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Washington's Birthday 
 Arbor Day 
 
 Programs and Selections for their 
 
 Celebration, for Use in the 
 
 Schools of Alabama 
 
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 ISSUED BY 
 vvA » . DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 
 

 D. of D. 
 NOV 21 1916* 
 

 ^ 
 
GEORGE WASHINGTON 
 
 1732-1799 
 First in war, first in peace, first In the hearts of his countrymen 
 
FOREWORD 
 
 To the Teachers of Alabama: 
 
 ^^u^ importance of the observance of special days as an 
 / I essential part of school work cannot be overestimated. 
 V^ In recognition of this idea a majority of the States in 
 the Union require on the part of the schools the celebra- 
 tion of special days. 
 
 A change in the ordinary routine of school work is demanded 
 for the good of the pupils. Unless accompanied by an inculca- 
 tion of moral truths and patriotic sentiments the daily school 
 work becomes uninteresting. Some good idea not contained in 
 the text book is of course suggested by almost every lesson At 
 the same time it has come to be considered a necessity that 
 special attention should, by the observance of the anniversary 
 of great and good men and women, be given to the teaching 
 of the great principles of morality and patriotism. Occasions 
 of this kind should be made holiday occasions and should be 
 the means of bringing together all the friends of education 
 in the neighborhood, so that the patrons, neighbors and friends 
 may mingle in free intercourse, take part in the exercises and 
 partake of the fraternal feeling which always comes from the 
 mingling of people at such meetings'. 
 
 There never was a time in the history of the Union when 
 so much is being written and spoken about the origin of Amer- 
 ican Institutions and the men who have performed a conspic- 
 uous part in establishing and maintaining the government. 
 George Washington was the great central force of the Revo- 
 lutionary period. We cannot too often direct the attention 
 of the children to his great character. His memory should 
 be treas'ured and the anniversary of his birth should be cel- 
 ebrated as long as there is a voice among men to shout the 
 praise of freedom. 
 
 I therefore request earnestly that in your school you will set 
 apart the 22nd day of February as a time for the celebration, 
 and that you will join me in an earnest endeavor to have the 
 pupils in every public school in Alabama render a suitable 
 
program. In as much as th^^ay will this year fall on Satur- 
 day, a school holiday, I suggest that Friday the 21st be observ- 
 ed instead. 
 
 I desire to call your attention to a joint resolution intro- 
 duced in the Legislature some years ago by the Hon. Jno. H, 
 Wallace, Jr., and adopted by the General Assembly urging 
 that teachers recommend that their pupils raise funds for the 
 purchasing of United States flags, that the same may wave 
 over every public school building in Alabama. A flag raising 
 would be a suitable part of the program for this occasion. 
 
 I desire to suggest also that the 22nd of February would 
 be an appropriate time for the observance of Arbor Day. I 
 have included as a part of this program exercises suitable 
 for the celebration of Arbor Day. 
 
 I wish to acknowledge the valuable assistance given by Dr. 
 Thos. M. Owen, the Director of the Department of Archives 
 and History, in preparing the Washington Birthday program 
 and Hon. John H. Wallace, Jr., Game and Fish Commissioner 
 and Secretary of the Commission of Forestry in preparing the 
 Arbor Day program. 
 
 Yours very cordially, 
 
 ■'VW"W*<v 
 
 Xj„ 
 
 Superintendent of Education. 
 
PROGRAM 
 
 SHORT FORM. 
 
 1. Our Father Who Art in Heaven. 
 
 2. Sahite to the Flag. 
 
 3. Song- Mount Vernon Bells. 
 
 4. Class Recitation Patriotism. 
 
 5. Recitation A Rally, 
 
 6. Song and March Little Soldiers. 
 
 7. Class Recitation Our Motto. 
 
 8. Recitation Words of Wisdom. 
 
 9. Recitation A Young Patriot. 
 
 10. Recitation The Banner Betsy Made. 
 
 11. Recitation George Washington. 
 
 12. Recitation The Children's Story of Washington. 
 
 13. Recitation The American Boy. 
 
 14. Song America. 
 
 15. Recitation by all But One. 
 
 LONG FORM. 
 
 1. Invocation. 
 
 2. Responses to roll-call with quotations about Washington. 
 
 3. Recitation The Twenty-Second of February. 
 
 4. Song Mount Vernon Bells. 
 
 5. Recitation The First American. 
 
 6. Essay Washington, the Bo}'. 
 
 7. Class R.ecitation The Original Thirteen. 
 
 8. Recitation Washington (Hayne). 
 
 9. Recitation __ Washington (Cook). 
 
 10. Essay Washington, the Man. 
 
 11. Reading Epitaph on Washington. 
 
 12. Song America. 
 
 13. Class Recitation Recessional. 
 
Fla^ 
 
 alute 
 
 ALUTE. — We Give Our Heads and Our Hearts to 
 God and Our Country. One Country, One Lan- 
 guage, One Flag. 
 Signals : — 
 
 The pupils having been assembled and being seated, and 
 the flag borne by the standard bearer in front of school, at 
 the signal (either by a chord struck on the piano, or, in the 
 absence of a piano, from a bell) each scholar seizes the seat 
 preparatory to rising. 
 
 Second Signal. — The whole school rises quickly, as one 
 PERSON, each one standing erect and alert. 
 
 Third Signal. — The right arm is extended, pointing direct- 
 ly at the flag; as the flag-bearer should be on the platform 
 where all can see the colors, the extended arm will be slightly 
 raised above a horizontal line. 
 
 Fourth Signal. — The forearm is bent so as' to touch the 
 forehead lightly with the tip of the fingers of the right hand. 
 The motion should be quick, but graceful, the elbow being 
 kept down and not allowed to "stick out" to the right. As the 
 fingers touch the forehead, each pupil will exclaim in a clear 
 voice, "We give our 'heads'" (emphasizing the word 
 "heads/' 
 
 Fifth Signal. — The right hand is carried quickly to the 
 left side and placed flat over the heart with the words, "and 
 our hearts!" {after the movement has been made.) 
 
 Sixth Signal. — The right hand is allowed to fall quickly, 
 but easily to the right side ; as soon as the motion is accom- 
 plished, all will say, "to God and our Country !" 
 
 Seventh Signal. — Each scholar still standing erect, but 
 without moving, will exclaim, "One country!" (em-phasis on 
 country.) 
 
 Eighth Signal. — The scholars still standing motionless, 
 will exclaim: "One language!" (emphasis on language.) 
 
 Ninth Signal. — The right arm is suddenly extended to its 
 full length, the hand pointing to the flag, the body inclining 
 slightly forward, supported by the right foot slightly advanc- 
 ed. The attitude should be that of intense earnestness. 
 The pupil reaches, as it avere, toward the flag, at the 
 same time exclaiming with great force — "One Flag \" 
 
Tenth Signal. ^ — ^The right arm is dropped to the side and 
 the position of attention recovered. 
 
 Eleventh Signal. — Each scholar seizes the seat prepara- 
 tory to turning it down. 
 
 Twelfth Signal. — The school is seated. 
 
 Flag-bearer. — The color-bearer grasps the staff at the low- 
 er end with his right hand and a foot or more (according to 
 the length of the staff) above the end of the staff with his left 
 hand. The staff is held directly in front of the middle of the 
 body, slightly inclined forward from the perpendicular. At 
 the FOURTH signal, the flag will be dipped, returning the sa- 
 lute; this is done by lowering the left hand until the staff is 
 nearly horizontal, keeping it in that pos'ition until the Tenth 
 signal, when it will be restored to its first or nearly vertical 
 position. 
 
SELECTIONS 
 
 Mount Vernon Bells 
 
 (Air — "Massa's in de Cold, Cold Ground.") 
 (From Song Knapsack.) 
 
 Where Potomac's stream is flowing. 
 
 Virginia's border through ; 
 Where the white-sailed ships are going, 
 
 Sailing to the ocean blue; 
 Hushed the sound of mirth and singing — 
 
 Silent, every one — 
 While the solemn bells are ringing 
 
 By the tomb of Washington. 
 
