FOREST TREES. 9 
the forests, if unchecked, will go on increasing with 
the lapse of years, until sections of our country 
become hopelessly sterile. The excuse that posterity 
has done nothing for us, is the plea of unmitigated 
selfishness. Americans owe more than any other 
nation to the toils, sacrifices and forethought of their 
forefathers, and it is our duty to transmit the inherit- 
ance we received from them to our descendants 
unimpaired by waste or neglect. The length of time 
required for the growth of timber from the seed to 
maturity shows conclusively that it was never designed 
in the order of nature for the exclusive use of a single 
generation. 
