Show IS A FAMINE AT HAND there is a strong show of reason for the claim that tho the rapid destruction truc tion ortho forests in the east is tho the cause of a great number of the water courses completely drying up and for the seasons excessive drought this theory is proved prova by our experience in this part of the country humidity is promoted by the presence of trees and other vegetation those who have given attention to the subject express grave apprehension concerning the future effects of the extinction of the vast tracts of timber that have lately been burned up mr david G thompson of cincinnati is discussing the question he ile says how terrible these results are may be seen in the desolation wrought upon babylon thebes I memphis and especially upon the people of the chinese province of shan li only three years ago by the loss of their forests history shows that not a few nations have declined with the disappearance of their forests and upon he the preservation of our water courses may depend our existence as it nation mr thompson earnestly aavo cates the with timber of the denuded and devastated lands experience and the operations of nature prove demonstratively that the absence of timber in a country produces an absence of humidity it is a fact that an incalculable quantity of timber covering an i area of millions upon millions of acres in the united states and canada including even the I pacific ael c coast has been swept out of existence t by devouring flames the logical result of this condition will be a spreading far drought an in inevitable consequence of which is a failure of crops such a failure means the existence of a famine in involving indescribable woe people may scout the idea of prognostic cating evil ahead but to be forewarned should be almost as good as forearmed 11 the wise man seeth the evil and fleeth from it nature never lies and when the necessary causes and conditions exist its results are unerring the startling times in which we live should lead the people to pursue the paths of providence however much the skeptical spirit of the age may seek to ignore the harmo relation that exists between i inspired prophetic predictions afan of an cicet and modern modem times f facts acts cannot bo be obliterated there is is a striking resemblance between the prognostications about events that were positively to exist in the latter days and things as they are this cannot be successfully reasoned away but one of the points of the belief of the church of latter day saints is that there will sooner or later be a famine in the land this waa was predicted by the divine master himself and has been renewed in this generation by joseph smith the ile effect of the prediction is that within nj ni great length of time gold will vill bear scarcely any relation to s breadstuff i because of the excessive value of the latter as compared to that of the other whether a failure of crops would take utah within its ghastly scope be ope or not she would be aure to bo be affected more or less disastrously by ft A prevalent outside scarcity but whether a famine comes conics or not we believe it ultimately will ill there can be no harm in providing against the contingency of a rainy day A well filled granary is a source of security and therefore our advice to our friends is to save their grain that they may not be caughtry caught by a calamitous condition that is liable to stealthily creep on the country like a thief iu in the night |