Chapter VII: Foreword: In Pamphlet on Arbor Day Issued in 1913

The following are the provisions of the statutes of the State concerning the observance of Arbor Day:

The day in each year known as Arbor Day shall be suitably observed in the public schools. The Commissioner of Education shall from time to time prepare and issue to schools such circulars of information, advice and instruction with reference to the day as he may deem necessary.

For the purpose of encouraging the planting of shade and forest trees, the second Friday of April in each year is hereby designated as a day for the general observance of such purpose, and to be known as Arbor Day.

On said day appropriate exercises shall be introduced in all the schools of the State, and it shall be the duty of the several county and city superintendents to prepare a program of exercises for that day in all the schools under their respective jurisdiction.

You will notice that Arbor Day now occurs on the second Friday of April, the Legislature of 1912 having changed the date.

It is believed that Arbor Day may not only be devoted to the consideration of the value of trees and forests, including, of course, the planting of trees and shrubs, but that it may also be used to direct attention to birds and their protection, to the importance of the school garden, and to other related matters. The conservation of some of our natural resources might well be considered as the broad theme of the day, the main emphasis, however, being placed on trees.

Much of the contents of this pamphlet will afford suggestive material for the use of teachers at any appropriate time. The general information given may be of help to many teachers throughout the spring months. The discussions of the various subjects presented may afford valuable reading material in the grammar schools.

The main purpose of the pamphlet is to give an impetus to the movement for a greater interest in our natural resources, and the movement for a greater appreciation of the opportunities offered by rural or semi-rural life. It is hoped that the suggestions made are such as may appeal to the interests of children.

It is hoped that Arbor Day may be a profitable one to the pupils in the schools. It is further hoped that the influence of the contents of the pamphlet may not be confined to any one day, but may be extended to many days of the school year.

Calvin N. Kendall
_Commissioner of Education_

LETTER ISSUED TO SCHOOL OFFICIALS IN 1919

Arbor Day will occur this year on Friday, April 11. An announcement concerning it may be found in the March number of the Education Bulletin.

It has been happily suggested by Secretary Houston of the Department of Agriculture at Washington that the day be observed in part this year by planting trees upon our roadways, in our yards, and in our pleasure places, each tree being named for a soldier who has fallen in the late War. Such trees would be appropriate memorials to these soldiers.

I suggest that this particular year there be wide-spread planting of trees dedicated to those whose lives have been sacrificed in the War. The planting of the trees should be marked with some appropriate exercises and these exercises should take on more than a school significance. The whole community should be invited by the school to take part.

I trust there may be a generous response on the part of the schools of New Jersey to this idea.

Calvin N. Kendall
_Commissioner of Education_

TREES AND FORESTS

ALFRED GASKILL, STATE FORESTER

Save What We Have, Let Planting Come After

When the farmers of Nebraska, led by J. Sterling Morton, established Arbor Day in 1872, they sought the threefold blessing that trees always give--shade from the summer sun, shelter from winter winds, and wood. These men found the broad prairies of the Middle West practically treeless and they soon discovered that unless nature's fault was remedied the homes they hoped to make could be neither pleasant, nor secure, nor successful.

In New Jersey, as in all parts of the East, conditions were and are different. The whole state was originally unbroken forest, and the task of the pioneers was to make room for fields and settlements. Nearly half our area (46 per cent) is still forest, though the greater part has been reduced to a woefully poor condition. Thus if _our_ festival is to serve _our_ needs, we will celebrate Arbor Day in such, a way that we shall learn to improve the forests we have rather than seek to make more; to protect and care for the trees we have as well as to plant more; to get rid of false impressions and broaden our understanding of the relations between tree life and human society.

New Jersey cannot spare more land for forests. She now has upwards of two million acres, and if we apply the rule that a state with 30 per cent of her area in forests is well off, we shall reduce the total to about a million and a half acres. But this will adjust itself; our present concern is to stop the waste of our forest resources and bring them to serve one of the most highly organized communities in the nation.

With respect to trees, as distinguished from forests, this intensive life and concentrated population make it imperative that cities and towns be provided with parks and as much street shade as possible. Thus there are two ample fields for study and work, the one dealing with trees and their social bearings, the other with forests and their economic relations.

The art of caring for _trees_ is called arboriculture, and one who devotes himself to it an arborist. The art of producing and developing tree communities, or _forests_, is silviculture or forestry.

HOW TREES LIVE AND GROW

The intimate study of trees is full of interest. The sap, consisting of raw food material gathered by the root hairs from the soil, courses upward, through the newer wood cells of trunk and branch, to the leaves; there, under the action of sunlight, it is assimilated with carbon dioxide, and, so prepared as tree food, passes downward through the newer bark. Thus, the process never entirely suspended, even in winter, but varying in vigor with the seasons, the tree grows in stature by producing new shoots each year. No part of a tree that has concluded a season's growth is ever elongated, but remains fixed, and length is added to its terminal by the development of new buds. This is why a branch always remains at the height at which it started. On account of this fact the age of a tree or branch may be determined by counting back from the terminal one year for each section of development. On most deciduous trees this is hard to follow for more than a few years, but on the evergreens, which produce their branches in whorls, it is easy. On the other hand, diameter growth may continue indefinitely and is exhibited on any cross-section in a series of annual rings. A count of these rings will give the age of the tree at that point.

