rORKSTS AND HUMAN PROGRKSS 59 



forest are checked in their migrations hy the driftwood that is brought 

 to them by ocean currents from forested regions. Other subjects in 

 the first evokitionary stage treated are the efifect the forest has as a 

 moulder of spiritual and religious life and the role that forests have 

 played in folklore, poetry, and art. 



Under the second stage, civUizotion overcoming the forests, the 

 development begins with primitive methods of agriculture. The author 

 maintains that this method could not change to any marked degree the 

 forest cover of the earth for the tools used were too crude, and activity 

 of the people was rarely concentrated, but was nomadic. In Germany 

 alone there are 6,905 names of places which indicate their origin in 

 forest regions. The use of forest products as a supplementary source 

 of food for man and cattle began in the early settlements near forest 

 regions. Stock was grazed in the open forests, nuts like acorns fur- 

 nished food for man and beast alike, and in the neighboring forest wild 

 animals were used for meat and hides. 



The author claims that exploitation of the forests were the chief 

 cause of their disappearance over large areas. He points out how 

 rivers have favored this exploitation and consequently forests disap- 

 peared first along them. Only when steam railroads were introduced 

 was it possible to reach forests far from natural lines of transporta- 

 tion. He points out the overcoming of the forests influences man 

 psychologically, and while the backwood type often developed unde- 

 sirable traits yet it nevertheless made men, and many of our great 

 leaders like Lincoln sprang from this type of civilization. 



With the spread of civilization the world's forested area has been 

 nuich reduced Ijut instances are pointed out where ancient civilization 

 has declined, reforestation has reoccupied the area. It is shown that 

 the original composition of the forest is in some instances profoundly 

 changed by man. 



The introduction to the last stage, civilization dominating forests, 

 is worth fjuoting: 



"Over a large part of the world the forest is now conquered. It is 

 not only conquered, it is exterminated beyond any possible chance of 

 natural recovery. It has now become important to civilization to pre- 

 serve and restore the forest instead of struggling against it. Out of a 

 land area of some 82^/2 billion acres there is little more than 5 billion 

 acres remaining in forest — exclusive of brush land — or only one-sixth 

 of the land area. The greatest change of course has taken place in 

 Europe, where of a total land area of nearly 3' j billion acres there 



