XIV 



TREES AND CIVILISATION 



IF any man doubts that trees have a most direct 

 and profound influence on civilisation, let him 

 look at China. Centuries ago, China was regarded 

 as one of the most advanced and enlightened coun- 

 tries on earth. To-day her struggles toward real 

 republicanism are handicapped by the dead weight 

 of a dull, stagnant population of many millions. 

 The year she used up her trees her decadence began. 



China is a perfect example of the evils of defor- 

 estation. In the eastern provinces, the benumbing 

 process was completed so long ago that most of the 

 people do not know that such things as forests ex- 

 ist. Trees still grow in the mountain fastnesses of 

 the western regions, but they are constantly being 

 reduced under demands for timber. When a single 

 board suitable for use in a coffin retails for $2.00 

 to $3.00 in Shensi, it pays a coolie to carry a few 

 sticks down there. 



In eastern China, one may travel for hundreds of 

 miles through a treeless waste. The war on vegeta- 



187 



