The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-04-02
ARB0R DAY

JOCK when ye has nothing else 70 do. We
Jock, when ye're sIeepisS" Is
Sir Walter Scott gave Jock rood ad-
vice, but the people Of Emporia always
"hae something else 70 do" bur the time
has come when we must be sticking
In . tree" although the cares
OF life In q busy and grow.
growing city leave little time for other
duties then those necessary to the busI-
ness interests.
Beautiful cities a. well a. fertile fields
are soon recognized by the state and BE-
come the pride Other citizens But fne
buildings and clean streets alone will
not gain recognition for a city. Her
streets, the yards OF her citizens, her
parks, her church and school grounds
must be made attractive with the orna-
mentation that nature has Provided-the
forest trees.
Many Of the cities Of Kansas are far
ahead OF Emporia in this direction.
Wichita II called the Forest City - and
In the hottest days of summer one can
walk the streets Of Lawrence and enjoy
the cool shade OF full grown forest trees.
But suppose an individual should try to
md shady walk In Emporia. To do
so one must walk out after old Sol has
hid his face In the west, and 70 imagine
trees In come parts Of the city. it would
be necessary to walk when The nigh,
was exceedingly black and stumble
against q telephone or telegraph post.
People who visit EmpoFia always 90
away filed with the praise Of her hospi-
tally aud astonished at her enterprise
They speak of the beauty Of her build
iogs and the culture and sociability Of
her citizens.
What was safd to the rich man who
had kept all the commandments from
his youth up might liksw be said Of
EmporiA: "Yet one thing thou lackest,r
ell know that in the case of Imports
that one thing 10 shade trees.
The water In the little rivuIet is an
psrently more pure on account of the
forest trees that shade IL. The winding
path over the hills would loose its at
traction and poetry IL the shade trees
with their cIinging vines wert
removed. There seems To be In the tres
sort OF inspiration that excItes in mar
desire for truth and a love tor hi
country. From the homes In the forests
have come ouTgreat est national charac
ters. Lincoln, Grant and Garfield. There ID
an influence In the forest which ha,
never been fully described. An anony
nous writer pays timely tribute II
these lines:
when some great work is waiting to bC
And destiny ransAOks the city for a man tC
Finding none therein. she turns to the fecun
Ana tAere beside hill or stresm, enters the
rude cabin unApnounced
Ana ere TIE rengh frontiersman from hi
Suts the Shickets down. returns at evening,
SaiuteS the wife, the fair young wife aaC
Behold thou art the mother OF the future. .
The forest tree has not only been ar
object OF admiration since ciVIliza
ton began TO penetrate our western
prairies and mark its footsteps will
groves and orchards, but was highly ap
precIated in ancient times.
Addison, in his Spectator, tells of ar
old tradition in which Abraham is cred
tied With planting cypress. a pine anC
cedar tree, and that these three grew
and were Incorporated into one tire,
under which Abraham built his HOUSE
and lived. The people looked upon i
with great veneration and regarded it a
sacred. The tradition says that the
tree was finally cat down and used il
building Solomon's temple.
The idea OF beautifyIng the ground
Of our homes, our public places and on
cities with trees is then no new ides
the proclamation of an Arbor Da,
In eight states in the Union
is only "the shadow of q coming EVENT.
Q National Arbor Day.
To look from the ancient generation @
the forest and from the contemplated
OF the beauties of the wildwood ant
hr5 the people of our fair city prepar
ing to plant trees in observance of tn
ATber Day proclamation is indeed
great pleasure. A day spent by Empo
ria ia the planting OF trees will
esult In much good, 1t will stimnlat
private enterprise IN the same dIrectie
and In the future, when the Emporia
can walk from street to street wit
branches of foliage hanging over hin
there will be a sense Of qualification an,
the pleasant consciousness that Arbo
days had not been spent In vain.