 Tolling and kneeling 
 With a sad, sweet soimd ; 
 
 O'er the waves the tones are swelling 
 By Mount Vernon's sacred ground. 
 
 Long ago the warrior slumbered — 
 
 Our country's father slept ; 
 Long among the angels numbered — 
 
 They the hero-soul have kept. 
 But the children's children love him 
 
 And his name revere; 
 So, where willows wave above him. 
 
 Sweetly, still, his knell you hear. 
 
 Sail, O ships, across the billows, 
 
 And bear the story far. 
 How he sleeps beneath the willows, — 
 
 "First in peace and first in war." 
 
 Tell, while sweet adieus are swelling, 
 
 Till you come again. 
 He within the heart is dwelling, 
 
 Of his loving countrymen. 
 
Patriotism 
 
 (For Class Recitation.) 
 
 To be a patriot is to love one's country ; it is to be ready and 
 willing, if need comes, to die for the country, as a good seaman 
 would die to save his ship and his crew. 
 
 Yes ! To love our country, to work so as to make it strong 
 and rich, to support its government, to obey its laws, to pay 
 fair taxes into the treasury, to treat our fellow citizens as we 
 love to be treated ourselves— this is to be good American 
 patriots. — Dole. 
 
 Every good citizen makes his' country's honor his own, and 
 cherishes it not only as precious, but as sacred. He is wil- 
 ling to risk his life in its defense, and is conscious that he 
 gains protection while he gives it. — Andrezv Jackson. 
 
 If we are true to our country in our day and generation, 
 and those that come after us shall be true to it also, assuredly 
 shall we elevate her to a pitch of prosperity and happiness, 
 of honor and power, never yet reached by any nation beneath 
 the sun. — Anon. 
 
 A Rally. 
 
 Little folks come marching forth, 
 
 Little feet, keep time, 
 In the East and West and North 
 
 And the Southern clime. 
 Lay your lesson books away, 
 
 Leave your sums undone ; 
 We must celebrate to-day 
 
 Brave George Washington. 
 Little yet you understand 
 
 All his worth and truth ; 
 Only know he saved the land, 
 
 Faithful from his youth. 
 
 — Youth's Companion. 
 
Little Soldiers 
 
 (Air— "Lightly Row.") 
 
 A. E. A. 
 
 (For any number of small children. Each may wear soldier's 
 cap of red, white or blue, and carry small flag.) 
 
 (As if ringing little bells.) 
 
 Clearly ring, clearly ring, 
 Great bells, on this happy day, 
 Swing and ring, ring and swing, 
 Backward, forward, sway. 
 Little bells can do the same. 
 Ring out one beloved name — 
 "Ting-a-ling, ting-a-ling," 
 Ring of Washington. 
 
 (As if beating little drums.) 
 
 Loudly play, loudly play. 
 Bands upon the crowded street, 
 Play away, play away, 
 Music strong and sweet. 
 Little drums can bravely beat 
 Little airs for little feet, 
 "Rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat," 
 Beat for Washington. 
 
 (All waving little flags.) 
 
 Proudly fly, proudly fly. 
 Silken banners great and fair. 
 Fly so high, fly so high. 
 On the frosty air. 
 Little flags are floating, too. 
 All in red and white and blue. 
 Hip, hurrah! hip, hurrah! 
 Wave for Washington. 
 
 (Forming in line and marching.) 
 
 March along, march along. 
 Soldiers noble, brave and true, 
 March along, swift and strong. 
 Uniforms of blue. 
 Little soldiers, too, can fight 
 Little battles for the right, 
 "Forward march ! Forward march !" 
 March for Washington. 
 
 10 
 
Our Motto 
 
 Hurrah for the school children ! Some day they'll rule, 
 And lead in our nation as they now lead in school. 
 Then here is a motto — don't learn it too late — 
 Who cannot rule himself can never rule a state. 
 There's something important for each one to do — 
 Hold up the standard, the red, white and blue. 
 
 — Anon. 
 
 Words of Wisdom of The First American 
 
 SAYINGS OF WASHINGTON. 
 
 I St Child. — To be prepared for war is one of the most ef- 
 fectual means for preserving peace. 
 
 2nd Child. — Citizens, by birth or choice, of a common coun- 
 try, that country has a right to concentrate your affections. 
 
 3rd Child. — The name of an American must always exalt 
 the just pride of patriotism. 
 
 4th Child. — From the gallantry and fortitude of her citizens, 
 under the auspices of heaven, America has derived her inde- 
 pendence. 
 
 5th Child. — Observe good faith and justice toward all na- 
 tions; cultivate peace and harmony with all. 
 
 6th Child. — The ever favorite object of my heart is, the 
 benign influence of good laws under a free government. 
 
 A Young Patriot 
 
 I'm just a very little boy, 
 
 I never fired a gun ; 
 I never led an army, 
 
 Like brave George Washington. 
 And though like him I may not fight 
 
 To set a people free, 
 I'll try to be as brave and true. 
 
 As kind and good as he. 
 
 — Alice Jean Cleator. 
 
 11 
 
The Banner Beisy Made 
 
 (To be recited by a girl dressed in Qualier costume and carrying a 
 large flag.) 
 
 We have niolcnamed it "Old Glory" 
 
 As it floats upon the breeze, 
 Rich in legend, song and story 
 
 On the land and on the seas ; 
 Far above the shining river, 
 
 Over mountain .glen and glade 
 With a fame that lives forever 
 
 Streams the banner Betsy made. 
 
 Once it went from her, its maker, 
 
 To the gloi-y of the wars, 
 Once the modest little Quaker 
 
 Deftly studded it wilh stars 
 And her fingers, swiftly flying 
 
 Through the sunshine and the shade, 
 Welded colors bright, undying. 
 
 In the banner Betsy made. 
 
 When at last her needle rested 
 
 And her cherished work was done, 
 Went the banner, love-invested. 
 
 To the camps of Washington ; 
 And the glorious Continentals 
 
 In the morning light arrayed 
 Stood in ragged regimentals 
 
 'Neath the banner Betsy made. 
 
 How they cheered it and its maker. 
 
 They the gallant sons of wars. 
 How they blessed the little Quaker 
 
 And her flag of stripes and stars ; 
 'Neath its folds, the foemen scorning, 
 
 Glinted bayonets and blade. 
 And the breezes of the morning 
 
 Kissed the banner Betsy made. 
 
 Years have passed, but still in glory 
 
 With a pride we love to see. 
 Laureled with a nation's glory 
 
 Waves the emblem of the free ; 
 From the rugged pines of Northland 
 
 To the deep'ning everglade. 
 In the sunny heart of Southland 
 
 Floats the banner Betsy made. 
 
 12 
 
Now she sleeps whose fingers flying 
 
 With a heai-t to freedom true, 
 Mingled colors bright, undying — 
 
 Fashioned stars and field of blue ; 
 It will lack for no defenders 
 
 When the nation's foes invade. 
 For our country close to splendor 
 
 'Neath the banner Betsy made. 
 
 George Washington 
 
 "How did George Washington look?" asked Nell. 
 "What was he like? Won't you please to tell?" 
 Thus I answered: "A courtly man, 
 Wearing his honors as heroes can. 
 Erect and tall, with his six feet two ; 
 Knee breeches, buckles, frills and queue ; 
 Powdered brown hair ; blue eyes, far apart ; 
 Strong-limbed and fearless, with gentle heart ; 
 Gracious in manner toward every one. 
 Such, my Nellie, was Washington." 
 
 — Selected. 
 
 The Children's Story of Washington 
 
 By Ella Marie Powers. 
 
 This should be recited by different children, each of whom bears 
 the article mentioned in his stanza. 
 
 First Child— 
 
 A hatchet like this George Washington had. 
 
 But he cut a fine cherry tree. 
 His father then said, "Who cut this, my lad?" 
 
 "I can't lie; I cut it," said he. 
 "My good, honest boy, I would lose every tree 
 
 Than know that one lie 
 You would tell to me." 
 
 Second Child — 
 
 George Washington carried a famous old gun ; 
 
 A soldier was he brave and true. 
 He fought with the Indians — how they would run 
 
 When Washineton came into view ! 
 
