The Topeka state journal., 1909-03-23
KAMSAS COA4ENT
CHINA AND FORESTRY.

| AND EORESTRY.
| 1aae.N IS regarded as one of the
ieast progressive of the nations ana IL
20 seLuom that the oldest of govern
- round departing from the in
@ @lunSslons of Confucius. Walk in the
so1oo toooen paths,' and launching out in
progressive line. For this rea-
son, II IS as gratifying as it is unex-
Pscleo TO note that China is taking
eeuVdnceo grounds in the movement
loI forest conservation.
e. = must sVigorous campaign is soon
70 De Waged in the interest of tho for
ests of the celestial Kingdom and
plans nave been laid for q series of
Ileetihss which will be held under the
aGussplees OF Boone college, Wuchang,
4ll,.ia, aC Hankhow, Wuchang, and
Later there will be meet
ings IN all the large cities and imnor-
s1ns poIs Doth Son the coast and in
she interior. Mr. Howard Richards
~ Ihe representative in this country
ioot; - o SnIhese college, has been col
NectHs material for these courses
ana mas just started to China. Several
u tle monographs showing the effect
OF soeIorestration in China. which ac-
conlpan1ed the presidents last annual
t,atseese 70 congress form a part of a
VI stereopticon views which will
De used in illustrating these lectures
lima mas probably taken less care
" neF forests than any other nation
- tis eartn, and this movement to
a. ~ nen s-s- IN lts people a realization of
thc importance of the forest comes at
an opportune time Manv Darts 0f
Shlna are practically desert wastes
as d1rect result of the destruction
OF its trees. On account of the erosion
which has followed the removal of
trees from the slopes. farmers are
compelled to terrace their hillsides,
IN order to hold enough soil in place
Ior FARMING, and to build little walls
s.,t aGroSs the valley to catch the silt
Mmch the annual floods deposit. Two
centuries ago, many regions of China
Whlch are now barren, were paying
revenue to their owners. Now the
WOOD supply is so scarce that little
poles are used for building houses
and roots and saplings are burned as
fuel.
Over three hundred Chinese students
from eleven provinces are being edu-
Gated in Boone college for the uplift
or their country, and it is expected by
those In charge of the proposed course
of lectures, that q movement started
there will in time spread throughout
the Empire.-Garden City Telegram.
THE FARCE OF LAW.
Laws are a necessity in any civil
lied community. Without them, the
community would Immediately lapse
into savagery, and even the sayages,
as we know them, have laws of a kind.
But there is no doubt that the peo-
by laws as such. Hence there is a
perpetual demand for more legislation,
and every legislature and congress is
busy during sessions adding to the
size of the statute books. There is
certainly no dearth of legislation,
whatever may be said of it otherwise.
But the really important part of the
laws-their enforcement-iS neglected
a good deal. Aside from the many
useless laws, which are violated large
ly through ignorance, many violations
of important statutes go unnoticed or
unpublished. Even murder trials have
become such a farce in some states
that it has been suggested that a law
be passed, making murder a misde-
meanor, in the hope that a conviction
may be secured. Robperies are too
numerous, because the enforcement
machinery of that Important measure
is deficient. Smuggling is regarded
as something of a profession in many
places on our borders. 1t is not strange
then, that lesser laws become joke.
1t is possible there is some relation
between the many laws, and the tax
enforcement, but, whether there is or
not, the fact is plain that enforcement
of laws needs more attention, and leg
islation less. There are too many joke
police departments in the country
AtehfSon Globe