TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14108, 29 July 1911, Page 8

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

"McCluro's Magazine" Denmark's tells again the tale, now Trees. often recited in every

Danish school, of Enrico Mylius Dalgas, and how he saved and remado Denmark by watering the desert and planting the marshes and moors with trees. Tho article is suggested by tho recent visit to America of Frederick Dalgas, _on of tho great fotester, who was invited by Ex-Presi-dent Roosevelt to advise the States as to the conservation of forest' land. The Jutland Heath had once been forest, where early Danish pigs grubbed for acorns and admired the curls in their little ones' tails at leisure. Rash early kings cut down timber for ships, and subjects used it for huts or burned it up for fuel, to such an extent that when in 1866 Dalgas founded the Heath Society "to render the Danish moor productive," the descendants of those reckless West Jutlanders actually could not believe that any trees had ever flourished on tbe desolate moorland to which belonged the old Danish adage, "Nothing but heather can grow on tho heath." Captain Dalgas began by comparing Denmark to a lamb that had been shorn smooth of its wool. "You can mako the land grow wool again," he urged upon tho farms at mass meetings; "Denmark has been clipped by our ancestors until it is flatter and barer than a shorn lamb, but the land shall become woolly!" And tho audience went away laughing, and saying to ono another, "Tho land shall become woolly." It was by stirring up enthusiasm, purchasing and planting parts of the lioath, as object lessons for tho farmers, and sending out foresters and teachers | all over the country to instruct in planting and reclaiming, that tho Heath Society carried on its work. In addition to creating forests, it teaches the farmer to protect his plough-lands, and at the present time between fifteen and twenty million plants are distri- ] buted annually for hedges alone. And j the woods have softened the climate, j and increased fertility, in the whole peninsula of Jutland. Forty years ago when a piece of land changed hands, it was "sold for a glass of port." Acres once bartered for a drink are now hard to buy with gold and bonds. Prosperous villagers are seen whero wandering camps of gypsies were the only communities that once maintained a satisfactory existence on the moor, and whero tho occasional struggling farmer was often reduced to "a diet of frogs and bran." Tho cxperienco of Denmark appeals to the United States both as a warning and a message of hope. Tho Danish heath of forty years ago showed the desolation born of reckless waste of national resources. Forty years of effort since show the immense possibilities of conservation. And Denmark has felt, too, the moral forco of such a popular awakening to a good cause. Not without reason does 6ho sing, in the newest- patriotic strain, "The woods aro growing on tho heath, And men are growing, too!"

3lr Leslie Bell, ono of the Tho members of the Staniforth Native Smith expedition, had much Mind, that is interesting to tell a

representative of the "Sun" who interviewed him in Sydney. Mr Bell

is Chief Inspector of Native Affairs ir j Papua, although ho is only twenty-J eight years of age. The light he I throws on the native mind is illuminating. Tho natives, he says, think nothing of murder. "Ho killed my father, so I will kill him," appears to them excellent reasoning. The British teach them that they should bring tho offender to law, but after putting a murderer in gnol for two years tho authorities generally make him a village policeman. Native prisons are merely boarding-houses. Shut up, the prisoner would pine and die, so he goes out as ho chooses and comes in beforo dark. Referring to tho prevailing nativo custom of wearing such trifles as jawbones and severed hands in their ears, Mr 801 l says that these are merely souvenirs of loved ones. "Yon would wear a sister's ring; they prefer to wear her jaw-bone." Mr Bell says the missionaries do good work, but tho natives hardly understand twentieth-century religion. Too much attention by white people spoils them. Mr Bell relates how the Bishop of Papua brought two black boys to Australia. They attended Government Houso parties, they were spoiled, and one of them has since returnee! to his savage state. If a tourist passes a hand over their fuzzy hair natives will Ibe conceited for months. They are I taught that black and white aro ! brothers. "You my brother?" they say with a grin, and henceforth thoir respect for tho white man is considerably lessened. It would bo interesting to hear what the missionaries think of these views. Mr Bell makes reference to a curious bond that exists between two natives of the samo sex. The exchange of gifts and a common birthday makes them "renamo/' a union which is far closer than brotherhood. Such a pair hunt, fish, fight, and dio together. The explorer for some unaccountable reason was admitted into one of these sacred partnerships on tho Staniforth Smith expedition and regards it as the means whereby his life was saved. Mention of that exploration led him to talk of tho part food played in it. Like ihe members of the Antarctic expedition tho explorers often fell asleep discussing what they would like to eat. "Mr Staniforth Smith used to declare that ho wanted a great big heaped-up plato of porridge. My own particular fancy was a hugjam tart, while Mr Pratt's ono wish was a four-penny meat-pie."

It might be said that in this Art part of the world wo are in the working 6lowly and painfully Stamp, towards good art in our

postage stamps. The cynic might say that we are working away from the goal. The tendencies of art in the designing of colonial stamps are exhibited in a display mado in Melbourne of tho 500 designs sent in for the new Commonwealth stamp. According to the "Argus," the variety is astonishing, both in subject and quality. The designs vary from the faintest and rudest scrawl, from work that looks as if it had been done by a blackfellow, to the designs that have won the prizes, and better ones that were unsuccessful. People will no doubt draw different conclusions from the fact that three-quarters of the designs do not show tho King's head. This may be due to the difficulty of getting a good likeness; perhaps it is better to leave his Majesty out than to add another terror to the office of King by printing a likeness such as the ono of King Edward that appears on one of our own stamps. It is perhaps natural that at times we should think of the late King as still reigning, but it is puzzling to find that in two designs his head is used and that another includes the head of Queen Victoria. Is it possible that the designers of these forgot or did not know that King George was on tho throne? It is gratifying, seeing that Captain Cook's memory is not so green as it should 1 be, to find that his head appears on a few designs, but there is a rather sad lack of humour in stamps which bear the head of Mr Deakin. Tho "Argus," however is not quito sure that the portraits represent Mr Deakin; thoy may bo meant for the King! Many of the designs fail from a desire to crowd too much detail into tho small space of a stamp—various Australian floral and fauna! emblems, Sydney harbour, tho Bang's head, tho Union Jack, and the mar) of tho Continent. Wo know that kind of stamp in New Zealand. According to the "Argus" the judges have gone along conventional lines in awarding the prizes. People will not quarrel with tho winning design, but artists will not admire it. There is nothing wrong with it but it will not remove tho reproach of mediocrity which rests on Australian stamps. However, seeing that Mr Bertram Mackennal's designs for the English stamps have not been well received, it would appear to be very difficult to capture art for duty on tho correspondence of tho people.