The Thames Star. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, JULY 20, 1906. ORIGIN OF ARBOR DAY.

Thames Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 10552, 20 July 1906, Page 2

The Thames Star. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, JULY 20, 1906. ORIGIN OF ARBOR DAY.

In view of Arbor Day, falling due this month, the, following' information about the origin of the institution may be interesting- T'hei Hon,- JSterling Morton, of Nebraska,, is generally credited with originating the idea- In 1872, aictimg upon- his suggestion!, ttie Governor of State issued a proclamation designating Alfbor Day and asking that the schools and citizens generally observe the day by appropriate exercises and treeplanting- Tlhe setting April sun saw over a million trees planted in Nebraska aoil as the result of the first Arbor Dia,y celebration- In 1885, Arbor Day, April 2-2.nd, Morton's birthday, was made a legal holiday in NelbraskaCareful statisticians ola.i:m that more than .1,000,000,000 trees aire now in a thriving cioiidiitioni in this once ''treeless State," through the united efforts of the school children and their parents on Aribor Day- The originimtor of the idea lived long enough to see Arbor Day adopted in more than forty States and Territories, to record millions and millions of trees addled to the growing prosperity of the Sfcatesi, tiw note thousands of sohoolh'ouses change cheerless swroundings for those of comfort and beauty, land- to feel that in stimulating the planting of trees he had been an. ateitivg factor in fostering a love for the school, the home, and the country.