Show ij f y r q NATIONAL FOUNDATIONS J PATRIOTISM IX TIME OF PEACE NEEDED TO SOL SOLVE VB OUR OURi i RATIONAL NATIONAL PROBLEMS i V L We Must J Plant Forests Organize a Better Schools Make Homes For hor t Workers and Rear the Children Close to Nature Menace Menace o of Great ClUes Cities At tho the comm commencement exercises of ot i. i the Michigan Agricultural College on I if June 1000 1906 an address was delivered de- de t. t livered by George U. U Maxwell Dean Denn of ot the Gild GUd of ot the Tails Talis Talisman f V man and Executive c Chairman of ot the National Irrigation Association The note key-note of ot the address of ot Mr t Maxwell axwell was wag the Idea Iden that we should VV V bring to the constructive o work vork of ot I I our social and commercial life In time or of peace the same fervent ter patriotism patriotIsm patriot patriot- Ism and devotion to the public servIce servIce t.- t. Ice that would Inspire the whole antion nat na- na t tion if we were In the throes of ot a V V bloody conflict with the people of ot hs some other country i r In Illustration of ot this he be referred referred re- re r to our forest resources The wasteful Improvidence with fr which we have bave swept the for for- eats cats out of ot existence was contrasted r f. f with the elaborate care with which i we wo have baTe built fortifications and nat na na- F- F t Tics vies and equipped our armies And W- W i yet said Mr Maxwell we have have- little littleto i. i to fear from any foreign foe toe But V ti I we wo have bave much to fear from the wreck and ruin that will Inevitably t i follow the destruction of ot our forests Destroy the forests and over o Immense Immense Im Im- mense areas flood and drouth will ti destroy the farms Destroy the forests and you will at atthe atthe the same time destroy many of ot our ourE E V most Important Industries by the exhaustion ex ex- f of ot our supply of ot wood or t timber Destroy a a. city by bombardment or orK I K- K fire and It Jt can be rebuilt In a few tew years more beautiful than ever er Destroy a forest on the plains and It may take more than a generation to restore It lt V Destroy a forest foreston on the mountains where the soil Is thin and poor and It Jt may take centuries to restore the forest If It It can ever e be done at all i. i V The destruction of the forest cover coer j. j leaves the mountain sides so exposed f J to erosion that the rocks are washed J ing JUg our working people both native e and foreign born Into an envIronment where congestion of ot population Is degenerating degenerating degenerating de de- generating our workers and rotting theIr physical and amI moral fibre Where will you yon find any citizenship In n the slum and tenement districts of our cities to whom yon you can effectively effect- effect vely ively appeal for help to stop the waste of ot our forests They know nothing about It and care less The first nee need of any nation Is an Intelligent citizenship citizen citizen- ship hip and the slums and tenements of ot our great cities are maelstroms Into which the citizenship of the country Is s being drawn to Its destruction In a steadily Increasing volume We are suffering just now from a n nI I spasm of ot national hysteria because I what everybody who ever eter took the trouble rouble to go and look knew long ago the the revolting conditions under which the great packers of Chicago have bave lave been operating their plants and because diseased meat has been sold for or food food- But you may draw the worst picture picture picture ure that your imagination can paint of the horrors of the slaughtering and I packing of meat In those establishments establishments establishments establish establish- I ments and nothing you can Imagine equals the horror of ot blighting the i lives Ives of ot thousands of ot children who whore are re condemned to live lI and grow up In Inthe inthe i the he the foul physical social and moral miasma that permeates the whole slum lum district of ot It Is Isa Isa isa a national disgrace and Is bound to prove pro a national curse There Is only one remedy for tor those I t- t ww i-ww i Ii far DESTROY THE TilE FORESTS AND FLOOD AND DROUTH WILL DESTROY TIlE TUB FARMS bare of ot soil soli and reforestation on becomes become Impossible W We are told by experts expert and no oneR one R contradicts the statement that at the present rate of ot consumption our entIre entire entire en en- tire forest resources s will be exhausted in less than forty years I have hae recently recently recently re re- seen It stated at thirty five years rears 5 ears If we are to guard against this national danger tile the Timber anda and a Stone Law must be repealed and ill pu public timber lands Included In permanent permanent permanent perm perm- anent Forest Reserves the title to theland the theland theland land forever retained by the National Government stumpage only of ot matured matured matured ma ma- timber sold and young timber preserved for tor future cutting so that i the forests forests will be perpetuated by rIght use and the National Government Government Government Govern Govern- ment must by the reservation or purchase purchase pur pur- chase of ot existing forest lands and the thet t planting of ot new forests create In every state National