Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-15
Tree Butchers Arc Busy,

| Omaha, March l2.--To the Eultor
of The Bee: | am surprised that
SO many people this spring are al
| lowing their fine shade trees to be
! mutilated and butchered up the way
| 1t is being done all over the city. I
| do not remember when l have seen
so many trees that are practically
| ruined on account OF the way they
have been trimmed. There are
| some maple trees on Twenty.third
| street that were simply magnificent
until the tree butchers got in their
| work, but since the trees were
| butchered up as they have been,
| would not give Is cents each for
them as shade or ornamental trees.
II people want to kill their fine
shade trees, they are taking the
right course to do it very effectually.
| If we have as much dry weather
| this year as we did last year. fully
| rs per cent of the trees that have
been multilated by the tree butchers
will die this summer and 1t is my
opinion that fully so per cent Of
them will die anyhow.
Some years ago there were five
| or six great fine trees that stood on
| Twenty-third street across from the
South Side High school. The tree
| butchers got at those trees and the
first year three of them died and
| the rest died the next year.
It is not natural for great fine
trees to be cut back to limbs as big
as a mans leg and it Injuries them
to be cut in any such way. There
ought to be some regulation as to
the trimming of ornamental trees
and not let every fellow who hap.
pens to have money enough to buy a
saw and ladder to butcher up the
trees as thousands Of trees have been
done, to the great detriment OF the
city this spring.
/ do not see any beauty about
stumps up in the trees and the way
they grow, II the cutting does not
kill them. makes them look very
ugly. 1 hope that no more peo-
pie will allow the tree butchers to
spoil their trees, for it is a detri-
ment to the city to have the great
stately trees cut back so that they
will never be any good any more. If
we want to have fine looking city
we cannot do it by spelling all the
magnificent shade trees that have
taken years to come to their USE
fulness. FRANK A. AGNEW.
Smile-Darn You.
Omaha. March Ito the Editor
Of The Bee: From many office
desks over the city dangle little
cards bearing the words, Smile
Darn You" Seemingly these slogans
convey the impression that you
should smile all the time, at every
thing and everybody. If at one end
Of you tooth is jumping and ach-
ing and at the other end corn is
making you shift from foot to foot,
Smile-Darn you. If your wife or
husband passes away, smile through
your tears. When (not if) your
grocer tells you eggs are up cents
and butter 8 cents, smile. When you
20 to the court house to pay your
taxes and find them doubled, and
then in a month you get notice of
special, and week later of extra
taxes. Smile-Darn you. When 1856
days in the year you pick up your
morning paper and read that the
peace treaty is Lodged" somewhere
and that Wilson stands pat-Smile,
darn you. When Bryan comes
forth from his southern lair each
four years to champion men and
measures, as he has done for nearly
a decade, and you incline to dread
his raids, remember that most
measures and men, including him.
self, have almost invariably been
beaten and-Smile, darn you.
Precious things, near-benedictions,
are real spontaneous smiles, but is
lit possible to benignly smile at
everything you see, feel, hear and
smell? Examples: A few days ago
on the rear platform Of a Benson
car fat lubber awkwardly
scratched the hand Of little man
reaching for transfer, then on
reaching in his pocket for much
needed handkerchief, gave the little
fellow a jolt in the nose with his
elbow: then in stepping up into the
car door, kicked the same victim on
the knee with his fat heel. What
sort Of smile should that little
fellow have exhibited?
Two years ago the people of the
city voted to purchase the gas plant.
After the usual delay practiced by
politicians in such matters, a board
composed Of splendid men, legally
appointed, appraised the gas plant
and set price for it's purchase. Five