



Railroad Bridge Damaged by High Water 



people, in jirotccing" the soil from 

 erosion and from exhanstion, in the 

 reclamation of the deserts and swamps 

 and in the preservation of forests 

 still remaining-, and the plantings of 

 denuded tracts is an investment yield- 

 ing an annual income. If such expendi- 

 tures fail to bring a return at once, the 

 money expended is like a bequest to 

 those who come after us. And as the 

 parents live for their child, as well as 

 for themselves, the good citizen pro- 

 vides for the future as well as the pres- 

 ent." President Taft has pledged his 

 support to any measure tending to con- 

 serve natural resources, anrl we must 

 confidently expect that his adminis- 

 tration will render valuable assistance 

 in this great work. 



CARDINAF. r,II!l!ONS's OPINION 



His Eminence. Cardinal Gibbons, 

 gives his endorsement to the work by 

 convincing arguments. He says "our 

 forests and other natural resources are 

 God-given heritages which belong no 



more to the present generation than to 

 the generations that are to come. It is 

 our duty as American citizens to regard 

 these resources as sacred trusts, to pre- 

 serve them and to use them wisely and 

 with moderation, that we may, as far as 

 possible, provide against the days of 

 want that are surely approaching." 



The distinguished French ambassa- 

 dor, M. Jusserand, sairl : "It is an ab- 

 solute principle — no forests, no water- 

 ways. Without forests regulating the 

 distribution of waters, rainfalls are at 

 once carried to the sea, hurried some- 

 times across the country. After hav- 

 ing devastated the neighboring fields, 

 the rivers find themselves again with 

 little water and much sand, and with 

 such rivers how will you fill your canals? 

 The question is as clear as can be. Dc 

 you want to have navigable rivers, oi 

 do 3-our prefer to have torrents destro) 

 your crops and never bear a boat? If 

 you prefer the first, then mind your for- 

 ests * * * If the Mississippi is the 

 Father of Waters, the forest is the 

 Father of the Mississippi." 



31 