Other interesting things to know are the means by which trees support themselves upright, even in severe storms; how they support the weight of heavy branches; and how the various species differ in the form, color, texture of their bark. Then the flowers and fruits. Few people know that the early spring awakening of the silver maple is marked by the appearance of its flowers weeks before the leaves come out, or that pines and oaks have flowers at all. And so with the fruits: willows produce catkins; chestnuts, burs; elms, samaras; spruce, cones.

KNOWING THE TREES

And then one who is fond of trees will not be satisfied until he can recognize and name at least the commoner kinds. This is field work for many seasons, for the variations as well as the fixed characters must be observed, and there are at least a hundred species to be found in New Jersey. The student will soon want a handbook like Collins and Preston's "Key to Trees," but without that he will distinguish the two great groups--evergreen and deciduous. The evergreens are also called conifers because the fruit of most of them is a cone. Almost all are ornamental but none is suitable for the street. Their wood is commonly called soft, though that of many species is quite hard, and forms the great bulk of coarse lumber used for building, etc.

Deciduous trees are so called because their leaves fall at the beginning of winter. There are many more kinds or species of these than of evergreens and their forms and characters are more varied. A few have recognized values as shade trees; many more are interesting or attractive in the park or on the lawn; others are never found outside the forest. By way of contrast with that of the conifers, the wood of deciduous trees is called hard, though many kinds are quite soft, and the trees themselves hardwoods. Hardwood lumber is often very beautiful, and is used for many purposes besides furniture, but the world could better get along without it than without soft woods.

SHADE TREES

One is attracted to a noble oak, a graceful hemlock, a beautifully colored maple, and wants to live with it and its kind. This desire deserves to be satisfied, and can be satisfied by encouraging the planting of trees where they will reduce the glare and heat of city streets; on lawns and in parks they are more at home and can be treated so that the beauty of individuals and the values of groups or masses can be brought out. Especially should they find place upon every school ground so that the attention of the children may be constantly drawn to these hungry, thirsty, breakable, burnable, beautiful friends of man.

The kinds of trees that may be planted upon a city street are few, for the life is so hard that only the hardiest can stand it. If we name Norway Maple, Ginkgo, Sycamore, White Elm, Red Oak, the list of the best is exhausted. Others may often be planted where conditions are favorable, and for lawns and parks the list of availables is almost endless, but in any case the wisest course is to avoid novelties and get some one who is experienced to do the planting.

But more important than to plant a tree is to protect and develop one already in the right place. This applies especially to trees beside country roads. A newly planted tree has a precarious hold on life for several years, whereas an old one has survived many dangers. Let, therefore, the care of the trees that are found in place be the first concern. Guard them from all that may increase their infirmities, keep in check the insects that seek to destroy them, have their wounds attended to and their branches pruned where necessary. This is work for one who knows how, not for the butcher who "tops" a tree "to make it grow"; or for the "tree doctor" who uses cement without knowing whether it will do good or do harm. Reputable men can be found to do any work of this kind. Under wise direction there should be no hesitation about cutting down a tree that is in the way. In many places houses and streets are too much shaded.

The fundamental idea to be grasped is that every tree is an organism; in one view an individual, in another a community. We must satisfy at least its strongest requirements or it cannot live. To the extent that all are satisfied is the tree healthy and vigorous.

FORESTS

As with trees so with the tree communities called forests. Our duty in New Jersey is to improve the forests we have rather than to concern ourselves about getting more. Of course, waste land may be redeemed by planting with trees, but where there is a remnant of the old forest, nature can be trusted to bring another if she is given a fair chance. The forest secured in this way may not yield so much lumber as one that was planted, and it will not satisfy a forester, but it will answer our most immediate needs, and can be secured more quickly than any other.

And again, as with trees, let no one fear to have a forest cut off when its time comes. Forest trees were made for use and if they are not used as they mature, nature will get rid of them by decay. That this must be so will appear when one observes that in any piece of native woods room is made for young trees by the fall of old ones that have lived their term.

WHY FORESTS ARE GOOD

Nature clothed most of the habitable earth with forests of one kind or another and evidently meant that they should serve mankind. This they do by furnishing wood for shelter and for warmth (seven-eighths of the people of the world still use wood for fuel), by providing grateful shade in summer and protection from cold winds in winter, by preventing the soil on steep hillsides from being lost by erosion, by regulating the flow of streams. The contention that forests cause rainfall, or materially influence the climate of a country, is not established. The weight of evidence indicates that forests thrive in proportion to the rainfall rather than that the rain falls in proportion to the extent of forests. And in respect to stream flow we must distinguish between a mountainous or hilly country and a country that is flat; and whether the rain commonly falls in brief, heavy storms or in frequent gentle showers. For instance, we can say with assurance that in North Jersey a forested watershed will discharge a purer, more regular stream than one that is unforested, while in South Jersey the influence of the forest upon the streams is negligible.

