Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1911-08-31
I CONCERNING TREES.

Y II
w
/ What do we plant Whine We plant the
! We plant the mast to carry the sails;
We plant the planks to Withstand the
gales;
The keel, the keeIson. and beam and knee
We plant the ship when we plant the tree.
What do we plant when we plant the
/ tree?
We plant the houses for you and me;
We plant the rafters, the shingles, the
We plant the studding, the lath. the doors
The beams and siding all parts that be
We plant the house when we plant the
tree"
"A healthy, well-rooted tree has a
very strong hold on life, stronger in
some cases than any other living
/ thing. In California there are red
wood trees more than three thousand
/ years old, that were standing there
in full vigor of life when Moses was
guiding the children of Israel through
the wilderness.
Think of the wonderful volumes of
world history, what stories of the rise
and fall of the countless nations and
j aCCS I'll tuC cdIlu, dIG SlOIGuf away
/ in the trunks of these ancient mon
archs of the forest which have lived
serene and unmoved; with heads
proudly lifted towards heaven through
every age of man. What shall we
think of the two-legged animals, only
two score or three score years old,
who with few blows of an ak de-
stroys the majestic patriarch for the
sake of few dollars worth of lum-
! Der. None of the mighty commissions
of nature, and none of the changing
affairs of nations have disturbed these
wonderful living beings through
/ scores of centuries. n
AS we venerate the aged trees and
admire their strength, their durability
and their beauty; as we realize that
the earth would indeed be stripped of
much of it's loveliness if the trees
were removed we may for moment
give ourselves up to the finer emo
4 tions which they inspire, and take
some of the lessons they whisper as
! we rest in their cool shade. Just
/ beyond the door-sill is great spread
ing tree. 1t was not brought to the
/ house-the house was brought to it
and built there under it's branches
/ The little child who first played
around the door is now the grand
father who sits close to the old tree
| for companionship. His little grand
children may one day take his place,
and the tree may whisper of the
! changes. but the tree stands ever in
Its own place, never desiring to go
work.
A tree which is to live long, with
strength and endurance throughout
its giant frame must be deeply root
ed; it must be able to hold on to firm
ground; it must reach the deep, un-
| failing water courses as the tree of
which Jeremiah spoke that "spreadeth
out her roots by the river, and shall
not see when heat cometh, but her
leaf shall be green, and shall not be
careful in the year of drought, neither
shall cease from yielding fruit.
Out on some bleak hillside is a
sturdy oak standing exposed to every
wind that blows. It is firmly estab-
lished. It's roots spread wide, but
they also strike deep; they twine
themselves around a rock; they pierce
the hard pan. All this doesn't hap
pen at once; it has been the work Of
years. Every time the tree has felt
the storm tugging it has sent it's
roots a little deeper into the subsoil,
or has gripped a little tighter upon
the rock. The strength to withstand
and conquer has grown with the very
act of withstanding and fighting.
| The above is striking picture of
the Christian life. There is no
strength, no safety against sudden
stress and trial in a life which is all
ease, and which never feels the storm
which is all self-sufficient and never
| is driven to a deeper source of supply.
When we feel the storm tugging and
buffeting it is good to feel that we are
rooted and grounded in the love of
that never fails in our EXTREMIST need
When the fierce foes of our soul try
to tear US away from our foundation.
| it is good to let the tieep roots of our
faith twine themselves yet more firm
lly around the Rock of Ages which
cannot be moved.
The above, copied from recent is
sue of a weekly publication, is print
ed with the hope that its perusal may
stimulate a love for our friends, the
trees and a desire to do everything
possible for their preservation and
against their mutilation and destruc-
| tion.
/ "A generation is required to grow a
giant of the forest; an axe in the
hands of ruthless destroyer will
lay it low in an hour.
I NATURE LOVER.
* *
County Board Of Agricnlfnre.