feared is a new enemy which is soon to appear upon the horizon, if indeed he is not already there. Considering what has been the fate of all accessible woodland in our state we can hardly suppose that this tract, small as it is, can stand unchanged much longer. As means of access and facility in handling timber increase, the' man of business will appear, and what with “prop” and “pulp” and “box shooks” the trees are likely to disappear as have those of other districts; and then shorn of one of its chief beauties, swept by fire, and harassed by spasmodic efforts at “reclamation”‘we shall scarcely recog nize our old-time Bear Meadows again. Our only hope is in this, that either the evil day may be long deferred, or tnat a more enlightened policy of land and forest economy may prevail. On this latter suggestion the following seems perti nent. Assuming that the great need of Agricul ture in Pennsylvania is-not more land but better care and culture of that now under the plough, and that there is to be a continuous demand for lumber of various kinds, why sweep away the forest growth of the Meadows at onc'e as a far mer does his crop of grain ? The latter can be re placed in a year, but the former in scarcely a century. Is it too much to hope for the success of some such project as the following : A stock company of (a) some practical men who have keen eyes ,for business, (and have repu tation for being long-headed), (b) Some gentle men . so fond of the sport of hunting and fishing that they would be glad to have it close at home, (c) Some enthusiasts who believe that forests can be raised as corn and grass can, arid that we can afford to do something for posterity even though posterity has done nothing for us. Let such a company purchase the Meadows and sufficient ad joining mountain land to make a tract* of five, ten or more square miles. At some convenient point from which the whole can be under its con trol, place a forester and gamekeeper. Then let trees be cut and used only when they are ready for it, the young growth allowed to remain, the THE FREE LANCE. portions now supporting but a scanty growth planted anew, the fires kept down and the cattle out, the old game and fish protected and new introduced—in short,let there be intelligent work and supervision throughout, having for its object not the greatest immediate return, disregarding every other consideration, but rather a careful husbanding of resources, a using without abusing, and a just regard for the future of the property. Pennsylvania has no such great unoccupied area as the Adirondack of New York or the Yellowstone of Wyoming, which she can hold for the public good, but, scattered up and down along the Ap palachians, are many places like this of the'Bear Meadows which under private ownership can be made to serve well the interests of the immediate owners, and at the same time reserve the integ rity of many interesting natural features, and conserve our timber and water supply. Time and space are insufficient to enter into the details of the plan of which this is but an outline, and of the advantages which would ac crue from it. It is to be hoped however that private interest and public spii it may be so com bined as to give us a few such reserves. The mountain region is well fitted for them and the Bear Meadows an excellent place to begin on. Blau College, Pa, HAIL, MORNING STARS ! I send my spirit through wide hinds And llvo doad ages, To olasp the kind, Immortal hands Ol curly sages. I road tho weird, half-shapen thought Of bards or Hindoo, And hall tho truth divinely taught By Boers of Hebrew. 1 hear, beneath .auroral lights, The Xor’land Jtiddas ; And think how Ormazd evil tights In vales of Shiraz. From talks of Socrates I learn, I think with Plato; And foul tho throbs of passion burn In songs of Sappho. The morning stars that brought the dawn At noon are shining;. . , , Tlielr light, In stronger light withdrawn,. Thu eye divining. I> TMOBMVON OIMOKDi
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers