  We give in this part of our manual a programme for Arbor Day observance. It is presented not so much in the expectation that it will be exactly copied as that it may serve as suggestion of what may be done. We have added various selections from poets and prose writers which may help those who are preparing for the proper observance of Arbor Day. But these are only a few specimens from the great stores of our literature. A little care and painstaking beforehand will furnish an ample supply of the desired material, for our literature abounds in such. Not the least of the benefits of the observance of Arbor Day is the opportunity it gives for making the young familiar with the best thoughts of the best writers and thus giving them a literary culture in the pleasantest manner. Thus while preparing to plant trees we may be planting in the young mind and heart growths more precious and lasting than they. I.—Exercises In the School-Room.1. READING. (BY THE TEACHER, OR BY CLASSES.) "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself after his kind." "And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil." "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit." "I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together: that they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it." "He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch." "Wisdom is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her, and happy is everyone that retaineth her." "And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." 2. INVOCATION SONG. TRIBUTE TO NATURE. [Tune—"AMERICA."] music [Listen] [View Lilypond] —Mary A. Heermans. 3. READING ARBOR DAY LAW, OR PROCLAMATION OF GOVERNOR. [As the laws regarding Arbor Day vary in different States, it will be necessary for each teacher or superintendent to procure and read the one applicable to his State.] 4. READING LETTERS IN REFERENCE TO ARBOR DAY. [These may consist of circular letters from superintendents, etc., and other incidental letters. It is suggested that notes of invitation to the exercises be sent to the parents of the children and to influential people. These will in many cases elicit replies bearing on the subject. In case such letters cannot be secured, at this point the "Encouraging Words" printed on page 15 of this pamphlet may be read with profit.] 5. RECITATION. ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL. All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful,— The Lord God made them all. Each little flower that opens, Each little bird that sings, He made their glowing colors, He made their tiny wings. The purple-headed mountain, The river, running by, The morning, and the sunset That lighteth up the sky. The tall trees in the greenwood, The pleasant summer sun, The ripe fruits in the garden,— He made them, every one. He gave us eyes to see them, And lips that we might tell How great is God Almighty, Who hath made all things well. —C.F. Alexander. 6. READING. Bryant's Forest Hymn. (SEE PAGE 8.) 7. RECITATIONS. (By Different Pupils.) THE PURPOSE OF ARBOR DAY. First pupil. To avert treelessness; to improve the climatic conditions; for the sanitation and embellishment of home environments; for the love of the beautiful and useful combined in the music and majesty of a tree, as fancy and truth unite in an epic poem, Arbor Day was created. It has grown with the vigor and beneficence of a grand truth or a great tree. —J. Sterling Morton. BE NOBLE. Second pupil. Be noble! and the nobleness that lies In other men sleeping, but never dead, Will rise in majesty to meet thine own; Then wilt thou see it gleam in many eyes, Then will pure light around thy path be shed, And thou wilt nevermore be sad and lone. —Lowell. LEAVES. Third pupil. The leaves of the herbage at our feet take all kinds of strange shapes as if to invite us to examine them. Star-shaped, heart-shaped, spear-shaped, arrow-shaped, fretted, fringed, cleft, furrowed, serrated, sinuated, in whorls, in tufts, in spires, in wreaths, endlessly expressive, deceptive, fantastic, never the same from footstalk to blossom, they seem perpetually to tempt our watchfulness and take delight in outstripping our wonder. —Ruskin. INFLUENCE OF NATURE. Fourth pupil. Therefore am I still A lover of the meadows and the woods And mountains, and of all that we behold From this green earth; of all the mighty world Of eye and ear, both what they half create And what perceive; well pleased to recognize In nature, and the language of the sense, The anchor of my purest thoughts, the nurse, The guide, the guardian of my heart, and soul, Of all my moral being. —Wordsworth. Fifth pupil. I regard the forest as an heritage, given to us by nature, not for spoil or to devastate, but to be wisely used, reverently honored, and carefully maintained. I regard the forest as a gift entrusted to us only for transient care during a short space of time, to be surrendered to posterity again as unimpaired property, with increased riches and augmented blessings, to pass as a sacred patrimony from generation to generation. —Baron Ferdinand von Mueller. NATURE'S COMFORT. Sixth pupil. If thou art worn and hard beset With sorrows that thou wouldst forget, If thou wouldst read a lesson that will keep Thy heart from fainting and thy soul from sleep, Go