THE FORESTS OF NEW JERSEY

As the climate of New Jersey is much the same in all parts, the character of our forests is determined chiefly by soil conditions. Fortunately we have a great diversity, and between the northern and southern sections, strong contrasts. The line separating these sections is nowhere sharply defined but is commonly assumed to run more or less irregularly from Long Branch to Salem.

The forests of North Jersey, supported by soils of considerable fertility, are almost universally of the mixed hardwood type common to the greater part of the central United States east of the Mississippi River. That is, they are composed of a variety of deciduous trees in which are many oaks, chestnut, beech, several maples, ashes, hickories, elms, birches, etc. As exceptions or variants to the type are swampy areas in which black spruce and hemlock are dominant, and sterile mountain crests bearing the pitch pine and scrub oak of the poorest South Jersey sands. This kind of forest, in which each species occupies the position to which it is best adapted, and from which therefore all competitors are excluded, is considered by ecologists the most highly developed vegetable society.

And about and among these forests is the most fully developed human society--villages, towns and cities.

Practically all these forests have been several times cut over and many times burned. Individual trees about settlements are often noble and imposing, and occasional groves of fine trees are found, but the forest is only a reminder of what it was--and a promise of what it may be.

In South Jersey the contrast with North Jersey is emphasized in every way. Instead of hills and valleys the land is level or gently rolling. Near the Delaware and at numerous points in the interior are fertile soils and thriving communities, but much of the territory is characterized by sand and forests of pine, with an undergrowth of scrub oak, often covering hundreds of thousands of acres. This condition justifies the common name of the region "The Pines," though variations in soil frequently give rise to considerable areas of tree oaks, and swamps of white cedar border many of the streams.

On the sandy land profitable agriculture is full of uncertainties; but forestry is not, for there the pitch pine, though burned almost to extinction by the fires that for years swept annually across the level reaches, persists and wherever given a few years' immunity from fire, sends up its arms of living green. Here is the great forest area of the state; one of those tracts fitted by nature to maintain trees of a single kind, or single class. These "pure" forests, so called in contrast to the mixed forests of richer regions, are found in the southern states, in the far North and in the Rocky Mountains. They are easily developed, easily logged, and always will be, as they now are, the chief source of the world's lumber supply.

FIRE

The key to the forest problem in New Jersey, as in every state, is the control of fire. A few years ago it was an undenied fact that more forest was destroyed by fire every year than by the ax. Burning the forest to make plow-land was justifiable when trees were an encumbrance, but the practice got us into bad habits. From being a servant, fire became a master. Without fires, we in New Jersey can and will have all the forest we need; with fires, that which is bad becomes worse.

The lesson for Arbor Day, and for every day, therefore, is to urge and require that no forest shall be burned. It is good fun to sit about a camp-fire, yet the danger that the fire will escape and do harm is great. Even a surface-fire that apparently burns only dry leaves, and is often set for that purpose, will kill the young trees that are just starting on the struggle for life. Fortunately New Jersey is getting her fires under control. Firewardens are located wherever there are forests; their duty is to prevent fires by every means possible, and if a fire is started they must summon men to put it out. The forests are already responding to this protection and proving their ability to take care of themselves when relieved of the frightful handicap that has been upon them for generations.

PRACTICAL FORESTRY

Though fire control will make a forest where conditions are favorable as here, the skill of a forester is needed to make it a good and a productive forest. Here is applied a knowledge that is more intimate than that which serves to recognize a tree or to provide for its physical well-being. The successful forester must be a practical scientist in many departments; must have executive ability and be a capable business man. All who cannot meet these requirements should be discouraged from seeking to make forestry their profession.

PARKS

Every urban community needs parks where those who live in close quarters can find fresh air. And a state with many cities must make it possible for the people to get into the open--not for an hour only, but for days and weeks. New Jersey can do this in the woodlands that are so near to most of the large cities. It is not always necessary that the state take title to the land; few owners object to reasonable use and almost all would gladly remove every restriction if they were assured that the privilege would not be abused.

The timber forests of continental Europe are universally used as great public parks. Good roads make all parts accessible and the tourists are so accustomed to behave themselves that no serious harm is done. We can have ample parks of this kind at no more cost than assuring the owners' material interests.

STATE AID

The state of New Jersey is prepared to help its citizens in any interest connected with the soil. The State Forester, Trenton, will advise individuals or communities regarding the care of shade trees and the planting or management of forests. The Agricultural Experiment Station, New Brunswick, and the Department of Agriculture, Trenton, will afford similar assistance upon any subject connected with farms, orchards or gardens. Anyone who wants to know about any of these subjects has the right to ask questions and to seek advice.

