52 jorRXAi, OF l•■()Kl•;s^K^• 



niciil indubitably leaves something to be desired if the jjtirpose of the 

 volume is supposed to be a serious attempt to inform the general reader 

 as to the real issues raised by the conservation movement. 



Of the seriousness with which Professor Ely handles his special 

 topic, entitled "Conservation and Economic Theory," there can be no 

 question whatever. Vet it is difificult to take the paper itself as seri- 

 ously as the reputation of its author would make one wish to do. Un- 

 fortunately, in this case, Professor Ely seems, after all, to have had 

 little of importance to say. Of this, it is true, he himself was appa- 

 rently unconscious. I'arren definitions, classifications which get no- 

 where, and solemn i)latitudes delivered as though they were the sum 

 and substance of human wisdom, weary the reader to no profit. To 

 enumerate in detail the shortcomings of this venture into a field in 

 which it is as necessary as it is charitable to assume that the author 

 strayed without adequate preparation would take more space than can 

 here be given. For those who have any knowledge whatever of the 

 history of the conservation movement, the value and accuracy of the 

 paper will be sufficiently characterized by allowing it to speak for 

 itself. 



Chapters 11, HI, and 1\' give a kind of historical review of the 

 development of the conservation movement. According to Professor 

 Ely, "it was the work of economists in i)reparing the public mind 

 throughout the length and breadth of the land that helped to make 

 possible the later work of the conservationists." Modesty does not 

 prevent Professor Ely from claiming for his own "early treatises, be- 

 ginning with the Introduction to Political Bcouoiny, published in 1889," 

 a considerable share of the credit. "Forestry was discussed" — in two 

 pages, a footnote informs us — while the State was "presented as a 

 guardian of the permanent interests of society." This view of the 

 State "is the corner-stone of wise conservation policies — a very sine 

 qua non. Isow this book was prepared for the Chautauqua reading 

 course, elsewhere. And Chautauqua was then able to take the mes- 

 sage to every part of our broad land." 



Dr. Fernow is given a place of deserved prominence in this historical 

 review, but principally, it would appear, because of his lectures and 

 writings on the economics of forestry. Mis name first appears on 

 page 15, where we are informed that "in 1891 the American Economic 

 Association showed its appreciation of one of the more important 

 aspects of conservation by publishing a monograph on forestry con- 

 sisting of three papers — one by Mr. Gifford Pinchot, on 'Forestry 



