110 ARBOR DAY. 



PROM J. T. HEADLEY. 



NEWBURG, April 11, 1888. 



DEAR SIR I never believed that Arbor Day was the 

 result of mere reflection a carefully matured plan but 

 that it was an inspiration, springing spontaneously from 

 the heart and brain of the author. Human ingenuity 

 could not have devised a scheme so fraught with benefits 

 and yet possessing not a single objectionable feature. 



Its material benefits are incalculable. If that man is to 

 be considered a benefactor of his race " who makes two 

 blades of grass to grow where only one grew before," what 

 shall be said of him who makes a million trees grow 

 where none grew before? Its material benefits alone are 

 incalculable, for it makes the barren land fertile and the 

 desert plain green with beauty. 



But these material benefits, great as they are, are small 

 compared with the moral effect on the mind and heart of 

 the people. In the young, especially, it enriches the taste, 

 cultivates the love of beauty, and provides pleasant, 

 healthful impressions that never will be obliterated. The 

 love of trees, I think, has a more elevating effect than even 

 the love of flowers. It is more strong and invigorating. 



Besides all these immediate benefits, Arbor Day reaches 

 far beyond the localities where it is observed. The young, 

 gathered in certain sections, eventually become scattered 