to the woods and hills! No tears Dim the sweet look that Nature wears. —Longfellow. Seventh pupil. It may be said that the measure of attention given to trees indicates the condition of agriculture and civilization of a country. —MahÉ. Eighth pupil. I said I will not walk with men to-day, But I will go among the blessed trees,— Among the forest trees I'll take my way, And they shall say to me what words they please. And when I came among the trees of God, With all their million voices sweet and blest, They gave me welcome. So I slowly trod Their arched and lofty aisles, with heart at rest. Ninth pupil. Forests can flourish independent of agriculture; but agriculture cannot prosper without forests. Tenth pupil. The man who builds does a work which begins to decay as soon as he has done, but the work of the man who plants trees grows better and better, year after year, for generations. Eleventh pupil. Of all man's works of art a cathedral is greatest. A vast and majestic tree is greater than that. —H.W. Beecher. Twelfth pupil. In an agricultural country the preservation or destruction of forests must determine the decision of Hamlet's alternative: "to be or not to be." An animal flayed or a tree stripped of its bark does not perish more surely than a land deprived of the trees. —Felix L. Oswald. Thirteenth pupil. By their fruit ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 8. DECLAMATION. A FOREST SONG. A song for the beautiful trees! A song for the forest grand, The garden of God's Own land, The pride of His centuries. Hurrah! for the kingly oak, For the maple, the sylvan queen, For the lords of the emerald cloak, For the ladies in living green. So long as the rivers flow, So long as the mountains rise, May the forest sing to the skies, And shelter the earth below. Hurrah! for the beautiful trees, Hurrah! for the forest grand, The pride of His centuries, The garden of God's own land. —W.H. Venable. 9. ADDRESS. (BY TEACHER OR SOME ONE INVITED FOR THE OCCASION.) 10. DECLAMATION. A JUNE DAY. Now is the high-tide of the year, And whatever of life hath ebbed away Comes flooding back with a rippling cheer, Into every bare inlet and creek and bay; Now the heart is so full that a drop overfills it, We are happy now because God wills it; No matter how barren the past may have been, 'Tis enough for us now that the leaves are green; We sit in the warm shade and feel right well How the sap creeps up and the blossoms swell; We may shut our eyes but we cannot help knowing That skies are clear and grass is growing; The breeze comes whispering in our ear, That dandelions are blossoming near, That maize has sprouted, that streams are flowing, That the river is bluer than the sky, That the robin is plastering his house hard by; And if the breeze kept the good news back, For other couriers we should not lack; We would guess it all by yon heifer's lowing,— And hark! how clear bold chanticleer, Warmed with the new wine of the year, Tells all in his lusty crowing! Joy comes, grief goes, we know not how: Everything is happy now, Everything is upward striving; 'Tis as easy now for the heart to be true As for grass to be green or skies to be blue,— 'Tis the natural way of living. —Lowell: Sir Launfal. 11. VOTING FOR THE TREE OR FLOWER WHICH SHALL BE THE EMBLEM OF THE SCHOOL FOR THE YEAR. Suggestions.—If this programme should prove too long, parts of it may readily be omitted. If the day be a fine one, it might be well to transfer the address and, perhaps, the readings to the third part of the programme at the tree. In order to facilitate the voting of the tree or flower and have it occupy but little time, it would be well to have a blackboard facing the pupils during the exercises with a few drawings of trees and flowers, each with a characteristic attribute printed beneath it. The voting may then be expeditiously performed by pointing to the drawings. In some States there is a provision for the children to vote on Arbor Day for a favorite flower, which shall be considered the State flower. In others a State tree may be selected by vote of the children. In such cases this is the time for the selection. 12. RECITATION. THE AMERICAN FLAG. When Freedom from her mountain height Unfurled her standard to the air, She tore the azure robe of night And set the stars of glory there; She mingled with its gorgeous dyes The milky baldric of the skies, And striped its pure celestial white With streakings of the morning light; Then from his mansion in the sun She called her eagle bearer down, And gave into his mighty hand The symbol of her chosen land. —J.R. Drake. [To be recited and followed immediately by the song "Star Spangled Banner."] 13. SONG. STAR SPANGLED BANNER. Francis Key. musicmusic [Listen] [View Lilypond] II.—The March.Suggestions.—See that the children keep step to the air of the song. Arrange them according to size, the smallest first, that the column may present a picturesque appearance. MARCHING SONG. music [Listen] [View Lilypond] 1. There's Springtime in the air When the happy robin sings, And earth grows bright and fair, Covered with the robe she brings. Cho. March, oh, march, 'tis Arbor Day, Joy for all and cares away; March, oh, march, from duties free To the planting of the tree. 2. There's Springtime in the air When the buds begin to swell, And woodlands, brown and bare, All the summer joys foretell.