A WORD TO THE MEMBKRS 147 



Forestry in the United States is making more progress right today 

 than ever before. 



This progress calls for men and lots of them, and the best are none 

 too good. 



This progress, this development of one of the great basic industries, 

 this organization and care of billions and billions of property, means 

 concerted as well as intelligent action. 



And here is where this Society enters as organization and leader. 



The forester who, for reasons of indifference, conceit, penury, or 

 grouch, thinks he can sit back in his little patch of wild woods and "do 

 well enough," "make his own growth study," or what-not. will soon 

 find out that his barnacle habits do not lead far, and that in most cases 

 they lead off the road into the swamp and mire. The man who becomes 

 an active member of the Society; calls on his fellow-member for con- 

 ference, advice, criticism, information, stimulus, and help, will find that 

 this Society is a very real thing — full of life, full of possibilities and 

 help — and not the "useless sort," as pictured by a posing adviser in for- 

 estry last January at Washington, nor the "Baked-apple Club," as 

 designated by a man who owes his fine career very largely to the So- 

 ciety, or at least to some of the most active members and founders of 

 the Society. 



The Society, in keeping with the history of forestry in our country, 

 is young; it is just finding itself; it has just decided what it is, what 

 manner of men are wanted in its membership, what lines of work are 

 possible and practicable and useful. It has just found that an aristo- 

 cratic membership based on "great achievement" does not always "pan 

 out" ; that it is useless to expect prominent engineers, artists, etc., to 

 become and to remain members and pay their dues for service which is 

 of no use and value to them. 



The recent resignations of just such men (excellent men in them- 

 selves) proves these facts. 



The Society today realizes clearly that a society of free men, and 

 especially of foresters, must justify itself by real service to these men 

 and their profession. No aristocratic, idealistic, large dues, and lots of 

 fine stationary affair suffices. It must be a society that will give to any 

 earnest, intelligent forester actual service, dollar for dollar and in full 

 measure. 



This our Society today does and does well. The greatest step in this 

 direction was the amalgamation of the Proceedings and Quarterly into 

 the FoRKSTRv Journal. This journal in its first year has proved its 

 Worth. I'ntkT the excellent direction of its editors, it has demonstrated 



