The Press., 1922-05-04

3rd, we went for a wonderful auto
 mobile trip. We have to go on Sum
 day, for Leslie, being foreman, is busy
 every week day. From Niles we went
 first to Oakland, crossed the ferry to
 San Francisco and on to the Cliff house
 where the rocks in the harbor were covered with seals enjoying the vivid sunshine. After an hour we went on to Saratoga to a great blossom festival. Here there are acres of peaches, april cots, prune and almond trees in fullest bloom. The prune and almond blos- sOms are pure white and cover the
 branches that are without leaves and
 resemble nothing so much as a dense
 New England snOw-stOrm in the air.
 There was a throng of machines, all full of people, headed all ways and
 it was impossible to move moro than 1 the length of the car at a time until after repeated stops we got clear Of the jam-then onward to San Jose l and home, a trip of 12S miles. We stopped an hour for lunch, made short stops at many points for the view, for l ice cream and gasolene; reaching home at six" This might be offered 1 in explanation of a letter from a
 winter sojourner: "The churches, as | far as 1 have been able to judge seem thinly attended. The attractions of
 automObiling may be explanation"
 The proclamation by His Excel
 lency Governor Everett J. Lake, ap- pointing Friday, May 5th, as Arbor day, suggests that Governor Phineas c. Lounsbury was the first governor of ,Conpecticut, to appoint the day. A clipping from the Religious Herald, dated Thursday, April 28th 1887, an excellent family newspaper long pub lished in Hartford, only a memory now, says, "Connecticut now has it's Artor day. We printed last week the governors proclamation, designating Friday next April 29, as such day for this year. This is in accord by an act passed by our legislature a year ago. The day is to be observed in schools and for economic tree planting" This was followed by suggestions for a successful observance of the day. On the Sunday previous at. the Baptist church, Wilmington Hill, at the close of Sunday school, the matter was in formally discussed as to the expe- diencyof setting out naples in front of the church The trees planted by Hon. Sylvester T. Preston on his near by lawn in 1876, the Centennial year, having made such fine growth, lent incentive to the scheme, the most en- thusiastic promoter being Miss Jennie L. Sharp, active in all church work, but through the week, just then teach ing at the Natchaug school Williman- tic. The morning proved to be very rainy, Just the day for transplant ing" the enthusiastic ones said and at 1 D. m. there gathered in front of the pretty white church on the broad beautiful lawn, in work day and wet day array, with all necessary tools for the task, Solyman Taylor, Moses l.. Dimock, Harrison Kent, John B. Whitford, Charles T, Preston, Lucius Preston, Newman Marcey, Albert Sharp, Josiah Sparks and Edward Morrison. In his farm wagon MT. Sharp brought ten trees. Uncle" John Whitford, over 80, the oldest per son present, dug up, brought from his home, where the O. s. P. s. club house now is, and set out the pretty tree nearest the drive that leads from the
  it's having the hardest treatment of any has made as fine a growth. There were in all thirteen trees set out with the utmost harmony, faith and good will, Mr. Taylor and Lucius Preston each bringing one. The children helped pick up stones. MT. Kent and c. T. Preston replaced the turf about the trees raked the lawn and loading the result of their labors on a drag and carried it off the, Hill. In the pretty conference room Mrs. Moses L. Dim- ock, Mrs. Edward Morrison, Miss Jen- nie Morrison, guest, from Windsor, Mrs. Solyman Taylor, Mrs. Leander Hull, Mrs. Carlos Glazier of Hartford, who was visiting her sister-in-law, Mrs. s. IT. Preston near by, and Mrs. Charles T, Preston, dispensed cake and coffee, amid much pleasant talk and interesting "reminiscences Sun day school children present were: Mabel Clark, Robert Hull, Mary Hull, Orrie Potter, GeOrgie Potter, Bessie Potter, Joseph DimOck, Dasie Dimock, Bertha Farnum, Harold Morse, Fred w, Rider, When every thing outside and in was in order, c. T. Preston, with horse and covered carriage, took
  rain. It was an enjoyable, social com munity day, and as every tree set out has made a good growth, proved that the weather of the first arbor day in Connecticut was propitious to tree planting. The budding trees with promise of summer glory, now on the 35th anniversary are their own best evidence that it was a day well spent. Moral: Every Arbor day plant trees or shrubs or in some way pro- mote the beauty and utility of the countryside. Of the adults present only Miss Jennie Morrison and Mrs. Preston are living to hold the pleasant event in memory, Of the children all but little Fred Rider are living, mar ried and we'll settled, the first two mentioned being for some years now MT. and Mrs. Robert Hull of Norwich. The record of the day is copied from church note book made at the time
 Hns4iuG and pII1mhinO