The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1905-09-29

them are over H'N lttl lhils Vti' ~ AN'
feet in circumference and 33 feet from
side % side. one is cut in the middle
az the hnsc and has "a square cut out Of
u So large that great. three seated
s'aeccoach with top covering. drawn
hv four horses. can be- driven through
IT, This tree WIS Oh the right Of us, IL
was 90 the left of us. IL was above rs,
10 was underneath us one OF this same
Kind of trees In a ncighboring grove
was cut down a few years ago that It's
stump might be used as a dancing
floor by visiting tourists. So huge, 80
gigantic is "Old Grizzly that II has
one branch one right arm alone, TWEEN
IL feet IN circumference.
The trees of Mariposa grove, grand
old veterans are they! No other liv-
mg warriors have fought 50 many bat
ties. What mighty tornadoes have
they dehed. What strength of thou
snnd Herculeses Is In those Iron back
boucs What unconQuerable heights
have they! What forest fires have
they endured But after all, the most
impressive fact TO me about these trees
is not their great girth nor their great
height. but that they are living trees
They are not mummiied trees found
among the cemeteries Of dead trees.
What is the greatest fact that i'm
presses you about the big treesr
asked "a gentleman THAT they are
alive" he answered Yes, that is the
overwhelming fact about MaripOsa
grove. Those big trees are alive, just
as we are alive. You can 20 and stand
bv some of them and see their sides
wrlnklcd and scared Ike the indenta.
lions upon the cheek Of the sphinx Of
the Egyptian desert. but You can feel
tllat they are alive You can see where
some of their sides have been burned
by forest fires In the Haverford tree
thc wood burned ont Of one side has
left cavity large enough 10 shelter
twenty horses or head Of cattle from
the winter storms yet the IIaverford
tree is alive The great Telescope tree
had forest fires eat into its sides and
tunnel their way into its center and
tlen from the center burn mp until you
can stand at the bottom Of the tree
ana look up through ii and see the blue
sky NJ the heavens above you. Yet the
Telescope tree Is alive and still grow
ing. The six hundred trees Of Mari
posa grove are emphatlcally alive.
A thousand years IN Gods sight are
but as yesterday or as watch In the
night II the trees Of Mariposa grove
teach MS this. hsw much more must
the libraries Of rock among the shelves
Of Yosemite hills teach the same les
sons We look with wOnderment upon
some of the vases or the household
pottery used by the American or Mex
lean aborlgnes. You say, They were
heated IN fires thousands Of years ago"
Yes. but have you ever stopped 10 think
when the fires were lighted Icy the
hands Of God which hardened yonder
rocksf Have you ever stopped TO
reckon how old must have been those
pencils of ice which wrote yonder
chapters upon those hillsldes and
which. millcnnlums ago. as glaciers,
polished those walls until today they
reflect the light OF the rising sun as
mirrorSl II these rocks teach US that
thousands and millions Of years in
Gods sight are as but second Of time.
1o won uot bplfpyp we can trust 10 his
care the few years we are upon this
pianetf II God can use the ages for
playthlngs. may we not be satisfied TO
ct him do with MS as he will for the
short space OF threescore years and
On. mans allotted span upon earthi