120 The Forest Products Laboratory 



lars! A million dollars is a hell of a lot." The boy gave his teacher 

 this valuable information in the language of his father, and the boy 

 got a licking. 



Now this illustrates in a waj^, in somewhat emphatic language it 

 describes, the vast amount of material which our government had to 

 send across the seas. They came to this laboratory for advice. I sup- 

 pose that those who originated the idea never dreamed that this insti- 

 tution out here would be aiding our great government, in a war with 

 the great nation of Germany, to send bej^ond the seas such articles as 

 munitions, rifles, and all kinds of accessories of war. Yet, such was 

 the fact. At this time we began to hear about the work of the lab- 

 oratory. We began to hear, and have heard ever since, that while it 

 has been in existence, hundreds of men have come here. Several hun- 

 dred men from the great industries have come to take their short 

 courses of instruction. Such companies in the United States as the 

 General Electric, the Western Electric, and many others of the great 

 corporations have sent their representatives here to learn something 

 which would aid them in carrying on their practical work. The liberal 

 representation of lumbermen, those interested in manufactures, here 

 today illustrates their view of the importance of this work. 



I listened today to Dr. Birge and Governor Philipp, and I heard 

 Mr. Winslow talk a little about the work which had been done here. 

 I talked a little with him before, and I talked with Mr. Weiss, and it 

 seems to me that they are the two most modest fellows I ever saw. 

 Why, as Mr. Winslow made his speech today, telling in liis modest, 

 quiet way of the work of this institution, if he had been followed by 

 one of those orators (properly coached, and told what ought to be 

 said), one of the orators from the Chicago Convention— the Repub- 

 lican Convention — or the San Francisco Democratic Convention, with 

 his foghorn voice and his swinging arms, I don't know what we might 

 have done. We might have gathered in processions and wrapped the 

 flag around Mr. Weiss, Mr. Winslow, Governor Philipp and Presi- 

 dent Birge, but it has not been the method of the laboratory to indulge 

 in that kind of publicity. 



Now we are going to hear from a gentleman presently who knows 

 not only about the work of this institution, but about forestry in gen- 

 eral. When I was a lad living on the old farm I mistrust that if any- 

 one said to a group of farmers that it would be a good thing to send 



