New York State History

ARBOR DAY ADDRESS.

Fellow Students, the position which I am in this morn¬ing, reminds me of a statesman delivering his first address. He started something like this: "The place where I now stand was once a howling wilderness. The place where I now stand was once a howling wilderness. A--- the place where I now stand was once a howling wilderness. A---er---the place where I now stand was once a howling wilderness-and I wish to goodness it were one now."

The planting of trees is changing the wilderness of bar¬ren waste into a garden of veritable beauty.

From the time of creation up to the present, trees have been associated with men and have been an important factor in civilization and development--in fact, trees are necessary to our very existence. Trees either directly or indirectly, form an essential commodity in every walk of life. Every gas,, peat and coal bed, parts of every beautiful building, many ornaments or household utensils, were once in the heart of a tree. Our modern express train is but a moving forest trans¬formed by the ingenuity of man.

Men have worshipped the tree, have depended upon it for food, shelter and raiment. The best in art music and poetry has been inspired by the noble trees of wayside and forest.

As the roots of this tree sink deeper and deeper into the earth that it may gather strength to withstand the elements, so may our lives become strong by being rooted in knowledge that we may be able to withstand the storms of life, or as the Psalmist says, may we be like a tree planted by the rivers of water whose leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

I now take great pleasure in dedicating this tree to Mr. Laidlaw, Superintendent of Schools.
DAVID WARD WHITE.