Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-21
GREAT TREE PLANTER
Monument fostering Morton
to Be Unveiled.
TRIBUTE OF NEIGHBORS
CEREMONIES IN NEBRASKA CITY
OCTOBER 30.
Botanist to Record Result Of Burbank's
Work-Gen. Booths Coloniza-
ton Projects.
BY WILLIAM Z. CURTIS.

BY William OpRllS
Written for The Star ard the Chicago Record
Herald.
On the 2Sth of October monument to the
late ]. Sterling Morton will be unveiled in
Nebraska City his lifelong home. 1t stands
in Morton Park, a large grove which was
formerly a part of his farm and was in
Guided in the homestead which he entered
or the public lands when he went from De-
troit to Nebraska with his bride in 1901.
Upon that farm, which he called "Arbof
Lodge" Mr.. Morton spent one Of the most
happy, useful and satisfactory lives that
the fates have ever allotted to man. He
was a practical farmer. He plowed the
same ground for more than forty years ana
always reaped a good harvest. He had the
respect and confidence of his nelghbors,
who regarded him as an oracle and the
highest authority all subjects. Although
he was uncompromising in his opinions and
loved controversy, there was never
doubt of his sincerity in the mind of any
man who knew him. His integrity Of char
acter and purpose were never questioned
and his love for his family his state and
his country and his solicitude for the well
fare of his neighborS were the ruling in
fuenceS of his life.
In testimony thereof those neighbors have
placed his statue in a grove which he plant
ed and in which he took more pride, per-
haps. than in any other of his achievements.
The funds for its erection were raised
among the school children and the farmers
of Nebraska and by popular subscription
under the supervision of 1.-The Arbor Day
Memorial Association" organized at Ne
braska City shortly after Mr.. Morton's
death in the spring of 1902 Ex-Governor
Robert w. Furnas served president up
to the time of his death last summer, and
the other officers were former governors
supreme court justices and other men of
equal prominence In the state. 1t was in
tended that the monument should be first
a perpetual reminder of Mr.. Morton to his
fellow townsmen and their children and
grand children, as example of integrity
and patriotic citizenship for them to imi
tate, to commemorate his public services.
particularly in founding of Arbor day, and
to recognize his record as pioneer Of the
west
You know that Arbor day is celebrated as
a holiday throughout the prairie states, when
everybody especially the children of the
schools, is expected to plant a tree. Mr.
Morton suggested the idea many years ago
and infused his enthusiasm into the people
so thoroughly that many square miles of
naked land have since been converted into
flourishing forests. Plant trees" was the
motto of his life. Those words were en-
graved upon the stationery he used and
were painted upon the panels of his
rage. They were the text of most of his
public addresses, and both In public and
private he was constantly trying to impress
vantage but the necessity of raising new
forests and restoring those that have been
destroyed. The forestry bureaus of the fed
eral government and of several of the states
are due to his influence, and 1t was there
fore natural that, In selecting a design for
the monument. the committee should have
chosen one that typifies the simple manli-
ness of the Great Tree-Planter OF Nebraska.
During the latter part of 1902 several we'll
known sculptors were invited to submit de-
signs and bids for the monument, and
models were sent to the Art Institute of
Chicago, where in February, 1868, the ex-
ecutive committee awarded the work to Ru-
dolph Evans of New York and Washington.
His model was considered the most lifelike
and his design the most artistic and appro-
priate Mr.. Evans is the son of the dis
bursting officer of the Department Of Agri-
culture and while Mr.. Morton was at the
head of that department and the artist was
yet an amateur he made a bust that was
much favored by the subject and his friends.
Mr. Evans therefore had an advantage over
the other sculptors In the competition, and
his personal acquaintance and admiration of
Mr. Morton's characted inspired him in his
work.
The Monument.
The central figure of the design is life
like figure in bronze of the Father of Arbor
day A bough Of tree lies at his feet and
behind him is a plowshare. suggesting his
profession and his pioneer days. At the foot
of ll-proportioned granite pedestal a
bronze woodsprite is caressing young tree,
a symbol Of the ruling idea of Mr. Morton's
life semi-circular stone bench forms
background for the platform, which is about
seventy-five by fifty feet. In its base are
chiselled the words:
PIONEER; STATESMAN; SCHOLAR; TREE
PLANTER"
At either end of the back OF the bench Is
a bronze medallion, portraying what ME-
Morton considered the two most important
epochs in his life-the treaty with the Paw
nee Indians, made largely through his in
fiuence, which brought permanent peace to
Nebraska, and a group OF school children
planting trees. The pedestal Is Inscribed
upon one side with concise sketch of Mr.
Morton's public services, and upon the
other side is the legend:
~. STERLING MORTON.
FATHER OF ARBoR DAY.
PLANT TREES
The monument will be unveiled by Ster-
ling Morton, the only son of Joy Morton OF
Chicago, who is now a student at Prince
ton. Addresses will be made by ex-Prest-
dent Cleveland, in whose cabinet Mr.. Nor
ton served as Secretary of Agriculture and
by ex-senator Henderson of Nebraska, a
lifelong intimate friend. These OF Mr.
-.