THE CONFERENCE AND DINNER. 223 



movement, Dr Baunitigha, and the gentleman upon whom 

 Mr Stewart called suggested to him that this forester would be 

 in town in a few days, and the matter had better be put before 

 him, as he was an important man in forestry ! So you see the 

 area of ignorance we had to work upon was quite as extensive, 

 and perhaps as dense as it is in some quarters of the old land. 

 But the light is breaking. I do not wish, however, to be under- 

 stood to be attempting to say that the Parliamentarians have 

 not assisted us and given their support, but there are 

 Parliamentarians and Parliamentarians. I happened to meet one 

 leading Parliamentarian of the Dominion when we were within a 

 short time of having one of our annual conventions, and I spoke 

 to him about it and asked him if he would attend the meetings to 

 be held while Parliament was sitting. "Oh," he said, " I do not 

 think I will attend. I think that is just a sort of a 'fad."" I 

 had the extreme pleasure two years afterwards of attending a 

 large convention of the Forestry Association in one of the 

 Provinces at which a large dinner was given, and to hear this 

 distinguished Parliamentarian, in a very good speech indeed, 

 explain what a great and important matter forestry was, and 

 what a deep and personal interest he took in it. 



"Therefore, although there are many discouragements and 

 difficulties from time to time in trying to develop and 

 encourage this work, there are still signs of progress and very 

 evident signs of progress in the Dominions. The coming 

 together here of the representatives of the Dominions may 

 possibly be, to some extent, a help to you, but it has certainly 

 been a help to us and greatly encouraged us. It has shown us that 

 we are not alone in the struggle against difficulties and problems, 

 because we find that here men are struggling with the same 

 problems, and have been struggling for sixty years, while we 

 have only been at it for ten or twelve years, and we have a long 

 distance to go before we can catch up on the Scottish Society. 

 But I think that the fact of the Dominions taking up the 

 question of forestry is strong evidence of advancing civilisation 

 in those far-off regions. 1 think the attitude in regard to forestry 

 indicates this, because the view of the forester is not the view ot 

 the moment. It is the long view, the view that does not consider 

 only to-day or even to-morrow, but considers the years to come and 

 the future generations as well as the present generation, and the 

 fact that that thought is getting into the minds of the people of the 