 Third Child— 
 
 A hat like this George Washington wore, 
 
 As the soldiers he wisely drilled. 
 We think of those battles so fierce of yore, 
 
 Of men hungry, starving and chilled. 
 
 13 
 
Fourth Child- 
 Washington wore a swordso bright, 
 
 In those days of long ni(0r 
 'Mid the din and roar and gallant fight 
 
 lie marched to meet the foe. 
 He fought for freedom and for right ; 
 
 Our liberty to him we owe. 
 
 Fifth Child- 
 Roses like these were once strewn in the street 
 
 When Washington to New York came. 
 Our general now takes a president's seat; 
 
 O'er the laud ring his praises and fame. 
 
 Sixth Child- 
 Here are some quills ; they were used long ago, 
 
 'Twas a century ago, O yes. 
 That Washington wrote with a quill, you know. 
 
 That famous, great farewell address. 
 
 Seventh Child — 
 
 A wreath of laurel for Washington bring. 
 
 For his life and his deeds so grand. 
 He is crowned a hero, a royal king, 
 
 We praise him throughout our land. 
 
 Eighth Child— 
 
 Our flag waves in love for the brave meu of old. 
 
 For heroes, a great royal band, 
 Who marched forth to battle and danger untold, 
 
 Who fought and who died for our land. 
 Their deeds for our country we proudly uphold ; 
 
 By our flag we will loyally stand. 
 
 All: 
 Teach us to guard, to love, to keep 
 
 The memory of heroes so brave ; 
 And ever be loyal to this, our old flag. 
 
 O, long may it gallantly wave ! 
 
 The American Boy 
 
 Look up, my young American, 
 
 Stand grimly on the earth, 
 Where noble deeds and mental power 
 
 Give titles over birth. 
 
 A hallow'd land thou claim'st, my boy. 
 
 By early struggles bought. 
 Heaped up with noble memories, 
 
 And wide, aye, wide as thought ! 
 
 14 
 
What though we boast no ancient towers 
 
 Where "ivied" streamers twine, 
 The laurel lives upon our soil, 
 
 The laurel, boy, is thine. 
 
 And when thou'rt told of knighthood's shield, 
 
 And English battles won. 
 Look up, my boy, and breathe one word, 
 
 The name of Washington. 
 
 America 
 
 My country, 'tis of thee. 
 Sweet land of liberty, 
 
 .Of thee I sing ; 
 Land where my fathers died. 
 Land of the pilgrim's pride, 
 From every mountain side 
 
 Let freedom ring. 
 
 2. My native country, thee. 
 Land of the noble free. 
 
 Thy name I love ; 
 I love thy rocks and rills, 
 Thy woods and templed hills; 
 My heart with rapture thrills 
 
 Like that above. 
 
 3. Let music swell the breeze, 
 And ring from all the trees, 
 
 Sweet freedom's song. 
 Let mortal tongues awake, 
 Let all that breathe partake. 
 Let rocks their silence break, 
 
 The sound prolong. 
 
 4. Our father's God, to Thee, 
 Author of liberty, 
 
 To Thee we sing ; 
 Long may our land be bright 
 With freedom's holy light ; 
 Protect us by Thy might, 
 
 Great God, our King. 
 
 But One 
 
 (To be recited by all in concert, with the children and the 
 audience standing.) 
 
 There has been but one Washington, — and God, in his 
 goodness, gave him to us. Let us cherish his dust and revere 
 his memory. — /. W. Satvage. 
 
 15 
 
Quotations About Washington 
 
 (by members of school.) 
 
 Washington, whose sword was never drawn but in the cause 
 of his cocuntry, and never sheathed when wielded in his coun- 
 try's cause ! — John Quincy Adams. 
 
 As long- as human hearts shall anywhere pant, or human 
 tongues anywhere plead, for a true, rational, constitutional 
 liberty, those hearts shall enshrine the memory, those tongues 
 prolong the fame of George Was^hington ! — Robert C. Win- 
 throp. 
 
 A great and venerated character like that of Washington, 
 which commands the respect of an entire population, how- 
 ever divided on other questions, is not an isolated fact in his- 
 tory, to be regarded with barren admiration — it is a dispen- 
 sation of Providence for the good of mankind. — Savage. 
 
 His mind was great and powerful, without being of the very 
 first order ; his penetration strong, though not so acute as that 
 of a Newton, Bacon, or Locke ; and as far as he saw, no judg- 
 ment was ever sounder. — Thomas Jefferson. 
 
 Washington is the purest figure in human history. — W. B. 
 Gladstone. 
 
 "Until time shall be no more will a test of the progress 
 which our race has made in Wisdom and Virtue be derived 
 from the veneration paid to the immortal name of Washing- 
 ton !" — Lord Brougham. 
 
 "Illustrious Man, before whom all borrowed greatness 
 sinks into significance." — Charles James Fo.v. 
 
 If. among all the pedestals supplied by history for public 
 characters of extraordinary nobility and purity, I saw one 
 higher than all the rest, and if I were required at a moment's 
 notice to name the fittest occupant for it, I think my choice 
 at any time during the last forty-five years, would have 
 lighted, and it would now light, upon Washington. — Ghid- 
 stone. 
 
 His integrity was most pure; his justice the most inflexible 
 I have ever known; no motive of interest or consanguinity, 
 
 IG 
 
of friendship or hatred, being able to bias his decision. He 
 was, indeed, in every sense of the word, a wise, a good, and a 
 great man. Washington's fame will go on increasing until 
 the brightest constellation in yonder heavens is called by his 
 name. — Thomas Jefferson. 
 
 America has furnished to the world the character of Wash- 
 ington. If our institutions had done nothing else, that alone 
 would have entitled them to the respect of mankind. — Web- 
 ster. 
 
 Washington in the Dark Days of the 
 Revolution 
 
 "Looming above all, we see the grand figure of Washington, 
 steady as a stone mountain. No danger daunts him ; no dis- 
 aster shakes him. The times call for patience, he has it; for 
 resources, he finds them ; for courage and fortitude, his never 
 fail ; for supreme self-sacrifice, he makes it. Beaten today, 
 he will fight again tomorrow. Undermined by treason, dis- 
 couraged by apathy, fretted by Congress and by State Gov- 
 ernors, he_ locks it all in his own breast, and to the enemy pre- 
 sents the unruffled front. He will not hear of compromise. 
 He will stoop to no concessions. When his nephew writes him 
 that some British ofificers have been entertained at INIount Ver- 
 non as a matter of policy, he writes a rebuke. Let them burn 
 the house if they will ; Mount Vernon shall not give shelter 
 to the British ! 
 
 Heroic? Yes, sublimely heroic. The world has presented 
 no finer spectacle. 
 
 And that which is most inspiring in the glorious example is 
 the fact that Washington's greatness was due not so much to 
 intellect as to character. He was great because he was brave, 
 resolute, pure, devoted, rightminded and right hearted. From 
 the straight line of duty he was not to be tempted, frightened, 
 discouraged, or misled ; and from the oracle of fate he would 
 not take No for an answer. He would fight till he won, or 
 he died. Thus he rose above all rivals — not thinking of ri- 
 valry. He became not our greatest intellect, not our greatest 
 statesman, not our greatest soldier, but our greatest man." — 
 Thomas B. Watson. 
 
 17 
 
The Twenty-se<J^d of February 
 
 Pale is the February sky, 
 
 And brief the mid-day's sunny hours; 
 The wind-swept forest seems to sigh 
 
 For the sweet time of leaves and flowers. 
 
 Yet has no month a prouder day, 
 Not even when the Summer broods 
 
 O'er meadows in their fresh array. 
 Or Autumn tints the glowing woods. 
 
 For this chill season now again 
 
 Brings, in its annual round, the morn 
 
 When, greatest of the sons of men, 
 Our glorious Washington was born ! 
 
 Amid the wreck of thrones shall live, 
 Unmarred, undimmed, our hero's fame ; 
 
 And years succeeding years shall give. 
 Increase of honors to his name. 
 
 — William tullen Bryant. 
 
