THE lUC Th'i:/-: A\l> ITS sroh'Y 



15 



in which (lie I''i-anks iiiidcr ( 'harh-s 

 Martcl ()\(M'\\ hchninulx' (IctVatcd the 

 ]\I()hainim'(lans. The Ix'^innin^ ot" the 

 lu^xt (HMitury was marked willi llie 

 (•rowniuL!; of ( 'liarlenui<»;ii(' on Christ- 

 mas day, SOO. This monarcli uvddv a 

 noble effort to educate^ his ])eoi)h' hy 

 establishin*;- a scliool at his court 

 and invitinii thithcM- thc^ ivw learned 

 men of his tim(>. 



The elimatie conditions in Cali- 

 fornia during A. D. 800 and the year 

 preceding nnist have been very favor- 

 able for the groAvth of our tree, which 

 had already attained the size of a 

 large elm. Its growth during these 

 two years, indicated by the large 

 rings, was phenomenal. 



During this century occurred also 

 the effort of King Alfred to establish 

 schools in England. The hardy Norse- 

 men began their bold voyages in 

 quest of treasure and adventure, 

 colonized Iceland in 874, discovered 

 Greenland (981), and pushing farther 

 westward probably sailed down along 

 the eastern shore of America. 



The Crusades, begun in 1096 and 

 continumg for almost 200 years, 

 brought the various European peoples 

 into intercourse, which resulted in 

 exchange of ideas and helped prepare 

 the popular mind for the discoveries 

 which were soon to follow. 



The first half of the thirteenth cen- 

 tury saw the founding of the uni- 

 versities. First, the University of 

 Paris (1200), which became the cen- 

 ter of theology; a few years later 

 were founded the University of 

 Bologna, famous for law, and the 

 University of Padua, which attracted 

 the greatest students in medicine. 

 In England, Oxford University was 

 founded in 1249. 



The fifteenth ceiilin^N' brought those 

 niai"\('l()us discoveries which wci-e of 

 so nuich imi)oi-tance in the advance- 

 ment of civilization, and which con- 

 tributed to the gi-owth of science. 

 Printing with wockIcii block type was 

 introduced by .jolm (lutenberg in 

 1438, and his invention was followed 

 in 1450 with the use of metal type, 

 making the general dissemination of 

 knowledge possible. 



Columbus' discovery of America 

 (1492) was followed by Magellan's 

 famous trip around the world to the 

 westward (1519-1522), during which 

 he discovered the Philippines; and 

 about the same time Cortez con- 

 quered Mexico. The New World was 

 soon explored for its reputed hidden 

 treasures, and astronomers' search of 

 the heavens for an orderly move- 

 ment of planetary bodies resulted in 

 the elaboration of the system of 

 Copernicus (1543). Keppler an- 

 nounced his laws of planetary motion 

 at about the same time (1G09), and 

 in the latter part of the seventeenth 

 century Newton enunciated the law 

 of gravitation. The increasing free- 

 dom of thought was expressed in 

 the American and French Revolu- 

 tions. 



The rapid course of invention dur- 

 ing the nineteenth century is too 

 familiar to require detailed mention. 

 The period of the tree's growth, how- 

 ever, is represented by only a few 

 inches in its total diameter. 



Not only the scientific side of all 

 branches of biology, but also the 

 philosophical or speculative side, has 

 been developed during the old age of 

 the tree, or during the last 300 years. 

 In fact, modern zoology and inductive 

 methods may be said to have begun 



