XI 



MEN AND TREES 



I DO not see that Nature is any more solicitous 

 about the well-being of man than she is, say, 

 about the well-being of trees. She is solicitous about 

 the well-being of all life, so far as the conditions of 

 life favor its development and continuance — men 

 and trees alike. But all have to run the gantlet of 

 some form of hostile forces — the trees one kind, 

 man another. What I mean is that evil in some form 

 waits upon all — hindrances, accidents, defeat, 

 failure, death. 



The trees and the forests have their enemies and 

 accidents and set-backs, and men and communities 

 of men have analogous evils. Trees are attacked by 

 worms, blight, tornadoes, lightning, and men are 

 attacked by pestilence, famine, wars, and all man- 

 ner of diseases. Every tree struggles to stand up- 

 right; it is the easiest and only normal position. 

 Men aspire to uprightness of thought and conduct, 

 but a thousand accidental conditions prevent most 

 of them from attaining it. One tree in falling is likely 

 to bring down, or to mutilate, other trees, as the 

 moral or business downfall of a strong man in 

 a community is quite sure to bring evil to many 

 others around him. Trees struggle with one another 



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