Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-10-11
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS
FACTS AND OPINIONS GATHERED
FROM CONTEMPORARIES
PRESERVATION OF THE SCENERY.

that our sister state of New Hampshire
is much more alive to the matter of seem
cry preservation than are we of Vermont.
This may be attributable in part to the in
creased and increasing interest In Old
Home Week among our friends of the
Granite State, but whatever the cause
they appear to be up to the question. The
recent gift to the state of the Conway
Lodges by summer visitors and residents
of Conway is long step in the right
direction of scenery preservation, "the
same to be held" as the act OF accept
ance reads, "by the state for public use
and benefit and perpetually preserved
for such uses free from all impairment,
depreciation and DETACHMENT"
Apropos is recent meeting of the
''Society for the Protection of New
Hampshire Forests" held at Boston last
week. The secretary reported that the
work of the society during the past year
was almost wholly educational. Numer-
Gus articles upon the general SUBJECT OF
forestry and others pertaining to the
woodlands of the state had been published
in leading state papers. Lectures by for
estry officials and others well Informed
before various assemblies, particularly in
the mountain region. These educational
efforts were along both sentimental and
practical lines, members of the society
fully realizing that legislation must
supplement their work before it could
attain full measure of success.
Ex-Gov. Rollins is president of the
society and takes lively interest in its
work and there is ample evidence that it
is exerting a wide and beneficent inau-
ence. 1t is difficult to estimate the pre-
else value of such work, but it is certain
ly true that it is only through organized
effort that movements of this character
can be carried on to a successful issue.
Vermonters should follow Capt. Cut
ties example and make note of this
st. Johnsbury Caledonian.
SPANISH FOR FRENCH.
The movement to substitute the Span
ish for the French language in the cur
riculum of the public High Schools is
based on excellent foresight.
Two hundred years ago French was the
geEtleman's universal language, but
with the growth of glish-speaking in
habltants in this country, and in India
and Australia, French began to lose
ground. Its chance of ever becoming
the principal world-language disappeared
when the English troops swept across
the Plains of Abraham and when Give
fixed his mas tership upon India.
Today French is hardly more than a
local tongue. The two world-gripping
tongues are English and Russian, and
before the twentieth century is gone,
says Prof. Brander Matthews, they will
have grappled for the conquest of all
nations. For Russia and the United
States are developing nightly. Prof.
Matthews believes that it is not too
much to predict that by the end of the
century 800, 100000 will be speaking
Russian. He is not prepared to guess
how many more will be speaking Eng
lsh, but he thinks that 100000, 900 is
perhaps too big figure,
Germany, by reason of her solid
strength at home and abroad, will hold
the third place, and Spain, whose lam
guage is spoken less within her own
borders than in the islands which her
be fourth IN linguistic prominence ;
France, fifth, and Italy, sixth.
Doubtless the Columbia professor
would now revise his opinion. Spanish
will gradually yield to English In Porto
Rico and Cuba; gradually, but surely
and permanently. For years and years,
however, Spanish will continue to be the
language of a large part of the inhabit-
ants, and it will be greatly to the sdvant-
age of Americans in general to familiarize
themselves with it.-Boston Journal.
THE Beers ANSWER.
Having failed to end it by fighting,
Lord Kitchener, the commander of the
British forces in South Africa, concluded
few weeks ago to end the war there by
proclamation. He accordingly proclaim
ed that 1t would end on the fifteenth of
September and that on or before
that date all the rebellious farmers would