Evening star., 1936-08-22
of
Trees Should
Be Taught t
Instill Appreciation
of Them in Young
Generation.
BY ANGELO PATRI.

GUNNER is a good time to con-
- slider trees. Only those who have
been without them know their real
value to humanity. Those who have
always had them close by are careless
to the point of criminality in their
neglect and abuse them. Trees are a
necessity to human life. They are
not only a source of comfort and in
spiration to the body and soul be-
cause of their beauty and usefulness.
they are necessary to the existence OF
people on this earth. The American
tradition is to cut down trees. When
the first settlers came they had to
chop their way through magnificent
forests. The forests are gone, but the
tradition seems to stay on. Certainly
the needless chopping, the wanton
destruction are with us. I have scant
faith in laws, because they help only
when public opinion is expressed in
them. When the people have decided
what they believe and what they want
to do the law expresses that feeling.
That is about all it can do. Then
what we need, to save our present
stand Of trees and to increase it by
every means in power, is education.
I would have every father and
mother, every teacher, every citizen
in the land know that tree is a
symbol of life to him and have him
feel that it was his sacred duty to
protect it. We have all seen children
chopping away at the trunk of a
young tree, utterly unconscious of any
harm he was doing. We have seen
them swinging on young trees recently
set in parks or streets. We have seen
grown folk cutting down trees for
exercise. With indifference or horror,
according to our enlightenment, We
have seen pests kill great hosts OF
trees. We have seen trees die on our
own grounds and sighed, and let the
woodsman chop up the remains. All
without lifting finger or raising a
voice in protest.
The children ought to- be taught about
the use and value of trees. Any trees.
They preserve the soil, enrich it. pro-
tect it from the wrath of the weather.
They harbor the birds that bring
beauty into our lives, and at the same
time keep down the insect hordes that
threaten to ruin us. They shelter
our homes from the sun and storm.
They protect us from heat and from
cold. They bear flowers and fruits
that mean much to us in terms Of
spiritual satisfactions and bodily
needs. Trees are one Of our most
precious assets. and we treat them as
though they had no place and no
meaning in our lives.
We know better. Let us teach chill
dren to reverence a tree wherever
they find it. Teach them that it is
alive, that it feels an injury, that it
suffers and dies from neglect, and
that the loss of one tree Is a loss to
a whole community. Teach them to
use a tree with affection and care, not
to swing on the trunk Of a Sapling,
not to hack the bark of an older tree,
not to break off branches and other
wise blight q Towering, fruiting tree.
Plant q tree for every one that dies
in your neighborhood. Give prizes to
the children who do something to pre-
serve a tree. Teach, preach, practice
the cultivation, preservation and en-
joyment of trees to this generation,
for they are going to need trees. Saw
ing the trees and growing more OF
them is as good a cause as any cru
sader could ask for, and offer 1t to
him with every good wish for his sue
cess.
tCopyrtght 1880