ARBOR DAY MAY BE OBSERVED BY PLANTING A HAMILTON GROVE

CHARLES A. PHILHOWER, SUPERVISING PRINCIPAL, WESTFIELD

The following fitting observance of Arbor Day, commemorating an historic incident in the life of Alexander Hamilton, was conducted in Mindowaskin Park, Westfield, April 12, 1918. The program took its origin from the following narrative:

Alexander Hamilton, in the year 1801, planted a grove of thirteen trees at his home, "Hamilton Grange," 143d Street, west of Convent Avenue, New York City. The trees were the liquidambar styraciflua, sweet or red gum, and were sent from the South. Each one of the thirteen trees was named for one of the thirteen original colonies. The group of trees was later known as the "Hamilton Grove." Martha Washington became greatly interested both in its upkeep and in its preservation.

The program was as follows.

* * * * *

The schools marched to the park with flags and assembled en masse.

As the flag was raised, the Star Spangled Banner was sung, a cornetist leading.

Address by Honorable Arthur N. Pierson.

Song, "Over There."

Planting of trees: Each of the thirteen grades, from the kindergarten through the twelfth grade, planted a tree. As the trees for the states were planted the following passages were read. When the New Jersey tree was planted the whole audience joined in the response.

Massachusetts

This tree we plant as a memorial to the great state of Massachusetts, noted for its patriots and its learning. As thy emblem, the pine tree, points to heaven, may thy ideals lead us on.

New Hampshire

Land of the Great Stone Face, look over these United States of ours with a watchfulness that will keep us true and steadfast in the cause of democracy.

Rhode Island

Grow, thou tree of life, as the spirit of religious liberty has grown in this broad land of ours.

Connecticut

As the famous Charter Oak kept thy government free and unmolested, so may the branches of this tree perpetuate to the world the constitution under which we as a nation live.

New York

The towering buildings of thy metropolis cry as they mount heavenward "Excelsior." May thy slogan be the slogan of our nation.

New Jersey

Proud are we of this the "Garden State of the Union." We love thee and the great Union of which thou art a part. For thee and our country we live and serve.

Pennsylvania

Live to the memory of thy founder, William Penn, father of peace and justice. This boon we would give to the world.

Maryland

Song--"Maryland, My Maryland."

Delaware

Long live the memory of this first state of the Union. May we show to the world, "In Union there is Strength."

Virginia

Home of the father of Our Country, to thee we dedicate this tree. Washington, give us that courage that held thee to the great cause of freedom.

North Carolina

The cypress tall and majestic is the tree of this state. Majestic may this country of ours stand among the nations of the world.

South Carolina

Like the palmetto which bends its branches over all who come to its shade, spread to all the benediction of life and liberty.

Georgia

Refuge of the oppressed. May the charity of thy founders characterize us as a nation.

Song, "America."

A record of the plantings was filed in the school. On each succeeding Arbor Day each class which planted a tree will see whether its tree is growing. Should the tree perchance have died, another will be planted in its place. Other trees than the sweet gum may be used in some localities with greater certainty of thriving.

SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS

K. C. DAVIS, FORMERLY OF STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, NEW BRUNSWICK

As the season of planting is upon us and all nature is preparing to show her most gorgeous dress, we should interest the pupil in ways of beautifying the school. There is not a school in the land that cannot be made better, and many of them may be improved very much. The pupils will take a great interest in the matter if they receive a little encouragement and leadership on the part of their teachers.

Beautify the school grounds. A woven wire trellis supporting a thrifty vine would be a splendid screen for unsightly outbuildings. Shrubs about the foundations of the school building, in the angles of walks, and in natural clumps in the corners of the grounds would add beauty to the school surroundings. A few plots not used for play nor for garden may be grassed. Never scatter the trees or shrubs openly about the lawn area. Better mass the shrubs in natural clumps in angles or foundations, walks and borders. Use the trees along boundary and division lines. Native trees and shrubs are always preferable to imported or exotic kinds.

PLANNING FOR ARBOR DAY

Arbor Day plans should be begun early and should include a number of lines of preparatory work.

Send for the bulletins first.

Draw plans of the grounds, measuring the lines and distances to make it somewhat accurate. If a class is assigned to this task the best map may be framed for the future use of the school. A passepartout binding, at least, may be used. This map may show the plan of planting for several years if there is more to be planted than can be done this year. The walks, buildings, clumps of shrubs, trees, school garden, playgrounds, etc., should all be shown.

This work may be done by arithmetic or geography classes. The arithmetic class may also find suitable dimensions for the corn-contest plots.

Have the reading classes read about birds, gardening, trees, lawns, weeds, etc. Use the newer words in spelling exercises. Let boys and girls both make bird-houses at home. These may be ready to put up on Arbor Day.

The corn testing and seed study should begin at once.

