ARBOR DA V MANUAL. 
2 9 
“ WOODMAN, SPARE THAT TREE.” 
HISTORY OF THE POEM. 
fT'EACHERS may give pupils the following account of the way in which Mr. 
X Morris came to write the poem, “Woodman, Spare that Tree.” The 
poem may then be memorized by all the pupils, and recited or sung on “Arbor 
Day.” Mr. Morris, in a letter to a friend, dated New York, February 1, 1837, 
gave in substance the following account: 
Riding out of town a few days since, in company with a friend, an old gentle¬ 
man, he invited me to turn down a little, romantic woodland pass, not far from 
Bloomingdale. “Your object?” inquired I. “Merely to look once more at an 
old tree planted by my grandfather long before I was born, under which I used 
to play when a boy, and where my sisters played with me. There I often lis¬ 
tened to the good advice of my parents. Father, mother, sisters — all are gone; 
nothing but the old tree remains.” And a paleness overspread his fine counte¬ 
nance, and tears came to his eyes. After a moment’s pause, he added: “ Don’t 
think me foolish. I don’t know how it is : I never ride out but I turn down 
this lane to look at that old tree. I have a thousand recollections about it, and 
I always greet it as a familiar and well-remembered friend.” These words were 
scarcely uttered when the old gentleman cried out, “There it is.” Near the 
tree stood a man with his .coat off, sharpening an ax. “ You’re not going to 
cut that tree down, surely?” Yes, but I am, though,” said the woodman. 
“What for?” inquired the old gentleman, with choked emotion. “What for? 
I like that! Well, I will tell you, I want the tree for fire wood.” “What is 
the tree worth to you for fire wood? ” “ Why, when down, about ten dollars.” 
“Suppose I should give you that sum,” said the old gentleman, “would you 
let it stand?” “Yes.” “You are sure of that?” “Positive!” “Then give 
me a bond to that effect.” We went into the little cottage in which my com¬ 
panion was born, but which is now occupied by the woodman. I drew up the 
bond. It was signed, and the money paid over. As we left, the young girl, 
the daughter of the woodman, assured us that while she lived the tree should 
not be cut. These circumstances made a strong impression on my mind, and 
furnished me with the materials for the song I send you. 
The objects of the restoration of the forests are as multifarious as the motives 
which have led to their destruction, and as the evils which that destruction has 
occasioned. The planting of the mountains will diminish the frequency and 
violence of river inundations ; prevent the formation of torrents ; mitigate the 
extremes of atmospheric temperature, humidity and precipitation; restore 
dried-up springs, rivulets and sources of irrigation ; shelter the fields from 
chilling and from parching winds; prevent the spread of miasmatic effluvia; 
and, finally, furnish an inexhaustible and self-renewing supply of material 
indispensable to so many purposes of domestic comfort, to the successful exer¬ 
cise of every act of peace, every destructive energy of war. 
George P. Marsh, “Man and Nature.” 
