FIFTH NATIONAL CONSERVATION CONGRESS 25 



PUBLICITY 



By the Sub-Committee on Pubeicity. 



Chairman, E. T. Aeeen, Portland, Ore. 



T. B. Wyman, Munising, Mich. P. S. Ridsdale, Washington, D. C. 



F. W. Rane, Boston, Mass. Overton W. Price, Washington, D. C. 



Presented by Mr. B. T. Allen, Monday Morning, November 17, 1913. 



PUBLIC education is the chief measure of progress in forestry. Perfection 

 of methods applied in the woods is essential and a great deal of good is 

 being done by those who know how and are willing to spend the money. 

 But a minority is never fully successful.' The certainty and speed of any accom- 

 plishment upon human action are measured by the extent of desire for this ac- 

 complishment and of knowledge how to achieve it. 



If every citizen, in whatever capacity, fully realized all that is involved by 

 the waste or preservation of forest resources; fully knew his own relation to 

 it, and what conduct of his would best serve his welfare and the community's: 

 fully understood the economics of forest industry and what governs the conduct 

 of its members, and fully comprehended the power and responsibility of the 

 commonwealth in protecting the interests of its constituents, there would be little 

 need of forestry associations and congresses. The reason why publicity for most 

 forestry topics is vital is that they are given proper consideration by a very 

 inadequate proportion of those whose conduct is involved. 



Government, State, and private forestry workers are accomplishing a great 

 deal. Yet what one of us does not often have the baffling feeling that we are 

 battering at a wall far too strong for our facilities, while this is at the same time 

 the reason why our facilities are inadequate? We cannot hope to have the 

 industries dependent upon the forest fostered and protected as they deserve 

 until public and legislators regard them as they do agriculture, for example, and 

 have equal understanding of their governing conditions and needs. They will 

 not attain such understanding unaided, the aid is limited by their demand for it, 

 and they will not demand it because they do not understand the need. 



It looks like a deadlock, yet deadlocks can usually be broken. If lumbermen 

 and foresters would realize the need to devote as much study to the technique of 

 public education in forestry as to the technique of forestry practice, the deadlock 

 would break. And the movement would gain in geometrical ratio as knowledge 

 of forest economics creates a thirst for more knowledge. 



This is not conjecture. It has been proved. Progress differs locally almost 

 exactly with the degree in which propaganda has been skilful. And skill has 

 been proven to lie largely in the realization by propagandists that forestry is 

 business, not merely an abstract problem of public or private conscience, and in 

 their consequent application of business advertising principles. There are two 

 methods of attack. The old way works about as follows: "You are partly 

 responsible for lack of forest protection. Forest destruction is bad for the 

 country. Badness is wicked. Therefore you are wicked. You need a sermon 



