Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-08-08
Get Out of Doors
BY Frederic J. HAzksn

ny Frederic J. HaSkin
Washington. August 8s--Rourhing u
is rapidly becoming the accepted anti
Iote for overdoser of business. house
kceping, hot weather, wcrry--even
running a government.
President Harding was the Last nofa-
BILE recruit to camp life. though any
one reading N his necessarily dc luxe
camp with its half hundred attend
ants, and is movie men catching Mr..
Edison In the art OF brushing fly
off his nose and the President reading
a paper, must feel that Mr.. Harding
scarcely had chance 10 get the real
flavor OF life without necktie.
The everyday citizen is IN this more
fortunate. If ne aspires to build log
cabin in the woods and FISH, hunt, take
pictures, tramp. study nature. or
merely sit, he can enjoy these recre-
atoms undisturbed, for az many weeks
as he likes, at the price OF a few days
at any fashionable resort.
Back 10 the forest is now the annual
slogan Of over 100000 people who
have solved the problem OF q restful,
cheap vacation ~ using the national
forests There would probably bt
very little forest left TO get back 70 by
this time IL the reckless cutting and
burning Of timber mad not been re-
stricted some twenty years ago, and
national forest system built up.
Since then, f47 forests, containing
/ 15s ,000. 900 acres Of land. have been
dedicated as Fairgrounds for the
people.
In one way, the national forests
are Of necessity one-sided PROPOSE
tion. OF the 147 forests. ali bat twenty
I are in the West. In the East which
I so much needs camping grounds there
is left comparatively little forest bad
which could be set aside for the pespie.
/ But the hack to the woods germ is
/ too contagious and viruient TO be
/ checked BY difficulties of distance. We
are told that the Colorado forests,
which are perhaps the most famous in
/ the country, attract people from
every state in the Union and from a
number OF foreign countries. The
other national forests are rapidly be-
coming known az practical play
4 grounds, and automobiles. the wander
/ lust, good roads, nerves. and high
/ prices are all contributing to the popu-
iarity Of the public Fairgrounds every
where.
The 1000. 900 people who have got
the habit Of using the national forests
I are only a beginning. Some Of the
western forests are 20 extensive and
80 comparatively unused by campers
that a party may travel for days AZ a
time through them without meeting
any other vacationists.
The West is Foneycombed with thess
vast forest stretches. with snowtoppeo
4 mountains. lakes hidden among pines
shady streams stocked with fish. and
smooth roads and trails, all az ths
service Of the people.
Eastern Forests.
The East has It's national forests too
IN Florida. the Carolinss. Arkansas
Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma. Maine
New Hampshire, Tennessee. Virginia
and West Virginia. These forests. sci
aside, most OF them, long after th'
states were well built up, are limiteS
in area, compared 10 the big western
forests. The smallest Of these eastern
forests. for instance, Boone Forest. Ia
North Carolina, Is only 1000 acres
while the largest. the Arkansas For.
est, is some 500 600 acres. In the Wesr
there are a number OF national for
ests with ] 900, 900 or more acres. ans
. one, in New Mexico, with $500, 900
In all Of the national forests ex
cept in the East any one who wishe
10 build cabin or cottage may Ieas.
camp site Of from a quarter OF al
acre to acres OF ground for from Tel
TO twenty-five dollars a year. Timbe
for the house may be bought wherl
available. at cost price OF the sturnl
from the Forest Service, and tn.
camper can cut il and build his owl
house or may hire some one 10 do !
for him. The land once leased may b
released in succeeding years.
Not all the persons who patroniz'
the national forests build quarters