 The First American 
 
 How beautiful to see 
 
 Once more a shepherd of mankind indeed, 
 
 Who loved his charge, but never loved to lead; 
 
 One whose meek flock the jieople joyed to be, 
 
 Not lured by any cheat of birth. 
 
 But by his clear-grained human worth, 
 
 And brave old wisdom of sincerity. 
 
 His was no lonely mountain-peak of mind 
 
 Thrusting to thin air o'er cloudy bars, 
 
 A sea-mark now, now lost in vapors blind ; 
 
 Broad prairie, rather, genial, level-lined, 
 
 Fruitful and firm for all humand kind 
 
 Yet also nigh to heaven and loved of loftiest stars. 
 
 I praise him not ; it were too late ; 
 
 And some inuative wealaiess there must be 
 
 In him who condescends to victory. 
 
 Such as the present gives, and cannot want. 
 
 Safe in himself as in a fate, so always friendly he; 
 
 18 
 
He knew to bide his time. 
 
 And can his fame abide, 
 
 Still patient in his simple faith sublime, 
 
 Till the wise years decide. 
 
 Great captains, with their guns and drums, 
 
 Disturb our judgment for the hour, 
 
 But at last silence comes ; 
 
 These are all gone, and, standing like a tower, 
 Our children's children shall behold his fame, 
 The kindly-earnest, brave, foreseeing man. 
 Sagacious, patient, dreading praise, not blame, 
 New birth of our new soil, the first American. 
 
 — J. R. Lowell. 
 
 The Original Thirteen 
 
 (To be spoken by tfiirteen children, representing the thir- 
 teen original colonies.) 
 
 First Child — I am Virginia. I have given my noble sons 
 to my country, but today I wish to speak only of one, the fair- 
 est, the most illustrious — Washington. 
 
 Second Child — I am New Jersey, and the elms at Princeton 
 still whisper of his fame. 
 
 Third child — I am Massachusetts, and his name is still as 
 powerful among my people as when his cannon frowned upon 
 Boston from Dorchester Heights. 
 
 Fourth Child — I am New York, and in my noblest city the 
 first president took his oath of office. 
 
 Fifth Child — I am New Hampshire, and I bring granite 
 from my mountains, that his deeds may be written on imper- 
 ishable tablets. 
 
 Sixth Child — I am Maryland, and my Potomac's stream 
 murmurs ever of love as it glides pas't his tomb. 
 
 Seventh Child — I am Connecticut, the land of steady habits, 
 and as a model for our children we hold him up whose title 
 was "An Honest Man." 
 
 Eighth Child — I am Rhode Island, and the name of Roger 
 Williams is not more dear to me than the memory of Wash- 
 ington. 
 
 Ninth Child — I am Deleware, and when the ice cracks and 
 booms on my noble river it seems to thunder the story of that 
 Christmas night so long ago. 
 
 19 
 
Tenth Child — I am North Carolina, and the shade of Fran- 
 cis Marion bids me join in reverence to his valiant leader. 
 
 Eleventh Child — I am Soi^k Carolina, and through the 
 storm of war I have kept hi^^iemory sacred. 
 
 Twelfth Child — I am Pennsylvania, and the old State House 
 at Philadelphia seems to be filled with his invisible presence. 
 
 Thirteenth Child — I am Georgia, youngest of all, and I 
 bring palms to celebrate his victories. 
 
 Virginia — Let us speak of his truthfulness. 
 
 New Jersey — Let us admire his modesty. 
 
 Massachusetts — Let us praise his courage. 
 
 New York — Let us remember his deeds. 
 
 New Hampshire — Let us emulate his piety. 
 
 Maryland — Honor the statesman ! 
 
 Connecticut — The general ! 
 
 Rhode Island — The truth-teller. 
 
 Delaware — The hero! 
 
 North Carolina — The Cincinnatus of the west. 
 
 South Carolina — The Father of his Country ! 
 
 Pennsylvania — "Providence left him childless that his 
 
 country might call him father." 
 Georgia — Then let us speak of him still as "First in 
 War (all joining in,) First in Peace, First in the 
 Hearts of his Countrymen." 
 
 — Lucia M. Mooney. 
 
 Washington 
 
 Bright natal morn ! what face appears 
 
 Beyond the rolling mist of years? 
 
 A face whose loftiest traits combine 
 
 All virtues of a stainless line 
 
 Passed from great sire to son ; 
 
 The face of him whose steadfast zeal 
 
 Drew harmonies of law and right 
 
 From chaos and anarchic night ; 
 
 Who with a power serene as Fate's 
 
 Wrought from rude hordes of turbulent States, 
 
 The grandeur of our commonweal : 
 
 All hail ! All hail ! to Washington ! 
 
 20 
 
Freedom he wooed iu such brave guise 
 Men gazing in her linninous eyes 
 Beheld all heaven reflected shine 
 Far down those sapphire orbs divine ; 
 And worshipped her so chastely won r 
 If still she panted, fresh from strife, 
 And blood-stains flecked her garments' rim, 
 They could not make its whiteness dim ; 
 For, shed by hearts sublimely true, 
 Such drops are changed to sacred dew. 
 The chrism of patriot light and life 
 Baptizing first our Washington. 
 
 She wove for him a civic crown ; 
 She made so pure his hale renown. 
 All glories of the antique days, 
 Waned in the clear, immaculate blaze 
 Poured from his nature's noontide sun ; 
 No slave Oi. folly's catchword school. 
 His instincts proud of blood and race 
 She tempered with sweet human grace, 
 rill his 'oad being's rounded flow 
 Sea-like embraced the high and low. 
 Swayed by the goldeu-sceptered rule, 
 The equal will of Washington. 
 
 Through shower and sun the seasons rolled ; 
 November's gray and April's gold ; 
 They only raised (more calmly grand). 
 His genius of supreme command, 
 Whose course, in blood and wrath begun. 
 Grew gentler, as the mellowing lights 
 Of peace made beauteous sky and sod; 
 His evening came, he walked with God; 
 And down life's gradual sunset-slope 
 He hearkened to the heavenly hope — 
 "Look up ! behold the fadeless heights 
 Which rise to greet thee — Washington ! 
 
 — Paul Hamilton Hayne. 
 
 Washington 
 
 Land of the West ! though passing brief the record of thine age, 
 Thou hast a name that darkens all on history's wide page ! 
 Let all the blasts of fame ring out. — thine shall be loudest far ; 
 Let others boast their satellites — thou hast a planet star. 
 
 Thou hast a name whose character of light shall ne'er depart — 
 'Tis stamped upon the dullest brain, and warms the coldest heart. 
 A war-cry fit for any land where freedom's to be won, 
 Land of the West ! It stands alone — it is thy Washington ! 
 
 21 
 
lie stood the firm, the calm, the wise, the patriot and the sage, 
 He showed no deep avenging hate — no burst of despot rage, 
 He stood for liberty and truth, and dauntlessly led on, 
 'Till shouts of victory gave fortl^^e name of Washington ! 
 
 He saved his land, but did not lay his soldier trappings aown, 
 To change them for the regal robe, and wear a kingly crown. 
 Fame was too earnest in her joy, too proud of such a son — 
 To let a robe and title mask her noble Washington ! 
 
 — Eliza Cook. 
 
 Epitaph 
 
 The defender of his country, — the founder of liberty, 
 
 The friend of man. 
 History and tradition are explored in vain 
 
 For a parallel to his character. 
 In the annals of modern greatness 
 
 He stands alone. 
 And the noblest names of Antiquity 
 Lose their lustre in his presence. 
 Born the benefactor of mankind. 
 He united all the greatness necessary 
 To an illustrious career. 
 Nature made him great, 
 He made himself virtuous. 
 Called by his Country to the defense of her Liberties, 
 He triumphantly vindicated the rights of humanity, 
 And, on the pillars of National Independence, 
 Laid the foundation of a great Republic. 
 Twice invested with Supreme Magistracy, 
 By the unanimous vote of a free people, 
 He surpassed, in the Cabinet, 
 The glories of the field. 
 And, voluntarily resigning the scepter and the sword, 
 Retired to the shades of private life; 
 A spectacle so new, and so sublime, 
 Was contemplated with profoundest admiration ; 
 And the name of Washington, 
 Adding new lustre to humanity. 
 Resounded to the remotest regions of the earth. 
 Magnanimous in youth, 
 Glorious through life. 
 Great in death ; 
 His highest ambition, — the happiness of mankind, 
 His noblest victory, — the conquest of himself. 
 Bequeathing to posterity the inheritance of his fame. 
 And building his monument in the hearts of his countrymen. 
 He lived — the ornament of the Eighteenth Century ; 
 He died, regretted by a mourning world. 
 