Forest Foiest Plantar Plantations Planta r from which through all the V years to come a n sufficient supply of ot V wood and timber can be annually harvested to supply the needs of the people of ot each state from the Forest Plantations In that state Unless we wo take time by the tho forelock forelock forelock fore fore- lock the next generation will see the United States practically a treeless nation without wood or timber for tor forthe f. f the uses of ot our people and devastated V year after atter year by ruinous Already Already Already Al Al- ready the scarcity of ot timber Is being felt and every man who builds bunds a ahome ahome home homo must pay the Increased cost In 1 Michigan I understand that some of ot i your most Important Industries are crippled by the shortage of ot timber And yet In the face faco of ot this condition condItion condition con con- which Is nothing more than a crisis threatening the complete destruction de de- of ot one of ot our greatest resources resources resources re re- sources as a nation Congress busies Itself with a multitude of ot matters of ot otIn In Infinitely less Importance and refuses to repeal the Timber and Stone Act under which the last remnants of ot our unreserved ed national forest lands are being fed Into the Insatiable maw of ot the tho timber speculators for less than one t tenth one nth of their actual value We Wo are told by the men In Congress who make Committees and find shape leg leg- legislation that the money cannot be spared to acquire and save silve from destruction destruction de de- the tho Calaveras BIg Bis Trees In California or to create the White Mountain and Appalachian Forest Reserves Reserves Re- Re serves and preserve o their forest resources resources resources re re- sources and save the water power used In the manufacturing Industries of ot New England and the South and the same men In the same moment refuse refuse refuse re re- fuse to stop the most shameless waste t of ot a nations nation's resources that ever disgraced disgraced dis dIs- r. r graced a national lawmaking body byk by k f refusing to repeal the Timber and Stone Act ti Not only this but In Arizona and New Mexico where the forests are arc the ther r very life of ot the country the Joint Statehood Bill BUl proposed to give lve a float afloat I V tog lug grant of ot several million acres Which thE lama lanI speculators who wha would r control the legislature would use ue t to get control of ot and destro destroy eYer every acre of at unreserved timber land In those thos territories The country owes a debt deb of ot gratitude to Senator Burroughs o of at your State for tor his bIs aid In preventing pre that bill from passing the Senate It seems incredible that these things should be done by Congress but there are reasons for it itIn In the first place the tho people a at large take tako no Interest In the preservation preservation tion of ot their own property What Is everybody's e business I is Is' Is nobody's business In the second place we have no not yet as a people risen far tar enough I above aboto the mere worship of ot Mammon to realize that we are deliberately sacrIficing sacrificing sac sac- to the Golden Calf Calt the resources resources resources re re- i sources without which we cannot exist ex ex- 1st as a nation And worse than an this we are are crowd- crowd horrible conditions of life for the children and that Is to get the workIng working workIng work- work Ing people and their children out of ot the slums and Into the suburbs where they can have sunshine and andresh fresh resh air and pure and nourishing food from a home garden Let us realize once for all that this problem of ot the children of ot our workIng workIng working work- work Ing people Is our greatest national problem and go at its solution with the same patriotic a and d self ing lag national heroism that led the II of ot Japan to go Into battle battle battle bat bat- tle with their lives in their hands bands like hand grenades to throw at the enemy that sought to crush out their national na national nd- nd life lite Let us catch the Inspiration of ot the slogan of ot the Movement Movement Movement Move Move- ment In this Country and never ne cease our work until we have bave Every child In a garden garden Every Every Mother In a and Homecroft-and and IndIvIdual Individual ual Industrial Independence for Every Worker In a Home of ot his hla own on the Land Land- The Creed and Platform of the tells how It may be bo done and anyone who wants a copy of ot It Itcan Itcan t can get It without charge sending by apostal a apostal apostal postal card addressed to me at the Fisher Building In Chicago The Great Cities are our most serious menace in this Country Our greatest national national- danger lies In the tho Centralization of ot wealth and populatIon population population tion and trade and Industry The hope of the nation is In the farm and suburban home and in the country and suburban town and village Let us go seriously to work to create create create cre cre- ate and them Let every student who goes out from tram this splendid Institution go with the spirit of ot a soldier to fight the great battles of ot peace for tor higher national Ideals deals for a purer public service for the preservation