Trees, shrubs and seeds that are to be planted on Arbor Day, or soon after, should be ready in advance. The roots of trees and shrubs must be temporarily covered with soil to prevent drying out.

Some exercises in root grafting of apples may be carried out as described in two of the bulletins, 113 and 408.

Tools to be used in the planting of school grounds may be brought by pupils from their homes; the list available for the purpose should be made in advance.

Divide the students into suitable groups for the work, so that each will know his part.

Invite parents and home folks to the work of Arbor Day, and make it a community exercise. The men may come in the morning to work, and the women may come with lunch baskets at noon, both staying until the exercises are over.

Plan to have some one take pictures of the children and patrons while the improvement work is going on.

Do not forget to have some manure and good soil hauled in advance.

SUGGESTIVE PROGRAMS

I

1. Remarks by the teacher or a member of the school board on the
value of teaching the useful and beautiful as well as the
classical and historical.

2. Have five pupils stand together. The first pupil will read from
this pamphlet or tell in his own way why we should all know more
about trees; the second about insects; the third about weeds;
the fourth about birds; and the fifth about corn.

3. Have five girls stand and each tell a few things about some
useful bird.

4. Have a boy who has made a bird box tell how bird boxes are a
protection to young birds, and how he made his.

5. Have a boy tell of some ways of destroying English sparrows,
learned from U. S. Farmers' Bulletin 383.

6. Another boy should tell how to distinguish English sparrows from
other sparrows and common birds.

7. Have some of the best tree planters tell how to plant a
tree--preparation of soil, roots, pruning and actual planting.

_Note._ In any or all of these exercises pupils may get the subject matter from this pamphlet and from bulletins referred to in it. They may make note on paper of what they wish to say and speak from these notes. If the time for preparation be very short the points may be copied and read directly. Let each exercise be very short.

II

1. Announcement of outlines of contests in school or home
gardening, corn growing, or other work the school may be
planning, and the premiums offered for the contests and exhibits
next fall.

2. Some pupils may tell of several benefits of trees and forests,
or five pupils may stand together and each tell of one important
benefit.

3. Have a pupil describe how to test seed corn by the individual
ear method.

4. Have two pupils tell of the two types of insect moths, each
telling how to control such insects.

5. Have a boy tell of three or four things necessary to improve the
home lawn. (See U. S. Bulletin 248)

6. Have three pupils stand and each take one part

(_a_) Use of vines to beautify the grounds at school or home,
naming some vines to use in certain places

(_b_) Use of trees in same way

(_c_) Use of shrubs in same way

THE VALUE OF OUR FORESTS

Few people ever think of a forest as a place to store water. Who would think that "the woods" hold water as well as a mill pond or a reservoir! But they do, although we cannot see the water they hold, except, perhaps, as a pool here and there; and yet this is one of the most important functions that a forest can perform.

All of us have noticed in walking through the woods how soft and springy the ground is. A thick carpet of leaves, twigs, and decayed wood covers the earth, sometimes to a depth of several feet. It is very porous, and it absorbs water like a sponge. When storms come and rain falls in torrents, it does not beat directly upon the ground under the trees because the raindrops first strike the leaves and branches above. The water then trickles gently down and soaks into the leafy carpet. If the forest is extensive a very large quantity of water is absorbed--enough to prevent floods except in extraordinarily long periods of rain. Gradually through the weeks and months that follow the absorbed water oozes out of low places as "springs," and it dashes merrily away in little brooks that continue to form creeks and rivers which flow peacefully and steadily out to sea.

If there are no trees, no leaves to break the beating rain, no spongy mold to hold the water when it falls, no matted roots to prevent washing, the big raindrops spatter upon the earth and quickly form rushing streams that wash the ground into gulleys. The bare earth absorbs some water, to be sure, but far less than the humus of the forest. If the rains are continued the rivers are soon filled beyond the capacity of their banks and they spread over the neighboring valleys, carrying devastation with them. After the heavy rains cease, the flood waters subside as suddenly as they had arisen and the streams dwindle to insignificance, sometimes completely drying up in a long, hot summer.

Thus it is that forests act as great reservoirs and aid in preventing disastrous floods and in maintaining the flow of streams at a rate that is nearly uniform all the year round.

Now let us see what use is made of the trees. The greatest of all is for firewood; but this is largely the decaying or faulty trees from the farmer's woodlot, the waste product of a lumber region, or from land that is cleared for cultivation. It is said that about 100,000,000 cords are used annually.

The greater part of the salable timber, however, is sawed into lumber, which is used in a variety of ways. The first and greatest use of lumber is for building houses, barns, sheds, outbuildings and fences.

Next comes furniture of all kinds--chairs, tables, beds, and all other house, office, and school furniture; musical instruments; vehicles of all kinds--wagons, carriages, buggies, and parts of automobiles; agricultural implements--plows, harrows, harvesters, thrashing machines, and other farm implements.

