The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1911-07-14
FRIDAY AFTERNOON, JULY IA, 1911
aWOODMAN SPARE THAT TREE"


The early settlers of Westminster
offended against good taste and good
sense when they placed their houses
as closely as possible to the roadway
instead of deep within their yards.
Possibly some forgotten demand OF
expediency led them to the use OF
the custom of a great city, or per-
haps it was merely false idea OF the
economy of space. But we will not
quarrel with them, for, having built
a hideous town, they repented, and
i'm order that they might hide as
much ugliness as possible, they plant
ed trees i'm front of their homes and
stores and churches. In time the
old town became a thing OF beauty.
For generations Main street was as
shady and pleasant as woods road
and any i'll feeling that might have
been retained against the first inhabi-
tants who built on the sidewalk long
ago vanished in gratitude for their
other work, the planting of the trees.
But now another generation has
come. The spirit of civic improve
ment has arisen within the town. The
old brick sidewalks, ugly, worn and
uneven, must be removed for the
beautifully level and neat cement
ones. This is well and good. But by
what gross perversion Of the ideas
OF taste, sense and beauty does the
Westminster property owner permit
himself to chop down two or three
splendid shade trees and lay ce-
ment sidewalk solid 10 the curb, leav-
ing no room for the planting of new
trees?
Everyone understands that an old
tree with it's twisted and distorted
roots is a difficult thing to deal with
when a cement pavement is to be
laid, and everyone recognizes that
generally for public and private con-
venience 1t must come down. But
this practical difficulty does not ex-
cuse the destruction of the many fine,
outstanding young trees in the I'M
thinking Slaughter of the Innocents
which has disgraced the intelligence
of Westminster people during the
past two or three years. The VISITOR
to the town sees today in Main
street two lines Of ugly houses, ex-
posed to the full glare and blaze of
the sunlight, hot and shamelessly
naked spectacle. What he will see
five years from now if the destruction
Of the trees does not cease, one shud-
ders to think of.
Now, if by this uncontrolled remov-
al of trees and laying of white glar-
ing pavements, the people OF West
minister think that they are moving
i'm the forefront Of civic progressively
are much out of their reckoning. For
this is the stage of development that
the great cities passed through a
generation ago. Today the cities
preserve their old trees with props
and stays and concrete filling, and
they plant sapling wherever and
whenever, they can do so. They
have arrived at the true solution of
the problem, for when they lay ce-
ment sidewalks, they leave next to
the curb, either an aperture for new
trees, or what is still better, con-
tinuous strip of open space about
two feet wide. 1t is not long before
the trees planted here become grac-
ious to the soul and body of man. BY
pursuing a contrary course, Westmin-
ster is making its property less at
tractive to discriminating buyers, and
it is earning the scorn and angry con-
tempt of those who know that there
is no obstacle to the union of the
useful and the beautiful.