548 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



benumbed, because we have too long 

 laid one-sided emphasis on isolated 

 projects and pursuits. We are possessed 

 by our daily tasks; we can no longer 

 shake ourselves free of them. We 

 quickly lose the power of interesting 

 ourselves in anything except the imme- 

 diate objects of our endeavors, which 

 are magnified under our unflickering 

 attention till they react upon us hypnot- 

 ically, enslaving us to them. We come 

 to consider ourselves too busy to spare 

 the time for any pleasure, any duty, that 

 does not seem to belong in the little 

 world to which we have deliberately re- 

 stricted our thinking and our feeling. 

 Freshness of perception is dulled, elas- 

 ticity of mind stiffens, sympathies con- 

 tract, in the unswering pursuit of single 

 aims. 



Once again the many-sided Mr. 

 Roosevelt has reminded us that the 

 world has countless interests, and shown 

 us how to turn, with equal profit and 

 enjoyment, from the greater to the lesser 

 elements of a fully rounded life. It is 

 a lesson sorely needed. When we have 

 mastered it the greater tasks that en- 

 gage us — perhaps not so great as our 

 habits and conceits would make them — 

 will no longer hold absolute dominion 

 over us ; we shall begin to live more 

 completely. It will be easier then to 

 reach the busy man, become less busy in 

 his own eyes, and to engage his interest 

 and help, whether it be in some vast 

 project in his own specialty or some- 

 thing far more remote, such as a plan 

 to conserve forests which he has never 

 seen, for a future which he cannot him- 

 self enjoy. 



«« «« )^ 



Consistency 



BULLETIN No. 5 of the National 

 Conservation Association summar- 

 izes and criticizes the legislation deal- 

 ing with the development of natural re- 

 sources which was passed or considered 

 by the last Congress. The gist of the 

 results accomplished is given in the 

 following words : 



"The National Conservation Associa- 

 tion has substantial cause for satisfac- 



tion in the progress achieved during the 

 session of Congress just closed. In 

 spite of all opposition, the principles for 

 which we stand have been enacted into 

 law in a considerable number of cases, 

 and are represented in many bills still 

 awaiting action. More than one ave- 

 nue to monopolistic grabbing of the peo- 

 ple's property has been closed, but much 

 still remains to be done. The friends 

 of the conservation movement are in 

 better position to continue the fight than 

 seemed possible when the session of 

 Congress began. 



"Throughout the session the asso- 

 ciation followed the legislative situation 

 closely. Its ofificers, through bulletins, 

 have endeavored to keep all members 

 informed regarding the more urgent 

 measures favorable to conservation and 

 those opposed to it. The officers of the 

 association are keenly sensible of the 

 vigorous cooperation on the part of its 

 members toward the enactment of good 

 conservation laws and the defeat of pro- 

 posed bad legislation. 



"Early in the recent session Senator 

 Nelson introduced nine conservation 

 bills drafted in the Interior Department. 

 These bills, which were described in 

 the first Bulletin sent to the members 

 of the association, were mostly bad. 

 The Timber Sale Bill (S. 5489) in par- 

 ticular was wholly indefensible. For 

 five of these bills substitutes (H. R. 

 23698 to 23702 inclusive) embodying 

 conservation principles were prepared 

 by the association, covering all impor- 

 tant phases of the conservation pro- 

 gram of the administration. These were 

 introduced by Representative Gronna 

 of North Dakota, and are before Con- 

 gress for consideration at its next ses- 

 sion. The substitute for the With- 

 drawal Bill suggested by the association 

 was enacted into law with amend- 

 ments. * * * The three remain- 

 ing conservation bills proposed by the 

 administration, which were of relatively 

 small importance, were passed in a form 

 different from that in which they were 

 introduced, and one of them in greatly 

 improved form. The act for issuing 

 $20,000,000 of bonds to hasten the com- 



