EXTINCTION OF CERTAIN MAMMALS 1 39 



We no longer destroy great works of art. They are treasured, and regarded 

 as of priceless value ; but we have yet to attain the state of civilization where 

 the destruction of a glorious work of Nature, whether it be a cliff, a forest, 

 or a species of mammal or bird, is regarded with equal abhorrence. . . . Travels 

 through Europe, as well as over a large part of the North American continent, 

 have convinced me that nowhere is Nature being destroyed so rapidly as in the 

 United States. Except within our conservation areas, an earthly Paradise is 

 being turned into an earthly Hades; and it is not savages nor primitive men 

 who are doing this, but men and women who boast of their civilization. Air 

 and water are polluted, rivers and streams serve as sewers and dumping 

 grounds, forests are swept away and fishes are driven from the streams. Many 

 birds are becoming extinct, and certain mammals are on the verge of ex- 

 termination. Vulgar advertisements hide the landscape, and in all that dis- 

 figures the wonderful heritage of the beauty of Nature today, we Americans 

 are in the lead. 



All things that minister to the pleasure of the people, relieve the 

 drab monotony of earning a living and inspire in children a love for 

 nature, are well worth while. The animals in zoological parks and the 

 menageries of circuses are a great attraction to both old and young, 

 but many of the animals therein exhibited are approaching extinction 

 and some that were exhibited or to be seen in a wild state within the 

 memory of men now living are already extinct. Others, having now 

 become rare, are doomed, or must be preserved, if at all, by rigid pro- 

 tection in their natural environment, as they will not breed in captivity, 

 and, even if they did so, close inbreeding would weaken and eventually 

 destroy them. "The lovers of nature . . . cannot contemplate such a 

 state of affairs with equanimity. . . . The day when circuses are shorn 

 of their attendant menageries will sensibly diminish the gayety of 

 nations and deprive the youthful of a most cherished source of amuse- 

 ment and instruction" (Ball). 



A noble tree that required nature's forces centuries to grow is laid 

 low by the woodman's axe, a perfectly proper procedure if properly 

 done for a proper purpose, but who can replace it, except by the same 

 slow process that brought it into existence? It should not be wasted. 

 Most of the deforestation of our formerly wooded areas has been 

 done in a shockingly wasteful manner. In travelling through some of 

 the logged areas one is appalled at the immense quantities of good 

 logs and timbers left behind to decay on the ground. A species of bird 

 or mammal has required ages for nature to develop and bring to per- 

 fection, yet men ruthlessly exterminate them with no thought of the 

 rights of future generations. 



Surely no one can object to the use of our forests, streams, fish and 



