The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-05-01
Balmy Weather for the
ArbOr Day Exercises.
Interesting Exercises at Camp
Street School.
Nine Trees Were Planted With Ap-
pr0priate Ceremonies.

Today is certainly an ideal Arbor Day
in Providence and none OF the thousands
of school children who have participated
in its observance realized 1t any more
than the trees themselves, as evidenced
their grateful arms and opened their deli
cate leaves to greet the sun and balmy
breeze, much as the little ones of the
humsn family watched with upturned
faces and wide open eyes the doings of
their elders during the celebrations at
Roger Williams Park and elsew here.
AT CAMP STREET SCHOOL
The earliest public observance of the
day was at the Camp street primary
school under the auspices OF the Beacon
Hill Improvement Association, which ar
ranged tree planting to beautify the
school grounds, 10 which every body in
the Second Ward was invited. The oele-
bration began at o o'clock and Ii is safe
TO say that 1t equalled in e,ery respect
any occasion OF the kind ever held. The
school yard was nlled with 800 or more
happy children, with their parents and
friends, while roany more found foothoid
on the sidewalk and in the vacant lot at
the corner Of Gardner street. Nine rock
end sycamore maple trees, which had
been named by vote of all the schools in
with exceedingly interesting exercises,
under tine direction OF Hon. Thomas W.
Bicknell, the energetic president of the
improvement association, who 10 ever ac-
tive in The Interests of hts fellow citizens.
The children behaved with the utmost
the occasion with more than ordinary en-
thusiasm.
First there was singing of "America. -
Then Mayor Edwin ID. McGuinness made
an entertaining address in which he
spoke as follows:
This large gathering of bright, intelli-
gent young faces this lovely May morn
ing suggests tc my mind the object for
which you have Assem- bled here. You
have come together this Arbcr Day to
plant trees to beautify your school
grounds. In addition to this you have
been urged by the public spirited Beacon
hill Improvement Association to plant
trees or shrubs on your home grounds In
order to make more beautiful and attrac-
tive your home surroundings. In the act
OF planting trees Is contained the prin-
ciple of working for the future The in
huence and result-of the work you per-
form today will be seen In the future.
Just as the work and study YOU daily
perform here in schocl, will in the future
have its highest and most complete de-
velopment. The purpose OF Arbor Day
teaches us that we should not live ior
Tor ourselves solely, but Tor our city,
our state and our country. BY the good
we do fer posterity we may In some meas
ure repay the the hepefits received bv us
from the foyefathers of the Republic. The
struggles undergone by those who made
the nation what IL Is, at trst IN the colo
ny with the Indians for existence, Hfter-
wards in the War OF the Reyo ution for
our liberty and Independence, and finally
in the War of the Rebellion for the solid
ity and perpetuity OF the nation can never
be fully reraid by us. We NAV, however,
by becoming intelligent, law-abi.iing and
God-fearing mem bers OF society preserve
intact the blessings OF education and OF
liberty transmitted TO us. For education
Is the bandmaio of liberty and the futu G
of our Republic viii depend on the intel
ligence of its citizens. Let Us then place
before Cur minds the loftiest ideals, let
us emulate the examples OF Washington,
and Lincoln and the other great men OF
our country that in the language OF
Daniel Webster we may hand down TO
posterity the gorgeous ensign OF he Re
pubic with not striI erased or polluted,
or a signle star obscured.
His Honor was followed by Principal
Nathan q. Kingsley OF the Doyle Avenue
Grammar school, Rev. William +. Fur
man of the Olney street Eongregat ional
Church, and Councilman Cnsr.es Siason,
each of whom referred To the intent OF
the day and its meaning 10 mankind.
Master Walter turman of the Camp
street school told of 1.-THE Origin OF Arbor
Day" and thanked the Improvement as
ISOLATION In behalf OF the pupils, for its
Interest i'm them. There was more sing
ing and the first tree, dedicated TO Nssh-
ington, was planted. Sarah English OF
the Camp street school gave recitation
appropriate TO the occasion and Mayor
McGuinness, repr ssenting the city, put
on the frst shovel OF earth, followed by
Mr.. Bicknel for the association and Mr..
Kingsley for the Doyle avenue school,
the exercises being conducted under the
feids -eft the Stars and Stripes, which were
carried from tree "a tree as each was ded-
icated. The other eight trees had already
been planted, so they we're next edicat-
ed. The Graham street school dedicated
q tree to Garfield, stephen Mchenna Civ
ing the recitation; the Dolye avenue
school dedicated one to Mayor Doyle, the
address being by Raymond Sesmers, and
the class Of b6 OF the same school dedi-
Gated tree'to Oliver Wendell Holmes,
Willie Nichols doing the honors; the
klater avenue school dedicated ito tree TO