204 UNDER THE OPEN SKY 



"WE ALL DO FADE AS A LEAF" 

 FADING AS A LEAF 



When the grand old prophet of the exile 

 told his people how they faded as a leaf, 

 he joined to it the further complaint that 

 their righteousness was as filthy rags. So 

 I fear he had no thought of flattering ' 

 them. But the truth of the matter is, the 

 most beautiful termination life can have is 

 to fade as does the leaf. It is not the 

 frost that makes the leaf fall. Trees in 

 hot countries shed their leaves. But they 

 do not cast them all at one time. In 

 the tropics a tree drops its leaves as a 

 bird moults its feathers, one by one, and 

 you never miss them. With us, winter 

 has taught the leaves to fall all at one 

 time, when they are of least use to the 

 tree and are most likely to prove a source 

 of danger. 



It is the green portion of the tree that does 

 most of its work. In young, tender plants 

 this may mean the whole outside. In older 

 trees it means practically only the leaves and 



