CHAPTER III 
The Stem and the Branches 
Full in the midst of his own strength he stands 
Stretching his brawny arms and leafy hands 
His shade protects the plains, his head the hill 
commands. 
Virgil. 
No wonder the Latin poet wrote this way about the 
oak. There is a majesty about an oak tree that reminds 
one of a king of olden time, a king of the Vikings, strong 
and unconquered, lifting his crowned head proudly to 
the storm. And indeed there live oak trees which have 
seen the birth and death of many a king; oaks stand to¬ 
day in England which were saplings when William the 
Conqueror landed with his Norman warriors. Always 
the oak has been the symbol of strength and loyalty. 
I saw a moving picture once, about. Robin Hood and 
his band of merry outlaws who lived in Sherwood Forest, 
in England, so long ago. Robin Hood was a true knight, 
it was all a mistake that he was outlawed; he and his men 
spent their days in righting the wrongs of the oppressed ; 
they robbed the rich to feed the poor. One day Sher¬ 
wood Forest was surrounded by the soldiers of the cruel 
Sheriff of Nottingham. Robin Hood gave his order, 
“To the trees, my men!” 
