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Perhaps you have tried to do Arbor Day work and have failed. To 

 you we would say, try once again, and yet once again after that, if it 

 be necessary. To you who have tried and in the face of discourage- 

 ment have succeeded in beautifying either the school ground or the 

 school interior, we extend our congratulations. Your work has been a 

 worthy one, and its value, while probably not apparent in dollars and 

 cents, can not be estimated. It lies in the germ which has been planted 

 in the minds of those who have gone forth from your school to take 

 a part in life's busy drama, or are elected to go forth in the future from 

 those surroundings which you have contributed towards making beauti- 

 ful, refining, valuable. 



One impulse from the vernal wood 



May teach you more of man, 

 Of moral evil and of good, 



Than all the sages can. 



Arbor day is often made a convenient season for clearing up the school 

 grounds and yards, for repairing the walks and fences, for trimming the 

 hedges, shrubs, and trees, and for carting oft' the unsightly quantities of 

 debris always collecting thereon. Such work is always necessary, and 

 it is better than nothing, of course, but it should be followed by some 

 active constructive Arbor Day work, the creation of something new. 



IF T H E observance of Arbor Day ends with the exercises in the 

 schoolroom, however pleasant and entertaining they may be, the 

 real purpose of the day will not have been accomplished. There 

 should be some practical work not only in and around the school 

 building, but the influence must reach the home surroundings as 

 well. In some schools in former years, every pupil has pledged him- 

 self to plant something at home, either a tree, shrub, flower, or some- 

 thing in the garden; and the interesting stories that could be told of 

 the results of this work would fill a book. The true spirit of Arbor 

 Day is the influence on the life and character of the pupils as exem- 

 plified in practical work. A love for the beautiful as well as a desire 

 for the more useful should be cultivated, and all that pertains to mate- 

 rial prosperity should be made prominent. It is not always the homes 

 of the more wealthy but the homes surrounded by indications of 

 taste, culture, and refinement that are the most attractive. These 

 things being emphasized, the youth of our State will have better ideals 

 and will be prepared to take higher standing as citizens of our com- 

 monwealth. Let us then make Arbor Day practical by doing some real 

 planting and by learning something useful about trees and their rela- 

 tion to human life. 



