Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-10-23
Euftttt,g Gllat

Pennsylvania's observance of Ar
Dor Day, which is to be recognized
this year in Harrisburg as never be-
l1ore, dates from 1885. However. the
day has been more or less spasmodi-
caliy noted and has been more hon
| ored by proclamations than trees.
Ihere nave been miles of articles
written about the day and enormous
volumes of sound from platforms
and school rooms, but the planting
or trees has not amounted to much,
although this year because of the
| suggestion of planting of native
pennsylvania saplings as memorials
! 10 the men who made the great sac
rlhce in the war there will be hun
| oreds or trees planted throughout
! Penn's domain. In this city the OBJ
serVance of the day will be unusual
ana 1t is expected that the formal
planting will be an event long re-
membered. Arbor Day seems TO
nave come from Nebraska. The
records show that in 1874 the Legis-
iature of that State took steps to
nave the day celebrated, pointing
! out the urgent necessity of refores-
tation of some of the areas of the
state for safeguard of water supply
ana general welfare. The idea was
| taken up in the West and then came
eastward where the awakening to
the wasteful numbering practices
was beginning. In PENNSYLVANIA
there was discussion of the idea i'm
1851 and some places had local OBJ
| servances and finally on March 16.
1888, the Legislature passed a CON
current resolution asking the Gov
ernor to issue a proclamation desig-
thatlng a day as Arbor Day. This
was done by Governor Robert r
Pattison and his successors have
| followed the example of designating
a spring Arbor Day. The autumnal
Arbor Day has been designated by
the superintendent of public instruc-
tlon. 1t is of interest that Harris
purg was among the first of the
cities of the State to observe the day
and it planted trees on the river
front. The State, not to be outdone
IN lts ohhcial home, had tree plant
lngs in Capitol Park for several
years in the eighties and nineties.
|
Coming of the King of the Bel
gians to Harrisburg tomorrow is
causing many interesting anecdotes
OF the visit of Albert Edward when
Prince of Wales to Harrisburg be-
1ore the civil War. This story has
been told many times, but there are
some incidents that crop out now
and then. One is told of q promi-
nent citizen who insisted that he
would not be awed by any sprig of
royalty and who declared that he
would shake hands with him Ameri-
can style. The Prince had been
pretty well worn out by hand shak-
ing and had taken to acknowledging
presentations with bow. When the
stalwart citizen came along the
Prince, who was pretty wise even
then, must have sized him up be-
cause he shot out his hand, gripped
the man first, said "How do YOU
do?" and passed him on. The other
story is that when the Prince had
gone some young folks raided his
room and romped on the bed, one
pretending to take a nap and then
saying with great air that one per-
son at least had slept in the same
bed that the heir to the British
crown had occupied. Then they all
jumped on the bed and no one had
any edge on anyone else.
Major John S. Spicer of the State
Department of Labor and Industry,
who has been in Chicago attending
the convention of illuminating en-
gineers. has presented to that ma
tional body some data regarding
State inquiries in such directions
made in the last dozen years. Penn
sylvania's investigations in this line
have been making precedents.
Congressman j. Hampton Moore
has this to say in the Evening Ledg-
er about men well known here:
When Edwin S. Stuart, formerly
mayor of Philadelphia and Gov
ernor of Pennsylvania, who recently
added the presidency of the Poor
Richard Club to his string of hon.
orary trophies, is called upon for a
speech it's dollars to doughnuts the
audience will receive a brief but elo-
quent reminder of liberty and JUS
tice regulated by law" The presi-
dent of the Union League is a stick
Ter for the observance of the law.
Hence his cordial support of Gov
ernor Sproul in many of the latter's
Il utterances recently about "Pennsyl-
vania, the law-abiding State" Gov
ernor Sproul has been keeping his
ear to the ground and so has the
Attorney General, Mr.. Schaffer. The
Governor realizes that a certain
restlessness prevails and that 1t is
well to give heed to it. To a certain
extent he is investigating it at first
hand. He has discovered one irri-
tating factor-the housing problem
which, he thinks, should be cor
rected. Complaints in this regard
apparently are not confined to the
city of Philadelphia"
Joe Pyne, the official physician to
the clocks on Capitol Hill. is getting
ready to put his patients into shape
for their long winter trip. Between
Friday midnight and Sunday even
ing Joe will turn something like $50
clocks back one hour. He turned
them all forward last spring and
now he is putting them on a winter
schedule. While daylight saving
makes work, Joe is for it.