QUERCUS ALBA 



which Mother Earth, prodigal of 

 sustenance, was impotent to alter. 

 A thing mature, complete product 

 of a century of struggle and growth, 

 Quercus Alba halted to remain for- 

 ever passive. For still other gen- 

 erations, if unmolested, while per- 

 haps another nation of surrounding 

 humans should rise and fall, he 

 would remain so ; but slowly now, 

 extremely slowly, his life-work 

 done, he would go into decrepi- 

 tude as again human beings, 



44 



