ON THE MANUSCRIPTS OF GOD 



those who see a great brotherhood, but can- 

 not and would not escape the difference 

 'twixt man and man. Neither would one 

 escape the difference 'twixt tree and tree, to 

 find the boredom of monotony. 



Like the Alps, the trees of wonderful girth 

 and stature may awe us with their sublimity, 

 but they do not draw us with love as may 

 some lesser tree. We need both emotions, 

 though not for the same length of time. The 

 trees we love are those that will come and 

 live with us, stretch their arms protectingly 

 over our homes, and silently weave them- 

 selves into the tenderest associations of our 

 lives. A home without trees around it is 

 like a literature without poetry in it. Even 

 a very humble house nestled among trees 

 warms the cockles of the heart as a treeless 

 mansion cannot. The old roof -tree becomes 

 a member of the family and, like the rest 

 of the family, is carefully cherished and 

 watched over whenever its health is men- 

 aced by storms, moths, beetles, or any of the 

 ills which trees are heir to. 



How deeply such trees may strike their 



90 



