COMMENTS ON KIRKLAND's CRITICISM 309 



Professor Kirkland's vision of permanent forest industry is an at- 

 tractive one. He is himself our most concentrated student of economic 

 conditions bearing on its practicability. About midway in his comment 

 is a very forcible sentence on another line — "only orderly action based 

 on clear scientific foresight will secure anything like the full productive 

 possibilities of the forest." No one desires to counter that of course, 

 and still by fair consideration, along the lines of my own paper for 

 instance, its impact might perhaps be mitigated. As a matter of fact 

 Kirkland himself at another point suggests a limitation when he 

 says that "the true forester strives always to keep his knowledge 

 workable." The last word there is the important one, the one over 

 which is likely to arise difference of opinion. The man who is close to 

 a given thing may have a different view than the one farther away, the 

 man really responsible from the one who stands free, the man who 

 deals mostly with principles from he who habitually deals with men. 

 while age and temperament will be at the root of further differences 

 of opinion. We want always to remember in our discussions that in 

 these matters relations and interests are at least as varied as the view- 

 points to understand that even the patriotic feeling which Kirkland 

 invokes may not bear all in one direction. 



