26 



ARBOR DAY ITS HISTORY AND OBSERVANCE. 



ax of the pioneers had vanquished it, and the saw, seizing it with relentless, 

 whirling teeth, had reduced it to lumber. From its treehood evolved a human habita- 

 tion, a home my home wherein a mother's love had blossomed and fruited with a 

 sweetness surpassing the loveliness of the rose and the honey suckle. Thus from that 

 former feathery floater in mid-air grew a home and all the endearing contentment 

 and infinite satisfaction which that blessed Anglo-Saxon word conveys that one 

 word which means all that is worth living for and for which alone all good men and 

 women are living. 



Here are a few acorns to-day; to-morrow, a century hence, they are sturdy oaks, 

 then ships, railroads, carriages, and everything useful, and parts of homes which are 

 all in both poetry and reality that is lovable, beautiful, and supremely tender in 

 the career of humanity from birth to death. The real of to-day was the ideal of 

 yesterday; the ideal of to-day will be the real of to-morrow. 



And as arboretuins are developing the infant forests, nursing tremendous timbers, 

 whence masts and spars and sills and joists shall emerge into *swiftly sailing ships 



and massive marts of trade, which are to convey and cover the commerce of coming 

 times, so in the schools, the colleges, and universities are growing the mental timber 

 whence the State shall cull in the near future those pillars and supports which aid 

 to bear up foreA r er in America civil and religious liberty; that is, freedom to think, 

 freedom to speak, freedom to trade, freedom to develop individualism, and to assert 

 its consciousness of right without fear either of sectarian or partisan bigotry. Let 

 us all, then, each in his vocation and sphere, plant wisely for the years to come, 

 rather than dwell dejectedly upon the years gone and going the farmer, his forest 

 and orchard, the teacher his science and morals. Improved materially by the former, 

 intellectually by the latter, the world will well with gratitude to both. But tree 

 planter and teacher united in one shall be declared the best benefactor of modern 

 times the chief provider for posterity. 



On the 10th day of July, 1886, from the crowded, hurrying streets of London I 

 loitered into the solemn aisles of St. Paul's Cathedral. Around on every side were 

 the statues of England's heroes. Upon tablets of brass and marble were inscribed 

 their eulogiums. In fierce warfare on wave and field they had exalted English 