Car building is another great use for lumber--freight cars, passenger cars, and trolley cars. Other important uses for timber are as cross-ties, poles for telegraph and telephone lines, and "shoring" or supports in mines. Even more trees are used in the manufacture of paper than for these purposes. Then there are various small articles used in the home, such as spools, butter dishes, fruit crates, baskets, boxes, all kinds of tools, toys, picture frames, matches, pencils, clothes pins, toothpicks, etc. These are little things, but so many of them are used that they consume a great deal of wood. Next we derive tannic acid for tanning leather, turpentine and rosin, maple sugar, and many extracts used in making medicines.

So valuable are the forests that the whole nation is interested in preserving them. No one is benefited more by them than the farmer, and no one should be more interested in them.--_U. S. Bureau of Education Bulletin, "Agriculture and Rural Life Day"_

BIRDS

"The Study of Birds and Bird Life in the Schools of New Jersey," by Dr. Robert G. Leavitt, of the Trenton State Normal School, published by this Department, should be consulted.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

See Bibliography at end of monograph.

MEMORIAL DAY

May 30

THE SLEEP OF THE BRAVE

How sleep the brave, who sink to rest
By all their country's wishes blessed!
When Spring, with dewy fingers cold,
Returns to deck their hallowed mold,
She there shall dress a sweeter sod
Than Fancy's feet have ever trod.

By fairy hands their knell is rung;
By forms unseen their dirge is sung;
There Honor comes, a pilgrim gray,
To bless the turf that wraps their clay;
And Freedom shall awhile repair,
To dwell a weeping hermit there!

_William Collins_

MEMORIAL DAY

GEORGE C. BAKER, SUPERVISING PRINCIPAL, MOORESTOWN

SUGGESTIVE PROGRAM

Flag Salute

Song--"Battle Hymn of the Republic"

Story of Memorial Day

Stories from the battle-fields of 1861 and 1918, told by larger
pupils, adult members of the community, or soldiers

"The Blue and the Gray"

Song--"Keep the Home Fires Burning"

"The Gettysburg Address"

"In Flanders Fields"

Song--"America" or "The Star Spangled Banner"

Preparatory to the making and carrying out of a Memorial Day program, the teacher, a group of pupils or some wide-awake member of the community should talk about the sacrifices made by the soldiers of our country during the different wars in which we have been engaged; what great principles they have fought for, and why we should honor their memory in the public schools of our land. Throughout the preparation and the execution of the program there should be a consciousness of the debt we owe to those who have fought and died for freedom's cause. The simplest program prepared in this spirit will be of lasting value to the children of the school and to the members of the community in which the exercises are held.

Pupils and teachers should talk over fully the kind of program to be given. Much responsibility should be placed upon the pupils for the making of the program. They should make all "projects" necessary for the carrying out of the program, and should invite all patrons and friends in the community.

The exercises should be a service truly commemorating the honored dead of our land.

ORIGIN OF MEMORIAL DAY

The observance of May 30 as Memorial Day had its official origin in an order issued in 1868 by General John A. Logan, then commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic. General Logan often said afterward that the issuing of that order was the proudest act of his life.

The strewing of flowers upon graves is old in some countries. It is said that the first decoration of graves of soldiers of the Civil War was done on April 13, 1862, by two little girls, daughters of a Michigan chaplain. They had been out gathering wild flowers, and, returning, came across a rough, unmarked mound which covered some northern boy.

One of the girls said: "Oh, let's put our flowers on this grave! He was a soldier boy." They knelt down and made garlands of flowers on that grave. This grave was in Virginia, not far from Mount Vernon. The next day they interested their family and friends in a plan to decorate all the graves, and the plan was carried out. Each year afterward, in May, they did the same wherever they happened to be. Others saw them and followed their example.

The later date of May 30 was chosen by General Logan so that flowers could be had in all the northern states.

From decorating the graves of soldiers the custom has extended to the graves of all who have relatives or friends to remember them. In time the soldiers will be forgotten, but the custom of decorating graves with flowers will doubtless continue for many generations to come. The spirit which prompts it is a noble one, which should ever be cherished.

Two years after the close of the Civil War the _New York Tribune_ printed a paragraph simply stating that "the women of Columbus, Mississippi, have shown themselves impartial in their offerings made to the memory of the dead. They strewed flowers alike on the graves of the Confederate and of the National soldiers."

Whereupon the North thrilled with tenderness and Francis Miles Finch was inspired to write his moving lyric "The Blue and the Gray," which has become the credo of the Festival.

In a famous address, Chauncey M. Depew related the occurrence with felicity: "When the war was over in the South, where under warmer skies and with more poetic temperaments symbols and emblems are better understood than in the practical North, the widows, mothers, and the children of the Confederate dead went out and strewed their graves with flowers; at many places the women scattered them impartially also over the unknown and unmarked resting-places of the Union soldiers. As the news of this touching tribute flashed over the North it roused, as nothing else could have done, national amity and love and allayed sectional animosity and passion. Thus out of sorrows common alike to North and South comes this beautiful custom."

