Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-05
THE LIBRARY TABLE
By the Booklorer

TOOK this power OF wealth OUT OF tle
ground. Now. we must invoice our re-
sources and determine how we should
proceed from here. For nation DE-
gins but once" This sentence: by
Hubert Work, former Secretary of the
Interior closes the foreword to Our
Federal Lands Romance of American
Development" by Robert Sterling Yard.
executive secretary of the National
Parks Association. This is not Mr..
Yards first book. He has already writ
ten THE Book of the National Parks
The National Parks Portfolio" and
THE Top of the Continent" but this
latest book is more comprehensive than
the others, and reveals what few per-
sons are thoroughly cognizant of-the
great extent of the lands owned by the
United States. considered as a whole,
1t is impossible accurately to measure
our Federal lands today; the National
Government itself does not know the
total. Some of the administrative bu-
reaus have not had occasion to total
their own possessions. and the public
domain Is never exactly the same size
for two consecutive weeks. From the
information we can gather from the
several administrative agencies in the
National Government it is safe to say
Llld1 FCQCl al ldllOS VA ali hlilOo
domain, national forests. national parks
wild-life SanctuarieS. reservations Cf
every kind. exceed 100000 square miles
in area, not including the vast wilder
ness of Alaska and island possessions 3"
The public domain is the basis of all
Federal lands. that territory once so
largely owned by the Government but
now much depleted, from which "the
Nation was built and shaped" Mr..
Yard makes us visualize the public
domain as fallen giant. To-day. it's
lands shrunken to culls. its greater
work Of the future carried forward by
younger specialist land organizations
carved out Of it's vitals. its national i'm
portance departed like the glory of a
day at dusk. nevertheless, it remains the
largest Of the subdivisions of our Fed
eral lands. and buster in many direc-
tions in its impoverished decline than
ever it was in it's years of swollen
wealth." An interesting distinction is
pointed out between national parks and
national monuments. National parks
are areas of original unmodihed natu
raj conditions. each the finest possible
example of its kind in the country, pre-
served as a system from all industrial
use" National monuments are "his-
toric landmarks, historic and prehistoric
structures. and other objects Of historic
or scientific interest that are situated
upon the lands owned or controlled BY
the Government of the United States. ~
and Congress has authorized the res
ervation of lends around these monu-
ments. "the limit of which in all cases
shall be confined to the smallest area
compatible with the proper care and
rv1anaOenoenf 0f tho nhinatc RI I1a y,ro
tected."
"Our Federal Lands" is by no means
merely book of information. to be
shelved for reference. 1t is. as its SUBJ
title indicates, a real American ro-
nance. Even the chapter headings
carry out the idea Of romance. as ma
tional Parks System a University of
Nature" National Monuments System
a Scientific Museum" and Depletion
and Rescue of Our Amazing Heritage of
Wild Life" The many illustrations also
embody romance, suggested by their
titles: "Of Such Stuff Was Made
America" Adirondack White Pine
Seeding Neighboring Meadow" Count
ing Sheep ENTERING National Forest"
Profitable Orchard Where Once Was
Desert" "Blackfoot Reservation Women
Are Up-to-Date.' THE End of a Will
derness Elk" "Mountain-Go in Full
Winter Coat, Montana" Higgins He'll.
Great Smoky National Park" Mr.. Yard
knows OF what he speaks. whether 1t be
fact or impression. in connection with
Federal lands, for in addition to much
research in Government administrative
offices in the preparation of his hook,
he has visited most of the national
parks. This first-hand knowledge shows
throughout the book. For example, he
says: I'm 1915 Director Stephen T.
Mather and I found DR.. Lenertz, then
of the University of Minnesota. plotting
a class In geology on study tramp
through Glacier National Park. the
third or fourth of an annual series, .
and ITO several of us in Yosemite Ma
tional Park II Summers ago. wondering
at the slender patronage OF spot so
marvelously beautiful in land so great
and rich, the presence of adventures
by automobile from distant States STIR
red no apprehension within us of the
deluge of travel to come" Mr.. Yard
closes his book with speculation: Il
wonder what, IL years from now. the
airplane will have done to the lands I
have here described"
World wide Americanization, with
culture crucified by mass production
and finally, all nations, including
America, arriving at state of psyche
logical and social collapse, will be the
changes which the age of machinery
will bring to civilization, according to
Aldous Huxley, English novelist and
grandson of Thomas Huxley. who fought
the first battles for Darwinism in Eng
land two generations ago. In his latest
novel, Point Counter Point" Mr. Hulk
ley predicts the complete STANDARDIZED
ton of mankind and ultimate social
revolution. "BolshevikS, FaScistS, radi-
Gals and conservatives-what are they
all fighting for? Mr.. Huxley asks
through the most significant character
in his novel, Mark hampton, who has
been identified as the writer himself.
They are all them headed for the same
psychological impaSSe and the social
collapse that results from psychological
collapse. The only point of difference
between them is this: How shall we get
there? They all believe in industrialism
in one form or another; they all be-
lieve in Americanization. Think Of the
bolshevist ideal. America, but much
more so. America with government de-
partments taking the place OF trusts and
State officials instead of rich men, and
then the ideal of the rest of Europe.
The same thing only with the rich
men preserved. Machinery and govern
ment officials there. Machinery and Al
fred Mond or Henry Ford here. The
machinery to take us to hell; the rich
or the officials to drive it. They are all
equally in a hurry. In the name of sci
ence, progress and human happiness
Amen. And step on the gas" A solu-
ton to the problem would be to make
people live Enthusiastically, in two COM
partments. Mr. Huxley suggests; in the
one as individualized workers, in the
other as human beings; 8 hours out of
every "a at work and the remaining
hours at leisure as a complete man or
woman.
X X X
Few knew that Mrs. H. G. Wells had
literary gift until after her recent
death hit "The Ro0k of Catherine