THE OAK. 



IF the willow be the most poetical of trees, the Oak is 

 certainly the most useful ; though, indeed, it is far from 

 being unattended with poetic interest, since the ancient 

 superstitions associated with it have given it an im- 

 portant place in legendary lore. It is not surprising, 

 when we remember the numerous benefits conferred on 

 mankind by the Oak, that this tree has always been re- 

 garded with veneration, that the ancients held it sacred 

 to Jupiter, and that divine honors were paid to it by 

 our Celtic ancestors. The Romans, who crowned their 

 heroes with green Oak leaves, entitled the " Civic Crown," 

 and the Druids, who offered sacrifice under this tree, 

 were actuated by the same estimation of its pre-eminent 

 utility to the human race. When we consider the sturdy 

 form of the Oak, the wide spread of its lower branches, 

 that symbolize protection ; the value of its fruit for the 

 sustenance of certain animals; and the many purposes 

 to which the bark, the wood, and even the excrescences 

 of this tree may be applied, we can easily understand 

 why it is called the emblem of hospitality. The an- 

 cient Eomans planted it to overshadow the temple of 

 Jupiter; and in the adjoining grove of oaks, the sacred 

 grove of Dodona, they sought those oracular responses 

 which were prophetic of the result of any important 

 adventure. 



To American eyes, the Oak is far less familiar than the 

 elm as a wayside tree ; but in England, where many 



" .... a cottage chimney smokes 

 From betwixt two aged oaks," 