The incident, however, produced no practical results until in May, 1868, Adjutant-General N. P. Chipman suggested to National Commander John A. Logan, of the Grand Army of the Republic, that their organization inaugurate the custom of spreading flowers on the graves of the Union soldiers at some uniform time. General Logan immediately issued an order naming the 30th day of May, 1868, "for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, or hamlet churchyard in the land.... It is the purpose of the commander-in-chief to inaugurate this observance with the hope that it will be kept up from year to year while a survivor of the war remains to honor the memory of the departed."

The idea spread rapidly. Legislature after legislature enacted it into law until the holiday has become a legal one in all states. In some of the southern states an earlier date is usually chosen.

THE REVEILLE[F]

[F] Used by permission of, and by special arrangement with, Houghton Mifflin Company, the authorized publishers.

Hark! I hear the tramp of thousands
And of armed men the hum;
Lo! a nation's hosts have gathered
Round the quick alarming drum--
Saying "Come,
Freeman, come!
Ere your heritage be wasted," said the quick alarming drum.

"Let me of my heart take counsel:
War is not of life the sum;
Who shall stay and reap the harvest
When the autumn days shall come?"
But the drum
Echoed "Come!
Death shall reap the braver harvest," said the solemn-sounding drum.

"But when won the coming battle,
What of profit springs therefrom?
What if conquest, subjugation,
Even greater ills become?"
But the drum
Answered, "Come!
You must do the sum to prove it," said the Yankee answering drum.

"What if, 'mid the cannon's thunder,
Whistling shot and bursting bomb,
When my brothers fall around me,
Should my heart grow cold and numb?"
But the drum
Answered "Come!
Better there in death united than in life a recreant--Come!"

Thus they answered--hoping, fearing,
Some in faith and doubting some,
Till a trumpet-voice, proclaiming,
Said, "My chosen people, come!"
Then the drum,
Lo! was dumb,
For the great heart of the nation, throbbing, answered,
"Lord, we come!"

_Bret Harte_

THE BLUE AND THE GRAY

By the flow of the inland river,
Whence the fleets of iron have fled,
Where the blades of the grave-grass quiver,
Asleep are the ranks of the dead:
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day;
Under the one, the Blue,
Under the other, the Gray.

These in the robings of glory,
Those in the gloom of defeat,
All with the battle-blood gory,
In the dusk of eternity meet:
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day;
Under the laurel, the Blue,
Under the willow, the Gray.

From the silence of sorrowful hours
The desolate mourners go,
Lovingly laden with flowers
Alike for the friend and the foe:
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day;
Under the roses, the Blue,
Under the lilies, the Gray.

So with an equal splendor,
The morning sun-rays fall,
With a touch impartially tender,
On the blossoms blooming for all:
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day;
Broidered with gold, the Blue,
Mellowed with gold, the Gray.

So, when the summer calleth,
On forest and field of grain,
With an equal murmur falleth
The cooling drip of the rain:
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day;
Wet with the rain, the Blue,
Wet with the rain, the Gray.

Sadly, but not with upbraiding,
The generous deed was done;
In the storm of the years that are fading
No braver battle was won:
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day;
Under the blossoms, the Blue,
Under the garlands, the Gray.

No more shall the war cry sever,
Or the winding rivers be red;
They banish our anger forever
When they laurel the graves of our dead!
Under the sod and the dew,
Waiting the judgment-day;
Love and tears for the Blue,
Tears and love for the Gray.

_Francis Miles Finch_

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 Hosts, 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 boasts and foolish word,
Thy mercy on Thy people, Lord!
Amen.

_Rudyard Kipling_

BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.

Glory! glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! glory! Hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps;
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps.
His day is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me;
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.

_Julia Ward Howe_

We have scattered our floral tributes today over the graves of the patriotic dead. These frail mementos of affection will soon wither, but let not the memory of these martyrs fail to inspire in us a purer, holier life! The roll-call brings to mind their faces and their deeds. They were faithful to the end. The weary march, the bivouac, the battle are still remembered by the survivors. But your line, comrades, is growing slenderer every year. One by one you will drop out of the ranks, and other hands may ere long strew your grave with flowers as you have done today in yonder cemetery. When mustered in the last grand review, with all the veterans and heroes of earth, may each receive with jubilant heart the Great Commander's admiring tribute "Well done!" and become with Him partaker of a felicity that is enduring and triumphant!

