FORTIETH ANNUAL REPORT. 33 



room and teach them to appreciate the evolution of a balanced character 

 in connection Avith the preparation for usefulness and happiness in this 

 life. 



A little later, a short distance south of my own home, in which I have 

 lived most of my life, three miles aAvay and six miles from the city, was 

 a little plot of pine upon eighty acres of wood land. It was the last rem- 

 nant of a si)lendid pine forest which stood upon the southern border of 

 Grand Kapids when I was a child, and because there were only a few 

 of these trees and all the pine woods exhausted, and because of the nobil- 

 ity of these individual specimens of the white pine, it became a favorite 

 place, a playground for a large number of people in our city, and the 

 Allen woods were known to almost every citizen of Grand Rapids. On 

 all the holidays and on Sundays when the weather was good and the peo- 

 ple could get out they took the opix»rtunity to go to these pine Avoods 

 and sit beneath the wide-spreading branches, admire the great clean 

 boles, listen to the soughing of the winds through the evergreen tops 

 and study Avith ecstacy the natural concomitants of this virgin timber, 



3Ir. Allen OAvned it, and because of the rapid growth of the city and the 

 high price of lumber he said he was sorely tempted to cut off these trees. 

 When I found this was true I went to him and said, "Mr. Allen, do you 

 intend to cut off these pine trees?" His reply Avas, "Surely I have been 

 greatly tempted to do so." Then I said to him, "Will you not resist the 

 temptation?'' After considering the matter he replied with emphasis, "1 

 Avill resist and those pine trees shall never be cut Avhile I live because I 

 appreciate the A^alue of that little piece of land to the AAiiole commuity 

 of Grand Rapids. I Avill not commit vandalism for a money considera- 

 tion." Mr. Allen died and in less than tAvo jeam the heirs eliminated 

 that beautiful piece of pine AA^oods because .flO.OOO was too great a 

 temptation, and the Avhole eighty acres were SAvept away as far as their 

 value to the city of Grand Rapids for a recreation ground AA'as concerned. 



NoAV, my friends, I want to ask you, was that |10,000 a drop in the 

 bucket as compared Avith the resil A'alue of that land to our city? Sup- 

 pose that little piece of land had been alloAved to stand there until those 

 trees should fall in decay? What a heritage it Avould haA^e been to our 

 city. Was it not a playground worth considering in connection AA'ith the 

 groAvth of our city and the development of the best type of citizenship? 

 But Ave neglected the opportunity. Most cities are neglecting such op- 

 portunities; most people are thoughtless of their responsibility in con- 

 nection Avith saving the play places in the world for the children and for 

 the groAvn-ups also. 



There is a beautiful book which some of you have read and enjoyed, 

 and if you have not read it, you should. It is Avritten by Henry Van 

 Dyke and is entitled, "Little Rivers," in Avhich he speaks of the marvels 

 of the sea as affecting the sensibilities of mankind; the wonderful impres- 

 sions that the great mountains make upon the human mind, and (hen, in 

 an eloquent manner, he exploits the fact that there is nothing after all 

 quite so satisfactory to the human heart as the delights that accompany 

 the lines of a little river. So it seems to me, in the interests of those who 

 shall come after us, Ave should presei-ve the natural l>eauties of the lit^ 

 tie rivers here and there for the benefit of all the people for all time. You 

 Avho love to take a hunting trip and put your giin ui>on vour shoulder 

 and traverse our North country know that the greatest tissets in that 

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