sharing a similar fate and was very critical of the prevalent ladies’ fashion trend for wearing feathered hats. He spoke out publicly against it:

“…I looked at that pathetic tiny branch of brown feathers, with its staring glass eyes and its shriveled bill-all that was left of the most joyous, joy-giving bird that ever sprinkled the air with its songs. And the price of it, bow and all, was fifty cents! And for a tithe, then, of this paltry sum, there had been destroyed such beauty, such poetry, such joy, as could not be replaced by a syndicate of billionaires…” - The Canadian Medial Association Journal, Nov, 1928.

Baynes sought to promote sympathetic interest in birds with the hope that other communities would “entertain them (birds) as honored guests.” He believed that the establishment of many bird clubs and a national network of these organizations would provide a solution to the problem of wild bird conservation.

MERIDEN BIRD CLUB

Founding the Meriden Bird Club During the 1900s, Meriden’s population increased as did its school district due to Kimball Union Academy’s expansion to accommodate the faculty, students and local services. Meriden was also a rural middle-class community of farmers and small business owners. Like other small towns, Meriden was adapting to the changing world and was learning to balance tradition with modernization. Though perhaps resistant to some things, Meriden did not hesitate in taking the lead on the critical issue of wild bird conservation.

On June 8th, 1910, Baynes delivered a lecture on birds at the Kimball Union Academy’s chapel, which was attended by students and Meriden community members. Baynes impressed upon his audience the importance of birds to society and to the environment and the role that birds played in keeping nature’s balance. Birds also had great economic value as they kept harmful pests in check from ruining entire crops. His plea for the protection of birds from needless slaughter for fashionable goods was heard. Immediately following the lecture, the students were motivated to start a movement for the protection of local birds, and began working to raise money for the cause. The senior class donated $25 from their class treasury to procure bird houses for the campus. This activity attracted more people who wanted to make and test food houses for the birds. With substantial support behind him, Baynes founded the Meriden Bird Club later that year on December 7, 1910 and was appointed General Manager. Many students and faculty remained committed members in helping to organize and maintain the Bird Club. During the winter months, students trampled snow for feed stations and helped put up nest boxes which they regularly checked for bird activity.

“…we [Meriden] feel that we are accepting assistance not for a local, but for a national cause, for after all, the work we are doing for our local birds represents but a small part of the Club’s usefulness. Its greatest value will lie in the example which it will set to thousands of villages the country over.” -Ernest Harold Baynes, First Report of the Meriden Bird Club, 1911.

Becoming the “Bird Village” The Meriden Bird Club’s focus was not solely on the ornithological study of birds, but on extending hospitality to birds. The club achieved this by providing numerous types of constructed and organic bird dwellings, baths, and feeders. The hope was that if more birds appeared in the village, interest in them would increase as would the potential to protect them. The Meriden Bird Club was at the forefront in testing varieties of bird dwellings in America, favoring the Audubon-approved German “Berlepsch” organic style. This type of single-bird dwelling was made from a section of log (maple, oak, ash, birch) which was then hollowed out using a special machine tool, and finally nailed to a tree or post. Permission was granted to reproduce these dwellings from the German patent; manufacturing the houses was undertaken by the Audubon Bird House Company located in Meriden. The Meriden Bird Club was the first to sell Audubon-certified bird houses, which helped establish the bird house market. Other bird dwellings resembled houses such as the “Martin House,” a barrel shaped unit fixed on top of a tall pole, with multi-level floors and rooms for many birds to occupy. The house was named for its desired occupant, the Purple Martin, which had not been sighted in Meriden for nearly thirty years, but was spotted shortly after the club erected a few houses.

Competitions were a popular means for encouraging interest in birds. Participants, including community members and students were asked to write essays on birds and bird protection, which they could further illustrate with photographs. Winners received prizes such as field glasses, a bird magazine subscription, and even a new Century camera.

