The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1919-04-04
ArbOr Day Musings.

10 IL LIOL IAdL uduy vi uS hCCp
ourselves SO continuously on the
cessful in one way or another, as
merchant, artisan, professional man,
farmer and so on-that we do not
| give ourselves time to be just plain
happy? ...
We don't pause long enough to
look about us and to take an account
| of stock" Of our happiness assets.
We take all our benefits whatever
they may be, for granted, and if we
enjoy them at all, it Is only in a
a thousand times, nor even when
conditions most warrant it, do we
stop long enough to say to our
selves: 'I am happy" And why do
we not? For we were put here to
realize happiness as we'll as sorrow
and we surely give full realization to
the latter. Did I ask why? The
answer is simple We haven't time.
For you must ont forget that the
| world is full OF the spirit Of COM
petition and liz I tarry one moment
unavoidably, some one will get
ahead OF me and their success will
Ebe greater than mine: So on /
plunge into the neck and neck race
| for more, more, more of what?
| Money? No, not money always. OF
success in whatever form Ii makes
Its appeal i'm my individual case. 1t
may be merely piling up OF dollars,
but it can be professional success or
social success, or any one OF the vast
number OF goals toward which We are
madly rushing without counting the
1 ~E
And what a pity 1t is; for life is
really and truly short, in spite OF
whatever we may have believed to
the contrary when we were In the
twenties. So is it not too bad to
lose one day or one hour of reali-
cation of our blessings? The bless
ings that are ours for teh enjoying,
whether we be rich or poor. In fact,
when we stop to think it over, there
is really somthing ungrateful in our
attitude; for are not the things most
worth while in life-the really great
! things-ours by the grace OF God!
And often too, quite irrespective on
our individual merits?
To begin with. There is the love
of those we love. How much have we
done to deserve it, and how much
are we doing to preserve it? Why
we don't take time even to consider
such questions.
And next upon our list of unearned
benefits is Nature, these daily bless
ings that are ours for the enjoying
marvellous beauty of the world In
which we live, rent free. But we
haven't time. For example, the sky
above us, an ever changing picture
and, unlike the finest canvass paint
ed by human hand, 1t presents
n scarcely ever the same scene twice
but do we stop morning and evening
or once a day, or even once a week
to look up and study that great pic
ture spread out above us? Not much
We haven't time. a..'
\ And thing Of the birds. But now
we shall be considered eccentric
even to suggest that any man OF
woman actively engaged in making
the race toward success should
hesitate long enough to drink in the
exquisite beauty of that bird song
which is coming from the direction
of the old willow at the brookside, a
tree too, which is just now bursting
into delicate green again, after more
than sixty years Of its wonderful
functioning in loyal service to man
and beast.
And by the way, what one item
among all Natures gifts to man ex-
i ceeds i'm it's benefits, both of health
and beauty this lord of the vegetable
kingdom? How much of our time,
our precious time, do we allow to it,
wonder! Does it indeed enter much
at all into our calculations? And yet,
just fancy il you can, this world
without it's trees. But the very
thought is intolerable. A landscape
without expression, life one great
desert of Saraha, and lacking the
oasis too, with it's tree-framed pool,
Of which even the lowliest Bedouin
may dream of reaching at the end of
his camel journey, and which dream
keeps alive within his breast zest for
living. And yet our wonderful II 1es,
which create for us not only our
beautiful pools, but our streams and
rivers, are, oh well, we haven't Time
to think what they are to us, or what
we would be without them. Each of
us is far too busy in his own way to
think of such things.
But, you forget: today is Arbor Day,
a day wisely set aside that we may
be coerced to take time and think OF
our obligations to ourselves and to
our descendants, by regarding the
tree.
And, by the way, these obligations
are not onerous and they are not
costly either; for tree nurture is of
all civic or country developments
said to be the least expensive.
lit is to be hoped that that row of
Liberty trees on the Baltimore high
way-one hundred and fifty oaks
will be so we'll cared for in their in
fancy Chose three or four vital
years at their star0 that they will
beautify their environment for two
hundred years to come, and that they
will give fresh impetus to tree plant
ing in our community. In fact all
Carroll county, will, it is believed,
be inspired with a greater love of
and thought for trees, through the
particular functions Of these Victory
Trees. For how can we fail to love
them, and, loving them, how can we
avoid care Of them, as living
memorials to those heroes OF Carroll
county who went aWay--never to
return?
so, why not take a little more
time and realize our blessings, and
In spite OF our sorrows, or which
the last two years have been so
piteously full, we may very often,