The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-04-02
ANNIvERsARY or AR.
Dor DAY.

April 20 will mark the fiftieth an
niversary Of the first Arbor Day The
month brings also the ninetieth ami
versary OF the birth of the father OF
Arbor Day; the fiftieth anniversary
OF the establishment OF the famous
Arnold Arboretum; and the fortieth
anniversary OF the founding of the
Forestry association at Cincinnati
j. Sterling Morton inaugurated the
first Arbof Day In '.treeless Nebraska
in 1872 At first the date was April
10th, but later the legislature changed
it to April %, Mr.. Morton's birthday
Schools throughout the country are
making plans to celebrate the date, and
there will be tree planting both this
spring and, where conditions are suita-
BILE, in fall. In Washington the Amer
lean Forestry association will plant
q tree in memory of Morton. and in
New York City on April q, the cen
tennial OF Grants birth, it will also
plant a tree on Riverside Drive, near
Grants tomb. The tree is being sent
to New York from Grants farm near
st. Louis by August Busch, present
owner Of the property.
The John Burroughs clubs will in
augurate the Washington tree planting
with the placing of a Hall OF Fame on
the grounds of the Lincoln Memorial
The trees will be red oaks, placed in
the shape OF half wheel for Bur-
roughs, Whitman, Emerson, Thoreau,
Muir. Theodore Roosevelt, assistant
secretary of the n4Ny, who as a boy
knew Burroughs win plant the tree
for the naturalist, whose birthday is
Monday.
Since j. Sterling Morton gave start
to Arbor Day, the idea has spread
throughout the world. His son, Jay
Morton, of Chicago, has just given a.
tract of land near that city for an ar
boretum. The father of Arbor Day
was born at Adams, Jefferson county,
n. Y, in 1923. He was graduated from
Union college in 1854, and the follow
ing year settled in Nebraska, first at
Bellevue and later at Nebraska City,
where he founded and edited the Ne
braska City News, the first newspaper
to be established in that state.
Mr.. Morton was elected to the ter
Titorial legislature in 1856 and in 1858
was appointed secretary of the terri
tory by President James Buchanan.
Upon the resignation of Governor w.
A. Richardson, few months later he
became active governor and local rep
resentative of the administration in the
bitter struggles in the territory. In
1893 he entered the cabinet Of Presi-
dent Grover Cleveland as secretary of
agriculture, remaining in office until
1897. President Mckinley, in 1901, ap-
pointed Mr.. Morton one of the COM
tee a. F1D,,
Following the lead of Sterling Nor |
ton, as long ago as 1895, the Nebraska |
legislature proclaimed that Nebraska
shall henceforth be known as "The |
Tree Planters State" for 100000 acres
had been planted Following the lead |
of Nebraska, Tennessee and Kansas |
recognized Arbor Day in 1875. Then
there was a lapse until 1882, when Ohio |
and North Dakota decided to have tree
planting days.
In Ohio the celebration was during |
the sessions OF the convention in Gin |
cinnati which resulted in the forming I
of what is now the American Forestry |
association. Warren Higley, of the |
Ohio Forestry commission, suggested |
to John b. Peaslee, the superintendent |
of schools, that the school children |
have a part in the celebration This |
resulted in a parade of 10000 school
children through the streets to Eden
Park where trees were planted in |
honor of famous men. The following |
year at st. Paul. B. G.. Northrup, of |
Connecticut, introduced a resolution |
calling on every state to set aside a |
tree planting day In 1887 Ontario set
the first Friday in May for tree plant
ing. In 1896 Spain adopted the idea |
and Hawaii took it UP in 1905. In Ja-
maica they plant trees on Queen Vic !
toria's birthday.