AMERICAN FOREST CONGRESS 49 



more important one can be brought to the attention 

 of the citizens of this republic. 



As a people we have solved some vexing problems. 

 Many others confront us to-day, and will tax our 

 patience, courage, and endurance. Profiting by the 

 experience of other countries, impelled by the imminent 

 dangers of the present time, and encouraged by the 

 prospect of laying up for future generations a supply 

 of material necessary to their comfort and safety, we 

 should devote our energies to the work of restoring 

 the American forests. We know that growth is slow, 

 and restoration tedious. We also know that the perse- 

 verance and energy of the American is equal to any 

 task he assumes. 



We have 5,674,875 farmers in this country. Could 

 one-third of these be induced to plant half an acre 

 each in forest trees a year, we would have nearly a 

 million acres a year added to the forests. In a decade 

 at this rate we would have gone very far in solving a 

 problem of great moment, and feel that we had done 

 much towards offsetting the destruction and prevent- 

 ing the coming desolation. 



The preservation and restoration of the American 

 forests will greatly add to the comfort and beauty of 

 our homes, and tend to keep the youths of the land in 

 the rural districts, free from the temptations and vices 

 of city life. The migration from country to city is an 

 alarming feature of our social life. There are already 

 indications of the returning tide. The preservation of 

 the forests and the beautifying of country homes will 

 strengthen the patriotic sentiment in the country and 

 intensify reverence for home. 



A lack of reverence is a growing evil in our land. 

 We observe it everywhere, North, South, East, and 

 West. Students, philosophers, and divines inveigh 



