Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-05-05
sitres- rpuhe1r 5llarslu11t nu,SI 3G1ua 3ag 1908

and In time tower above their fellow
men as the giant trees of the forest
tower above the surrounding bushes.
SO too with the trees of the forest
On spring day thousand little
tender shoots come forth, all APP
parcntly having come forth, all mfw
parently having an equal start in
life. This equality does not last long
for in few short seasons many nave
died, others have become crooked
and dwarted while u few have shot
ahead OF the others and soon over
shadow their companions and the
difference between them continues
TO Increase. Finally along comes Il
strong wind and all but tho vigorous
and hardy are brought low. some
which to all outward appearance
were among the strongest are the
first to go and when the break does
come there is found a hollow or rot
ten center which until then has been
hid by smooth exterior
Again trees and men are alike.
in that we never come to fully know
them until death has laid their past
life bare Some men to all outward
appearance are the most perfect OF
Gods creatures but when death comes
and the real life of the past is laid
bare they are found to be like some
trees. rotten and hollow. Their life
has been shame, their real inner
self being hid from public gaze by a
smooth exterior.
AS there are many varieties of trees
so too there are many varieties or
men In trees we have the sturdy
slow growing oak and the soft but
rapid growing cottonwood, How
closely these two kind of trees typify
two kinds OF men. One comes up
Of all eyes. but he soon runs his
course and the slower and more
mature companion comes to view
and holds the center OF the stage
long after the first is forgotten.
The similarity might be carried
on almost Indefinitely but this Is far
enough to show the point we wished
to illustrate.
National Resources Going to Waste.
Fortunate IL is for the United States
that there Is not another American
continent, with area, climate. and re-
sources similar to our own, to be dis
covered, settled, and exploited; for If
there were we would quickly fall to
second place among nations. Our SUI
premacy is based upon our unrivaled
natural resources: but, as the presi-
dent has remarked, we are Swimming
the cream. In all the worlds history
there is no parallel, nor anything APP
preaching parallel, for the rapidly
Of action which has been witnessed in
the material development of the Unit
ed States--its discovery section by
section; It's settlement, its exploitation,
and already in many cases the utter
exhaustion OF it's natural resources.
This spectacular progress, especially
during the last few decades, has been
the wonder of the world. for 1t Is with
In the past half-century only that our
really great development has occurred.
In that time the face of the country
has been TRANSFORMED; we have cut
away nearly million square miles OF
forest; we have wasted billions of
tons of coal--nearly as much as we
have used--and we have allowed worth
hundreds of millions of dollars annu-
ally to run to waste. So that now we
face a timber famine, we see the
warning signs of coal and iron exhaus-
ton, we have 500, 100000 acres of graz
ing land reduced one-third In value
thru over-grazing and lack of control,
and we see our navigable rivers, year
by year in increasing measure, being
filled with silt and debris due to soil
erosion from forest denudation, and be-
coming more and more difficult of con-
troll Yet we press heedlessly on. with
oil the assurance Of sublime ignorance.
firm in the popular belief that our
magnificent resources are inexhausti-
ble.-From Checking the Waste Of
Our National Resources" by Guy Elli-
oft, in the American Review OF Re-
views for May.