Connecticut western news., 1909-02-18

thing else few on all sides of us. It was the contamination of what we had been fighting for for three years, but the sad dest part of it all was to think ot those who were shot down that very day, after having served three years Ill the war, after achieving this great victory.
 Shortly afterward, we received the news of the assassination of the Presi- dent. That cast a gloom over all our joys-the death of this man who had served his country so faithfully, who had carried us through, and who was shot down at fhe time when he was about to see the light.
 "When Lincoln went down to New Orleans on hls f1atboat. in his early days. he had little time to spare after selling his cargo. He went into slave pen, and when he came out, he said that If he ever had the chance to hit that in- fanny, he would hit it aud hit 1t hard. And he carried it out.
 "The speech of Lincoln at Gettysburg at the dedication of the Gettsyburg cem- etery, was one of the grandest ever de- livered. He followed Everett, who spoke for two hours. Lincoln spoke for two minutes, and Everett afterward said he said more in those two minutes than he (Everett) said in two hours. There is but one other production that expresses as much in as few words, and that is the Lords Prayer.
 "Draped about the picture of Lincoln on the wall of this room is the flag be- longing to the town of North Canaan. At the breaking out of the Civil War the ladies of the town decided that rhey wanted flag, but they did not have the funds with which to buy one, therefore they bought the cloth, sewed it together, and made the flag which is now before you, and it floatsd from the town flag staff during the war and was at half mast after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln"
 At the conclusion of MT. Roberts speech, Rev. J. P. Smyth spoke enter talninglY and instructivelY on "The Conservation of Our Natural Resources with especial Reference to Forest Pre- servation." A synopsis of his remarks follows:
 Our natural resources are fast being depleted. The coal supply will show signs of exhaustion by the middle of the next century. High grade iron ore, pe- troleum, and natural gas will show this tendency dy the middle of this century. Other resources, such as lime and phos- phate, though abundant, are clearly ex- haustible.
 We have, however, a resource, which, if properly managed may be permanent. This is constituted by our forests. At the present rate of utiliza- tion and under present methods. they are disappearing. Total acreage of forest land is now 55O,OOO,0OO. It origi- nally was 850,OOO.OOO.
 "The forest resource is @ most impor tant resource, which fact argues for its preservation and proper care. Wood is put to very many Cses. A use is found for it from combs to car-wheels.
 "The forest. while growing, as well as when marketed, is of great economic value It equalizes the flow of rivers. Its obstructive effect prevents the rains which fall upon the hill-sides from being delivered rapidly into the valleys and thus causing floods. Water held in the forests is carried over into dry periods and droughts are thus not as severe.
 "The permanent benefits of the forest resource are to be secured by the pre- servation and rational management of it gained by the cooperation of private interests, state, and national legislation.
 Legislation, state and national in present generation because of the per manence of the state. It is thus for the future as we'll as for the present. Per sons thus cannot do their full duty to gation to the future condition of the state. Therefore we cannot waste and destroy normally perfect resource, such as we have i'll our forests, without doing grave injustice to future genera tions.
 "A historical survey of forest interest and legislation shows that something has been done toward forest preservation but as yet such action as is properly required has not been taken. Nor has policy of forest management sufi- ciently large and scientific been as yet inaugurated.
 i At the conclusion of MT. Smyth's ad- dress, informal remarks were made as follows:
 Daniel l.. Peirce-"I think we ought to remember man (William Canfield) who has done much for this place, who has thoroughly renovated this house. Eo c1oobo1 +o Ian