THINGS TO COME

Several experienced and observant persons of maturer years than The Regional Review have expressed the opinion that, with respect to the total number of human beings immediately concerned, A. D. 1940 was the most eventful year since that remote day when our species evolved from some mysterious pre-man substance and became man himself.

The assertion appears to be sound. It would be a challenging task to choose any other year in which developments bore more profound implications affecting the course of Earth civilization.

Americans watched anxiously as the crystal flame of peace flickered feebly, and died away, to be superseded by the red flares of war, in more than a score of nations overseas. They saw white man enslave white man, yellow man murder yellow, black man slay black; and more horrible combinations of all those horrible equations.

They saw man's diabolically contrived engines demolish the very symbols of his own achievement. They saw his resources waste away in the destruction of the resources of his fellows.

Therein have Americans learned a grim but valuable lesson. They now recognize as never before the necessity for safeguarding their irreplaceable treasures, their soil and its content, their institutions, their shrines, their life ways. They are aware that every American, man, woman, child, must rearm his morale, that it stand strong under the inevitable burden of national and personal sacrifices to come.

Americans know that they must defend the focal point of their national existence. That these cores of patriotism are their superlative natural and superlative historic spots, fortunately, is recognized readily. That is why so important an obligation devolves upon the National Park Service: to protect and sustain against every emergency the supreme areas of its stewardship.

A. D. 1941, many predict, will be more eventful still than A. D. 1940.

FOOTNOTE

A staff member who is interested personally in those agreeable editorial chores relating to the issuance of The Regional Review announces regretfully that the modest tasks which he has performed in contributing to the first five volumes of this journal will come to an end as the result of an assignment to new duties outside the Richmond (eastern) regional head quarters of the Service.

He has ever wanted to do better, but he is no less grateful for the admirable cooperation of a conscientious and generous voluntary staff of authors who have forwarded contributions for reproduction.

Humbly departing, the editor bears away many happy memories.

H. R. A.