—Cho. 3. There's Springtime in the air When the heart so fondly pays This tribute, sweet and rare, Which to mother earth we raise.—Cho. III.—Exercises at the Tree-Planting.1. PLANTING OF TREES. (ONE OR MORE). 2. SONG. PLANTING THE TREE. music [Listen] [View Lilypond] Gather we here to plant the fair tree; Gladsome the hour, joyous and free, Greeting to thee, fairest of May! Breathe sweet the buds on our loved Arbor Day. Gather we now, the sapling around, Singing our song—let it resound: Refrain. Happy the day! Happy the hour! Joyous we, all of us, feel their glad power. Shovel and spade, trowel and hoe, Carefully dig up the quick-yielding ground; Make we a bed, softly lay low Each little root with the earth spread around; Snug as a nest, the soil round them pressed, This is the home that the rootlings love best. Refrain. Moisten and soften the ground, ye Spring Rains; Swell ye the buds, and fill ye the veins, Bless the dear tree, bountiful Sun; Warm thou the blood in the stem till it run; Hasten the growth, let leaves have birth, Make it most beautiful thing of the earth. Refrain. —[Dr. E.P. Waterbury] 3. RECITATIONS. NOTE.—One or more of the recitations may be given with the planting of each tree, the number depending upon the number of trees planted. First pupil. Plant in the spring-time the beautiful trees, So that in future each soft summer breeze, Whispering through tree-tops may call to our mind, Days of our childhood then left far behind. Days when we learned to be faithful and true; Days when we yearned our life's future to view; Days when the good seemed so easy to do; Days when life's cares were so light and so few. Second pupil. Plant trees for beauty, for pleasure and for health; Plant trees for shelter, for fruitage and for wealth. Third pupil. NOBILITY. True worth is in being, not seeming, In doing each day that goes by Some little good—not in the dreaming Of great things to do by and by. —Alice Cary. Fourth pupil. PLANTING OF TREES. Oh, happy trees which we plant to-day, What great good fortunes wait you! For you will grow in sun and snow Till fruit and flowers freight you. Your winter covering of snow, Will dazzle with its splendor; Your summer's garb, with richest glow, Will feast of beauty render. In your cool shade will tired feet Pause, weary, when 'tis summer, And rest like this will be most sweet To every tired new-comer. Fifth pupil. THE COMING OF SPRING. When wake the violets, winter dies; When sprout the elm buds, Spring is near; When lilacs blossom, Summer cries, Bud, little rose! Spring is here. —Lowell. Sixth Pupil. When we plant a tree, we are doing what we can to make our planet a more wholesome and happier dwelling-place for those who come after us, if not for ourselves. —O.W. Holmes. Seventh pupil. "It is no exaggerated praise to call a tree the grandest and most beautiful of all the productions of the earth." —Gilpin, Forest Scenery. Eighth pupil. "Kind hearts are the gardens, Kind thoughts are the roots, Kind words are the blossoms, Kind deeds are the fruits." Ninth pupil. What do we plant when we plant the tree? We plant the ship which will cross the sea. We plant the mast to carry the sails; We plant the planks to withstand the gales— The keel, the keelson, and beam and knee; We plant the ship when we plant the tree. Tenth pupil. What do we plant when we plant the tree? We plant the houses for you and me. We plant the rafters, the shingles, the floors, We plant the studding, the lath, the doors, The beams and siding, all parts that be; We plant the house when we plant the tree. Eleventh pupil. What do we plant when we plant the tree? A thousand things that we daily see; We plant the spire that out-towers the crag, We plant the staff for our country's flag, We plant the shade, from the hot sun free; We plant all these when we plant the tree. —Henry Abbey. 4. TREE PLANTING SONG. PLANTING OF THE TREE. music J.D. Burrell. [Listen] [View Lilypond] 5. PATRIOTIC RECITATION. UNION AND LIBERTY. First voice. Flag of the heroes who left us their glory, Borne through our battle-fields' thunder and flame, Blazoned in song and illumined in story, Wave o'er us all who inherit their fame! Second voice. Light of our firmament, guide of our nation, Pride of her children, and honored afar, Let the wide beams of thy full constellation Scatter each cloud that would darken a star! Third voice. Empire unsceptred! what foe shall assail thee, Bearing the standard of Liberty's van? Think not the God of thy fathers shall fail thee, Striving with men for the birthright of man! Fourth voice. Yet, if by madness and treachery blighted, Dawns the dark hour when the sword thou must draw, Then, with the arms of thy millions united, Smite the bold traitors to Freedom and Law! All. Up with our banner bright, Sprinkled with starry light, Spread its fair emblems from mountain to shore; While through the sounding sky, Loud rings the Nation's cry,— Union and Liberty!—one evermore! —Oliver Wendell Holmes. 6. ADDRESS OR READING OF SOME SELECTION FROM ANOTHER PART OF THIS PAMPHLET. 7. MARCHING FROM THE FIELD. (TO FOLLOWING TUNE.) WOODMAN, SPARE THAT TREE. musicmusic [Listen] [View Lilypond] 8. BREAKING RANKS AND DISMISSAL. decoration |
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