of ot our national resources for a better educational system and above and beyond all aU for the multiplication multiplication en cation of ot Homes on the tho Land where the children can grow to manhood and womanhood In the uplifting environment environment environment en en- of ot a n rural community where the tho evil Influences of ot the cities can be forever er kept at nt bay In Buchan such Buch an environment children can be reared to citizenship next to Nature from Crom whence they can draw health and v vIgor Igor both moral and physical for tor forthe the tho discharge of ot all nIl the duties of life It lt Is not in the cities that this country now needs the service of ot the flower of ot Its patriotic manhood It Is In the country where the great national problem of ot the improvement of ot the rural life lite is to be solved el where more b beautiful towns and villages and betI bet bet- I ter ds are to be built better schools to be established telephones and trolley lines JInes constructed and all the influences put to work that will socIalize e the country and drive away the Isolation and hardships that were formerly Its drawbacks We must not only stop and reverse if r r T a athe K f V i the great bloot tide of at population that has been drifting from the country to the cities We must decentralize Industry and trade as well as population The that Is latent in every heart beart must find an outlet in every ery country town and village in the work of ot village Improvement of ot creating an environment for human buman life lite where the highest utility and beauty will surround the entire community and anti where a local civic lc loyalty will prevail that will anchor the people to their own hearthstone and where they wall live content under their own vine and fig tree This local pride and love of ot home bome and the home town Is one of ot the strongest of human feelings when once it Is deeply planted It should be cultivated In every ery possible way Nothing should be left undone to stimulate or cement It Every member of ot such a community should cultivate a i spirit of comradeship and operate co to advance the general welfare of ot alL The merchant the small tradesman the country editor the Church should all work together to that end Home lome Industry should be encouraged In n every possible way The whole community should operate co-operate to protect protect pro- pro and stimulate the tr trade de of ot the town own The home bome paper should be liberally patronized There is no one thing capable of ot more far reaching and enduring endurIng enduring en en- during influence for tor good than the country press One of ot the most unfortunate un- un fortunate of ot modern influences has bas been een the trend of ot commercial evolution evolution tion lon that has borne so heavily on the country editor by the development of ot the he metropolitan family monthly and mail mall order papers filled with temptation temptation temptation tempt tempt- for the rural people to stimulate the he centralization of ot wealth and trade In n the cities by supplying their ordInary ordinary ordinary ordin ordIn- ary needs from tram far distant and practically practically unknown sources This trend toward oward the centralization of ot trade and Industry In the great cities walks sIde ide by side with the centralization of wealth and population as a menace to our national future The danger it threatens can only be obviated by awakening the people at lar large e to a re ra- re- re of t It The great central and controlling thought bought that must rise above all others as a national Ideal is the conviction conviction conviction con con- that the real bulwarks of ot the nation are the Homes of Its Citizens and that the first thought and highest ambition of every young man should be e to establish a HOME a sus self Home on the Land where he can be Independent and enjoy the real happiness of ot a well spent life lite and not make the mistake that brings and misery to so many of ot setting up the accumulation of ot a fortune fortune for- for tune une as the goal of ot his lifes life's ambition It Is a lure which of ot necessity must wreck thousands In order that a few may succeed The man who earns enough to live lIte comfortably without luxury as every intelligent and IndustrIous Industrious industrious In In- man can who has sufficient practical education and who does docs hIs ils duty to himself his family his bIs frIends his country and to humanity Is s the man who really succeeds In life and nd who gets the greatest happiness nn JI f. f j To create a human character of th the hIghest type with everything that Implies Is the most admirable of ot all human luman an and l that every everyman everyman everyman man and woman must and can do for themselves A A time like this demands strong strong men men Gre Great t hearts true faith and ready hands Men len whom the lust of ot office does docs not kill Men whom the spoils of office once cannot buy Men len who possess opinion and a a. will Men who have honor men who will not lie He Men en who can stand before a demagogue And damn his treacherous flatteries Batteries without without with with- out winking Tall men sun crowned who live above the fog In public duty and In private thinking |