CHAPTER IV 



FOREST AND FORESTRY DEFINED 



FROM age to age the relations of man to man, 

 and of man to nature, change according to the 

 development of science and art and the progress 

 of civilization in general. What was important 

 once has lost its significance to-day, and what 

 appears to us highly significant at the present 

 time had no existence in the minds of our ances- 

 tors. With these changes in our conditions and 

 conceptions the language used in expressing them 

 also changes ; not only does our vocabulary in- 

 crease, but words long used change their meaning, 

 sometimes so radically, that little is left of the 

 first meaning. 



The conception and the word " forest " has in 

 this way through historical development experi- 

 enced a change to such an extent, that the original 

 conception and meaning are almost, if not entirely, 

 obliterated. In this change, both of conception 

 and meaning, Teutonic development has made its 

 impress. The word of Old High German origin, 

 " voorst," used to designate the segregated prop- 

 erty of the king, or leader of the tribe. Toward 

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