SAFEGUARDING THE FORESTS 

 Twentyfoot FircUne Protecting Nursery Bell, Santa Barbara National Forest 



the generation of to-day must take 

 steps to save the forests that remain ; 

 take steps to reclaim the arid lands ; 

 take steps to conserve and to utilize the 

 waters ; take steps to develop and to 

 use the water-powers and the water- 

 ways ; to conserve the mineral re- 

 sources — coal, iron, oil, gas, etc. — in 

 short, to waste no iota of the resources 

 of nature, and to develop to the utmost 

 those natural sources of material 

 wealth and comfort that have too long 

 been neglected. 



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The Practical View 



ONCE upon a time — every story 

 that is really a story must begin 

 this way — the Commercial Club of a 

 certain middle western town was con- 

 fronted with the possibility of the 

 town's losing the use of a beautiful 

 grove of hardwood trees. The grove 

 was situated just at the edge of the 

 town ; it had never been made into a 

 494 



formal park, but, having been cleared 

 and kept in good condition, had been 

 used for years as a picnic ground and 

 for large outdoor gatherings. But, in 

 the fullness of time, the owner o-f the 

 grove received a good offer for the 

 timber, and was minded to accept the 

 offer. He gave the town first chance, 

 however, and was willing to accept 

 even a lower price for the grove than 

 he could get from the concern that 

 wanted it for the timber that could be 

 cut off it. 



The town council, however, failed to 

 act ; the delay gave the members of the 

 Commercial Club an opportunity and 

 a special meeting was called, to discuss 

 ways and means of securing the grove 

 for a town park. Nothing resulted 

 from the first meeting ; the members 

 and their wives assembled and talked, 

 and at the close of the talk "refresh- 

 ments were served," as the daily paper 

 remarked. A second meeting, and a 

 third, were held, resulting in nothing 

 but talk and ice cream and cake. At 

 last a quiet, hard-headed old member 



