s-manufacturing companies established themselves in
well-wooded regions, used the forests for their furnaces, and when these
were exhausted migrated to new places to repeat the work of devastation.
Then the settlers "cleared up" the land extensively, and since the
railroads have been built the burning of the woods along their routes by
cinders from the locomotives has been terribly frequent, and often
extensive. A conductor on the Camden and Atlantic stated last year that
he had counted fifteen forest-fires during one trip from Camden to the
sea.

Yet nothing is done to prevent these ever-recurring calamities. The
citizens complain, mourn over the destruction, grumble at the railroads,
and thank God when the fires are at a safe distance from their own
homes. When personally threatened, they turn out, men, women and
children, aided by terror-stricken and sympathizing neighbors, and
"fight the fire" by felling trees and clearing away the inflammable
matter in the path of the fire. Sometimes a whole neighborhood will
struggle for days together without respite as only the desperate can.
Many of these fires, it is said, are due to the wilful mischief of boys
and others. Hundreds of acres are destroyed every year. Along the Camden
and Atlantic almost every tract of woodland has been burned over once or
more.

The effect of the decrease of the rainfall in South Jersey is already
serious. The water-supply in Vineland, Hammonton and other places is
constantly lowering: all the wells except those that were dug very deep
at first have had to be lowered at least two feet.

The most practical step at present toward arresting the destruction of
woodlands is no doubt the organization of forest-protecting and planting
societies like those in Germany, which have now so far secured the aid
of the legislative power that no landowner can cut down one of his own
forest trees without the consent of the authorities. This seems like
tyranny, but it is really that wisdom which recognizes the good of the
whole community as paramount to any private consideration.

M. H.

THE SAFFAH COBBLESTONES.

_Le Devoir_ gives some interesting information about the wonderful
stones of Saffah, now on exhibition in the Asia Minor department of the
Museum of the Louvre. This department has lately been reopened to the
public, after being closed six months for internal improvements.
Visitors pass before the cases containing these ordinary-looking
co