Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-03-02
THE CRY or THE CHILDREN

The petition Just sent to Congress
by the school children Of certain dis
trlcts Of California, asking that the
remaining forests OF the country be
preserved as the heritage OF the on
coming generations, is fitting appeal
In behalf OF great and worthy OBJ
iect
WIN the people awaken TO the vital
necessity for preserving our forests?
VIII the cry Of the children remain
unhceded2 VIII politics, and the ig-
norance or folly Of the representatives
of the people, stand in the way and
deprive America Of the last yestiges
Of what was originally her greatest
ard most beautiful resource, whether
FOR health or wealth?
Florence Keen. in Forestry and fr-
rgation, declares that IL any one could
witness the desolaton which she has
but recently seen, he would be heart
sick for poor Dalmatia. That country
Was once one of the richest OF the
Roman provinces and during the reign
Of Diocletlan. who had an immense
palace there, 1t supported large
population.
When 1t came into the hands Of the
Venetian Republic the trees on its fine
mountain slopes were ruthlessly sac
rlHced for the ships of the conquerurs,
the soil washed away, the springs and
rivers dried up, and even Syria in its
dosolaton does not compare with it.
In Dnlmatia today. that writer says,
the attempts at cultivation by the
peasants are pitiful. AS far as pos
sible they collect the rocks and stones
in great mounds on the least desirable
ground Of the tiny field. and where
they can find among the remaining
rocks earth enough for the roots of
one olive tree or even one grape vine,
il is planted. The chief impression,
even then, Is of II most successful crop
Of rocks and stones. one of the best
fields Of grape vines this writer saw
has the appearance OF a pebbly beach.
In that neighborhood a whole family
may live for a year on the product of
only one olive tree-so poor are they.
curious phenomenon followed upon
the loss of the forests, in the form of
a terrible wind called the bora"
which blows a cutting blast for many
months OF the year. and renders re-
forestation almost impossible, Stories
are told of Its overturning railroad
trains and of how women had to creep
to market on all fours. One can drive
for miles in any direction and not sea
ten trees naturally grown. These
statements apply to the northern por
ton of Dalmatia; further south the
bora IL not so strong and cultivation
is tribe easier: but there is no sub
stantial difference.
AS to Montenegro the condition is
said to be about the same as in Dali
malta. 1t Is such a mass of noun
taina and the hills are so steep that
the earth washed down the hlllsides
seems to have settled in little potholes
and gradually formed space large
enough to cultivate-about the size of
an ordinary dining table. The liveli-
hood and existence of the poor peas
ant can be better imagined than de-
scribed, under such condIti ms.
which the chiIdren's protest originated,
admit that the alternative of forest
preservation and restocking is the de-
cadence of California into the condi-
ton of certain regions once the
most densely populated and fertile
countries of the world, now abandoned
to wild beasts.
They seem to fear too much federal
supervision. however, and claim that
any adequate dealing with our forests
Involves such an interference with
what we have hitherto considered the
rights of private property, as is en-
tirely Impossible under our Constitu-
ton
This may be true; hut we have come
TO the point of desiring something to
be done even IL the Constitution has
to be amended or the political leaders
disciplined in the effort to conserve
the few remaining forests
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