The ‘Meriden Idea’ Unlike Corbin’s park, the preserve Baynes sought to establish would not permit hunting; instead it would be a sacred area to protect wildlife. In 1911, the Mary Ann Watson farm, a 32 acre tract of land, was purchased with financial assistance from a wealthy bird enthusiast from Stamford, Conn., Miss Helen Woodruff Smith. Impressed by the club’s efforts to protect birds, she gave a thousand dollars, which combined with other generous donations, helped purchase the land that would bear her name as the formal title for the bird sanctuary. The property, prime farm land, was considered by other bidders at the outset, but consideration was dropped once the bidders learned of the Meriden Bird Club’s intentions. In less than five months, the bird club was successfully organized, with community members and outside supporters working together and achieving considerable success in attracting birds and establishing the nation’s first bird sanctuary. Although other sanctuaries for birds existed, including the fifty-three President Roosevelt had established during his administration, all had been reliant on federal approval and funding. Meriden’s bird club and sanctuary were solely dependent on community support to continue sustaining operations.

All for the Birds For many years, it had been the hope of the Bird Club to acquire a sign for the entrance to the sanctuary, but limited finances and other priorities forced the project to be postponed. Unless carefully directed, visitors usually passed by the bird sanctuary, unable to identify its entrance. In April, 1930, famed artist Maxfield Parrish made a gift to the Meriden Bird Club of a hand-made sign. Known for his use of vibrant colors, the sign’s border is painted in his signature blue shade. The sign was put under a weathered shingle pent-house attached to an old hand-hewn cross beam. It was hung between two columns of field stones, covered with wild grapevine.

The old Watson farm land was shaped into a preserve with trails and lush forest for the birds to inhabit, safe from hunters, poaching, and exploitation. Landscape artist and ornithologist, Frederick H. Kennard of Boston was hired to enhance the land making it suitable for the birds. The surveying was done by the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth, which drafted a topographical map of the reservation. Quercus Bird Bath To commemorate the first performance of Sanctuary: A Bird Masque, Annetta Johnson St. Gaudens, sister-in-law to the famous American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, produced a bird bath, depicting the Sanctuary: A Bird Masque in bas relief. The pedestal, which looks like an urn or jar, was topped with a removable bowl for the bird bath. A frieze wraps around the pedestal displaying portraits of characters from the masque. Annetta was involved in the bird movement and even performed in the masque as a Lovebird along with her son, Paul, who was also a sculptor, and who played a Scarlet Tanager. A bronze bird bath resides in the bird sanctuary today, as a whimsical relic and reminder of the Masque’s success in aiding the bird movement.

Bird Conservation Museum By 1920, the Meriden Bird Club acquired the Watson Farm’s colonial house, a dilapidated building next to the Bird Sanctuary’s entrance. The building was restored and opened to the public as the country’s first Bird Conservation Museum. Visitors to the little museum could learn about methods for attracting birds, and visit different rooms to view examples of bird-houses, nesting-boxes, feeding devices, bird baths and models of bird baths, including the terra cotta version made by Annetta St. Gaudens. Baynes requested a copy of Annetta’s bird bath for the new museum’s exhibit. The museum’s collection included natural specimens for studying purposes, but eventually these were phased out and painted wooden carvings of birds were used instead. The museum provided meeting space, a place for guests to give lectures, and space to house a library of bird related material for the public use. School visits were also organized for students to discuss “The Bird village,” and the work started by Baynes. Regrettably, the museum was sold and is now private property, but the entrance to the bird sanctuary remains standing as a permanent landmark left by the Meriden Bird Club.

