The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-06-11
LESSONS FROM THE FAMINE.
Let America Take Care Not TO De-
stroy the Forests.
Chicngo Trihnne.

chicago Tribune.
An impressive object lesson, threef1ld In
scope against our mad destruction of for
ests comes TO us from the old world. One
is in the Indian famine. What causes the
famine? Drouth. And what causes the
drcsIth? The answer Is In the dryncss Of
the forest and Jungle. The bewildering
Increase of population under the benign
peace of British rule has Increased pro-
portionately the demand for arabic land,
and to supply that demand forest and Jun
gle have been swept away by thousands
OF square miles. And now come drou,h
and famine. Another lesson comes from
Egypt The Nile is drying up Not only
does II never even approximate TO the
height and depth It knew In ancient times.
but II il perceptibly dwindlnR now from
year TO year. why? Because In those re-
mote wildernesses toward the sources OF
the great river forest destruction i4 pro-
ceeding at a rate unrtvalled even Ky Cur
own oestrus gpaded tree siayers And tho
third Is from tho Congo. where the soetn-
ingly inexhausilble forests have already
suffered such ravages that men are now
talking Of the need OF protective measures.
We have only TO look 81 Persia and M
the Sahara to see the full fruition ~ the
forest destroying policy once Persia was
the most fertile land OF Asa. well watered
and richly wooded. once the Sahara was
the granary OF Africa and OF Europe To.
day they are barren sands They are atlI
traversed by rivers. but thoso fow FAR be.
meath the surface. Hare and there they
rise sufficiently 20 maintain small naseF
Elsewhere they are hidden below sands ~
dry and sterile as a furnace floor. through
which. however. n well he sunk the
sabterra mean stream is surely tapprG
Wherever by artificial irrigation the area
of vexetat3os1 and especially 81 wpodlar1
Is extended %ature gladly responds wffN
q return toward her former benign coudi-
tons The Frencn IN the Sa1nfa are iaI-
INK advantage ~ this fact. ana are actual
" making measurable progress toward ro-
Cismafion 81 that desert y - Reasonable
20 believe that through irrigation and TO-
forsstinE conditions may DO reached 30
which artificial irrigation vii cease o. be
necessary. FOR nature will do ne work me
used 20 40 before her principles ~ china
tie economy were outraged 10y art"chi
Tef1rea'AJ ION.
These lessons. nH +gree 90 u.m are
directly applicable 10 toe United sratee
W.. have actually known famine ln e.,rn.. ~
the WeF-r rn states fArI ugh th,. nl4iIgu o.
fesfs - drouth Some pf our streams are
aHJna.tug ~ 10 $3.50 Site nnd tareatr1 ro
vanish entirely rs thoae of me Snhara have
done Ard ~ in tse eupend9us artor,al
wifdernessea - the Congo " SIS becoming
necessary 20 devise protective rnrapafer
what shall he saii a. nich ueccsH,,y ln j.
country so reckiessa'y d~nuied ~ ifs wsnt.
lands az oar own THE Laws ~ ratora
t-araot be violated eith IN, r-sriiv Che
gave the forests "a mediums 80 natural
Irrigation. II Ne destroy the means pc
lose the end The law IL inrxarlbl~ Mo-
now 80" trirkllng riiis where in their bag.
hood they saw full trimming sfensrr AnsI
they also see bare. Gun sm'htd hn,ri8as
where 'hHn they saw dense. prin-etal fpf-
ests. II IS cause ana effcrt, nothing mgr.
But should not rational men EARN ihe JOS.
son