CANADIAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION 95 



DR. FERNOW'S ADDRESS BEFORE THE MONTREAL 

 CANADIAN CLUB. 



At noon the members of the Canadian Forestry Association attended a lunch- 

 eon given by the Canadian Club of Montreal, at which an address was given by 

 Dr. B. E. Fernow, Dean of the Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto, on 



THE FOREST NECESSITIES OF CANADA. 



Dr. FERNOW. Gentlemen, I consider it a great honour to be called upon 

 to address you because I feel that by such a call I am admitted a new comer 

 to the patriotic endeavour which animates the young generation of Canadians who 

 desire to place their country on a basis, economical as well as political, such as the 

 vast natural resources and possiblities of your great country warrant. 



I read in your Constitution, " It is the purpose of the Club to foster patriotism 

 by encouraging the study of the institutions, history, arts, literature and resources 

 of Canada, and by endeavouring to unite Canadians in such work for the welfare 

 and progress of the Dominion as may be desirable and expedient." 



I am glad to see that not only the development of patriotic sentiment and 

 public spirit in the abstract, but concrete activity, work for the welfare and progress 

 of the Dominion, is called for. I hope that this activity exhibits itself not only in 

 listening to talks and in forming your own opinions, but in impressing these opin- 

 ions on your fellow citizens and governments, and in real active work on behalf 

 of some of the many reforms of national character which call for a sturdy disin- 

 terested patriotism. 



This is an age of reforms everywhere. At every hand political, economical 

 and social questions and problems clamour for consideration and solution, and, if 

 we would not be swamped in our endeavour to be good all around, it becomes 

 necessary to classify the many problems, and select for our first endeavour those 

 which cannot wait for their adjustment without entailing serious moral or material 

 detriment to the continued welfare and healthy progress of our civilization. We 

 must recognize that there are some reforms which, while desirable, may be postpon- 

 ed without serious impairment of our welfare, while there are other troubles 

 which if left without consideration and adjustment at the proper time cause 

 irremediable damage, become incapable of adjustment, and with sadness we may 

 recognize too late that we have lost the chance! 



Whether to extend the suffrage to women, whether to abolish or reform the 

 Senate, whether to have a high tariff or no tariff, an income tax or a headtax, direct 

 or indirect taxation, bimetallism or a single standard, national banks or private 



