The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1941-05-01
Turning Over An
Old Leaf
BY Phillip A. Gladheim


the Valley of the Shadow,
There were faces unregarded, there
were faces to forget;
There were fires of grief and fear
that are a few forgotten ashes,
There were sparks of recognition that
are not forgotten yet"
In spite of narrow, muddy roads,
often impossible; in spite of unpaved
streets in the few villages in the
county; in spite of the inconvenience
of doing without autos, radios,
movies, and a thousand and one cleo
trio gadgets, those who still have
vivid recollections of life here in the
mountains fifty years ago would turn
in majority vote for the return of
those days. There were two values in
life then that have been lost during
the intervening years; these values
are simplicity and independence
What is left of these we must fight
for and never be sure we win But
then simplicity and independence was
a natural gift to all the people
Coupled with these values might be
mentioned the beauty of the virgin
forests and the liveness of the noun
tain streams teeming with game fish.
These blessings can never be for US,
aoI will hoxo 70 Aicnaxro,. o%l,
values both in nature and people to
compensate for our grievous loss.
These things would not have been
lost if our forefathers had had the
foresight to plant new life in the
forest when they felled the giant
trees, and to protect the streams from
pollution. One would think that the
present generation would have
learned its bitter lesson. But there
are some things that a succeeding
generation fails to learn from the for
mer. 1t fails to learn that thrift is
smarter than greed.
AS we look about these ranges and
ridges today we see saw-mills greed
lily eating and devouring young sap
lings which are trucked away as mine
props. In turn these mines pollute
our streams. This goes on daily under
our very eyes, and we pay increasing
taxes to state and federal govern
ments to control, and conserve the
forests. In spite of organized efforts
in conservation much of our forest
land is being reduced to thorn thick
cts In spite of efforts to conserve
fish and game the streams have lost
their glamor and eXcitement-for who
wants to catch crabs? We hope that
our Fish Conservationists will succeed
in restoring trout in increasing
numbers. Their greatest enemy is the
small upland game it is still holding
its own, and the deer are increasing
We should be grateful for what Con-
servation is doing, and for the work
of the CCC. We must be patient and
cooperative. Let us help to restore
our forests by planting trees wher-
ever possible. Other sections of the
country less favored than ours are
deriving their chief income because
they have learned and applied the art
of forest husbandry.
I would sacrifice an airplane trip
from coast to coast any time if only
l could have the privilege of walking
five miles over Davis Plains when
the forest gloom was so deep in the
MONDAY sun that one could not see
more than one hundred fifty feet
ahead This mighty forest was, a
sanctuary of silence, where giant
masts, skyscraper-high, were bound
one to another by the fronded clasps
of out-stretched branches. My mother
remembers these forests. Whether it
was an hallucination or not, she still
wildly relates of how one afternoon
she saw man walking and jumping
over the tree-tops.