Highs and Lows The Meriden Bird Club thrived while Baynes was alive. After his death in January, 1925, the bird club appointed Miss Annie Duncan as General Manager, she had previously been a secretary to Baynes. Miss Duncan saw the club through difficult and successful years, constantly working to maintain the sanctuary and expand the club’s outreach. Unfortunately, there were setbacks: a fire that destroyed an outbuilding used to build bird houses, the Great New England Hurricane in 1938 which devastated the region, ongoing financial constraints for maintenance of property and buildings, eventually leading to the sale the museum, and a decrease in bird conservation interest. All these factors challenged the Meriden Bird Club’s activities and sustainability over the years. The club’s priority has always been to protect and preserve wild bird life, while educating others to appreciate and find merit in birds. Certain bird club events still occur today with the Pancake Breakfasts and Sunday Services each summer. The Meriden Bird Club now faces a new goal to ensure and maintain its existence: the club’s collections are in need of conservation in order to preserve its great legacy and many contributions to the bird movement.

Bird Service As part of the Meriden Bird Club’s efforts to encourage community participation and support, two special events occurred each year:

“Bird Sunday” Since 1915, the Meriden Bird Club has observed services held by both local churches in the sanctuary each summer (weather permitting). The general public is invited to the sanctuary to listen to sermons delivered by guest ministers on the aesthetic and economic values of birds and the desirability of bird protection.

“Sanctuary Day” During the fall of 1914, the bird club established a cleanup day inviting able men and women from the town to donate a day’s work to the sanctuary by making and clearing paths, planting flowers, trees, and shrubs, pruning and trimming, and doing general maintenance.

Meriden Bird Club Today The Meriden Bird Club remains active today, still hosting pancake breakfasts and Sunday services. The members meet annually to discuss bird club initiatives and find relevance and purpose amongst a new generation of bird enthusiasts. As of 2011, the Bird Club began a campaign to raise funds to conserve an important record - a scrapbook which documents and is a testament to Ernest Harold Baynes and his involvement with helping save the American buffalo from extinction. The scrapbook contains clippings, photographs, written material, and other ephemera collected by Baynes. It represents a precursor of his efforts for the protection of birds. As a unique historical document, the scrapbook provides an authentic primary resource for scholars and researchers. It is imperative the book be conserved, along with other significant artifacts from the Meriden Bird Club’s collection.

SANCTUARY Exhibit Summary The arrival of naturalist, Ernest Harold Baynes to Meriden and the founding of the Meriden Bird Club, were catalysts in helping Meriden become the country’s leading “Bird Village.” Collected efforts were made and grass roots approaches were used to raise awareness of the need to protect birds. Through education and hands-on activities, bird club and community members worked together to build bird houses and establish bird-themed events to keep momentum going for the bird conservation movement. A turning point came after Meriden acquired land and established the nation’s first bird sanctuary, which provided a safe place for birds and other wild life to dwell. The inaugural dedication ceremony of the preserve hatched the creative theatrical production, Sanctuary: A Bird Masque written by author Percy MacKaye. An audience of community members, artists, and progressive thinkers were brought together in support of the cause. President Wilson and his wife were present to see their daughters participate in the play. Meriden and the Masque’s fame spread worldwide and helped create two thirds of the country’s bird clubs. Baynes and MacKaye contributed to the larger conservation movement in America during the late 19thand early 20th centuries through their bird protection efforts. Baynes went on summer long lecture tours, talking about birds, the masque and how to start bird clubs. MacKaye gave permission for amateur theater groups to perform the Masque furthering its outreach and conservation message both nationally and internationally as it was performed in England and Japan. Efforts in promoting Sanctuary: A Bird Masque and its message contributed to passage of the NPS Organic Act in 1916, signed by President Wilson. Wilson also re-signed the Weeks-McLean Law designed to stop commercial market hunting of migratory birds. The law was renamed The Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 1918. Service to the Birds: Meriden’s Bird Story explores these themes to illustrate the Masque’s social impact and lasting legacy.

