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Anniversazles, in general, are uise- + ful { xasions on which to review the] "past; 'take stock of the present i to form resolutions for.the future i the light of experience. On this, the 53rd anniversary of Confederation, let us take an observation of our position, write our log-bock up to date and shape our course to avoid the dangers ahead, that the good ship] "Canada" may have as smooth and prosperous a voyage as.human fore- sight can assure her. We have weathered an awful temp- est. We have been somewhat battered and the watchers on the bridge have had many anxious moments but, on the whole, we have emerged safely and well. The storm has not entirely subsided, but the clouds are breaking and we can see blue sky ahead. We have every reason to congratulate ourselves on the manner in which our staunch little frigate has weathered the hurricane in which several proud- er vessels, and particularly the "Ger- mania," foundered and sank. The war over, are we buckling down as we should to the problems of peace? It is to be feared that we i not doing our utmost to put igs. again to rights.. We are all more or less fatigued, no doubt, with our effort; our nervés are somewhat on edge and we are £60 much 'disposed to wrangle over the job. But it is high time that we' were getting over this phase and settling down once more into our regular routine. The greatest problem of the day is - undoubtedly the scarcity of most con modities, with resultant high prices and dear living, The salient fact to recognize in this connection is that this condition is only partially a legacy of the war. It did not have Its origin in the war, for the cost of "livihg had been rising steadily since sthe 'last years of the 19th century right up to the outbreak of the con- flict. The conclusion is that the war merely intensified and accelerated a Yandency already existing. Cause of Present Scarcity. Undoubtedly, one contributing cause of the present scarcity is extrava- \gance. By this term, we mean not merely individual ' thriftlessness and "ostentation which, to be sure, in its gecumulative effect, is 'very important --but' also waste on a large scale. #North America has- handled its re- 'sources in an especially reckless man- Canada, for instance, has the biggest per capita' fire loss of 'any; country in the world. That is to say,| a crop 'we are using up our plant and equip- ment faster than any other people, and a greater proportion of our new construction is mere replacement and not the creation of fresh wealth. Not us to prepare the ground and trees; if natural r cient, so much the better. "But. we ! only have our manufactured products been thus dissipated but; what is even more serious, the natural resources on which our industries depend have been . seriously depleted. Canada started on her career in 1867 with a magnificent dower of umexploited natural wealth. It was so vast that the dangerous word "inexhaustible" was often applied to it. In those days they could not get the trees 'out of the way fast enough; now it is a ques- tion where to find trees to keep the lumber mills busy, Then, the waters teemed with fish; to-day, the Fraser River sockeye, the Great Lakes white- fish, the Atlantic "shad, to mention only a few examples, are threatened with absolute extinction. No less serious is the exhaustion of soil fer- tility. - On the western plains; the "goil-mining" methods of the pioneer are showing their baneful results to- day in decreased yields and weed- choked farms. Thus, the economic problems of the older lands have over- taken this country in half a century. The remedy for this state of affairs is: CONSERVATION. . We cannot lock up our resources, but it is not necessary that they should become progressively smaller and less valu- able year by year. It is quite possible --except in the case of minerals--so to exploit our natural wealth that it shall never diminish, but shall even increase. We can cut down trees without destroying the forest; we can grow crops and leave the soil as fer- tile as ever; we can gather a rich harvest from the finny tribes. and from the furred and feathered world without depleting the parental stock. As regards minerals, though, of course, once used they can never be replaced, we can, with care, indefin- itely postpone the evil day of searcity and exhaustion. Let us consider ina little greater detail how these desir- able ends may be attained. Forestry Practice. As regards the forest, our own meén- tal attitude towdbds it is largely to blame. We have inherited = from pioneer days a disposition to regard it as something to be cut down to make room for settlement. We must sReview--June 27. I Sam. 12: 1.5, SL © 18.95, beh { is difficult to compare great men of different lands and times go as to do them full justice. Each is the man for his own time and place and serves this own age. Bach has his own dis- . tinctive 'work to do. But in each and bevery case the criterion of true great- ness is/service. No man is. great who foes not serve. Christ is our model and our example. In Him we see 'greatness in service and greatness