The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-03-30
MEMORIAL
FORESTS FOR
OUR SOLDIERS
Splendid Example, Sete by.
American Legion
Post

The recent vote in the St. Johns
bury town meeting to start n mum
:. iclpal forest and have it in memory
OF the soldiers makes the follow
ing editorial from the Boston
Transcript of timely interest:
| was is some memory of q
crowded hour of glorious life" in
Bollaeu Wood or in the forests of
the Arg0nne, that suggested the
fiae design Or was, it wl'athful
recollection of the Wanton,. de-
structiom OF orchards and forests
by the wasting Huns? Or was it Il
| happy conception of the union, of
the beautiful with the useful?
Whatever its origin, we must ac-
project of post Of the American
Legion in Herkimer County, New
York, to plant forests as memorials
OF the services and sacrifices of
the World War it Is planning, we
are told, to have its own members
personally plant 100000 trees on
200 acres this coming spring, and
TO continue the work, year after
year, until it has planted five mil
lion trees on 5000 acres of land in
the northern part Of that State.
From the point Of view of senti-
ment, the scheme is admirable.
There could scacely be a nobler
memorial than a forest. Some of
the highest praise that has ever
been given to the lofty Gothic
cathcdrals which are by common
consent the most sublime built by
man, is that they resemble the ar
morcal aisle Of a primeval foest.
1t possesses some of the most es-
entail qualities of memorial. 1t is
always perfect in taste, which is
more than can be said of too many
artificial structures raised as mon
uments. 1t is readily accessible and
appreclable by the public. 1t is, if
properly cared for, permanent with
the permanence OF perennial re-
neWal. There are forests in Eng
land Older than her abbeyS and in
France more ancient than the o.
blest Of her cathedrals.
The circumstance that a forest
is useful as swell as beautiful, and
that it may even be made source
Of considerable pecuniary profit,
IS no objection to the design.
Rather is 1t u strong commenda-
ton of it. 1t is a common thing
thus to combine the useful with
the beautiful-or with the mem
orial. We have. long. been accus-
toned to memorial churches, halls, /
Libraries and other buildings.
There are memorial bridges; and
an improved highway is being
constructed across the continent
us a memorial of Lincoln. These
are all practically useful things,
OF pecuniary value and sometimes
of pccuniary profit 1t would be
fitting similarly to have memorial
forests. Indeed, seeing that the
chief thing to be concentrated |
is the intensely practical service
to the nation and to humanity
that our soldiers rendered in the
World War, it will be exception
ally appropriate to erect or To |
plant in their honor memorials
which will also be of practical ser
vice.
It,would be supcrfiuous to dwell
at length upon the great need of
increasing our wooded areas, or
upon the immense services which
forests render 20 the people. For
health and comfort, for sport and
recreation, for some of the most
universal and indispensable indus
trial uses, they are simply in
dispensable. No greater calamity |
can befall a land, nothing can
more surely "dry up realms to de-
selts", than the disappearance Of !
the forests. And in this country !
forests have long been disappear
ing at an ominous rate. OF the !
original forest area of the United |
States only trifle more than
one-half now, remains wooded, |
and only one-sixth is still virgin
forest. Something like 360,000,000 /
acres of forest have been destroy
ed and the land denuded
In so far as such land has been
built upon, or has been placed
in a state of cultivation, the des-