Show JOAQUIN MILLER How Californias Arbor Day was CelebratedGeneral Howard and His Aid to the Plan Forty Thousand Trees Planted in a Single Day Generosity of Adolph Sutter and Senator Stanford Special Correspondence THE DEMOCRAT I SAN FRANCISCO Feb 17 As soon as possible after the circumstance related in my last letter I went to my office in the city and wrote the following note and the editor of The Golden Era Magazine copied it and sent it to the famous soldier who has the command of the Pacific coast which includes the island where on the lady had proposed to begin the great work I think I can safely say that this is the first step ever taken in the long talked of effort to establish an Arbor day if California Gen O O Howard Com Dep Pacific DEAR SmThe better sense of this state has long been struggling toward some positive form of expression for an Arbor day Finally a few members of the press have delegated me to write you for permission to plant some trees on Goat island We desire to begin this and speedily because in the first place our work and example would be seen and may be followed by others and in the second place because this ugly island could easily be made beautiful by forest trees We of course ask permission to plant only in prescribed limits and remote from all interfer care with marine or military operations Trust illi i Jo t your well known desire to always do good Wc hope not only for an early but a favorable an River and such an answer as may encourage others in this good work wherever our land emptied of forests etc etc Promptly came the following reply from the illustrious one armed Christian soldier as if he thought and wisely thought that to establish an arbor day in California was as worthy work as the founding of another university uni-versity HEADOJJAnTERS DIVISION OF PACIFIC PRESIDIO OF SAN FRANCISCO r Jooouin Miller ESQ DEAR SIR Your letter of Aug 19 is received I very gladly say yes to your proposition to plant some forest trees on Goat island and I designate Maj George H Weeks quartermaster U S A t as the officer who will indicate the location with the understanding that It is Impossible for me to give any right or title for the ground or improvements im-provements Your kindness and that of your associates in thus simply giving beauty to the public domain is appreciated I have been desirous desir-ous myself to ornament Goat Island with trees and shall recommend appropriations for this purpose pur-pose Very truly yours 0 O HOWARD Major General U S A The press of California on the appearance of this last epistle left Yuba Bill and his stages and his dams to that retirement to which his long service might seem to entitle him and came bodily forward to help on the movement Meetings were held enthusiasm enthu-siasm was abundant eloquence was generous as rain but money was scarce The noble enterprise began languish and then the winter rains put out the fires in the mountains and the fire in the public heart together My work took me to Washington and to all appearance the glorious plan for planting the continent in trees by beginning at the very doors of the Golden Gate had passed from the eager and enthusiastic minds of all Californians Suddenly in the heart of this apathy i ap i paired a call for a meeting of the leading citizens of California at the Palace hotel Behind this call for a meeting which was a triumph from first to last was one certain man John Vance Cheney the poet Behind 1 1 T John Vi > e Chen v wn s a wrr Uii wile And it is to be admitted too tuac back there in the shadow behind the scenes as it were alongside of this brave I and spirited woman stood Gen Howard How-ard and Adolph Sutro of Sutro Tunnel Tun-nel fame with all his millions at his back But I write it down in black and white that neither Gen Howard with his army nor Adolph Sutro with his millions could have moved things forward with such force and precision as did this quiet and cultivated lady and gentleman who had but little to say and whose hands were hardly visible at all Yet they were the heart of it the hearts blood of the whole great work 1 think I returned from the eastern states in time to take part in the ceremoniesthe grandest noblest and most impiesshe that the nest has ever seen Nearly 40000 little hearts leaped with joy as the great gun boomed out the birth of the California Arbor day for they were all to take part in the work Adolph Sutro the greatest tree planter the world ever heard of had presented 40000 school children each with a tree to be planted on that day And the most of them had arranged ar-ranged plant their trees along with their teachers end parents out on the sea banks of the Uolden Gate A few thousand however how-ever of the older growth could be taken in ships to the island which Mrs Cheney had lest designated as the place where we should begin to plant trees in the face of all the pas ug vessels as an example to the world The enterprising and enthusiastic young governor of California George C Perkins lad placed a ship at our disposal and finally Senator Stanford catching something of the entliikiiiim under all his heaps of work found time to write and ask us to call on him for funds and so the whole affair was settled on a solid basis It was a glorious day The gray and golden mist hungwarm and comforting about the banners and the ships From the lofty eminence emi-nence of the island where are planted 10000 trees in the form of a cross we could see only the masts the streaming banners the far off and castle like housetops of San Francisco Adolph Sutro planted the first tree on this i proud occasion and said In 100 years from today the people who will then inhabit this fair western land will assemble on this island and celebrate the centennial of the inangura tion of Arbor day in California None of the bright faces I see about me will then be here Your grandchildren and great grandchildren will do the honors of the day and now let me nrntet the first tree to the care of mother earth Mrs Ramirez a Spanish lady and daughter of the first proprietor the island thereupon planted a second tree saying I plant this little tree in memory of my father May no other banner rer float above this island than kat which I han learned to love the glorious glori-ous stars And strqM Cten Vallejp who had been in command of the islart Cf tythre jrears before was too old to walk fefft was Brought to the spot on horseback Tsfcere amer a most touching I speech in Spanish he planted the third tree ExGovernor Perkins being called for excused cused himself and called instead upon Maj Gen 0 O Howard whom in a few eloquent elo-quent words he introduced as the man hose name adorns the brightest page of American history and whose kindness had made the celebration of the present occasion possible Gen Howard who was greeted with three cheers stated that it seemed to be his fate toe > to-e a substitute though during the war he hoped he had not been such He rejoiced in the present occasion a catholic occasion where all without distinction of race or creed could join in planting the cross and planting it in living green Then I read the following lines Sweet Paradise was sown with trees Thy very name lore Nazareth Means woods means sense of birds and bees And song of leaves with lisping breath God gave us mother earth full blest With robes of green in healthful fold We tore the green robes from her breast We sold our mothers robes for gold We sold her garments fair and she Lies shamed and naked at our feet j In penitence we plant a tree 0 j We punt the cross and count it meet John P Irish said that he was glad thL movement was due to the inspiration of Joaquin Joa-quin Miller because he is to live in the worlds immortal literature as the poet of the Sierras along whose slopes mans hand is wasting Gods prodigal gifts And where all this time was the most beautiful and surely the most beneficent woman in California Silent in all the tongues of Europe for she had spent her young years in other lands she kept quietly apart with her husband and Gen Howard I The great work which she had inspired was being well done This was all she desired The work was hers But all the empty honors she gladly left to others JOAQUIS MILLER |