The old alliteration "wood, wold and
water," has not yet been entirely forgotten by the people. Thus a dim
and feeble memory, a well-nigh forgotten legend, looking upon the common
claim to general use of the forest as a natural right which had been in
force since the beginning of time, confirms the conclusions of the
historian, according to whom community of possession of the forest was a
true old Germanic idea. Such a line of argument, however, could also
bring us to the further conclusion that this community of possession has
only once been fully realized--namely, by and in the primeval forest.
In times of excitement men have worked out on paper wonderful
arithmetical problems concerning the partition of the soil of the forest
into small plots of ground for the poor. Paper is very forbearing, and
it looks very idyllic and comfortable to see, carefully calculated
before our eyes, how many hundreds of dear little estates could be made
out of the meagre soil of the forest, on which the proletarian could
settle down to the contented patriarchal existence of a farmer.
Practical attempts along this line have not been wanting, but, instead
of diminishing the proletariat, such an increase of small farms only
served to augment it all the more; practice is ahead of theory. The
people should have thanked God that the forest, almost alone, had not
been parceled out; yet, instead, they were ready even to destroy the
forest in order to assist the small farmer! In many parts of Germany the
poor farmer would starve if the traditional free use of the forest did
not form a steady annuity for him.
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