The Newtown bee., 1891-07-17
Spare the Trees.

urday night. ...
Spare the Trees.
Notwithstanding am not citizen OF
Newtown, but simply one who visits that
delectable region occasionally, L feel
deeply interested in all that Heaven and
earth haverdoue to make it healthful and
attractive. What is more, so earnestly
sympathize with Nature in her achieve
ments in its interests, that feel cores
pondingly incensed at any indignity Of
fered her and at any attempt to thwart
her wishes and designs. That which
contributes most bountifully to the pic
turesqueness of your village is its trees.
They are objects ofespecial pride and adj
miration and, in view of the shade they
afford and the beauty and grandeur they
impart to the landscape, every citizen
should take personal interest in them
and appoint himself their custodian and
protector. 1t is lamentable fact, Of
which it is the purpose of this letter to
respectfully remind you, that remedy
may be speedily applied-that some of
your trees are shamefully disfgured by
This is vandalism. Nor
can the fact that the aesthetic sentiment
involved is unrecogniZed be accepted as
Justification for smearing a tree with
printers ink or using it for any purpose
than that for which it was plainly in
tended. Let man adopt other methods
of stimulating torpid commercial liver
and stiffeniDg the wavering vertabre of
a syndicate, than by tattooing the face
of omnipotence. have great respect
for Adam, Notwithstanding the inconven-
fence he has brought upon mankind, be-
cause it is nowhere recorded that he ever
marred a tree of Eden, not even by carv-
common mother. The outrage against
Nature and Society to which | have re-
ferred is due, | think, to lack of rever-
ence, an element that does not seem to be
in the moral constitution of
the American, particularly the young
who alludes to his mother as
the 'Eold woman" and whose jack-knife
claims the right-of-way wherever he
goes and where does he not go? Had he
the opportunity, he would like nothing
better than to lasso the angel Gabriel and
pop away at the II Apostles with bean
shooter. Now, is it surprising that when
this youth reaches manhood, he adver-
Uses his wares on a tree or ties his horse
n hot ir Sc fno
mote to serve as billboard or hitch
ing post? The practice of marring tree
in any way should be stopped, and by
if milder measures are found
Of no avail. Suggestion, warning and en-
treaty not infrequently go .unheeded. A
sinner is occasionally found so stubborn
and perverse as to defy the most seduct-
i've forms of moral suasion. The angel
of mercy wrestles with him in vain. The
effort to illumine his mind and purify
his soul by argument and supplication
proves as abortive as would be the at
tempt to cleanse his moral nature by
clapping plaster over his heart. Moth
ing milder than visitation of microbes
Or stroke of lightning will meet his
case. IT'S useless to reason with the man
who sees no more in tree than hitch
ing post; no more in the graceful futter
Of its leaves than the tapping of Mon
days washing on clothes line and no
more in the sweet harmony with which
birds and breeze consecrate it than in the
vocalism of colie-riven
babe. For such a man, what is left but
the prompt application of vigorous law?
Let me improve this opportunity to say
that Fairfield county will compare favor
ably with any part of our country in pie
turesque landscapes. | will not except
whose varied and brilliant
scenery suggests the conceit that Nature
dropped her "bow" when setting it inthe
Make of the fleeing storm. / we'll re-
member how deeply was impressed with
the Big Trees of California. The Pacific
railroad has given such an impetus to
California travel that the State has be-
come shrine of Mecca to American ar
lists and tourists. Until the last few
years, the eyes of the sordid gnomes Of
the mines weres'always downward bent,',
more attracted by subterranean nuggets
of gold than by leafy Titans or the
GROWING glory of the Yosemite. rs
thetic explorers of its grand scenery have
succeeded the sordid pioneers of Califor-
mia fortune hunters and, henceforth, Eu-
reka is suggestive of beauty and sublim-
lty. Artists and tourists are hanging
their exquisite pictures of mountains.
Big Trees and Bridal Vail falls on the
bare walls Of longing souls at home and
even the untravelled can say of the won-
drous scenery: "'Tis all mine, for have
it in me- The Big Tree group is stem
ple,'' where there is the most impressive
preaching, such as is heard in the mute
melody of flowers and the solemn still
ness OF the everlasting hills. Yet they
are not always silent. Winter tempests
are torn into anthems against their stur-
dy branches and Summer breezes are
broken into futtering melodies against
their tender foliage. Tell, mighty mon
archs of the woods, the secret of your
birth and miraculous growth Explain
the living principle within your struct-
ures. We peer into your far reaching
branches eager to read the cronicles you
may have brought us from antiquity.
We lift our admiring gaze to your lofty
SUBMITS, around which the stars have
sung for 5000 years. We pore through