 (Note. — The above epitaph was discovered on the back of a por- 
 trait of Washington, sent to the family from England. It was cop- 
 ied from a transcript in the handwriting of Judge Washington.) 
 
 22 
 
Recessional 
 
 God of our fathers, known of old — 
 
 Lord of our far-flung battle line — 
 Beneath whose awful hand we hold 
 
 Dominion over palm and pine — 
 Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet. 
 Lest we forget — lest we forget ! 
 
 The tumult and the shouting dies — 
 
 The captains and the kings depart ; 
 Still stands thine ancient sacrifice, 
 
 An humble and a contrite heart. 
 Lord God of Plosts, be with us yet. 
 Lest we forget — lest we forget ! 
 
 Far-called our navies melt away — 
 On dune and headland sinks the fire — 
 
 Lo, all our pomp of yesterday 
 Is one with Nineveh and Tyre! 
 
 Judge of the nations, spare us yet, 
 
 Lest we forget — lest we forget ! 
 
 If, drunk with sight of power, we loose 
 Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe — 
 
 Such boasting as the Gentiles use 
 Or lesser breeds without the law — 
 
 Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, 
 
 Lest we forget — lest we forget ! 
 
 For heathen heart that puts her trust 
 
 In reeking tube and iron shard — 
 All valiant dust that builds on dust, 
 
 And guarding calls not Thee to guard — 
 For frantic boast and foolish word, 
 Thy mercy on thy people, Lord ! 
 
 — Rudyard Kipling. 
 
 The Character of Washington 
 
 BY ZEBULON B. VANCK. 
 
 The composition of a man is three-fold; physical, intellect- 
 ual, and moral. 
 
 It is' the justly proportioned composition of these three 
 that constitutes the real excellence of perfect manhood — that 
 creature made a little lower than the angels, the noblest work 
 of God. 
 
 23 
 
Perhaps no character in history can be pronounced truly 
 great without this combination; certainly not if the moral at- 
 tributes be deficient. 
 
 All of these qualities whichJj^long to the "noble family of 
 truth," which engender love of country, and promote the good 
 of mankind and the glory of God. are bom and bred in the 
 nature of man, from which likewise spring the evil qualities 
 which afflict and debase the world. That system of ethics, 
 therefore, which best succeeds' in developing the excellencie-; 
 of our moral nature is the one wdiich most commends itself 
 to our race. The noble characters which it produces are justly 
 held up as living, practical examples of the excellence of its 
 principles. 
 
 Viewed with reference to these facts, George Washington 
 may be justly considered one of the greatest men whom the 
 world has produced. 
 
 Greater soldiers, more intellectual statesmen, and profound- 
 er sages have doubtless existed in tlie history of the English 
 race — perhaps in our own country— but not one who to great 
 excellence in these fields has added such exalted integritv, 
 such unaffected piety, such unsullied purity of soul, and such 
 wondrous control of his own spirit. He illustrated and adorn- 
 ed the civilization of Christianity more than all the dogmas (jf 
 all the teachers. The youth of America who aspire to promote 
 their own and their country's welfare should never cease to 
 gaze upon his great example, or to remember that the bright- 
 est gems in the crown of his immortality, the qualities which 
 uphold his' fame upon earth and plead for him in heaven, 
 were those which characterized him as the patient, brave, cour- 
 teous. Christian gentleman. 
 
 In this respect he was a blessing to the whole human race 
 no less than to his own countrymen, to the many millions who 
 celebrate the dav of his birth. 
 
 24 
 
Washington 
 
 BY R. C. WINTHROP. 
 
 The character of Washington ! Who can delineate it wor- 
 thily? Who can describe that priceless gift of America to the 
 world in terms which may do it any sort of justice, or afford 
 any degree of satisfaction to his hearers or to himself? 
 
 Modest, disinterested, generous, just — of clean hands and 
 a pure heart — self-denying and self-sacrificing, seeking noth- 
 ing for himself, declining all remuneration beyond the reim- 
 bursemient of his outlays', scrupulous to a farthing in keeping 
 his accounts, of spotless integrity, scorning gifts, charitable 
 to the needy, forgiving injuries and injustices, brave, fearless, 
 heroic, with a prudence ever governing his impulses and a wis- 
 dom ever guiding his valor — true to his friends, true to^ his 
 whole country, true to himself — fearing God, believing in 
 Christ, no stranger to private devotion or public worship or to 
 the holiest offices of the Church to which he belonged, but ever 
 gratefully recognizing a Divine aid and direction in all that 
 he attempted and in all that he accomplished — what epithet, 
 what attribute could be added to that consummate character 
 to commend it as an example above all other characters in 
 merely human history ! 
 
 A celebrated philosopher of antiquity, who was nearly con- 
 temporary with Christ, but who could have known nothing of 
 what was going on in Judea, wrote thus to a young friend, as 
 a precept for a worthy life : "Some good man must be s'ingled 
 out and kept ever before your eyes, that you may live as if he 
 were looking on, and do everything as if he could see it." 
 
 Let me borrow the spirit if not the exact letter, of that pre- 
 cept, and address it to the young men of my Country : "Keep 
 ever in your mind and before your mind's eye the loftiest 
 standard of character. You have it, I need not say, supreme- 
 ly and unapproachably, in Him who spake as never man spake 
 and lived as never man lived, and who died for the sins of the 
 world. That character stands apart and alone. But of merely 
 mortal men the monument we have dedicated today points 
 out the one for all Americans to study, to imitate, and, as far 
 
 25 
 
as may be, to emulate. Keep his example and his character 
 ever before your eyes and in your hearts. Live and act as if 
 he were seeing and judging your personal conduct and your 
 public career. Strive to appro^^Rate that lofty standard, and 
 measure your integrity and your patriotism by your nearness 
 to it or your departure from it. The prime meridian of uni- 
 versal longitude, on sea or land, may be at Greenwich, or at 
 Paris, or where you v;ill. But the prime meridian of pure, dis- 
 interested, patriotic, exalted human character will be marked 
 forever by yonder Washington Obelisk !" 
 
 Yes. to the Young Men of America, under God, it remains, 
 as they rise up from generation to generation, to shape the 
 destinies of their Country's future — and woe unto them if, re- 
 gardless of the great example which is set before them, they 
 prove unfaithful to the tremendous responsibilities which rest 
 upon them ! — From Oration on the Dedicatioii of the IVash- 
 ins.ton Monument. 
 
 George Washington: Statesman, Chris- 
 tian Gentleman 
 
 HENRY B. CARRINGTON. 
 
