Class of 1889

Shortly after Christmas Ned Dearborn wrote one of his characteristic letters which shows that contentment and serenity ontinue in Hilton Village, Va. For Christmas festivities his children, two, and grandchildren, three, gathered under the home roof. At Thanksgiving the same group met at the son's home in Hampton. He added "Fishing is out for the winter.Fish migrated to wanner waters At odd times I pick up the threads of astudy of mammal hair which I startedyears ago, when I was with the BiologicalSurvey, and was supposed to be a fur expert. The hairs are embedded in paraffin,cross-sectioned, magnified 480 times,drawn toith camera lucida, and coloreddrawings result. By this means I have beenable to identify with certainty hair foundin stomachs of predatory animals Last summer when on our annual trip toN. H., we enjoyed a very pleasant eveningwith the Blanchards, in Barre, Mass."

. . . . O. S. Warden, president of the National Reclamation Association, gave an address at its fifth annual convention at Spokane, Wash., November 23 and 24, 1936. Referring to his experiences of the past year, he said, "I have learned morethan I ever expected to know. A journeyof 3000 miles revealed inspiring accomplishment. I intended to see every federalreclamation project in the twelve-monthperiod. There was not enough time."

• • • . From the interesting and informing address two brief paragraphs are quoted: "We are coming to a conclusionin the United States that there must be abetter use of land and water resources.That is where reclamation comes in aspart of a great national enterprise. Thatis where the West wins its reclamation argument We have in the West theland and the water and the forests. These,if you please, are the never-e?iding resources of any nation. They have a per-petuating value greater than the gold andthe silver and the copper of all the miries.They are still an eternal heritage whenthe mines have been worked out, or whenthere is not smoke to warm the chimneysof industry. The water of our mountainstreams is more precious than the goldnugget that hides in the sand below. Institutions come and go. Walls that arebuilt of mortar and stone crumble andfall. The forest-covered mountains, thelakes and the streams are always ready tomake a constant supporting contribution.These are not figures of speech. All thehistory, from the days of Abraham and, hissheep, down through the centuries, evenunto this year 1936 in America, teach thesame constant lesson. The future will notdiffer from the past." Many details of what has been accomplished and what yet remains to be done follow this introduction. Indifference and errors of the past are mentioned, also warnings and suggestions for the future. Reclamation is a big project in a big country Oh, for more men like "Doc" Warden, with vision, tact, patience, well-balanced judgment, and willingness to work unselfishly for the benefit of their fellow men.

Secretary, 87 Milk St., Boston, Mass.