TREES AND TREES. 101 
The bards of Israel sing of the cedars of Lebanon and 
use them as symbols of strength, grandeur, beauty and 
grace. David was particularly partial to the cedar, and 
history relates that his dwelling was built entirely of 
this exquisite wood, which was presented to him by 
Hiram, King of Tyre. Moses, in laying down the law 
to the children of Israel before crossing the Jordan, 
said: “When thou shalt besiege a city a long time in 
making war against it, thou shalt not destroy the trees 
thereof by forcing an axe against them; and thou shalt 
not cut them down to employ them in the siege.” 
Shakespeare greatly admired the pine that towered 
above other trees as his genius did above that of other 
men; the wind playing through its needle leaves was 
not to him, as to most people, a mournful monody, but 
an anthem of inspiration. Coleridge was partial to the 
graceful birch, and called it “The Lady of the Woods.” 
Bryant loved best the apple tree, with its blossoms as 
beautiful and fragrant as those of the rose, which be- 
longs to the same natural order, while Whittier and 
Longfellow never weary of singing the praises of our 
own incomparable sugar maple. Thoreau, whose heart 
lay very close to the great heart of nature, was a devoted 
worshiper at their shrines, and when he would reinvig- 
orate his flagging physical and mental powers he walked 
for a day in the beautiful groves of Concord or sought 
a month’s seclusion in the primitive forests of Maine. 
He sympathized with their sylvan spirits, and communed 
with them as the devout do with celestial deities. He 
looked upon the wanton destruction of a tree or a forest 