 Modern history, oratory, and poetry are so replete with 
 tributes to the memory of Washington, that the entire progress 
 of the civilized world for more than a century has been shaped 
 by the influence of his life and precepts. The memorial shaft 
 at the National Capitol, which is the loftiest of human struc- 
 tures and is inner faced by typical expressions of lionor from 
 nearly all nations, is a fit type of his surmounting merit. The 
 ceremonies which attended the corner-stone consecration and 
 signalized its completion, are not less an honor to the distin- 
 guished historian and statesman who voiced the acclamations 
 of the American people than a perpetual testimonial worthy 
 of the subject honored by the occasion and by the monument. 
 When the world pays willing tribute (and the most ambitious 
 monarch on earth would covet no higher plaudit than that he 
 served his people as faithfully as Washington served Amer- 
 
 26 
 
ica), it is difficult to fathom the depths of memorial sentiment 
 and place in public view those which are the most worthy of 
 study and appreciative respect. The national life itself throbs 
 through his transmitted life, and the aroma of his grace is as 
 consciously breathed by statesmen and citizens today as the 
 invisible atmosphere which secures physical vitality and force. 
 Senator Z. B. Vance of North Carolina, thus earnestly com- 
 mends to the youth of America the brightness and beauty of 
 the great example : 
 
 "Greater soldiers, more intellectual statesmen, and pro- 
 founder sages have doubtless existed in the history of the En- 
 glish race, perhaps in our own country, but not one who, to 
 great excellence in the threefold composition of man — the 
 physical, intellectual and moral — has added such exalted in- 
 tegrity, such unaffected piety, such unsullied purity of soul, 
 and si;ch wondrous control of his own spirit. He illustrated 
 and adorned the civilization of Christianity, and furnished an 
 example of the wisdom and perfection of its teachings which 
 the subtlest arguments of its enemies cannot impeach. That 
 one grand, rounded life, full-orbed with intellectual and moral 
 glory, is worth, as the product of Christianity, more than all 
 the dogmas of all the teachers. The youth of America who 
 aspire to promote their own and their country's welfare 
 should never cease to gaze upon his great example, or to re- 
 member that the brightest gems in the crown of his immortal- 
 ity, the qualities which uphold his fame on earth and plead for 
 him in heaven, were those which characterized him as the pa- 
 tient, brave. Christian gentleman. In this respect he was a 
 blessing to the whole human race no less than to his own coun- 
 trymen, to the many millions who annually celebrate the day 
 of his birth." 
 
 Such sentiments fitly illustrate the controlling element of 
 character which made the conduct of Washington so peerless 
 in the field and in the chair of state. His first utterances upon 
 assuming command of the American army before Boston, on 
 the 2d of July, 1775, were a rebuke of religious bigotry and 
 an impressive protest against gaming, swearing, and all im- 
 moral practices which might forfeit divine aid in the great 
 struggle for National Independence. Succeeding orders, pre- 
 paratory to the battle of Long Island, in August, 1776, breathe 
 the same spirit, that which transfused all his activities as with 
 celestial fire, until he surrendered his commission with a de- 
 vout and public recognition of Almighty God as the author of 
 his success. 
 
 27 
 
^^1 
 
 Mount Vernon 
 
 Mount Vernon was the home of Washington. It is situated 
 on the right bank of the Potomac, seventeen miles south of 
 the capitol. It formerly included a wide tract of eight thou- 
 sand acres. The Washington mansion, with two hundred 
 acres of land, is now owned by the Mount Vernon Ladies' As- 
 sociation, who purchased it about thirty years ago for $200,- 
 000; of this sum, $68,494.59 was a contribution from Edward 
 Everett, being the proceeds of his famous lecture upon "The 
 Life and Character of Washington," and his writing? for the 
 New York Ledger. The house is a large wooden structure 
 two stories in height, with a broad piazza extending the entire 
 length of the house on the river side. The house was built by 
 Lawrence Washington in 1743. He named it Mount Vernon 
 in honor of his highly esteemed superior officer in the British 
 navy. Admiral Vernon. After the close of the Revolutionary 
 War, General Washington added the north and south exten- 
 sions, together with the piazza. The house is ninetv-six feet 
 long and thirty feet deep. It stands on a high bluff overlook- 
 ing the Potomac, and its generous lawns, gardens, and encir- 
 cling forests present scenes of rare beauty. Here is the tomb 
 of Washington, which is" visited by thousands of people from 
 all parts of the world. During the year 1876 forty-five thou- 
 sand persons visited Mount Vernon. 
 
 28 
 
ARBOR DAY 
 
 Suggestive Program 
 
 Roll call and have each child tell of the various varieties of 
 trees observed on the way to school. 
 Essays on : — 
 
 (a) Historic trees of the United States. 
 
 (b) What we owe to trees. 
 
 (c) The use to which civilized man puts trees. 
 
 (d) Our most useful trees. 
 
 (e) The fruit trees of Alabama. 
 
 (f) The coniferous trees of the United States. 
 
 (g) Our nut bearing trees. 
 
 (h) Why we should plant trees along the public highways, 
 (i) We may have forests without game, but no game with- 
 out forests, 
 (j) The emblem of the olive branch, 
 (k) The token of the laurel wreath. 
 
 Read, The Talking Oak — Tennyson, and Building the Birch 
 Canoe — Longfellow. 
 
 Arbor Day 
 
 By John H. Wallace, Jr., 
 
 Gam.e and Fish Commissioner, and Secretary of the Commis- 
 sion of Forestry. 
 
 (This selection should be memorized and spoken by a pupil.) 
 
 The object in setting aside Arbor Day to be celebrated in the 
 public schools, is to arouse the school children with a desire 
 to know more about the trees, and to awaken within them a 
 
 29 
 
keener interest in the study of nature generally. Too often 
 is the case that the school yar^^ as treeless and as flower- 
 less as the Sahara Desert. Thffe is no ornamentation which 
 nature provides that is more beautiful than a grove of growing 
 trees with here and there a radiant flower to lend the perfume 
 of its' blooms to the spring, and autumn air. The school yard 
 should be made attractive to the children ; it should be a 
 harbor of rest and recreation, and should be loved by them 
 to an extent that they will delight in attending school if for 
 no other reason, in order that they may play in the cool shade 
 and frolic amongst fragrant flowers. 
 
 On Arbor Day, occasion should be taken to plant out trees 
 that will in a few years be useful and ornamental. When pos- 
 sible, the sugar or silver-leaf maple should be planted and if 
 these cannot be procured the water, or willow oak may be 
 substituted. If these are not available, then the best shade 
 trees that can be obtained should be planted symmetrically 
 in the school yard. 
 
 The planting of trees began with the ancients. In mystic 
 mazes of the period between barbarism and civilization, rhe 
 Druids planted groves in England. When America was dis- 
 covered by Columbus, this' was a continent of virgin forest, 
 but as westward the star of empire wended its way, the set- 
 tler, axe in hand, laid waste the proud monarchs of the forest 
 with unreasoning energy, always cutting down and replacing 
 none. Thus millions upon millions of acres of primeval wood- 
 land have been destroyed. 
 
 Arbor Day is calculated to arouse among the youth of Ala- 
 bama a realization of the fact that unless something is done 
 to care for the forests we now have and to save them from de- 
 struction and to plant out useful timber trees that generations 
 yet unborn may be the beneficiaries therefrom, that the time 
 must inevitably come when a timber famine will hold sway in 
 Alabama which will entail upon the people hardships innumer- 
 able. 
 
 30 
 
Forestry Laws 
 
 (To be read by a pupil.) 
 
 The Alabama Legislature in its wisdom recognizing the 
 imperative necessity of calling a halt in the mad career of the 
 people in their destructiveness of the valuable timber of the 
 state and desiring to encourage our citizens to plant out use- 
 ful timber trees, passed a law at the last session establishing 
 and creating a State Commission of Forestry. This commis- 
 sion proposes to inquire into and publish an annual report 
 upon the forestry conditions of Alabama, the effect of the de- 
 struction of forests upon the welfare of the State, and to pro- 
 mote as far as they may be able a proper appreciation of the 
 benefits to be derived from forest preservation. 
 
 The state is' ready to accept gifts of land to be held by the 
 Commission of Forestry as a State forest reserve, and to be 
 so used as to demonstrate the practical utility of timber cul- 
 ture. 
 
 In order to encourage the practice of forest culture in this 
 State, when the owner or owners of any land which has been 
 denuded of trees, or any other land, the assessed value of 
 which shall not at the time exceed the sum of five dollars per 
 acre, shall contract in writing with the Commission of For- 
 estry to plant or grow upon the said land suitable and valua- 
 ble timber trees', to protect said land from fires and to main- 
 tain the trees so planted or grown upon it in a lively and 
 thrifty condition for a period of ten years and to cut or re- 
 move from the said land within that time no trees; the state 
 tax commission is authorized upon recommendation of the 
 Commission of Forestry to exempt such land from taxation 
 for a period of ten years. 
 
