The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-01-11
M E N, w o M E N
 A N D T H 1 N c $

something I read.
 1 I got my lead for this one from an i Associated Press item in the Monday Age Herald about "Historic Trees to 1 Be Preserved in Hall of Fame" The i whole thing was new to me. didn't i know that there was any snch thing m existence
 i am glad to see that more and more the Associated Press is dealing with things outside of fhe range of what many editors consider news. It stiii 1 stands at the head as the great news ] gathering organization, but IS playing up special features other than current news
 1 It may be more apt to say it takes q current event which in itself might rot be worth sending out and connects l it up with it's past history or future potentiality and makes it matter worth scattering broadcast. Such story was sent out from Washington showing the
 many nominations from various parts l of the nation in regard to historic trees.
 | Nominations for the places in the 1 hall of fame for trees can be- made to i the American Forestry association l 1 feel sure that the wide publicity given I to the fact through the Associated Press will be the means of giving
 many people in various sections of the country chance to send in photo graphs and data about some famous tree in their locality.
 | For example l see that the Wesley oak, on. the Island of St. simon, was l nominated by James R. Joy, New York city, editor of the Christian Advocate. John Wesley and his brother, Charles, | arrived in America on February }, 113s. Charles Wesley served as secretary to Governor Oglethorpe and went to the ! island to help lay out the town of place both Charles and John Wesley preached their first sermons on this continent beneath the Wesley oak, which is still standing.
 l | recall that OH my llFSt NiSlL tO l Washington, Ga, that l was taken on I q walk by my Uncle Samuel Barnett to view a famous tree. l am not cer- l tain of my facts but if l remember
 correctly it is tie tree under which the Presbyterians of Georgia first organ | ized. I hope that some Presbyterian, either in Washington or Georgia, will get a photograph of the grand old tree and also the data and forward it to the American Forestry association
 at Washington, D. c.
 | My first pastorate took me to the ! mountains of East Tennessee and t was while at Johnson City that I first heard of the famous Boone tree. It was in company of my friend George l Wofford that I first got my glimpse ! of it. It was quite trip out to see 1 it where it reared it's majestic head 1 in virginal forest. l cannot now 1 give the original wording that the great pioneer is credited with having written on the bark with his hunting
 knife but, in substance, told of his l naNlnS hllIeu a pear dt the spot I'll never forget one summer at
 Harvard where I was attending so-
 biological conference, as Boston and ] it's environs were of intense interest
 and I never failed to use my chance to
 see the points of historic interest. One
 of the things which always gave me 1 pleasure was to rest beneath the
 ancient Elm near the common of Har ward at Cambridge under which Wash 1 ington assumed command of the Con-
 tinental army. It never failed to thrill
 me with sense of historic inter est.
 l Now that trees are to have Hall 1 of Fame I am sure that Arbor Day. holidays. although now observed in | every state of our union, mainly in the schools will take on an increased in terest from the public at large. The awakened interest in the movement to-
 ward the conservation of our natural eryation of our forests A country
 without trees will face a hopeless fu- ture.
 1t is said that the Aztecs always planted tree when an infant came into the world, and gave it the childs own name. It seems then that there I is good 2rounl for giving names to ! trees. The Wesley oak, the Washing 1 ton elm and others to be honorcd Iii the Hall of Fame will in time perpetuate 1 much of local as well as general his
 toric interest Tine old Mexican In- dians plant trees on certain days of the year, under the full moon. naming. them after their children.
 l The Associated Press says: .In cele- hration of the birthday anniversary of Daniel Webster the tree on which he as youth hung his scythe upon de- ciding to go to Dartmouth college, has heen given a place in the Hall of Fame for trees with history. The nopina- tion of the tree was made by Frank N. Hancock of Franklin, N. H., which,
 then known as Salisbury, was the birthplace of Webster, on January 1S 11s2. Mir. Hancock has lived near the
 tree for 50 years.
 1 For the benefit of those who may not remember the incident referred to above I'll bring 1t to their memorF by recalling that as he passed on into kis teens Daniels health began to im- 1 prove, and he was set to do some of the heavier work on the farm but s was slow, he admits. to learn to inow and was continually asking his father to hang his scythe differently At last. the fathers patience was exhausted ha tnl T.: hnV fok IL. -