THROUGH LIBRARY WINDOWS 171 



that in the far away times they worshipped 

 venerable trees, and had their favorite gods and 

 goddesses templed and throned in dense and 

 sacred groves. If I were an idolater I should 

 worship two gods, the sun as my biggest and 

 grandest; the elm tree as my dearest and hu- 

 manest, the one I could touch and love and side 

 up to and feel its personal communion ! 



There is nothing more beautiful than a tree 

 standing forth in all the glory of full leafage, 

 shimmering in the sunlight, makingmyriadbows 

 to the vagrant winds that play on all sides. Oh 

 the conscious joy a tree must have of its beauty 

 and usefulness: It certainly is nature's finest 

 product, the one growth of which she is de- 

 servedly proud. Beast, bird, and man seek its 

 shade and fruit. Man only senses its beauty 

 and he only knows how to put its varied wood 

 to a thousand uses in building, tools, fuel, 

 fruits, fibres, resin, gums, drugs, and a host of 

 other useful products; shade and seclusion, or- 

 naments for parks, lawns and highways, or as 

 forests conserving the rainfall and distributing 

 it normally and so regulating the water supply. 

 I am sure the trees must feel and enjoy the pres- 

 ence of birds and I am equally sure the birds 

 love the trees. They fly so oft up into their 

 branches, either to gather or eat their food or 



