216 



THE TREE DOCTOR 



a "blusterbund." Sir, it seems as if you might be a descendant 

 of the fellow who asked, "Is not this great Babylon which I have 

 built ?" As to the coal and ore supply, I prefer cool figuring to 

 exulting declarations. I well remember the boasts of thousands, 

 in 1873-4-5-6: "The pineries of Michigan are utterly inexhaus- 

 tible !" They have not thought that way in that region for over 

 ten years. 



On the coal problem, an estimate was sent out in print re- 

 cently by a conservative, scholarly scientist. Seventy-five years 

 from now, he tells us, the coal beds of Europe will be practically 

 exhausted. "What of that? we have a plenty." Sure of that? 

 Enough for your time may be, but is your time or my time 

 what we have to live for? Our scientist tells us that the world 

 is now using about eight hundred million tons of coal annually. 

 Ask your coal man to tell you the number of cubic feet in a ton 

 of average coal, then figure out the size of the little mountain 

 of eight hundred million tons, and ask your preacher to "an- 

 nounce" how long before the. coal trusts will notify the public: 

 "Scarcity in coal ; advance two dollars per ton over last year." 



Photo 202 

 Overlooking the Ocean, Newport, R. I. 