stMFbugh service. "I -am among you," said, "as one who serves.' adudging by this criterion Samuel entitled to be called great. He served the people of his time through- wit a long life unselfishly and well. As servant in El¥s house, in training for the priesthood; as . priest and __Aropbet, and judge. of Istael; as unifier «af the divided nation; as maker and seounséllor of kings; in all these ca- pacities he proved himself an honor- able and- fearless man and a true servant of the people. The boy who 'answered 0. readily in the night. to "what He supposed to be the voice of his 'aged master, Eli, ag aman ans- _ wered just as readily to the call of the nation, in' which he learned to hear the voice of God, Let us consider some of his notable deeds. While still a boy, and much against his will, he declared the judg- ent of God upon 'the house of the priest Eli, who had allowed his sons to commit gross abuses and crimes at the Sanctuary, and to bring . the worship of the Sanctuary into contempt (I Sam. 8), In later years vored to unite all the people] 'the widely scattered independent tribes of Israel in the pure worship of Jehovah, to the exclusion of all false gods and of all 'idolatry. «For this _ purpose he called to eh, and' ! to Ramah, a' first, tative men of the tribes for = and for prayer. He oe Loe oo that a unity of , 'and especially the| unify ot 'common worship, effects ny Son wo (12: 22). [4 king in such a wa¥, by anointing with holy oil, as to impress upon him' the fact of the supreme lordship of Je- hovah, and of the authority of His prophet. And he wrote in a book the manner of the kingdom, That is to say, he wrote the ancient laws which guaranteed freedom and justice and the rights of the men of Israel as against any usurpation of them, or , exercise of arbitrary power, on the part of the king. And so he made the recognition of Jehovah a fundamental part of the constitution of the new kingdom, andghe gave to king and kingdom an ideal character, &s the earthly representatives of the person and rule of the heavenly King, an ideal 'toward 'which the 'prophets of subsequent times continually directed the hope and ambition of Israel]: (10: 25). Two great disappointments 'and sorrows, came to 'aSmuel. The first was the misconduet of his own 'sons (8: 1-8). The second was 'the: stub- born and childish petulance and wil- fulness of Saul, who refused to be guided by the prophet's counsel (chaps. 18 and 15), and who for this reason was rejected from being king and another chosen to take his place. Saul, in breaking with Samuel, sep- arated himself from one who would always have been the wisest and most disinterested of counsellors, who had a very strong hold upon the hearts of the people, and whose faith would: have been a constant source of strength and courage. Saul was a good soldier, but arms alone cannot make a nation great." Saul with Samuel might have wrought great things. Some of the sayings of Samuel have been often repeated and are well worth memorizing. - For example: "Prepare your hearts unto the Lord and serve him only" (7:8). "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us" (1: 12). "For the Lord will not forsake His people; for His great. na "Hath the Lord a pair is quite in order to tackle: the virgin : forest and cut down the bigger trees. | Conservation is not mean mere|: preservation, A virgin forest has attained its maximum growth; it is a ripe crop and needs harvesting. By taking out the larger trees, we give the younger ones a chance to develop. ] "After such selective cutting, the growth will more than balance the |: decay and we are distinctly the gain- ers by the process. It should not be assumed, however, that proper selection.can be attained by the simple rule- of-thumb 'method of imposing a diameter limit, below which trees cannot be cut. Every tree in the forest competes 'with its fellows for light, air, moisture and soil food. It follows that all unsound trees should be removed, whi "ma- ture or not." Further, the' pacing of: the trees that are left must be con-] sidered. Each must have room to grow. Hence, what is needed is in- telligent selection directed by Arained "men, A further consideration which enters into "this problem is that the whole character of 'a forest can be changed by removing certain gpecied and leaving others. This process"is actually going on in the pulpwood areas of Eastern Canada. The coni- ferous trees, especially spruce and balsam, are being cut down, while less valuable hardwoods are being left because it does not pay to re- move them. Consequently, these hard- woods now dominate the cut-over areas and retard or prevent the growth of a 'second crop of pulpwood, The best solution "of this problem would be the development of some economic use for these hardwood trees. . Intelligently to cultivate the for- est, it is necessary to know how long the crop takes to mature. This is not accurately known at present but growth studies, now being under- taken by the Commission of Conser- vation, dare expected to answer the question, It will take three or four years, however, before the results can be determined. The