Evening star., 1921-05-29
Famous Trees on
the Dean Estate

IT was that brotherhood OF venerable
trees on the Dean estate that was
the inspiration of the National wom-
ans Foundation. Those tall ances-
trail oaks, hundreds of years of age,
were doomed to become the vict inns
of commercial building had not the
women purchased the tract
The king Of them all. a giant oak,
its age reckoned at 900 years. is
called the Treaty oak This tree
seems destined to be intimately as
sociated with the race of women.
A legend clings about this old oak
that has to do with women. During
the wild and dangerous pioneer days
a marauding band of Indians cap
tured the young wife of one of the
early settlers and carried her off to
their camp The pioneers made it So
hot for the Indians that, after q
year Of determined warfare on the
part Of the palefaces. the Indiana
agreed to come to terms. Under the
great boughs of this big oak. ancient
even in that day, as time is counted
by man, on the brow of a hill in
the Dean estate. the young wife was
delivered to her husband and a treaty
Of peace was consummated with the
Indians. Since that day the tree
has been called the Treaty oak, and
about the hoary branches of the
tree the curling smoke of the peace
pipes seems to cling. That is the
story.
Just the other day another paper
was signed beneath the great Treaty
oak that intimately concerns wom-
en-. The articles of Incorporation of
the National Woman's Foundation
were signed by the thirty-one women
who were imbued with the purpose
of making this spot the Mecca for
women from all over the United
States.
"a tree like this" said the president
of the incorporators, Mrs. Clarence
most beautiful things in the world.
and / never look at one without
thinking of these lines of Joyce Kill
mer:
But only God can make q tree.
1--WE have not only this magnificent
monarch of the forest. but all it's
splendid companions. and it is our
privilege to keep them intact as Il
sort of national park for our be-
loved city. We are now a part of the
National Woman's Foundation. the
owners of these grounds, with the
trees and beautiful rolling hills. a bit
Of country in the heart of the city
Nearly one million dollars was the
purchase price of the Dean tract. 1t
is proposed that group of buildings
be put up on the land in a way that
will not interfere with the trees.
These buildings wnl provide national
headquarters for all women's organ
izations and will become a great
clearing house of information for all
women's activities in the entire ma
tion.
"It is not our purpose" said Mrs.
Calhoun. ito try to direct the ,,~i.-
tics of any of the members OF r.
foundation, but as a body politic L.
give to the women of both parties
the opportunity to study their re-
spective platforms and realize just
what they have before them now that
they have taken up the duties of
citizenship. We can cooperate with
the leaders of the different parties
in the best way. 1t is said that the
science of government has not been
altered in the last two thousand
vars Women must study that
science and perhaps we can assist
in reorganizing a disorganized world.
We must study Americanism and try
to bring back the old. simple stand
ards and the high ideas and stand
with a solid front. against the in
sidious propaganda which is endeav.
oring to disintegrate us"