3fo CONSERVATION 



State Parks might do without stretching their pow- 

 ers, have been left undone. It will be 



A MONG the many good things pro- recalled that Secretary Root, some two 



^V moted by the American Civic As- yea rs since, called attention to this fact, 



sociation is the establishment of state j n very many important respects the 



parks. America is familiar with the pow ers of an American state are almost 



idea of the national parks, splendid ex- or qu j te equa i to those of a European 



amples being afforded by the Yellow- state; anc i yetj so impressed have we 



stone and Yosemite. We are likewise become with the majesty and might of 



familiar with city parks, such as the t h e Nation, that state powers, obvious 



Central, in New York City, Lincoln, and fundamental, are, in numerous in- 



Jackson, Garfield and the like in Chi- stances, but slightly used if used at 



cago, and the Public Gardens in Bos- a n_ 



ton, but the idea of a state park seems j t is true thatj within the last two 

 somewhat apart from the thought of yearS; m any of our states have mate- 

 our people. rially increased their activities. Exam- 

 True, certain states, as Massachu- p i es ' are found in their treatment of 

 setts, New York, California, Pennsyl- corporations and, notably, in their in- 

 vania, and New Jersey, do maintain terest, beginning a year ago, in the 

 state parks, yet the large majority of great conservation movement so aus- 

 states do not, and in most of them the p i c iously opened with the White House 

 proposal to establish such parks has Conference. Subsequent events have 

 probably never been agitated. demonstrated the readiness of several 

 But why should not the park be as states to act along conservation lines, 

 regular a feature of the state as of the j t is to be hoped that one of the meas- 

 city? In many of our states are found ures to rec eive earnest and careful at- 

 magnifkent examples of scenic beauty tention from the states will be the es- 

 which, through lack of state ownership, tablishment of public parks, 

 suffer from neglect if not from devasta- 

 tion. These should be preserved as a & % & 

 part of the permanent heritage of the Towns without Taxes 

 people. Again, recreation, contact with 



nature and familiarity with her beauty TN OUR news columns appears an 



contribute materially to the health and ' item on the "immense profits of Ger- 



well being, physically, mentally, mor- man forests." Numerous towns and cit- 



ally and spiritually, of a people. In ies maintain large holdings, Baden hav- 



times of rush and drive, such as those ing 10,576 acres, yielding an annual net 



in which most of us are now living-, profit of $66,080, or approximately $6.25 



they are almost essential to complete an acre, Freiburg having 8,085 acres, 



sanity. The remoteness of our great yielding a net profit of $46,336, or $5.79 



national parks renders them inacces- an acre, and Heidelburg, 6,860 acres 



sible to most. The state parks might the clear profit on which each year is 



well supply the needs of many of these $12,635. The village of Aufen, with 



dwellers in country districts and in vil- 220 inhabitants, has 163 acres of tim- 



lages far removed from these recreation berlands, the proceeds from which suf- 



grounds, and at the same time out of fice for all the expenses of the little 



convenient reach of the city. community. 



It is a curious fact that, beginning In the village of Braunlingen, which 



as did all our states, both north and has 1,601 inhabitants and 4,507 acres of 



south, with exaggerated ideas of the forests, there is an allowance to the citi- 



place and power of the state as com- zens of firewood and 100,000 board-feet 



pared with the Nation, a surprising of lumber is given to churches, schools, 



number of things that, to the great ad- and other public institutions. From the 



vantage of their inhabitants, our states timber sold, the net income is $21,600, 



