MEMORIAL TREES 



THE MEMORIAL TREE, "the tree that looks at 

 God all day and lifts her leafy arms to pray," has 

 become the tribute of the people of the nation to 

 those who offered their lives to their country in the 

 Great War for civilization. In the tree planting the 

 people find opportunity to express their love of him for 

 whom the tree is planted. But the planting is not confined 

 to doing honor to war heroes. Indeed the reports to the 

 American Forestry Association show the people have 

 seized upon tree planting as the finest way to mark cen- 

 tennials, important events in church history, the date of 

 town foundings and similar events. The United States 

 government has just placed its approval on memorial 

 tree planting with the announcement that Memorial 

 Trees will be planted in West Potomac Park near the 

 famous Lincoln Memorial in Washington. The Ameri- 

 can Forestry Association made the suggestion for plant- 

 ing of memorial trees the day the armistice was signed 

 and since that time tree planting has . 



been taken up all over the country. ^fl ^~T3^ 



To the Christian Endeavor Socie- 

 ties of the World the Rev. Francis 

 E. Clark has sent a call for memorial 

 tree planting, not alone in honor of 

 war heroes, although thousands of 

 churches are planting trees in honor 

 of members of congregations who 

 offered their lives to their country 

 when the call came, but in honor of 

 famous pastors, leaders in church 

 work and to mark important dates 

 in a congregation's achievements. 

 This call has resulted in giving tree 

 planting a great impetus not only all 

 over the United States but all over 

 the world. In the schools and colleges of the country 

 tree planting has been taken up as the means for keeping 

 green the memory of graduates in war work. George- 

 town University, at its 130th Commencement, planted 54 

 Lombardy poplars, one for each of her sons who gave 

 his life to his country. These trees are marked with the 

 bronze markers designed by the American Forestry Asso- 

 ciation. The National Farm School near Philadelphia 

 has consecrated a "Patriotic Grove" in which are planted 

 trees for her war heroes, friends of the school, and 

 "Festive Trees" marking dates of births, confirmations, 

 betrothals and wedding anniversaries. This form of 

 tree planting will doubtless spread for it is easily seen 

 what a tree will mean to a man or woman if it was plant- 

 ed to mark their birth. It is the same idea that is prompt- 

 ing many college classes to plant memorial trees when 

 entering or leaving a school. 



One of the most pretentious plans undertaken in tree 



planting was at the U.S.A. Balloon School at Fort Omaha, 



irado. Col. Jacob W. S. Wuest has directed the plant- 



WORLD WAR 



1917^1918 A 



JOHN A. DOE \ 

 CO. M.327 INF. 



REGI5TEREO 



AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION 



WASHIN6TON,D.C. 



This bronze marker for Memorial Trees may be 

 obtained from the American Forestry Association. 

 It costs $1.00. Send the name and regiment of 

 the man for whom the marker is desired. 



ing of about six thousand trees. Of this number nearly 

 one thousand are in memory of men who passed through 

 that camp and the one at Fort Crook, and died in the 

 service. The unique feature about this is that the plant- 

 ing was done with the proceeds of "The Gas Bag," the 

 official publication of the balloon school. The next of 

 kin are marking the trees with the bronze marker of the 

 American Forestry Association and registering the trees 

 on the Association's national honor roll. The first chap- 

 ter of the Daughters of the American Revolution to 

 plant a memorial tree is the "Our Flag" Chapter of the 

 District of Columbia. The tree was planted at the home 

 of Mrs. Laura C. O'Hare. The League of American 

 Pen Women was the first woman's organization to plant 

 a tree in the District. This was planted at the home of 

 Mrs. George Combs. 



In Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, a "Hero Grove" 

 has been planted in honor of the California heroes of the 

 war and at Camp Kearny, near San 

 Diego, the Coloradoans of San Diego 

 are planning to plant memorial trees 

 in honor of the Colorado soldiers 

 who passed through that camp. In 

 the planting of trees to mark an im- 

 portant date, the Memorial Tree at 

 Camden, New Jersey, is perhaps the 

 most interesting. The tree was 

 planted to mark the 100th birthday 

 anniversary of Walt Whitman, the 

 "good gray poet," by the Whitman 

 Park Improvement Association. But 

 tree planting has spread around the 

 world. The Ardlethan public school 

 in New South Wales has planted 

 memorial trees in memory of each 

 Ardlethan soldier and in Queensland 30,000 trees have 

 been planted in Anzac Park. Of this number 16,000 are 

 for men who gave their lives at the call of the Mother 

 Country. 



Another phase of tree planting with great possibili- 

 ties is the planting of trees along the motor high- 

 ways of the United States. Make these highways 

 "Roads of Remembrance," says Charles Lathrop Pack, 

 president of the American Forestry Association; 

 who has issued a call to every county to co-operate 

 with the road builders. This "Roads of Remembrance" 

 idea is being furthered in Great Britain by an organi- 

 zation of which Millicent H. Morrison is the secre- 

 tary. The United States Army Motor Transport Corps 

 now has a motor train crossing the country from 

 Washington to San Francisco. Millions of dollars have 

 been voted for good roads. 



With this in mind and the Army demonstration 

 underway thousands of people are expected to urge beau- 

 tifying these roads by the planting of memorial trees. 



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