The courier., 1902-10-25
CLUB N O T ES
THE WEEKS REVIEW

The paper on Forestry" read by
Mrs. H. NJ. Bushnell before the state
federation of clubs in Columbus, two
weeks ago, was pronounced by the
delegates one of the best features of
the program and the general interest
which has been aroused in the subject
all over the country makes it especial
ly appropriate to print the paper, which
follows:
FORESTRY.
When the program committee asked
me to give talk on forestry, my mind
Immediately reverted to something l
had read few days ago, advising club
women never to talk on a subject that
they were not familiar with, and / had
decided. / thought, to take the advice
and had formed several negative re-
plies in my mind, with the excuse, For
want of information on the subject"
when this question rather suddenly
confronted me. putting me to shame
What right have you to be uniformed
on the subject. when there is such an
awakening all along the line, from
Maine to California? We can scarcely
pick up newspaper or periodical with
out coming upon something that shows
what vigorous and earnest efforts are
being put forth, for the protection and
propagation of forestry. We hear of
meetings being held. where men and
women who are keenly alive to the best
dc
country were present to advance the
interests of forestry. With these re-
Elections the subject began to grow up
on me and everything bearing upon it
mad a new interest. / forgot the ad-
vice and more inspiring quotation
estly desire, in measure do you pos
sess." This question of the preserva-
ton and propagation of forestry has
come with comparative suddenness
upon us and if the facts are the voices
of the people we have not far back to
go to see that the utilitarian idea of the
forest as we now know and see it, had
not occurred to them. The poetical. the
artistic. the sentimental side, they saw
in all its beauty, grandeur and sublim-
ity: and 1t is perhaps best that the
spiritual side came first. In that SUBJ
blime poem of Bryant's.
The groves were Gods first temples Ere
man learned
To hew the shaft, and lay the archtraye.
And spread the roof ab.ve hm-,re he
framed
The lofty vault, to gather and roll back
The sound OF anthems"
and so he goes on with this grand old
hymn that contains one of the most elo-
duent sermons on eternity that ever
fell from the lips of man, and closes
with this beautiful reflection
BE it ours to mediate in these calm
shades thy milder majesty,
And to the beautiful order of thy works.
Learn to conform the order of our lives"
Still. with his beautiful and sublime
communion with the trees. the forests,
he had no conception of the blessings
the trees are able to bestow upon the
temporal wants of mankind. and of the
great disaster that would follow the de-
nuding of the forests, or that by the
planting and cultivating of trees the
desert would be turned into a garden.
N. P. Morris. who wrote the poem.
"Woodman, Spare That Tree" poem
that has been mutilated by the major
ity of school boys since it was written,
if he could know the value of the trees
and the forests as men know them to-
day. he would want to remodel his
poem. This appealing verse,
''Woodman, spare that tree,
Touch not a single bough,
In youth 1t sheltered me
And I'll protect it now"