The Courier. (Genoa, Nev.) 1899-1904, 1902-04-11

menu, no Will 10 1SduCobCd w hafO IL
known as the Constitutional Oak of
1902" and he should have it planted
in his town with suitable ceremonies.
The influence of these good deeds will
be widely and permanently felt. But
praise of them may well be strength
ened by an announcement just made
by the New Hampshire Grange, which
offers prize to that inferior grange in
the State the members of which shall
set out the largest number of shade
trees on Arbor Day, provided the trees
are found to be alive eighteen months
later.
1t is greatly desired that everybody
should realize that successful tree
planting does not begin and end with
sticking young trees into the ground.
Trees demand prepared and suitable
soil, they need to be watched and
rendered
It is a sensible way to observe Arbor
Day after the New Hampshire manner,
for eighteen months at least. Now
Arbor Day Is at hand. The occasion
is fitting one to direct attention to a
general movement for the identifying
of your homes, school houses and their
surroundings. To the young scholar,
especially in the country, the public
schools with the stars and stripes fly
ing over the roof or at the top of the
liberty pole" represent the whole
country in a pleasing way. Why
should not it's grounds represent to
him the beauty and solace of his coun-
try's ''woods and tempted hills''-of
the whole and grand inspiring Out-of-
Doors in which every American boy
and girl loves to be and on the love of
which, as on firm foundation, civic
patriotism is built?
School house grounds will have such
meaning if on every Arbor Day,
some tree or shrub is joyfully, and per-
haps with a pretty ceremony, trans
ferred to the school-yard, planted there
not by chance, but with intelligent
care and with reference to the perma-
nent beauty and grace of the whole
plot, if afterward watchfully and low
ingly rendered.
Some eighteen years ago during the
first Forestry Congress in this country,
had the children of Cincinnati marched
to Eden Park and planted young
tree for each President, Washington
would be prouder of his Cincinnati oak
than of his mythical cherry-tree; and
Jackson would find his hickory harder
to break down than was the United
States Bank.
John Frederick Oberlin, the famous
Alaskan pastor, would not permit the
peasant boys and girls to come to COM
munion until they had planted at least
two trees in their rock-strewn valley.
1t is said, Had the great educator ola
century ago lived on the present site
of Chicago, the university of that city
might not to-day be paying $1,000 for
transplanting single row of big elm
trees on its campus"
| A fine specimen of tree known as
Norfolk Island pine has been selected
as the tree which is TO be planted on
the Union High School grounds at
Niles. This tree will represent our
late martyred President, VIM McKin-
ley.
A marble slab with appropriate in
scription will be placed at the base of
the tree. This tree is to be planted
with earth from the National Capitol
and White House grounds, from the
yard of the Mckinley garden at the
Canton iOhio) home, and if possible
some earth will be brought from the
| battle fields on which Mckinley fought
during the Civil war. There will be a
program suitable for the occasion. l
believe this work will not take place
before the thirty first of May. No
doubt, there is tree for our other two
martyred presidents, Lincoln and Gar
field, in this same school-yard.
! On the last day of President McKin-
| ley's life, when the nurses sought to
screen his eyes from the light, he
objected, saying, mo, / want to see
the trees, they are so beautiful" In
the same month just four years earlier,
| ne palQ MS IaSU VlSlU TO Uu6 nome OF MS
life long friend, President Hayes, in
Ohio. Almost his first words, II must
go around to pay tribute to your his
toric trees.o
Most appropriately, also, Mckinley
memorial trees might never cease in
every school yard in the land of our
late Presidents living and dying love
for the beauty of Gods fair trees. In
Canada the first Friday in May has
been set aside for Arbor Day, for the
whole Dominion. Two years ago one
of the provinces celebrated Arbor Day
by exercises in all the public schools :
A tree is no monument reared by
human hands, but a living thing, bridg-
ing the chasm of the years with body
which grows, as ours do, through youth
and maturity and old age, to death.
''The storm of protest which arises
when noble tree is destroyed is a
tribute to the latent poetry in human
nature"
ISABEL MILLER.
Gardnerville, New, April 10, 1902.