practige of forestry is useless without proper fire protection. Since Confederation, it is safe to say that more merchantable timber has been burned than cut. The principal dam=- age to-day, however, is to the young growth, for the fires are mostly in cut-over areas. An efficient fire-pa- trolling force must be proyided. But, as an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, proper slash disposal is most important. All the debris left after lumbering should be piled up and burnt under proper supervi- sion, There would then be far less chance for a fire to start and to]. spread. (Coneluded next week). Our First Postage Stamp April 23rd last was the sixty-ninth anniversary of Canada's first postage stamp, the three-penny red. That stamp, designed by Sir Sanford Flem- ing 'and 'bearing the picture of the beaver, was first put on sale for the benefit of Canadian letter writers. .on April 23rd, 1851. The first issue of Canadian stamps ~were this three-!| penny, a sixpenny with the Prince Consort's picture on it, and a twelve- penny bearing a portrait of Queen Victoria. The sixpenny was put on sale in May, 1851, and the twelve: | penny in June of the same year. Only 1,600 copies of the latter stamp Viet, 'ever put on 'sale "at post-offices, | {4hough-the Goverriment received over+$ Canada's Rocky Mountains. Park fifty thousand copies from the print- ers. Where the rest went to no éne seems to know. The 'twelvepenny is Canada's scarcest stamp, good copies of it now selling at from four to five 4 hd hundred dollars, Profits carried forward now stand at Shareholders 'Had a Very Satisfactory Year. Belaast "g She t E hibits : Ba nk } The Worchants 'Bauk ot Canada en: foyed 'a very remarkable year "of pro-| gress during ths twelve months ended | April 30th. The paid-up capital of th Bank was enlarged during that peri by $1,400,000, representing an increase of 20%. Not only did the mew capital immediately justify itself, so far: as' earnings were concerned, but it was accompanied by a growth in the 'total. volume of business - which was, suf: ficlent'to keep 'the ratio of 'capital to assets unchanged for "the year. The assets of the Bank are 18.40% great-| the beginning of | -§ er than they were at the year, having increased from $166, - Power ci 4 of Niagara Falls, 400, ,000 is exported to 725,404.95 to: $197,387,856.14. Of 'this| growth $24,900,000 i8 accounted for by | the remarkable expansion in deposits | which largely represent the savings of the clients of the Bank and which are now over $163,000,000. ° The Bank was able fo maintain al strong liquid position throughout the year. Quick asgets at the end of April were over $72,607,546.36, and were at a ratio of 40,81% to the total public liabilities, amounting to $179, 988,920.94. The Bank's share ip the. task of financing the commercial and industrial business of the Dominion was well attended to, the sum of $113, 198,918 being devoted to current loans and discounts in Canada. The sum| ° of $3,687,491.69 was loaned to Cana- dian cities, towns, municipalities and school districts, and ~~ $1,117,268.51 loaned' otherwise than in Canada. The shareholders benefited largely by the prosperity of the institution. The annual distribution of profits was increased by the addition of 1% bonus to the 129% dividend regularly in force, while the shareholders also enjoyed the privilege of acquiring a large is- sue of new stock at much less than its market value. ; The distribution of profits was, how- even, moderate. in comparison with the earnings, which were at the rate of 20.48% on capital stock, or 10.64% |. on the actual investment of the share- holders, when the Rest Find is taken into consideration. Of the remaining profits $100,000 was written off the Premises Accoutit, and $700,000 added to the Rest Fund, but a portion of the latter "amount. was derived from the profits of previous years, as the $260,774. 7% : Both the: shareholders 'and the. general public are indebted to the management of this old and conserva- tive, 'yet enterprising institution, for the « constantly increasing services | which it is remdering to "Oanadian business, Its progress during the past year must be highly gratifying, not. only to the shareholders, but to Sir H. Montagu Allan, President,. Mr, D. C. Macarow, General Manager, and to the members of the Board of} Directors. TL ~ Canada has 78 railways. Canada has the largest. and most beautiful Mountain Na- tional Parks in the world, thous- ands of square miles in extent, aptly termed "Sixty Switzer. 4 lands in One," exceeding in na- tural grandeur all other parks in the world. Among them, has an area of 1,800 'square miles; Yoho Park, an area of © 580 square miles; Glacier Park, "dren of 468 square miles; Revel- stoke Park, 9%, Square miles, A ie delight' in burnt offerings and. sacri-| Can fices as in chéying Lord? Behold, to ol 'voice of the 'better than sacrifice, and to i than thefat | -| of rams" (15: 22), "For men looketh |} on 'the outward appearance, but Eid Tooketh 6 on the he heart" (16: who produces: them. You can depend absolutely yon Partridge, Tires because the factory i8 back of : i make, -