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Show A Memorial Forest in North Carolina Honors the Soldier-Poet Who Wrote 'Trees" By ELMO SCOTT WATSON IT HAS been reprinted in newspapers and other publications hundreds of times. It has been set to music and you've probably heard it sung as a solo or played on some musical instrument hundreds yes, thousands of times. And, as the time for the celebration of Arbor day approaches, ap-proaches, you will be hearing it again and again. For, of all the poems ever written on this subject, it is probably the best known and best loved. It is Joyce Kilmer's "Trees." If Joyce Kilmer had never done anything else but write that one poem his fame would be secure. But because he did write it, he has recently been honored with a memorial that is unique. Down in Graham county, North Carolina, in the heart of the Nan-tahala Nan-tahala national forest, there is a tract of 3,840 acres of one of the most beautiful remnants of our nation's virgin forests. Within its confines are magnificent examples ex-amples of more than 100 species of trees native to that region. Since last summer visitors to that tract have found there a plaque which reads: JOYCE KILMER MEMORIAL FOREST Dedicated July 30, 1936. Joyce Kilmer, 165th Infantry, Rainbow Division, soldier and poet, author of "Trees," was born in New Brunswick, N. J. December 6, 1886; killed in action ac-tion in France July 30, 1918. This memorial was initiated by Bozeman Bulger Post, Veterans Vet-erans of Foreign Wars, and was selected by the United States Forest Service. Twenty years ago Joyce Kilmer Kil-mer was a young writer on the Sunday staff of the New York Times. He had attended Rutgers college and Columbia university and had-met and fallen in love with Aline Murray of Norfolk, Va., who shared his interest in poetry. They were married in June, 1908, and in that year he became instructor in Latin in the Morristown (N. J.) high school. The next year he became editorial edito-rial assistant on the Standard Dictionary where he served for three years. During this time Kilmer won considerable recognition as a poet and was a regular contributor contribu-tor to the Literary Digest, Book News Monthly and other literary periodicals. His first book of poems, "The Summer of Love," appeared in 1911 and the next year he became literary editor of the Churchman. For some time he had been a contributor of book reviews to the New York Times and in 1913 he joined the staff th Urmlhz trees ;l 111 - pi I' I ytvtrC! I think that Ishall never see I 1, h v , 1 ''J' ' I t j 1 A poem lovaly a a tree, 'i IS l?I WllVl A tree whose hungry mouth , pressed j V ' ) i , - JU Ik1?! Again t the earth's sweet flowing brei t, f ii J f W 1 it1 'H jHiftirJ A tree that looks at God all day U jiff ,f f Jfi? ' "MU R Andhlt her leafy arms to pray, fh K it f H If . tf 'MViflH A tree that may in Summer wear IfiV, f ! J h Ui Ft AnestofrobJsinherhai, l J?TOI'f ,(j 1 i'-s- v JiiU'j Upon whose bosom snow ha lain, 'Hi XS 1 ffrti ft-l 41 WPho intimately lives with rain. I I ( H ; U 1 S4 Poem are made by fool like me, 4 'L ' 1 I f t P'i - I !V j4fV But only God can make a tree. iff , I f J 3 . J'i'liill!!lte ! MM imwWMh .1 r Virgin timber in the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina. (Photograph, courtesy United States Forest Service.) his now-famous "Trees", which was written for his friend, Mrs. Henry Mills Alden, wife of the venerable editor of Harper's Magazine. It was published in book form under the title of "Trees, and Other Poems," in 1915. Other poems were dedicated to his friend and "boss," Alden March, Sunday editor of the Times. On that April day in 1917 when -the news of the sinking of the Lusitania was flashed across the Atlantic, March called Kilmer Kil-mer to him and said that he wanted want-ed a poem to be used as a page feature in the Sunday Magazine. At first Kilmer demurred, saying that he could not write anything good enough for such a subject, nor for such prominence. But March insisted and the Pnoxville a!!:: If KLMERfJ&ilnyCfc V "L GA. OAj aD ALTON J DAHLONEGA CARTERSVILLE -J) LOCATION OF J JOYCE KILMER MEMORIAL FOREST f ESTABLISHED IN I93S ATLANTA 'N TH? NANTAHALA NATIONAL FOREST !!gj;ot'rraUAStStGyV'Ce' NORTH CAROLINA of that newspaper and began writing news stories, interviews and feature articles. An Heroic Reporter Indicative of the heroic stuff in him was an incident during this period of his career. He had tried to board a train to New York and was thrown off and seriously hurt. In the hospital the doctor told him that he must be put under un-der an anesthetic so that his broken bones might be set. "But I have a Sunday story to write," he said. "I've got it all in my head and the editor needs it. Wait until I do it." So he sent for his secretary to come out from New York and dictated the story before he was wheeled in. to the operating room. Although highly praised by his fellow fel-low newspaper workers for his grit, Kilmer made light of both the accident and the incident. During his career as a reporter and feature writer Kilmer continued con-tinued his poetic work, including next morning Kilmer apologetically apologetic-ally laid on his desk the manuscript manu-script of the poem "The White Ships and the Red." It was a brilliantly imaginative poem which was destined to be heard around the world and to stir the feelings of men in every land. In it Kilmer envisioned the wreck of the Lusitania, red from the horror of the deed, going down to the bottom of the ocean, there to join the ghosts of those which had been sunk by storm, shipwreck ship-wreck and iceberg. But Kilmer did not limit his indignation