THE OAK. 81 



simple apparel ; medicines are afforded by innumer- 

 able species, and " wood " and " tree " are words al- 

 most synonymous. It would be foolish and presump- 

 tuous to say that man could not exist without trees, 

 because, were there no such productions in exist- 

 ence, the Infinite Benevolence would supply his wants 

 through some other medium. But constituted as man 

 is, and established as Trees and their functions and 

 properties are, it is plain that the present exquisite 

 order and harmony of things in respect to man's wel- 

 fare, are most intimately and inseparably identified 

 with trees. Thus, that when we would consider man 

 and his privileges, the amenities and the enjoyments 

 that encircle life, the comforts and the ornaments of 

 his home, we cannot possibly do so, if we would give 

 all things their fair place, without keeping trees also 

 constantly before the mind. 



Trees are indispensable to the picturesque. A 

 great mountain, or an extended plain, may have 

 grandeur, though devoid of trees ; and it is easy to 

 conceive of richly-cultivated valleys, covered with 

 crops of corn, or unrolling infinite reaches of green 

 pasture, and at the same time without a tree, except a 

 little one here and there, just sufficient to serve as a 

 landmark. But in the absence of trees, none of these 

 places could be picturesque, in the full and proper 

 sense of the word. The trees break the outlines ; 

 they give variety of colors, movement also, and shad- 



