Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1855-04-10
In the leafy month of june
That to the sleeping woods all night
Sinrpth n N MET tune.S

Whether the genial prattler of Idlewild alludes
to some of those sudden revelations of poetical
ecstasy which make up the high secrets of the
Poets profound and sensuous nature We of
course know not; but there are few hearts beat
ing in accord with the musical pulses of nature
that do not know the secret of trees beauty
that have not felt the green and budding beauty
Of the tree growing up with the life and roofing
itself in the heart. So much part of our own
nature do trees becOme-snch a familiar house
hold joy-so like the face of an old friend-of
dear and gladning presence ike sunshine-that,
even while we revel in the indefnable luxury of
its SIMMER bloom or share its golden autumn
pride-we half forget its native grace, and it's
symmetry of proportion. We love the beauty
which buds and blooms and fades in mellow
dreams away before we have analysed it in it's ar
tistic aspect. 1t is feeling long before it is
idea The rich poetry of it entrances the senses
before the objective consciousness of it gushes
out in song-the song of Wordsworth or Thomp-
son.
1t is only when we lose our friends that we feel
how much Of the happiness of our existance was
nwoven with theirs. 1t is only when the land
scape is denuded of trees that we fully compre-
bend how much of unregarded grace they shed
upon it. If any one would know the oppressive
darkness of treeless prospect let him wipe his
eye of the price of town lots and take a birds-eye
view of st. Paul from some of the bluffs behind
the town.
The bare white walls of It thousand wooden
houses-grouped in gregarious barrenness-mn-
gled with the stony harshness and sterile red
ness of struggling brick buildings and scattered
over an extent of miles-a drcary waste of gar
ish paint, and dull, dead brick, with nothing but
the natural beauty of its situation and surround
ings to relieve the utter dcsolatoa of its naked
ness, and the disappointed fancy wanders up and
down like the tired dove of the Noadic ark with
not solitary green leaf or the foothod of Dough
to gladden. or sooth its weary way.
There tapering spires ginting the sun
light-pompous cupolas browning pretentious
piles of brick and mortar-there is symmetry of
proportion and harmony of outline--there is ev-
erything but some green and lovely thing to sof-
ten its harshneSs, and mpart the freshness of ma
ture to the coarse and noisy pracicalities of bu-
sncss. One great want vexes and taunts the eye
"A want intimately associated with the charm of
society and the pleasures of home, and WIN ca GIN
only be filled in city By shade-trecs. Every
street should have its avenues, and every yard
and garden its groups of trees with "dark, green
leaf rich-clad." We want some place for the
ey to rest and the heart to nestle in-something
else than rectangular walls and crotchety fences
for the fancy to play in. We want trees to at
tract the visitor and lend its refreshing shadow to
the painting refugee from the dog-d days of the
south--wc want something for the moon to shine
through of summer night, signing low music to
the whispering voices of youngove. Above all
,l,pt fran thn <>f II.
dren--and arch thcirlfe with vistas of pleasant
woods. We pity from oar souls the wretched
children that grow up like poor Alton Locke in q
dingy home of stone walls and pavemcnts, with
no green memory of trees to lend their cool shade
to the hard. hot thorOughfares of lifc.-Gentlc-
men it is now nearly time to plant your shade
trees. The expense is not muca--it will add an
incaculable value to your prope:ty--it will be a
generous donation to the public aud a handsome
Investment for yourselves; for
GA thing of beauty is joy
It's iovelnesS increases-it will never
Pass into notllngness,' =
8. Such the sen, fhc moon,
Trees old and young sprotting a shady boon
For the way-far .r.''