A Masque for all Reasons The Cornish Colony was comprised of many artists and frequently arranged pageants and masques, which often involved the whole community. Some performances gave private tributes, such as ‘A Masque of “Ours”’ and ‘The Gods and the Golden Bowl’, an original pageant written in 1905 to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the arrival of famous American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens and his wife, Augusta to Cornish, an event which prompted the founding of the artist colony. Other performances promoted social issues, the first being Sanctuary: A Bird Masque. Written for the dedication of the Meriden Bird Club’s bird sanctuary in September 1913, the Masque was inspired by a deep concern for the welfare of wild birds and advocated the work of the Meriden Bird Club to the general public by taking an important part in the bird conservation movement that would become national in its scope.

Synopsis A little girl walks in the woods, listening to the song of a Hermit Thrush; she sees and hears as in a dream, the story of Sanctuary: A Bird Masque. Quercus, the faun, care-taker of the sanctuary tends to a bird bath. The Poet, Alwyn arrives at the sanctuary of the bird spirit Ornis. Alwyn meets Quercus, who explains his new job and duties in taking care of the birds. Shy, the naturalist and protector of the place, greets them both before sending Quercus on errands. Shy speaks with Alwyn, winning his sympathy and understanding for the birds. A gun shot is heard, Ornis appears wounded and seeks refuge in her sanctuary. She is pursued by Stark, the hunter. Stark approaches and is beseeched by Alwyn and Shy, who try to dissuade him from capturing Ornis. Stark is then presently shown by Tacita, the dryad (wood nymph), of the real significance of the life of the birds. Ornis appears to Stark; he is overcome with grief and joy promising not to cause any more harm to the birds, and tosses his rifle aside. The masque ends in a dance led by Tacita.

Behind the Scenes Sanctuary: A Bird Masque was written, assembled, rehearsed, staged and delivered in a month’s time. Attendance was by invitation only, and those who accepted it were automatically initiated as members into the Meriden Bird Club. The Masque combined drama, pageantry, dancing, original music and colorful costumes amidst an outdoor setting, enhanced even more by the natural surroundings. Written in verse, the lines were spoken lyrically to create a symbolic poetic reverie. Its’ strongest attribute was a real plea to attract and protect birds. The Masque was performed outdoors in an amphitheater, a semicircular space with tiered bench seats above the performance area. The set included a low platform stage for dancing, covered with painted canvas to mimic the earthen floor. In the foreground, a fallen maple tree trunk became a dividing line between two planes - the natural and the supernatural. Certain characters only dwelled in one plane, while others moved between the two. A bird bath, nest boxes, food-houses, and a Martin-house on top of a tall pole were fixtures in the sanctuary, initially put there for the birds, but doubled as props for the Masque.

Meaning in the Masque Cornish Colony member and playwright, Percy MacKaye (1875-1956) was asked by his friend Ernest Harold Baynes to write a poem for the dedication of the bird sanctuary. MacKaye obliged and saw an opportunity to advocate his belief of how the arts could be used to convey social issues and concerns. Using the format of a masque, MacKaye’s Sanctuary: A Bird Masque merged science and art into a conceptualized theatrical production. His writings on civic theatre, an alternative to commercial theater, proposed interpreting social issues through artistic means in contrast to dominant static methods with scientific research full of facts and figures. Sanctuary: A Bird Masque provided MacKaye and Baynes an imaginative, approachable format, which reflected major concerns for wild life preservation that simultaneously empowered a call to action.

Like Daughter like Father At nine years old, Arvia MacKaye, the playwright’s daughter, wrote a lyrical poem “The Hermit Thrush.” Two years later her father, Percy MacKaye, used it in Sanctuary: A Bird Masque set to music composed by Frederick Converse and sung by Miss Margaret Wilson for the Masque’s Prelude. The musical accompaniment for Sanctuary: A Bird Masque was performed by a quartet consisting of flute, piano, French horn and violin. Three additional songs were composed by Converse at MacKaye’s request. Converse incorporated pieces from other composers as well, including Arthur Farwell. Farwell wrote music featuring bird calls for Kimball Union Academy’s centennial pageant the previous month. The piece was transcribed for flute and adapted for the Masque.

