EDITORIAL 



A correspondent of this 

 ,, t fi ce te n S( in a 



aw pairing manner, of hav- 

 oc wrought by cutting down young 

 fon.--f- in the Smith in order to con- 

 -truct a railroad trestle, with result- 

 ant danger of landslides on the moun- 

 tain; and this in spite of the fact that 

 the railroad officials were supposed 

 to appreciate the dangers attending 

 deforestation. Yet notwithstanding 

 his feeling of hopelessness, he. joins 

 The American Forestry Association 

 in order to help the creation of a pub- 

 lie sentiment to correct the evil. 



The forest destruction in progress 

 in the United States is tragic ; if con- 

 tinned, the results will be grave. 



That business men. nominally in 

 -vmpathy with the forestry move- 

 ment. are in some cases active in aid- 

 ing and abetting this destruction, is 

 indisputable. Had we no other re- 

 course than to appeal to them to de- 

 sist, we might feel the cause to be 

 hopeless. Business is conducted for 

 private profit; and, this being the 

 case, public interest must, as a rule, 

 be brushed aside in the world-wide 

 struggle for gain. 



But we have other recourse. We 



have, in this country, a government- 

 m tact, a number of governments. 

 The ostensible object of government 

 to safeguard the interests of the 

 entire people. It is the business of 

 government, therefore, to protect the 

 forests-certainly such of them as, 

 because of their size position, and re- 

 lation to large and varied interests, 

 are of public concern 



Several of the State governments 



country are taking steps to 



protect the forests within their juris- 



The greatest work, how- 



ever is being conducted by the Na- 



Government through the For- 



Experience shows that the Forest 

 Service is. actually and appreciably, 

 improving the forest situation in the 

 areas committed to its charge. The 

 work of this arm of the National 



Government is notable. UIK! i> bi- 

 w j t ] 1 promise. 



Situations such as that de-crihed 

 by onr correspondent are doubtle-- t' 

 be saved, if saved at all. through c\\- 

 trol by the Forest Service. 



Here is the field for associate'! and 

 individual activity. The American 

 Forestry Association seeks to instruct 

 the public as to the principle- of tor- 

 est preservation and extension, not 

 only by private activity but by pu-h- 

 ing the system of National Fore.-t-. 



One of the great objects now before 

 it is the establishment of National 

 Forests in the Southern Appalachian 

 and White Mountains. For some 

 years, a bill for this purpose has been 

 aggressively pushed by the Associa- 



Moses, in his journey toward the 

 Promised Land, came to the very 

 border, only to perish there. Such 



was the fate of this bil1 in the 5 ( ' th 

 Congress. Friends of the forests 



must highly resolve that in the 6oth 

 Congress the bill shall, without fail. 

 be inscribed on the Federal statute 

 book. 



Here is an opportunity for all to 

 unite in promoting the end which is 



S o vital to the public well-being. All 

 dtizens who are mindfu i of their dutv 

 should use their influen ce with their 

 fellow citizens and with members of 



Congress to secure the passage of this 



Wasteful 



s whom is be _ 



g. . * ^ 



f aint a * prec j ation of the 



-1-1 

 manner in which we are destroying 



the very planet upon which we 'live. 

 and laying up for our children an in- 

 heritance comparable to that of the 

 famine-stricken nations of the Old 

 World, are beginning to admit that 

 t h e establishment of National Fore-t- 

 in the Appalachian and White Moun- 

 tains is desirable, but are holding off 

 for f ear some species of "graft" may 

 be concealed in the measure. 



Graft is bad enough, unquestion- 

 ably. And that it has entered into leg- 



