60 AMERICAN FORESTRY 



plies and paying taxes, requires, like want to make more money? Then stop 



other business, perpetuation of the re- the other fellow from destroying dol- 



source dealt with, economy in every lars you would otherwise share. For- 



process, and just payment by the con- est preservation is a bargain-price m- 



sumer for service rendered. surance policy you can't afford to be 



Here is where we, who should be the without. It's cheap for a short time 



teachers, are at fault. We talk too only. Look over our prospectus and 



much about forests, as though they invest." 



were an end in themselves. We might Now forest preservation is prosperity 



just as well talk only of land when try- insurance and insurance is good busi- 



ing to improve agricultural conditions, ness. But it is a commodity that must 



or water when urging the protection be paid for in money and careful con- 



and propagation of food fishes. How duct. The new way is better than the 



can the average citizen understand for- old, but our prospectus is still so gen- 



ests? It is the business of producing eral it only gets a certain confiding 



and making them useful to him that he class of customers. It needs to give 



must understand its place in the so- more information about the business; 



ciety under which he exists, the eco- information that will both convince the 



nomic laws under which it exists. He critical and make every customer an- 



must be brought to consider all forest other salesman. 



production and all forest use as little Seek local arguments. If for the 

 or no different from the production and Atlantic coast, look up the pay-roll to- 

 il se of any other necessary crop, obvi- tal for all lumbering and woodworking 

 ously to be encouraged and stabilized industries in your State and the total 

 on a permanent basis profitable to all selling receipts from their manufac- 

 omcerned. Whether he is a private tured products. The size of the reve- 

 citizen or a law maker serving private nue thus kept at home, but which will 

 citizens, he must be fairly familiar with leave you if these industries have to 

 the factors which govern lumber prices, move nearer some other sources of raw 

 logging and manufacturing methods, material, will probably amaze you as 

 the cost of growing and protecting the much as it will the public. Learn how 

 raw material. As long as he thinks an much your consumers pay annually for 

 uncut forest is forestry, and that such all forest products and figure how much 

 forestry is good and all lumbering bad, they would save if there were no im~ 

 there will be no real progress. Nor port freight bills. Then learn the rate 

 will he have lumber to use sometime of growth of your own species and re- 

 \vhen he needs it. fute the popular belief that it is too slow 



\Ve are moving in the right direction to enable saving these sums to those 



slowly. Once propagandists made for- now living. Do you know that Massa- 



estrv an abstract problem of public or chusetts is todav manufacturing its 



private conscience. They dwelt on the fourth crop of white pine? 



need> of posterity and urged present Learn your area of waste land, and, 



sacrifice as a duty. They practically with the same definite growth figures to 



said, "You are partly responsible for give your statements news value and 



lark of forest protection. Forest de- convincing business accuracy, show 



st ruction is bad for somebody's grand- what it miq-ht be earning the communitv 



children. Badness is wicked. There- by producing forest commodities. Ca1- 



fore you arc wicked. You need a ser- rulate the tax revenues your existing 



mon and we'll preach it." Nowadays forests bring, and that which forests 



we realize that abstract ethics do not on now waste land would pay, and show 



influence human action as quickly as the consequent reduction of taxation on 



docs fear of immediate personal injury, other property. On definite premises 



It does not offend our reforming in- of area, growth rate, and conservative 



stinct to add to our preachments of crop values show the revenue obtaina- 



dutv more vigorous and skilful appeals ble by the State from forest reserves 



to human selfishness. We say "Do you of its" own, balance this against the cosr 



