262 OUR WOODLAND TREES. 
to make life a little more pleasant, we hail it as a 
‘happy thought’ or a ereat discovery, and seldom 
reflect that it is our want of thought which has 
prevented its earlier adoption. A hundred in- 
stances of the very slow development of our ideas 
could easily be given; but all except one would 
be beside the immediate purpose of this chapter, 
which is to inquire why it is that we have been 
content, and still in too many instances remain 
content, with the unloveliness, the unhealthiness, 
the ugliness of so many of our cities and towns? 
There has happily been something like a popular 
awakening to the ugly aridness of our towns 
during the last two or three years; and this change 
in public feeling has led to the conviction that 
‘something’ might be done to make the places 
where we spend by far the largest portion of our 
lives somewhat more enlivening and attractive by 
the planting of Trees in public thoroughfares, 
But how little has actually been done to carry out 
so delightful a reform! Indeed, in no instance 
that has come within the Author’s knowledge, has 
it been contemplated anywhere by public autho- 
rities to do more than plant one or two of the 
