Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-04-21
Arbor Day.
Written in 1885.

Teachers can easily interest their pupils
in adjoining the school grounds. With
| proper Encouragement as to the selection
and procuring OF trees, vines and shrubs,
| Arbor Day may accomplish wonders
Many hands will make merry, as we'll as
| light, the work. Such holiday will be an
| attractive occasion of social enjoyment and
Improvement. The parents should be per.
I suaded to approve and patronize the plan.
| 1t tends to flaternize the people of dis
trict, when they thus meet, ON common
ground land young and cd work for a COM
mon object, where all differences Of rank,
or sect, or party are forgotten. The plant
ings and improvements thus made will be
sure to be protected. They will remain as
silent, but effe Give teachers of the beauti-
ul to all pupils, gradually improving their
taste and character. Such work done
around the school naturally extends to the
homes. You improve the homes by i'm
proving the schools as truly as you improve
the schools by improving the homes. THE
hope of America is the homes OF America"
1t has long been my ambition to improve
the homes and home-life of our industrial
| classes, and help them to realize that the
I highest privilege end central duty of lie
is the creation of happy homes, for the
home is the chief school of virtue, the
| fountain headof individual and national
| strength and prosperity. 1t is wor-
| thy ambition to surround ones home
and children with such scenes and
| influences as shall make the everyday
life and labors brighter and happier,
and help one to 60 sunny and sing
ing to his work. Our youth should
early share in such efforts fer adorning
| no I'm IF hai
| planting trees by the wayside. How at
tractivs our roads may become by long av-
enues of trees. This is beautifully illus
trated In many countries of Europe.
Arbor Day will become one of the insti-
tutions Of the country, in which our boys
and girls will take an eager share and
genuine pleasure, and thus gain liking
for trees that will never Ge effaced Ne
Oraska has the honor of originating Arb0r
| Day. Some ten years ago, at the request
of its State Board of Agriculture, the gov
ernor appointed the second Wednesday in
| April as the day to be devoted to economic
| tree-planting, and it is claimed that
twelve millions of trees were planted on
that day. The successive governors have
continued thus to recognize this day. The
schools last spring adopted the ''Cincin-
natl PLAN of planting memorial trees
| The recent spring foods and summer
droLghts in Indiana, OHIO, and elsewhere,
increasingly and now alarmingly destruc-
tive, are calling public attention to the
cause and remedy as never before. The
denudation of the hills and mountain
sources of the springs is the leadil g cause
Of these freshets, and these can be rem
edled only by the extensive re- foresting Of
such lands. This great result, which
must be the work of time, will be best &C.
complished by interesting the young, as
well as the old, in tree planting. The
Arbor Day in schools will do immense
good in this direction. We need to popu-
| larize and diffuse the sentiment of trees.
This will best secure their propagation
and protection. The frequency of forest
fires is the common objection to economic
| tree planting. But let the sentiment Of
| trees be duly cultivated, and they will be
regarded as our friends as is the case in
Germany. The public need to understand
| that The interests of all classes are con-
cerned in the conversation of forests. In
Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and other
European countries, this subject is so
taught In their schools that the people
generally appreciate the value of trees and
need of protecting them. Hence an en-
lightened public sentiment is a better
! guardian of their forests than the national
police.
Hon B. G. NoRTgRop