Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1923-08-08
VISITOR LIKES COUNTY
Writer of Note Takes His
"Hat Off" To Our Agri-
cultural Pioneers.

Villas did not occur in the list. The
county was one of the late corners
and it is really remarkable what
progress the county has made
since it entered the fraternity of
other counties and possibly more
out of state people know the coun-
ty we'll than those in the state for
it has become a veritable play
ground of thousands who come
here for rest and recreation.
The thing that forced itself I'M
hidden into my consciousness re-
peatedly in this north country IS
the fact that here, decades ago, a
few men were permitted to cut
down the virgin timber. Ones
sense Of justice is rather outraged
that such wholesale slaughter
was perpetrated in these remark
able northern forests. 1t is one OF
our national sins that we have
ruthlessly slaughtered our forests
for which will pay the penalty IN
years to come. 1t is true some of
this had to be done and possibly
these few men were justified IN
doing so, but nevertheless one
feels everywhere the gigantic
cash caused on the face of this
beautiful region with only the
stumps to remind one Of the forest
warfare. Then the huge burnt
over sections with the scared and
black trees are another symbol of
the carelessness largely of a big
portion of our Indifferent and sell
fish people who do not dream of
what it means to set big fires ago
ing. They are not all caused
through carelessness but enough
to make the matter a public out
rage. In German forests no one
ever builds a fire. In Switzerland
the forester has a census of every
tree and you cut only as this for
ester gives you permission and
for every tree felled one must be
planted. Northern Wisconsin must
come to that and the parceling off
Of state forest reserves is a move
in the right direction. The dark key
when asked his opinion on forest
conservation that it would easily
be solved if every one had the
same feeling toward the wood pile
as he had.
Another striking thing that
meets ones metnal gyrations in
the north country is the pioneer
ing spirit. We take our hats off
to all people who ventured and still
venture into these lands to sub
due and conquer the soil to make
this part of Wisconsin with all it's
beauty, a habitable place. This
pioneering spirit takes great faith;
it means that the average farmer
is debarred from enjoying many
of the old time advantages
and he comes to live out some of
the primitive and simple virtues of
frugalality thrift an d courage
which is always an asset. 1t is re-
freshing to go into the Mayo dis
trict, into Sundsten and Bohemian
district, and see these people grub
bing stumps, facing an unknown
future, seeking to moke a margin
which in the end governs all our
successes materially, and then be-
come interested in schools and
churches for their intellectual and
spiritual improvement. Thus the
Country Social club to my mind
with some of the hopes and as
pirations of tieing people together
for better community better
homes and hearts, to my mind, is
really an index of live commun-
ity which cannot receive enough
praise. Those who are not in such
a movement have not yet caught
the biological truth that only CO.
operators survive and the rest pass
out of a community as a rule I'M
honored and unsung. Nature has
a way of doing away with every
organism that refuses to cooper
ate and serve. 1t is so with nations
and individuals, and one of the
striking things in Eagle River
community is this movement men
toned. Also, the band is a
harmonizer of discords, commun-
ity builder and a source of in
spiration feeding the higher ma
ture of man which in the end is
the satisfactory. People who sit
around and want all the benefits
of the community but refuse to
give hours of time, and money,