The Gentle Art of Whittling

Whittling, once a great pastime in this country, has declineed to a point of indifference. Why? Because white pine, which r,r'as rvhat we whittled, is no longer the wood of common usage.

There are, to be sure, other woods we can whittle, and we are the same philosophical and leisurely people we always were; but we have nothing that .vvhittles as white pine whittled. There is no other u'ood giving off the delicate and plume-like shavings ulhich littered our lorafing places when we rvhittled white pine. Possibly it is just as well. Whittling is of doubtful sen'ice to the human race. Yet, it is questionable whether we shall ever again be quite as happy as we were lvhen we were doihg a great deal of whittling, and it is equally debatable whether our contributions to human pro,gress are as greatr

Probably every one of the men who contributed to the theory of liberal government rvhich we are at this time demonstrating to the rest of the world, was an artist with a jack-knife,and a white pine stick.

The last of the great whittlers rvas Lincoln. There are people still living in Illinois who saw him whittle. He could whittle. One sometimes wishes that our presentday leaders could do it. They need it. Whittling w,as a state of mind. It induced thorrglht. It gave us that rvhimsical turn of mind that left us tolerant of others. and of their opinions.

Probably the great philosophers have ,always been whittlers. We are not told that Socrates whittled, but it is likely that he did. Mark Twain said that you could tell the kind of a man any man was, by the rvay he whittled.

Alas, we have become rvhittleless people !

We seem not to whet either our knives on our rvits.

(Continued from Page 42) sons graduat-ed from recognized schools of forestry, officials of the forestry service and members of foresi commissions, either State or National.

No. S.-Officers of Lumber Associations: Reeularlv organized Lumber Associations, State or National. -

No' 6.-Lumber Trade Press and Newspaper Men: publishers, proprietors, members of the edito;i;l stafr or business department of trade or general newspapers.

. Frop a careful perusal-of ihese By-La.ivjit may be seen that the only p-erson-s eligible to aitive memberihip who are not -engaged in the lumber industry, as their principle occupation, are newspaper men. The- Seer of thl House oI- Ancients, explained that newspaper men have been eligible since the foundation of the Order.