The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1888-05-03
The Observance OF Arbor Day.

The last legislature passed the following law:
That the Governor shall annually set apart
day i'll the spring Arbor Day, and shall issue a
prociamaio ion recommending that it be observed by
the people of this state in the planting of trees,
shrubs and vines, in the adornment of public and
private grounds, places and ways, and in such
other efforts and undertakings shall he in har-
mony with the general character of a tiay SO
established.
Gov. Marble appointed May LIST as Arbor Day.
Twas intended that the Belfast city school, should
observe the day by planting trees on school house
common, and for a week past the pupils of the
several schools have been marching about the
streets he'd by drum corps. Unfor unately the
day was cold and rainy, interfering somewhat with
the proposed ont door exercises
At nine o'clock in the morning the High school
building crowded with school children but
Mr.. Dunton, teacher, managed to preserve ORDER
The exercises began by singing 'Thrcc cheers for
the red white and blue by the audience Mr..
s'vase then offered prayer. Mabel Cushman read
essay entitled THE beauties of trees" followed
by rccitati"ns by >ac Durham and Bertha Had
ley. Singing by the South Intermediate school,
REGULATIONS by Mariana Robbins, Arthur Brown
and Matte Wentworth, the latter reciting with
much spirit the poem Woodman Spare that Tree"
by Geo. +. Morris Isabelle Harris read an essay
VA litt I Sc tI titts. MI savage lncn spoke
briefly Of Arbor Day and the planting of trees
IL told the Young people of the beauties of trees
Their uses. &r. and thought they ought to become
interested in them. lie spoke of the beauties of
Palestine and said that by law the trees were pre-
served but when the Arabs drove out the Jews
they destroyed the trees and desolation followed
Nj. Savage said that last year when we had no
general observance of Arbor day, and the young
people had no interest in the matter, he thought he
would plant Il tree, and one was taken up from the
rear OF his house and planted in front. "Boys
ideas of trees said Mr.. Savage care that they
should climb large ones and fight small Ones and
one day during his absence some boys pulled
ur ahd destroyed his tree. This morning (Arbor
DaH) hcplanled another tree in front of his house.
Boy came and looked at it and said: That's a
maple I'm going to plant Il chestnut" He felt
safe now and thought his tree would not be mo-
le-ttd.
Tn children now fled ont of the school build
lnE, thy High school leading, followed by the Upper
Grammar, Lower Grammar Intermediate and pr-
lhhlies ntier the lead of drums, and Leroy Young
is marshal, the schools formed in a hollow square
above the school building. Several trees have
been set out On the common, but the exercises
were to close with the planting Of one on Spring
street the southwest corner of the high
school building. Every thing was prepared Mr..
Brown the teacher of the Upper Grammar, having
brought from his place very handsome elm
Twelve pupils assembled about the tree and after
it was raised, with appropriate exercises, each
~h"Vel,d on a quantity Of earth. The tree was
named Louise May Alcott. This completed the
first observance Of Arbor Day in Belfast.