MEMORIAL TREES PLANTED FOR SOLDIERS AND SAILORS 



917 



out to the camp. The City Federation of Women's Clubs 

 is back of this movement. There has been introduced 

 into the legislature of South Carolina a bill providing 

 for a park of not less than fifty acres at Columbia, the 

 State Capital, set with appropriate trees and with a me- 

 morial hall in the center. At Metuchen, New Jersey, the 

 board of education planted a Douglas spruce in the 

 school grounds to keep green the memory of that town's 

 sons who served. 



Mrs. William T. Igleheart reports from Evansville, 

 Indiana, that they are jilanning to make the tree plant- 

 ing day there "a victory occasion." 



And in Collamer, Indiana, the ivliolc town helped in 



mony. Everyone — young and old, after the tree had 

 been set in place, took one of the spades and deposited 

 some dirt around the roots. The spades which were 

 borne by a Boy Scout and a Camp Fire girl were 

 decorated with small American flags. 



The first part of the services were held in the village 

 school. There a report was made on each individual 

 soldier from Collamer, as to the time he entered the 

 service, his duties, location at that time and anything he 

 might have said about the service and his home while 

 away. This recital was made by some member of his 

 family, father or mother, brother or sister, or by a 

 friend. There was also a short dedicatory address by 



THE MEMORIAL TREE PLANTING AT COLLAMER 



The town of Collamer, Indiana, with 200 inhabitants planting a tree in honor of its eighteen sons who served in the war. Recital of the service 

 of each man was made by some relative or friend. A Boy Scout and a Camp Fire Girl each had a spade with which each person present threw 

 some dirt around the roots. The man inside the fence (side view) is A. R. Fleck, County Superintendent of Schools; the man next to the Boy 

 Scout is Rev. Cyrus Fleck and woman at extreme left in front of the woman with baby in arms is Mrs. Oca Jellison, Principal of the school. 



the planting of memorial trees. If the service had been 

 held in a great cathedral or if there had been 100,000 

 people present, it could not have been more impressive 

 and more patriotic in character than when the two hun- 

 dred inhabitants of Collamer, Indiana, gathered to do 

 honor to the eighteen sons of that town who were serving 

 in the great war. 



The tree planting, reported by M. L. Galbreath to 

 American Forestry, was in many ways unique and 

 of permanent record. Collamer is in the home county of 

 Vice-President Marshall. 



Every person present took an active part in the cere- 



A. R. Fleck, county superintendent, explanatory remarks 

 by Mrs. Oca Jellison, principal of the school whose hus- 

 band was then in action in France, and prayer by Rev. 

 Cyrus Fleck. Then the audience marched outside and 

 formed a hollow square around the fence inside of which 

 the tree had been placed and as each one passed inside 

 he or she took one of the spades and placed a spadeful 

 of dirt around the tree. Prayer and the singing of 

 America closed the exercises. 



Through memorial trees growing in their honor 

 America's worthy sons will live again through the 

 vears to come. 



