FORTY-FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT. 89 



have a little wildness such as nature has given us. Down our way 

 they call me a crank. But no one can kill that sense and longing for 

 beauty — natural beauty in the country — that I have. 



A Member: I want to endorse the gentleman's idea. This world is 

 not all dollars from his point of view. This world has something that 

 tickles the eye as well as the pocket. I^t us tickle the eyes once in 

 a while. 



A Member: There seems to be more cranks in this audience than 

 anything else. I, too, am called a crank. Our street is a mile long and 

 was planted to maples when I was a boy. When the trees got to be a 

 fair size along came the telephone men and trimmed up one side; then 

 came the long distance men and trimmed the other side, and then the 

 electric light men came along and cut the tops. If you can see any 

 beauty on our street, come out there and live. 



Mr. Gunson : I modestly admit that I am one of the cranks. I can 

 testify to the truth as to what the brother has said regarding the tree 

 trimming. It is a shame that the American people have allowed the 

 roadsides to become so disfigured. But I think that a protest at a meet- 

 ing of this kind does not do much good. Why were these charges not 

 taken to the legislature years ago and why have be, as Michigan people, 

 not attempted to remedy these laws which have allowed the disfigure- 

 ment of premises? I am afraid we shall have no better laws until we 

 get together and make a united protest to those having authority in 

 framing the laws so that the right of public domain shall be given 

 to people living anywhere. I fully agree with Mrs. Hulst in protecting 

 the native flowers. Unless we do this a large number of the native 

 flowers will become absent in cleaning up the state for cultivation and 

 the children of the future will not even know the names or species of 

 same. Twelve years ago any person could go in the woods and in five 

 minutes pick up some native flower of the state. The cleaning up of 

 the state has made this impossible and at present one has to go, some- 

 times many miles, in order to see an individual plant or flowers that 

 so gracefully adorned this state a few years ago. I will be glad to 

 contribute in a simple way to any bunch that will meet and try to formu- 

 late such lav>s to bring about a change of these conditions. I believe 

 no man ever loved a tree as it ought to be loved that is not a crank. 



A Member: I just heard what the gentleman said about trimming 

 trees. I wonder if he would give up the convenience that he has gained 

 by it? I have been president of the Houghton Telephone Company for 

 the past five years. The farmers want the telephone but they don't 

 want the trees touched. This is impossible. The telephone has become 

 a necessity and I think you will all agree with me in this statement. 

 We have to mutilate some of the trees, but I'm sure the telephone men 

 are as careful as they can be. Would you people be willing to give up 

 the telephone and the electric light in order to save the beauty of the 

 trees ? 



A Member: I agree with the President of the Telephone Company to 

 a certain extent. I admit the utility side — we need the telphone, elec- 

 tric lights, etc., but why not let the trimming be done by the one who 

 owns the trees? It surely is not necessary to mutilate the trees on both 

 sides and the top. Let that part of the work be taken care of by the 

 men on the tree side, not by the men on the line side. I want the tele- 