 As an axiomatic fact no law is automatic, and hence the 
 game and fish wardens of the State have been made a con- 
 stabulary to enforce all laws relative to forest preservation. 
 The sherififs, deputy sheriffs, constables and justices of the 
 peace, are made ex-officio deputy forest wardens, and are re- 
 quired to enforce all forestry laws in Alabama. If a specially 
 constituted service were not employed to look after infrac- 
 tions of the forestry laws, they would remain a dead letter on 
 the statute books. 
 
 31 
 
Fires Destroy Forests 
 
 (To be read by a pupil.) 
 
 The Legislature of Alabama being impressed with the 
 idea that forest fires do great damage to the timber inter- 
 ests of tliis State has made it unlawful for any individual to 
 maliciously or with intent to set fire to any woods, brush, 
 grass, grain or stubble land, not their own. The fact is that 
 whenever a fire sweeps through a woodland that it destroys 
 every prospective tree to the age of four years. Thus if we 
 are to hope for an increase in the supply of trees, it is of 
 vital importance that the people should desist from burning 
 over the timber lands. 
 
 It is likewise unlawful for any person to set on fire, or to 
 cause to be set on fire, any woods, brush, weeds, or grass upon 
 their own land without giving the adjacent land owners five 
 days written notice. 
 
 One of the principal causes of fires is by the escape of 
 sparks from engines and, therefore, the legislature has requir- 
 ed all logging, railroad locomotive and threshing engines op- 
 erated in or near forests or brush, which do not burn oil as 
 fuel, to be provided with spark arrestors to prevent the es- 
 cape of sparks from the smoke stacks and also with devices 
 to prevent the escape of fire from ash-pans and fire-boxes. It is 
 unlawful for any electric lighting or power company to at- 
 tach any wires or other lighting appliance to any tree along 
 any street of any town or city in this State. Electricity is 
 destructive to trees and hence the Legislature has required 
 all electric lighting companies that have wires attached to any 
 of the trees of this State to remove the same. 
 
 32 
 
Value of Forest Preservation 
 
 (To be memorized and spoken by a pupil.) 
 
 The cutting- away of forests causes drouths and Hkewist 
 floods. The rich loam and leaves that settle in the woods 
 cause the rain to soak in gently, and to be retained by the 
 earth. When the trees are cut, the water rushes rapidly 
 down the hill sides, into the gullies, thence to the creeks, thence 
 to the rivers filling up the channels to the detriment of navi- 
 gation, and thereby causing floods, the loss of life and great 
 destruction of property. 
 
 The natiomal government recognizing that the heads of 
 streams should be protected is contemplating the establish- 
 ment of the great Appalachian forest reserve, which will con- 
 stitute approximately eight millions of acres of forests. The 
 whole country seems to be now thoroughly alive to the vital 
 importance of forest preservation and President Roosevelt 
 in a number of his recent speeches has taken occasion to es- 
 pecially emphasize this fact. 
 
 The virgin forests must inevitably be cut away and there- 
 fore the hope of the country is to care for the second growth 
 timber. Many species of timber trees grow rapidly. For in- 
 stance, the "Old field" pine was at one time thought to be val- 
 ueless, but now by treating it with creosote it has been found 
 to be quite valuable. In fifteen years time, pine switches will 
 develop into timber trees. 
 
 Very stupid is he indeed who lives only in the present and 
 who makes no provision for the future. 
 
 Therefore, we should take every occasion to preserve what 
 natural resources we have in our forests and we should prac- 
 tice the art of the culture of useful forest trees for the use of 
 generations yet to be. 
 
 33 
 
Three Trees 
 
 The pine tree grew in the wood. 
 
 Tapering, straight, and high; 
 Stately and proud it stood. 
 Black-green against the sky. 
 Crowded so close, it sought the blue, 
 And ever upward it reached and grew. 
 
 The oak tree stood in the field, 
 
 Beneath it dozed the herds ; 
 
 It gave to the mower a shield, 
 
 It gave a home to the birds. 
 
 Sturdy and broad, it guarded the farms, 
 
 With its brawny trunk and knotted arms. 
 
 The apple tree grew by the wall, 
 
 Ugly and crooked and black ; 
 But it knew the gardner's call. 
 And the children rode on its back. 
 It scattered its blossoms upon the air, 
 It covered the ground with fruitage fair. 
 
 "Now, hey," said the pine, "for the wood! 
 
 Come live with the forest band. 
 Our comrades will do you good, 
 
 And tall and straight you will stand." 
 And he swung his boughs to a witching sound, 
 And flung his cones like coins around. 
 
 "Oho!" laughed the sturdy oak; 
 
 "The life of the field for me. 
 I weather the lightning stroke; 
 My branches are broad and free. 
 Grow straight and slim in the wood if you will, 
 Give me the sun and a wind-swept hill." 
 
 And the apple tree murmured low : 
 
 "I am neither straight nor strong;; 
 Crooked my back doth grow 
 With bearing my burdens long." 
 And it dropped its fruit, as it dropped a tear, 
 And reddened the ground with fragrant cheer. 
 
 And the Lord of the Harvest heard. 
 And he said: "I have use for all; 
 For the bough that shelters a bird. 
 For the beam that pillars a hall ; 
 And grow they tall, or grow they ill. 
 They grow but to wait their master's will." 
 
 So a ship of oak was sent, 
 Far over the ocean blue ; 
 And the pine was the mast that bent, 
 As over the waves it flew ; 
 And the ruddy fruit of the apple tree 
 Was borne to a starving isle of the sea. 
 
 34 
 
Plant a Tree 
 
 He who plants a tree 
 
 Plants a hope. 
 
 Rootlets up through fibers blindly grope;; 
 
 Leaves unfold into horizons free. 
 
 So man's life must climb 
 
 From the clouds of time 
 
 Unto heavens sublime, 
 
 Canst thou prophesy, thou little tree, 
 
 What the glory of thy boughs shall be? 
 
 He who plants a tree 
 
 Plants a joy; 
 
 Plants a comfort that will never cloy. 
 
 Every day a fresh reality; 
 
 Beautiful and strong, 
 
 To whose shelter throng 
 
 Creatures blithe with song. 
 
 If thdu cduldst but know. thdU hajipy tree, 
 
 Ot the bliss that shall inhabit thee: 
 
 He who plants a tree 
 
 He plants peace. 
 
 Under its green curtains jargons cease: 
 
 Leaf and zephyr murmur soothingly; 
 
 Shadows soft with sleep 
 
 Down tired eyelids creep. 
 
 Balm of slumber deep. 
 
 Never hast thou dreamed, thou blessed tree, 
 
 Of the benediction thou shalt be. 
 
 He who plants a tree 
 
 He plants youth; 
 
 Vigor won for centuries, in sooth; 
 
 Life of time, that hints eternity! 
 
 Boughs their strength uprear, 
 
 New shoots every year 
 
 On old growth appear. 
 
 Thou Shalt teach the ages, sturdy tree, 
 
 Youth of soul is immortality. 
 
 He who plants a tree 
 
 He plants love ; 
 
 Tents of coolness spreading out above 
 
 Wayfarers he may not live to see. 
 
 Gifts that grow are best; 
 
 Hands that bless are blest; 
 
 Plant: life does the rest. 
 
 Heaven and earth help him who plants a tree, 
 
 And his work his own reward shall be. 
 
 ^ — Lucy Larcom. 
 
 36 
 
What the Trees Teach Us 
 
 (For Fourteen Small Pupils.) 
 
 First Pupil. ^m 
 
 I am taught by the Oak to^e rugged and strong 
 In defense of the right ; in defiance of wrong. 
 
 Second Pupil. 
 
 I have learned from the Maple, that beauty to win 
 The love of all hearts, must have sweetness within. 
 
 Third Pupil. 
 
 The Beech, with its branches wide-spreading and low, 
 Awakes in my heart hospitality's glow. 
 
 Fourth Pupil. 
 
 The Pine tells of constancy. In its sweet voice 
 It whispers of hope till sad mortals rejoice. 
 
 Fifth Pupil. 
 
 The nut-bearing trees teach that 'neath manners gruff. 
 
 May be found as "sweet kernels" as in their caskets rough. 
 
 Sixth Pupil. 
 
 The Birch, in its wrappings of silver gray, 
 
 Shows that beauty needs not to make gorgeous display. 
 
