FOREST EXCURSIONS. 14^ 



From the founding of the school, up to the present 

 time, it has ever been the desire of those taking the 

 deepest interest in it, to raise up a body of able-bodied, 

 strong-minded, well educated, thoroughly trained, and 

 well instructed gentlemen gentlemen both in the usual 

 acceptance of the term, and in the higher one according 

 to which he gentle is who gentle does,* heartily devoted 

 to their profession, taking a comprehensive view of the 

 range of matters with which forestry has to do, and able 

 to state distinctly and explicitly in courteous language 

 what in connection therewith they consider the interests 

 of the country require should be done. 



His Excellency Senor D. Bernardo de la Torre Rojas, 

 the founder and first director of the school, in a manus- 

 cript work preserved in the library of the school, entitled 

 Apuntes de mi Diaris Particular Relative a la Fundacion de la 

 Escuela y Cuerpo de Ingeiiieros de Monies Notes from my 

 Private Journal relative to the Founding of the School 

 and Corps of Forest Engineers writing of the importance 

 of combining with the instruction given in the school the 

 practical application of knowledge acquired, and the 

 development in the students of an esprit de corps, goes on 

 to say : ' It is with this in view that I attach so much 

 importance to the development of physical strength in 

 the forest engineers ; for 1 am persuaded that otherwise 

 they will be considered and treated as only poor students, 

 devoid of the strength needed to inspire respect in the 

 employes of the department who may be required to 

 accompany them, if they do not on their forest expedi- 

 tions show themselves to be as strong as they are. 



' Discipline,' he adds, ' does not consist, as many others 

 believe, in the simple obedience of the inferior to his 

 superior in what pertains to the service, but it extends 

 to uninterrupted respect in the private intercourse of the 

 classes with each other. The conduct thus spoken of 

 must be based not on the force of prescriptions or 



* [Mark him who doeth all the good he can, 

 And take him for the truest gentleman.] 



