Planting Shade Trees 361 



town. It is, unluckily, no one's especial business to orna- 

 ment the streets. No one feels it a reproach to himself, that 

 verdure and beauty do not hang like rich curtains over the 

 street in which he lives. And thus a whole village or town 

 goes on from year to year, in a shameless state of public 

 nudity and neglect, because no one feels it his particular 

 duty to persuade his neighbors to join in making the town 

 in which he lives a gem of rural beauty, instead of a sorry 

 collection of uninteresting houses.* 



It is the frequent apology of intelligent persons who live 

 in such places, and are more alive to this glaring defect than 

 the majority, that it is impossible for them to do anything 

 alone, and their neighbors care nothing about it. 



One of the finest refutations of this kind of delusion exists 

 in New Haven. All over the Union, this town is known as 

 the "City of Elms." The stranger always pauses, and 

 bears tribute to the taste of its inhabitants, while he walks 

 beneath the grateful shade of its lofty rows of trees. Yet a 

 large part of the finest of these trees were planted, and the 

 whole of the spirit which they have inspired, was awakened 

 by one person - Mr. Hillhouse. He lived long enough to 

 see fair and lofty aisles of verdure, where, before, were only 

 rows of brick or wooden houses; and, we doubt not, he en- 

 joyed a purer satisfaction than many great conquerors who 

 have died w r ith the honors of capturing kingdoms, and de- 

 molishing a hundred cities, f 



Let no person, therefore, delay planting shade trees him- 

 self, or persuading his neighbors to do the same. Wherever 

 a village contains half a dozen persons zealous in this ex- 

 cellent work of adorning the country at large, let them form 

 a society and make proselytes of those who are slow to be 

 moved otherwise. A public spirited man in Boston does a 

 great service to the community and earns the thanks of his 



We now have these duties delegated, in many cities and towns, to 

 tree wardens, city foresters, park superintendents, town planning hoards 

 or other responsible and sometimes competent -- persons. -- F. A. \V. 

 f It is a matter of general regret that the famous New Haven green 

 should have lost its elms in recent years. It will be many a long summer 

 before that remarkable town common resumes its former glory. -- !'. \. \V. 



