Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-07
ARBOR DAY
CELEBRATED
EXERCISES ARE HELD BY CITY
SCHOOLS
PUBLIC PROGRAM COMES THIS
AFTERNOON
Parade viii Form at Fifth and Hill at
P. M.-Mayor Harper and
Joseph Scott Are the
Speakers

Arbor day is celebrated two times in
Los Angeles. This year was no excep-
tion to the rule. Yesterday was the
public schools day. and the exercises,
held by the eighty-one institutions of
the city, We're well represented by the
Violet street program.
Superintendents Rose and Mcclellan
were in charge of the days functions
there. Trees, furnished by the commit
tee of the Civic association, we're
planted In honor of President Roose-
welt, Jacob Riis, Mrs Willoughby Rod
man, president of the Civic association,
which is so interested In Arbor day, and
Mayor Harper. A tournament, con-
sisting of ring catching and other feats
by children dressed as King Arthur
knights, under the direction of Miss
Belle Parsons followed.
At Echo park playground DR.. w. A.
Lamb presided over the exercises, the
entire ground being planted in trees,
flowers and grass.
At Hazards reservoir, the site of the
new Fairgrounds, trees were planted
and various speakers took part.
The significance of Arbor day was
well brought out by Reynold 70. Blight,
who spoke at the Violet street grounds
on the subject "A Beautiful City," his
remarks being in part as follows:
LOS Angeles ought to be the most
beautiful city on the continent We
have a climate fit for paradise. Almost
daily the sun bathes the valley with
floods of invigorating light. A balmy
air, freighted with odors of orange
grove and fragrant garden, fan our
cheeks.
Trees Here Are Evergreen
''All year long the trees are green.
and from their ieafy choir lofts un-
L At.
sweet song. Showers of roses rain from
our cottages. Trellis and porch run
riot with vines. Cataracts of blossoms
fall from our roofs, and even the fences
are glorified with rich Towering creep
ers. Nature has been prodigal with her
gifts. This ought to be garden city
with flowers in profusion. This ought
to be forest city, so that visitor
looking down from Mount Lowe may
see not a wilderness of smoking CHM
neys and ugly roofs, but q park of
shimmering trees. 1t has been wittily
said God made the country but man
made the town Can we not in this
land of eternal sunshine bring the
beauty, the freshness, the glory of the
country into our streets and yards and
thus redeem the city from the curse of
ugliness?
Now, what can we do? Let us think
and talk and write about beautiful
city. Let us keep up constant agita-
ton so that our city fathers may know
that we shall not be satisfied with any
thing short of the most beautiful city
in America. We want broad boule-
wards running from the mountain to
the sea.
Want Trees from Other Lands
1--WE want large and beautiful parks,
with an area devoted to the cultiva-
ton of various kinds of trees, where
we boys and girls can, go and see maple
trees from Canada and oaks from Eng
land, where we can see growing bircn
trees, poplar trees, palms, camphors
laurels, magnoiias. cypress and score
of other kinds. We want areas devoted
to flowers, where we can see poppies,
and roses. and fuchsias. and water lilies,
and hundred other varieties of the
beautiful, fragrant flowers with which
nature has blessed us. We want broad
stretches of living green, green carpets
of glory In those leafy branches, all
aglimmer with sunlight, and among
those fragrant flowers will be seen the
flash of wings, and there will be heard
the ecstatic song of bird melody. Here
children will learn to love the flowers,
the birds and the insects, and there
the weary toller will come on Sundays
and holidays to commune with nature.
In these parks we want broad drive
ways and sylvan walks; we want tiny
waterfalls and lily pools. Here nature
must wear her divinest garments and
snow her most smiling face. Here must
be found statuary, telling in beautiful
form the stories of achievement and
moral worth. The city administration
must uphold the hands of the city for
ester and aid him in making the city
an arboreal delight. Fairgrounds
should be multiplied. 1t is far wiser to
spend money for Fairgrounds than to
build jails.
What the Individual Can Do
What can we as individuals do? Do
you remember that in the olden times
before we had lighting companies and
electric light every householder lit his
torch and hung 1t outside his own door. |
Let us on the same principle each one
light up his own home with flowers. |
Clean up your front and back yards. |
Tear down all unsightly fences and |
tumbledown outhouses. Repair your
own homes. Then If you have space
plant trees. Consult with the city
forester; 1t will cost you nothing. He |
VIII be glad to advise you.
''If you cannot plant trees, plant |
flowers, roses, lilies, geraniums, mas
turtiums, until every yard shall ravish |
the senses with its riotous beauty and |
every fense shall be smothered be- |
meath it's weight of blooms. And if |
you cdnIOl uO ClSt SOW grass. !
What is more attractive than a broad |
sweeping lawn? And even If we have
no yard but live in a fiat, we can do |
a little toward beautifying the city. In
every window there should be potted |
plants and boxes of flowers, with win |
dow vines falling in delicate festoons.
"The energy that other cities expend |
in fighting vice and razing slums we
may spend in beautifying our city. Let /
us give our children a beautiful envir-
onment in which to grow up to man
hood and womanhood The Towering |
shrubs and noble trees may ever sym
bolize to their developing minds the
purity strength and beauty of civic
ideals; and may the fragrance and |
splendor of our Southern California
flowers call forth their counterpart in
splendid character"
Celebration Successful
The Arbor day celebration to be held
today at Sycamore grove at o'clock
will prove undoubtedly the most sue
cossful ever held in Los Angeles, ac-
cording to the expectations of those in
charge.
Thirty-eight civic associations and
clubs have asked for trees to plant In
commemoration of the day. and repre-
sentatives Of each organization will be
present.
one hundred pupils of the Polytechnic
school under the direction OF Ger
trude Parsons, will sing national songs.
The procession will leave Fifth and
Hill streets at 1 o'clock promptly,
headed by a squad of police and a mill