against those responsible respon-sible for sinking the Lusitania to writing poems. On April 23, 1917, just 17 days after the United States entered the World war, he left the Times and enlisted as a private in the Seventh regiment of the New York national guard. A Front Line Fighter. Shortly before the regiment left for Spartanburg, S. C, Kilmer was transferred to the 165th in fantry at Camp Mills, Long Island, Is-land, and he was senior regimental regiment-al statistician when his outfit sailed for France in October, 1917. It was a job which would keep him close to regimental headquarters what the army called a "soft berth." It was exactly ex-actly for that reason that Kilmer was dissatisfied. He wanted to be in the front lines where there was action and his insistence led to his transfer to the regimental intelligence staff. As sergeant on the intelligence staff he displayed the same fidelity fidel-ity and courage that he had shown as a newspaper man. On July 30, 1918, that fidelity and courage took him into the scarred and shattered timber which they still call the Wood of the Burned Bridge. His outfit was trying to locate enemv marhinp crnn npet? Not more than 30 feet away from Kilmer was Maj. William J. ("Wild Bill") Donovan, who later commanded the 165th. When it came time for them to move forward, Donovan called to Kilmer. There was no response. Donovan looked closer and saw Kilmer huddled on the ground. A sniper's bullet had stilled forever for-ever the voice of the man who had sung of "Trees." They buried Joyce Kilmer among the war-blasted trees of Bois Colas the kind of trees which were far different from those he had in mind when he wrote the poem that has been his memorial for nearly two decades. dec-ades. But now he has another memorial which will, literally and figuratively, "keep his memory green." It is the memorial forest in North Carolina which was dedicated dedi-cated last summer with ceremonies cere-monies at which the speakers included in-cluded Joseph C. Kircher, southern south-ern regional forester of the United Unit-ed States Forest Service; Paul A. Williams, chairman of the Kilmer Memorial committee; Charles McDonald Puckette of the New York Times; Rev. John B. Kelly, chaplain, and Lieut. John Mo-Cloy, Mo-Cloy, U. S. N., commander, of the Bozeman Bulger post of the Veterans Vet-erans of Foreign Wars; and E. A. Sherman, assistant chief of the United States Forest Service, who delivered the dedication address. In it he said: "The Forest Service rejoices at this opportunity to co-operate with the Veterans of Foreign Wars in paying tribute to the memory of Joyce Kilmer. We may justly claim him as belonging belong-ing to the veterans and foresters alike. On the field of combat he made the supreme sacrifice as a patriot; in 'Trees' he has bequeathed be-queathed to humanity one of its rarest gems of human expression. ex-pression. It seems destined to rank with Longfellow's apostrophe apostro-phe to the 'forest primeval, the murmuring pines, and the hemlocks'. hem-locks'. As his tree 'lifts her leafy arms to pray,' the poem moves in perfect cadence inspired by the same reverent spirit as Bryant's Bry-ant's stately 'The groves were God's first temples,' where 'in the darkling wood amidst the cool and silence,' man first 'knelt down and offered to the Mightiest solemn thanks and supplication.' "It is fitting that a monument to Joyce Kilmer should take this Wordsworthian form of 'A brotherhood broth-erhood of venerable trees,' such as distinguishes the area which we dedicate today. This monument monu-ment is not needed to perpetuate the memory of Joyce Kilmer. Through his poem his name has become immortal and his memory mem-ory shall abide on earth as long as the English language is a liv- u t. ui;,i nig sfcci.u. lb 13 comuiiontu ii i- marily to show to all the world our nation's appreciation of one whose memory has become a priceless heritage of its people. A Sylvan Cathedral. "Such appreciation is best expressed ex-pressed in the form which he, living, loved most no useless shaft of insentient stone; no shrine of personal glorification instead we have this vast sylvan cathedral with the incomparable beauty of its changing lights and shadows in all their varying moods. Surely it would be his wish that it might serve the citizenship cit-izenship of the nation for which he died. "Therefore, that this wish, though unexpressed, may be fulfilled, ful-filled, and to the end that this monument mon-ument may serve our nation best, the Forest Service of the Department De-partment of Agriculture herewith reserves it as a primitive area, dedicates it to the spirit of Joyce Kilmer, and to the use of the people of the United States for their enjoyment, instruction, and inspiration until time shall be no more. "Here, in these solemn shades, generation after generation of our people, imbued with reverent love for unspoiled Nature's charm, shall come to sacred ground, exempt from common use, and, with Shakespeare of old, find 'tongues in trees, books in running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything'." "I have learned with much interest in-terest of plans for the dedication of the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest," wrote President Roosevelt Roose-velt in a letter which was read at the dedication. "It is particularly particular-ly fitting that a poet who will always al-ways be remembered for the tribute he embodied in 'Trees' should find this living monument. Thus his beloved memory is forever for-ever honored and one of nature's masterpieces is set aside to be preserved for the enjoyment of generations yet unborn." Western Newspaper Union. |