Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-07-07
BEAUTIFY AND MAKE HOMES AT.
TRACTIVE,

4
TRACTIVE.
Dryden says that home is the sacred
refuge of our lives. Certainly around
and about it gather and cling the most
pleasing recollections of our after lives.
It is not our purpose in this article to
speak of the domestic relationships, the
family ties and the holy inhuen ces of the
home circle. These speak themselves to
every heart that gives a response, if not
deadened to all noble and general i'm
pulses, with every pulsation. The spe
cial object in view is to impress our
readers, and especially our farming
friends, with the importance and the
lasting benefits accruing from the beauti-
flying, adjoining and decorating the out
side surroundings of their homes. Re-
nowned travellers have said, and with
truth, not to be gainsaid, that the tone
and characteristics of the population of
city or town could be told by the
appearance of the churches, the public
buildings and the cemeteries. If this be
true of the attractions of a town, it is
eminently more go of the country. 1t is
not the palatial mansion, with its extended
wings, its towering observatory, huge
dimensions, costly finish, and gilded cor
nice, standing upon the roadside and the
public highway, that bespeaks the taste,
the cultivation, the refinement, and the
domestic felicity of those within, 80
much as do the trellised vine, the spread
ing lawn, the rose embowered hillcck,
the rows of trees and well TILED and
trimmed shrubbery. These foreshadow
perennial sunshine and bankruptcies
to the indwellers. A vine clad cottage,
with its trees and green grasses, its yards
and pleasant and cheerful surroundings
are often the indices of more
solid enjoyments and comforts
than the high and polished turret with its
costly architecture, not possessed of these
surroundings. Some writer has said that
he was a benefactor to his race who
caused one spar of grass to grow where
none ever grew before. A greater bene-
factor is he who plants a tree about his
premises and along the way side where
none grew before. That tree will grow
and lift its coronal of green leaves loftily
TO the heavens, delighting perhaps, the
eyes of childrens' children, as well as
making glad the hearts of hundreds of
passers, long after the hand that planted
it shall have become stilled and pulseless
in the grave. What vast influences for
good those long drawn sisles of
trees about an old homestead, with
their rustling leaves, spreading
boughs and outrageous shadowings have
upon the minds of the children who plsy
and sport around them! The history of
"Woodman spare that tree" a song by
Gen. Morris, known everywhere, illus
trates this. In the city where the poet
lived and Gang, there resided a near friend
and neighbor. He had prospered in life
and had beautiied his home with trees
and shrubbery. and bloom and evergreen.
Among the trees in the yard there was
one statelier, taller and larger than the
rest, around which his boys and girls
passed their rollicking hours. But re-
verses came. Misfortunes fell upon him.
His beautiful home passed into other
hands. One of the sons that had gam
boiled around that tree grew 10 early mans
hood and sought his fortune in distant
State. His efforts were crowned with
success. With wealth and lusty mans
hood he returned to his native city.
He sought out his fathers friend, Gen.
Morris. Ga crisp, cold morning of
bitter winter, the two were passing the
old homestead. The winter was one of
rigorous severity, aud fuel was scarce and
dear. CHANGING into the yard of the old
home, he saw wood chopper with up
| lifted axe to cut down the identical tree
that grew by his fathers door. In an
instant the young man was in the yard.
| He seized the arm of the axeman and
asked what he was gcIng to DO. The
reply was that he was going to
cut the tree down for fire wood. The
young man asked how much wood the
tree would make. Being informed, he
offered to pay twice the cost of that much
wood, with the understanding that the
tree was never to be cut down. This
was agreed to, and the workman laid his
axe aside. All aglow with his early recoI-
lecGons, the young man Joined Mr.. Nor
ris, saying, as they walked away, SIN
youth it sheltered me, and I'll protect it
now.n The incident deeply impressed
the poet, who went TO his home and