THE AMERICAN FORESTS 337 



the forests ! " Clearing has surely now gone far 

 enough ; soon timber will be scarce, and not a 

 grove will be left to rest in or pray in. The 

 remnant protected will yield plenty of timber, a 

 perennial harvest for every right use, without 

 further diminution of its area, and will continue 

 to cover the springs of the rivers that rise in the 

 mountains and give irrigating waters to the dry 

 valleys at their feet, prevent wasting floods and 

 be a blessing to everybody forever. 



Every other civilized nation in the world has 

 been compelled to care for its forests, and so 

 must we if waste and destruction are not to go on 

 to the bitter end, leaving America as barren as Pal- 

 estine or Spain. In its calmer moments, in the 

 midst of bewildering hunger and war and rest- 

 less over-industry, Prussia has learned that the 

 forest plays an important part in human progress, 

 and that the advance in civilization only makes it 

 more indispensable. It has, therefore, as shown 

 by Mr. Pinchot, refused to deliver its forests to 

 more or less speedy destruction by permitting 

 them to pass into private ownership. But the 

 state woodlands are not allowed to lie idle. On 

 the contrary, they are made to produce as much 

 timber as is possible without spoiling them. In 

 the administration of its forests, the state right- 

 eously considers itself bound to treat them as a 

 trust for the nation as a whole, and to keep in 

 view the common good of the people for all time. 