 Seventh Pupil. 
 
 The Ash, having fibres tenacious and strong, 
 
 Teaches me firm resistance, to battle with wrong. 
 
 Eighth Pupil. 
 
 The Aspen tells me with its quivering leaves, 
 
 To be gentle to every sad creature that grieves. 
 
 Ninth Pupil. 
 
 The Lombardy Poplars point upward, in praise, 
 
 My voice to kind Heaven they teach me to raise. 
 
 Tenth Pupil. 
 
 The Elm teaches me to be pliant yet true; 
 
 Though bowed by rude winds, it still rises anew. 
 
 Eleventh Pupil. 
 
 I am taught generosity, boundless and free, 
 
 By the showers of fruit from the dear Apple tree. 
 
 Twelfth Pupil. 
 
 The Cherry tree blushing with fruit crimson red. 
 
 Tells of God's free abundance that all may be fed. 
 
 Thirteenth Pupil. 
 
 In the beautiful Linden, so fair to the sight. 
 
 This truth I discern : It is inwardly white. 
 
 Fourteenth Pupil. 
 
 The firm-rooted Cedars like sentries of old, 
 Show that virtues deep-rooted may also be bold. 
 
 — Helen 0. Hoyt, in the Teachers' World. 
 
 36 
 
Historic Trees 
 
 I. CHARTER OAK. 
 
 In history we often see 
 The record of a noted tree. 
 We'll now some history pages txirn 
 And note what trees we there discern : 
 And foremost of this famous band 
 We think the Charter Oak should stand. 
 We love to read the story o'er. 
 How Andros came from England's shore 
 As Governor in this new land, 
 And ruled it with a tyrant's hand; 
 How, when he came to Hartford town 
 Demanding with a haughty frown 
 The charter of the people's rights, 
 All suddenly out went the lights; 
 And, e'er again they reappeared. 
 The charter to their hearts endeared 
 Lay safely in the hollow tree, 
 Guard of the people's liberty. 
 All honor, then, to Wadsworth's name, 
 Who gave the Charter Oak its fame. 
 
 II. LIBERTY ELM. 
 
 Another very famous tree 
 Was called the Elm of Liberty. 
 Beneath its shade the patriots bold 
 For tyranny their hatred told. 
 Upon its branches high and free 
 Was often hung in effigy 
 Such persons as the patriots thought 
 Opposed the freedom which they sought. 
 In war time, oft beneath this tree 
 The people prayed for victory ; 
 And when at last the old tree fell 
 They sadly rang each Boston bell. 
 
 III. WASHINGTON ELM. 
 
 In Cambridge there is standing yet 
 
 A tree we never should forget ; 
 
 For here, equipped with sword and gun. 
 
 There stood our honored Washington, 
 
 When of the little patriot band 
 
 For freedom's cause he took command. 
 
 Despite its age — three hundred years — 
 
 Its lofty head it still uprears : 
 
 Its mighty arms extending wide. 
 
 It stands our country's boasted pride. 
 
 37 
 
IV. BURGOYNE'S ELM. 
 
 When, in spite of pru^ poinp. and boast. 
 
 Burgoyue snrrenderelW-ith his host, 
 
 And then was brought to Albany 
 
 A prisoner of war to be. 
 
 In gratitude for liis defeat. 
 
 That (hiy, upon tiie city street 
 
 An eliu was planted, whieh they say 
 
 Still stands in memory of that day. 
 
 V. THE TREATY ELM. 
 
 Within the Quaker City's realm. 
 There stood the famous Treaty Elm. 
 Here, with its sheltering boughs above. 
 Good William Penn, in peace and love 
 The Indians met, and there agreed 
 Dpon that treaty which we read 
 Was never broken, though no oath 
 Was taken — justice guiding both. 
 A monument now nnirks the ground 
 Where once this honored tree was found. 
 
 VI. TREE FRO.M XAI'OLEOXS (JRAVE 
 
 Within a city of the dead. 
 
 Near Bunker Hill, just at the head 
 
 Of Cotton Mather's grave, there stands 
 
 A weeping willow whicli fond hands 
 
 Brought from Napoleon's grave, they say. 
 
 In St. Helena, far away. 
 
 VII. THE CARY TREE. 
 
 I'll tell you of a sycamore. 
 
 And how two poets' names it bore; 
 
 Upon Ohio's soil it stands, 
 
 'Twas placed there by the childish hands 
 
 Of sister poets, and is known 
 
 As Alice and I'hoebe Cary's own. 
 
 One day. when little girls, they found 
 
 A sapling lying on the ground; 
 
 They planted it with tenderest care 
 
 Beside this pleasant highway, where 
 
 It grew and thrived and lived to be 
 
 To all around, the Gary tree. 
 
 VIII. HAMILTON TREES. 
 
 In New York City proudly stands 
 
 Thirteen mouarchs, lofty, grand. 
 
 Their branches tow-ring toward the sun 
 
 Are monuments of Hamilton, 
 
 Who planted them in pride that we 
 
 Had won our cause and liberty — 
 
 A tribute, history relates. 
 
 To the original thirteen States. 
 
 38 
 
IX. RECITATION FOR SCHOOL. 
 
 We reverence these famous trees. 
 
 What better nionnments than these? 
 
 How fitting on each Arbor Day 
 
 That we a srnteful tribute pay 
 
 To poet, statesman, author, friend, 
 
 To one whose deeds our hearts commend, 
 
 As lovingly we plant a tree 
 
 Held sacred to his memory; 
 
 A fresh memorial, as each year 
 
 New life and buds and leaves appear — 
 
 A living monumental tree, 
 
 True type of immortality. 
 
 — Ada Simpson Sherwood. 
 
 A Forest Hymn 
 
 The groves were God's first temples. Ere man learned 
 
 To hew the shaft, and lay the architrave. 
 
 And spread the roof above them— ere he framed 
 
 The loftv vault to gather and roll back 
 
 The sound of anthems: in the darkling wood, 
 
 Amid the cool and silence, he knelt down. 
 
 And offered to the Mightiest solemn thanks 
 
 And supplication. For his simple heart 
 
 Might not resist the sacred inttuences 
 
 Which, from the stilly twilight of the place. 
 
 And from the gray old trunks that high in heaven 
 
 Mingled their mossy boughs, and from the sound 
 
 Of the invisible breath that swayed at once 
 
 All their green tops, stole over him, and bowed 
 
 His spirit with the thought of boundless power 
 
 And inaccessible ma.1esty. 
 
 — Bryant. 
 
 Historic American Trees 
 
 1. The Magnolia Council Tree, Charleston, S. C. 
 
 2. The Charter Oak, Hartford. Conn. 
 
 3! Villere's Pecan Tree, near New Orleans 
 
 4. The Stuyvesant Pear Tree, New York 
 
 5! Gates' Weeping Willow, New York 
 
 6. Pontiac's Memorial Tree, Detroit 
 
 7. The Washington Elm, Combridge 
 
 8. The Tory Tulip Tree, King's Mountain 
 9! The Jane McCrea Tree, Fort Edward 
 
 10. The Balm of Gilead Tree, Fort Edward 
 
 39 
 
11. The Big Tree of C!eneseo^S>w York 
 
 12. Wayne's Black Walmit.^iar Stony Point, N. Y. 
 
 13. Arnold's Willow, near West Point 
 
 14. The Rhode Island Sycamore, near the Seaconnet 
 
 15. The Washington Cypress, Dismal Swamp 
 
 16. The Miami Apple Tree, opi)osite Fort Wayne 
 
 17. Penn's Treaty Tree, Philadelphia 
 
 18. The Fox Oak, Flushing, Long Island 
 
 19. The Eliot Oak 
 
 20. The Monarch, Boston 
 
 21. The Liberty Tree, Boston 
 
 22. The Second Liberty Tree, Quincy, Mass. 
 
 23. The Hangman's Tree, Quincy 
 
 24. The Whittemore Elm 
 
 25. The Groom Willow 
 
 26. The Constitutional Elm, Corydon, Ind. 
 
 "Trees in Prose and Poetry," Stone and Fickett. 
 
 40 
 
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