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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  In 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  limited 
  area 
  now 
  available 
  to 
  the 
  human 
  race, 
  the 
  

   realization 
  that 
  enormous 
  areas 
  of 
  land 
  are 
  still 
  being 
  destroyed 
  by 
  

   inconsiderate 
  and 
  wasteful 
  methods 
  must 
  arouse 
  thinking 
  people 
  to 
  

   action. 
  If 
  man 
  is 
  making 
  deserts 
  out 
  of 
  productive 
  lands, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  

   not 
  only 
  of 
  national, 
  but 
  of 
  world-wide 
  concern. 
  

  

  If 
  Moses 
  had 
  foreseen 
  how 
  soil 
  erosion 
  induced 
  by 
  inconsiderate 
  use 
  

   of 
  land 
  would 
  devastate 
  the 
  "Promised 
  Land," 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  vast 
  areas 
  of 
  

   the 
  earth, 
  resulting 
  in 
  man-made 
  deserts 
  and 
  decadence 
  of 
  civiliza- 
  

   tions 
  ; 
  if 
  he 
  had 
  foreseen 
  the 
  impoverishment, 
  revolution, 
  wars, 
  migra- 
  

   tions, 
  and 
  social 
  decadence 
  of 
  billions 
  of 
  people 
  throughout 
  thousands 
  

   of 
  years 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  exploitation 
  and 
  desolation 
  of 
  their 
  lands 
  by 
  

   erosion, 
  he 
  doubtless 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  inspired 
  to 
  deliver 
  an 
  Eleventh 
  

   Commandment 
  to 
  complete 
  the 
  trinity 
  of 
  man's 
  responsibilities 
  — 
  to 
  

   his 
  Creator, 
  to 
  his 
  fellow 
  men, 
  and 
  to 
  Mother 
  Earth. 
  Such 
  a 
  Com- 
  

   mandment 
  should 
  read 
  somewhat 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  Thou 
  shalt 
  inherit 
  the 
  holy 
  earth 
  as 
  a 
  faithful 
  steward, 
  conserving 
  its 
  resources 
  

   and 
  productivity 
  from 
  generation 
  to 
  generation. 
  Thou 
  shalt 
  safeguard 
  thy 
  fields 
  

   from 
  soil 
  erosion, 
  thy 
  living 
  waters 
  from 
  drying 
  up, 
  thy 
  forests 
  from 
  desolation, 
  

   and 
  protect 
  thy 
  hills 
  from 
  overgrazing 
  by 
  thy 
  herds, 
  that 
  thy 
  descendants 
  may 
  

   have 
  abundance 
  forever. 
  If 
  any 
  shall 
  fail 
  in 
  this 
  stewardship 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  thy 
  

   fruitful 
  fields 
  shall 
  become 
  sterile 
  stony 
  ground 
  or 
  wasting 
  gullies 
  and 
  thy 
  descend- 
  

   ants 
  shall 
  decrease 
  and 
  live 
  in 
  poverty 
  or 
  perish 
  from 
  off 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  earth. 
  

  

  Hitherto, 
  mankind 
  in 
  its 
  conquest 
  of 
  the 
  land, 
  except 
  in 
  very 
  limited 
  

   areas, 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  governed 
  by 
  such 
  an 
  injunction 
  ; 
  on 
  the 
  contrary, 
  

   mankind 
  has 
  been 
  impelled 
  by 
  an 
  economy 
  of 
  exploitation, 
  looking 
  to 
  

   the 
  discovery 
  of 
  new 
  lands 
  or 
  new 
  sources 
  of 
  food 
  and 
  materials 
  as 
  

   needs 
  arise. 
  The 
  lands 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  are 
  occupied 
  and 
  such 
  a 
  policy 
  

   leads 
  inevitably 
  to 
  conflict. 
  

  

  The 
  solution 
  of 
  such 
  conflicts 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  has 
  been 
  sought 
  generally 
  

   in 
  a 
  formula 
  of 
  war 
  with 
  destruction 
  of 
  property, 
  works, 
  and 
  human 
  

   lives 
  as 
  means 
  of 
  arriving 
  at 
  agreements. 
  As 
  this 
  paper 
  is 
  being 
  written 
  

   fully 
  half 
  the 
  human 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  earth, 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  billion 
  

   human 
  beings, 
  have 
  as 
  their 
  most 
  absorbing 
  purpose 
  to 
  destroy 
  the 
  

   achievements 
  and 
  works 
  of 
  generations 
  and 
  the 
  annihilation 
  of 
  popu- 
  

   lations, 
  soldiers 
  and 
  civilian 
  men, 
  women, 
  and 
  children. 
  Civilization 
  

   is 
  committing 
  suicide. 
  

  

  Sooner 
  or 
  later 
  peoples 
  engaged 
  in 
  modern 
  warfare 
  will 
  become 
  

   weary 
  and 
  exhausted 
  by 
  this 
  hellish 
  frenzy 
  of 
  destruction 
  and 
  car- 
  

   nage. 
  Mankind 
  may 
  then 
  be 
  prepared 
  to 
  accept 
  an 
  alternative 
  — 
  a 
  

   substitute 
  for 
  destruction 
  in 
  the 
  conservation 
  of 
  the 
  earth's 
  resources, 
  

   in 
  maintaining 
  and 
  improving 
  necessary 
  supplies. 
  Under 
  scientific 
  

   conservation, 
  the 
  earth 
  will 
  produce 
  beyond 
  the 
  dreams 
  of 
  mankind. 
  

  

  Besides, 
  the 
  formula 
  of 
  destructive 
  exploitation 
  has 
  failed 
  miser- 
  

   ably 
  to 
  solve 
  problems 
  of 
  growing 
  populations 
  ; 
  it 
  has 
  only 
  set 
  back 
  

   the 
  same 
  problem 
  to 
  come 
  forth 
  again 
  with 
  more 
  insistence. 
  The 
  

  

  