In order to understand the place of forest recreation it is necessary to bring it down out of the clouds of vague sentimentality where it usually floats and find it a foundation on some solider ground. The most practical way of doing this seems to be to place forest recreation in direct comparison with commercial recreation...
Is forest recreation on a par with these commercial forms? Is it worth as much for a man to go fishing in the wood as to play pool in a down-town joint? Is it worth as much for a young woman to go mountain climbing as to attend a dance hall? Is it worth as much for a family to take a camping trip through the...forests as to spend their time and money at the movies? These questions are asked in the expectation of an affirmative answer. Apparently every sane man will say at once that forest recreation is certainly as good as the commercial variety.
---Frank A. Waugh, Massachusetts Agricultural College, December 1925