Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-05-10
MAINE EDITORIAL COMMENT.
Our Glorious State.
Bangor Commercially


Few subjects in the large volume con-
tanning proceedings of the conference of
governors of states at Washington d
year ago. on the conservation of natural
resources of the country, are of more i'm
portance than those presented by Hon
Edgar T.. Ring, forest commissioner of
Maine, on the great resources in forests.
water powers. climate and scenic attrac-
tons of our state. Mr.. Ring says the
climate and scenic beauty of Maine "are
of unsurpassed loneliness and grandeur
from the first of May to November" In
this Mr.. Ring Is exactly right and he
might have added that besides being of
unsurpassed loneliness they are also of
uneXcelled value as cash assets of the
greatest importance when the large num-
Der of summer visitors to Maine and the
vast sums of money they leave here.
which is added to score and more of
the leading industries of our people is
taken into consideration.
again, when climate, the cool breezes
of mountain and beach, no enervating
humidity and comparatively low tenn
perature of our summer atmosphere are
properly valued. no place in the big world
equals our own state in these qualities.
With an exact coastline of about 300
miles from western to eastern boundary,
its indentations of bays and coves, it's
many beaches. it's headlands and hun
dreds of islands, give total coastline or
sea wall of about 5000 miles. No Atlantic
state has so great an attraction as this
where seacoast, beautiful scenery. fine
climate and ease of public access by our
many lines of railroads are considered.
Every mile of our varied coast is made
beautiful, cool and enjoyable by the melt
ing icebergs which follow the arctic cur
rent that flows down around Cape Sable
in Nova Scotia and thence along the coast
of our own state until it reaches and
joins the Gulf stream.
1t is not alone in the great beauty of it's
coast line. however that Maine offers so
great charms to the people of this CONT
nent who come to the State by thousands
who build fine residences along the at
tractive places of our coast although their
permanent homes may be in New York, in
Philadelphia, in Chicago in San Fran
cisco, as we'll as in states nearer to Maine.
Our great extent of forests with their
rich and varied beauty. seven times larg-
err than the famous Black Forest of Ger
many, even at it's largest eXpanse in mod
ern times. is one of our richest and most
important sources of natural wealth.
Talk about forests! Why, take the
states of Connecticut. Delaware and
Rhode Island and place them all in our
great north woods away from border i'm
provements and there would remain
margin of forest outside their boundary
that would be sufficiently large to make
it necessary for a guide acquainted with
our magnificent forest to find them. AS
to big game in the open season-what
wonderful stories of camp life after moose
and deer might be told! AS to the multi
tudes of lakes, ponds and streams, filled
with beautiful game fish: and our many
rivers-highways from the coast to the
far north of the neighboring Dominion
ever since the days Of the aboriginal In
dian. and even now traversed by many
boating and camping parties from the
great cities-their scenic beauties and per-
petual charms require a volume for their
complete description.
There is yet another factor of advan-
tages in the out of door life in Maine
" hich has been mentioned by Mr.. Ring,
although we fear it has not been suffic-
ienty brought to the attention of resi-
dents of other states who would come to
Maine for their summers were they we'll
informed on this point. He says:
Throughout the entire State there is the
complete absence of a single dangerous
animal, venomous reptile or poisonous in
sect"
Has this fact been as fully made known
as it should be? Perfect safety and pleas
ure in camping anywhere or in spreading
a cloth upon the earth and eating dinner
in the open air. any day of the whole out
ing season. Well again does Mr.. Ring
say: Our geographic position. almost
precisely equidistant between the equator
and the pole; our variable winds and our
non-periodic rains, combine to make the
State of Maine altogether the most de-
lightful place to be in of any among the
galaxy Of states that make up the glo-
rous union"