_E. P. Thwing_

Of all the martial virtues, the one which is perhaps most characteristic of the truly brave is the virtue of magnanimity. That sentiment, immortalized by Scott in his musical and martial verse, will associate for all time the name of Scotland's king with those of the great spirits of the past. How grand the exhibitions of the same generous impulses that characterize this memorable battle-field! My fellow-countrymen of the North, if I may be permitted to speak for those whom I represent, let me assure you that in the profoundest depths of their nature, they reciprocate that generosity with all the manliness and sincerity of which they are capable. In token of that sincerity they join in consecrating, for annual patriotic pilgrimage, these historic heights, which drank such copious draughts of American blood, poured so freely in discharge of duty, as each conceived it--a Mecca for the North, which so grandly defended, a Mecca for the South, which so bravely and persistently stormed it. We join you in setting apart this land as an enduring monument of peace, brotherhood, and perpetual union. I repeat the thought with emphasis, with singleness of heart and of purpose, in the name of a common country, and of universal liberty; and by the blood of our fallen brothers, we unite in the solemn consecration of these hallowed hills, as a holy, eternal pledge of fidelity to the life, freedom, and unity of this cherished Republic.

_John B. Gordon_

From "Gettysburg: A Mecca for the Blue and the Gray"

Our fathers ordained that in this Republic there should be no distinctions; but human nature is stronger than laws and nothing can prevent this people from showing honor to all who have deserved well of the country. Every man who has borne arms with credit has earned and is sure to receive a special measure of regard. And it is our peculiar privilege to remember that our armies and navies, regular and volunteer, have always been worthy of esteem ... the Grand Army of the Republic--soldiers and citizens whom the Republic delights to honor.

_John Hay_

Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations, that we have forgotten, as a people, the cost of a free and undivided Republic.

_John A. Logan_

We honor our heroic and patriotic dead by being true men, as true men by faithfully fighting the battles of our day as they fought the battles of their day.

_David Gregg_

AFTER THE GREAT COMPANIONS!

The race has not run out.

We are still men, and worthy of our fathers.

That is what Memorial Day 1919 says to us.

Not in pride nor vain boasting but in fearful and solemn humility we speak, for it is our dead that prompt us. They, our kin and blood, were not afraid to die.

When the Destroyer came, the obscene Dragon, with breath of poison gas, eyes of hell fire, and teeth of steel, they did not shrink, our brothers, but played the man, and struck, and dying struck again, and flung their shredded bodies into the breach, and "filled the gap up with our English dead."

We are of such.

We put our arms around our dead, and hold them proudly up to God, and glory before all men that this is our breed.

The lies of the Accuser are disproved. His slanders fall from us. We are not slaves of greed, money grubbers, soft and lily-livered. We know how to suffer and to die. We, too, can follow the gleam.

O Greeks of Marathon, room for us! Through Chateau Thierry and the wood of Argonne we have come up to stand by your side, and dare to call you Brothers.

You Five Hundred of Balaklava, meet these boys from Kansas and New York, who also rode blithely into the valley of death. They are your kind.

You men of Bunker Hill, of Gettysburg and of San Juan, place! place for these, our neighbors' sons, our friends and playmates!

For them also the laurel, and the royal requiem! For them the Cross of Honor, and the Divine Halo!

They are ours! Ours! Dear God, we will be worthy of them. Thus cries the poet of America:

"Allons! After the great Companions, and to belong to them!

"Allons! through struggles and wars!

"Have the past struggles succeeded?

"What has succeeded? yourself? your nation? Nature?

"Now understand me well--it is provided in the essence of things that from any fruition of success, no matter what, shall come forth something to make a greater struggle necessary.

"Allons! the road is before us!"

_Dr. Frank Crane_

THE SERVICE FLAG

The service flag is not an official flag of the United States Government. The idea was, so far as we are advised, an entirely novel one, the credit for the conception of which appears to be due to R. L. Queisser, of Cleveland, Ohio, who designed and patented the present flag. It has, however, taken such firm root in popular sentiment and has been of such beneficial influence that it is officially recognized, and everyone who is entitled to fly it is encouraged and urged to do so.

Mr. Queisser was formerly captain of the machine gun company, 5th Ohio Infantry (now 145th United States Infantry), from which he was retired because of an accident. He thus states the origin of the flag:

"Shortly after April 6, 1917, when war with Germany was declared, the thought came to me that both of my sons, who were still officers in the guard, would again be called out, and I wondered if I could not evolve some sign or symbol by which it might be known that they were away in their country's service, and one which would be to their mother a visible sign of the sacrifice her sons were making. The inspiration of the service flag came to me in that manner."

_Official U. S. Bulletin_

THE SERVICE FLAG

A field of gleaming white,
A border ruby red,
And a blazing star
That is seen afar
As it flutters overhead.

From the window of a cot,
From the mansion on the hill,
Sends that banner fair,
Beyond compare,
Its loyal message still.

"A man beloved and dear,
O land, I've given to you.
He has gone to fight
On the side of right;
To Old Glory he'll be true!"

It floats from learning's halls,
And within the busy mart,
Where its crowded stars
Form growing bars
To rejoice the drooping heart.

Each star stands for a life,
To the nation gladly given,
For an answered prayer
To those "over there,"
Though a mother's heart be riven.

We pass with kindling eye
Beneath your colors true;
A nation's love,
A nation's hope
Are bound in the heart of you!

_Josephine M. Fabricant_