CONNELLSVILLE 



1551 



CONSERVATION 



CONNELLSVILLE, kon'elzvil, PA., the cen- 

 ter of the most important coke region of the 

 United States, is situated on the Youghiogheny 

 River, in Fayette County, in the southwestern 

 part of the state. Pittsburgh is about fifty-six 

 miles northwest. Excellent facilities for trans- 

 portation are offered by the Baltimore & Ohio, 

 the Pennsylvania, the Western Maryland and 

 the Pittsburg & Lake Erie railways. Electric 

 lines also operate between Connellsville and 

 towns north, west and south, and the city is 

 connected by bridge with New Haven, now a 

 part of Connellsville. In 1910 the population 

 was 12,845; it had increased to 15,455 by 1916. 



The territory around Connellsville is also 

 rich in coal and natural gas. Until 1913 the 

 coke output of this district was estimated at 

 fifty per cent of the total output of the United 

 States. Besides its high rank as a coke center, 

 Connellsville has one of the largest lock fac- 

 tories in the United States, and its West Penn- 

 sylvania Power Plant is the second largest 

 steam electric plant in the country. The Cot- 

 tage State Hospital, the South Side Hospital 

 (private), a Carnegie Library, and the Federal 

 building, erected in 1912 at a cost of $130,000, 

 are the most notable buildings. Besides the 

 public school system, there is a business college. 



Connellsville was settled in 1770, was formed 

 into a township in 1793 and named for Zach- 

 ariah Connell, the founder. It was incorpo- 

 rated as a borough in 1806 and as a city in 1912. 

 Edward Braddock, the Irish general of French 

 and Indian War fame, is buried here. W.P.S. 



CONNOR, kon'er, RALPH. See GORDON, 

 CHARLES WILLIAM. 



CONSCRIPTION , kon skrip ' shun, or DRAFT- 

 ING, terms generally applied to enforced en- 

 listment in army or navy. From the days of 

 the ancient Romans, conscription in one form 

 or another has been practiced in Europe. The 

 modern form of conscription, by which every 

 citizen between certain ages who is physically 

 fit to do so is compelled to serve in the army, 

 was first introduced by France. It was an 

 indirect result of the French Revolution, which 

 almost put a stop to recruiting. Partial con- 

 scription did not meet the requirements, and 

 in 1792 a law was passed compelling all citizens 

 to undergo military training. Conscription was 

 quickly adopted in nearly all European coun- 

 tries, the term of service being usually three 

 years. There are, however, many variations 

 of the system. 



Germany as a political power derived great 

 benefits from conscription. Many authorities 

 trace the marked progress of that country since 

 the Franco-German War to the compulsory 

 military system and the order evolved by mili- 

 tary training and discipline. In the United 

 States, Canada and Great Britain conscription 

 had been avoided, excepting on one occasion, 

 in 1863, during the War of Secession, when the 

 United States put such a law into effect. How- 

 ever, the extraordinary demand for millions of 

 men in 1917, in the War of the Nations, led all 

 three countries to resort to conscription. The 

 Home Rule element in Ireland and the French- 

 Canadians of Quebec opposed the act; in the 

 city of Quebec riots occurred. In the United 

 States opposition was voiced by a negligible 

 minority. See page 6174. 



ONSERVATION, which means, liter- 

 ally, "the preserving from waste or injury," 

 is applied very generally at the present time to 

 the safeguarding of a nation's natural re- 

 sources. In this sense, however, much more 

 than preservation is implied. Conservation of 

 natural resources includes also development, 

 prudence, economy and foresight in caring for 

 nature's bountiful gifts. It is the sacred duty 

 of each generation to care for these gifts, so 

 they may be available for the generations to 



come. In the words of Gilford Pinchot, its 

 foremost American advocate, "Conservation 

 is the greatest good to the greatest number for 

 the longest time." 



The natural resources upon which man de- 

 pends for his existence are water, forests, min- 

 erals and the fertility of the soil. Of these, 

 water is the only one whose supply can be said 

 to be inexhaustible. Yet its unequal distribu- 

 tion, its tremendous powers of destruction in 

 time of flood and its wonderful possibilities 