THE HERMIT THRUSH

While walking through a lonely wood I heard a lovely voice: A voice so fresh and true and good It made my heart rejoice. It sounded like a Sunday bell, Rung softly in a town, Or like a stream, that in a dell Forever trickles down. It seemed to me a voice of love, That always had loved me, So softly it rang out above— So wild and wanderingly. O Voice, were you a golden dove, Or just a plain gray bird? O Voice, you are my wandering love, Lost, yet forever heard. —Arvia Mackaye, 9 years old, 1911.

Patron to the Birds At the conclusion of the Masque, sculptor Herbert Adams approached Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, patron of the performance. He presented to her, on behalf of the Cornish Colony and the Meriden Bird Club, a parchment scroll dedicating the bird sanctuary where the Masque was performed. Adams was accompanied by two attendants costumed as Scarlet Tanagers. The scroll contained a sonnet epilogue written by Percy MacKaye and was inscribed by artist Stephen Parrish; the piece of parchment came from the original press of Benjamin Franklin. The scroll was signed by the Masque participants whose names were written beside each person’s character.

A Soaring Success Sanctuary: A Bird Masque was an overnight success, receiving full newspaper coverage of its inception and the important message of bird protection. Overall reactions were positive and praised the earlier efforts started in Meriden by the Bird Club. Meriden was suddenly thrust into the national spotlight earning its nickname, the “Bird Village.” The Meriden Bird Club, the bird sanctuary, and the Masque became nationally famous from coast to coast and earned international recognition in Europe and Asia.

London’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds wrote to MacKaye expressing interest in performance rights, noting that if presented, the Masque might gain support of the Plumage Bill, which was being pushed through Parliament at that time. Hungary too, requested to have the Masque translated into Hungarian for its’ conservation efforts. A head mistress from the Walnut Hill School in Natick, MA wrote to Ernest Harold Baynes in 1919, seven years after the Masque was first performed, mentioning her trip to Japan and seeing Sanctuary: A Bird Masque presented in English by Japanese school girls.

Copies of Sanctuary: A Bird Masque were requested by amateur and professional theatre groups, elementary schools, universities, women's clubs and federations, and various Audubon Societies. Due to the high demand, bulletins were sent out containing provisions for performances and reproductions, with a percentage of proceeds given to the Meriden Bird Club.

Masque Media Eleanor and Margaret Wilson’s involvement with the Masque caused a sensation in the papers. Whereas previous articles might have commented on the sisters' fashions or the parties they attended, attention was now paid to their respective performances in the Sanctuary: A Bird Masque. Countless articles featuring images of Eleanor in costume and praising her acting skills as well as Margaret's singing abilities, furthered public awareness of the Masque and its important message. Women, who saw the images and read of the President’s daughters’ advocating bird protection, renouncing feathery fashions, and giving opinions on a worthy cause, would have been shocked but they would also have been inspired. As women’s domestic roles, social agendas, political opinions, and right to vote were debated in Congress, the Wilson sisters had already gained immediate worldwide attention and praise as women of action for their social consciousness.

“I have been interested in birds all my life and I believe that the conservation of bird life is just as worthy as the conservation of our fisheries, minerals, and forests.”-Miss Eleanor Wilson, The Evening Telegram- New York, Saturday, February21, 1914.

“The Bird Girl” The Wilson daughters' invited a special guest to participate in 1913 performance of Sanctuary: A Bird Masque. Miss Katharine Minahan of Orange, New Jersey possessed a unique talent for making vocal bird calls. The musical accompaniment in Sanctuary: A Bird Masque was believed to solely rely on flutes producing all the bird sounds heard throughout the scenes. Although she was not mentioned among the names listed in the Masque’s program, Katherine provided various bird sounds during scenes in the play, convincing the audience they were real birds. Mrs. Wilson was delighted to reveal Katherine’s hidden talent and in later programs, her name appears as contributing bird calls.