Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1922-11-22
Why the Destruction Of Edge
field Trees?

NcxO xESCS
For generations Edgefeld has been
proud of her beautiful trees and
shady streets, and although we are
an old town and not specially favor
ed with wealth; and few, if any pre-
tentious homes or imposing public
buildings, we have been told by out
siders that our town is considered
one of the most picturesque in the
state, beautiful for situation and re-
markably adapted to scenic and land
scape effects. Such improvements are
very tedious and expensive. In the
past Edgefeld had a Civic club which
did a great deal of work along the
lines of beautifying the school
grounds and planting trees. All of
this has been destroyed.
was saying very recently to a
lady who lives in another town where
I was guest, that the Edgefeld
trees were being mutilated, and she
with others in the company said,
eve are very sorry, as that has been
one of the chef attractions of Edge
field"
AS a, town grows and begins to add
to it's interests and to it's community
assets, new problems arise which
should be very wisely dealt with ,and
the proper balance kept. If we do
not, we will find ourselves in a pre-
dicament which will forever hinder
our growth and contentment. We
should not act like parvenne re-
Gently fallen heir to fortune, and
buying large red limousine, drive
frantically down the street beyond
the speed limit, over running the
poor neighbors and the children and
believing that because we are occu-
plying position of financial superior
ity that we can therefore lord it over
the whole community.
We should be well poised and re-
ceive our new attainments or re-
quirements with equilibrium and
aquinimity, not forsaking the old for
the new, but giving to them their
rightful place and their position OF
honor among US. The associations
and traditions of a place are as val
liable and should be as carefully pro-
tected and guarded as the modern in
terests which make for the comfort
and welfare of the people.
In Cambridge, Massachusetts,, the
seat of Harvard university, stands
the "Washington Elm," which hun
dreds of tourists visit the town to
see, around which is an iron railing
and on whose bosom are many
scars, No Harvard student or other
citizen of Cambridge would dare or
want to touch that tree, for around it
are clustered the associations OF
more than hundred years, and un-
der it stood George Washington, the
Father of His Country, and there
with his companions planned some of
the struggles which brought victory
to the American army.
Plymouth, Massachusetts,, has as
among the most cherished memorials,
trees standing here, there and every
where on whose breasts are marked
the name of the old patriarch who
planted them. These things are of ex-
ceeding interest, and recently this
town was the Mecca for thousands
of visitors who went there to see the
place where the footsteps of the Pill
grim fathers were first planted on
New England soil.
If all the ancient landmarks of Ply
mouth had been removed; if all the
towering oaks had been cut and the
original Plymouth Rock had been
thrown into the sea; if there were no
Mayfower Inn and museum to ex-
hibit reminders of the past; if no Wis
ible mementoes of the memories
which clustered around the past had
been preserved; if every commercial
interest had had right of way to de-
stroy these hallowed associations and
the Gown had become a replica of its
newly established neighbors; if the
citizens Of that town had so far for
gotten the heritage of the past as to
have forgotten for moment to pre-
serve its haIlowed memorials, it