East High School - Cardinal Yearbook (Minneapolis, MN)

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Qardirycal The Faculty Tree Long years ago, a most extraordinary tree started to grow in a cluster of oaks not far from the east banks of St. .Xnthony Falls. lt was not like its neighbor trees. the oaks: it was sturdy and no little scrub to he seoffed at or trampled upon. For years it grew. commanding more and more attention and gaining more influence as it rose from a little shoot of a few hranehes to a mighty tree, powerful and inspiring, winning considerable admiration and awe from all who hecame acquainted with it. You would seek in vain if you looked through nature hooks for a classitica- tion of this tree. lt is more human than any other tree-and there are no human nature hooks on trees. Perhaps some people have confused it with the Tree of knowledge, hut. while it helongs to that general class and might he termed that, the species gives it even more distinction. For, though this tree is ted on knowledge, its fruitgthat all who wish may partake ot!-is liducation. 'Tis a fruit that not all appreciate at lirst, some even have a distaste for it and have to learn to enjoy it like olives, hut 'tis a strengthening and healthy fruit for all when they cultivate that taste. Since of teclmical names there are none, we can only deline the species from the outward appearances, Many are prone to name it from its principal part,-Ythe trunk,- and call it the lfhrman tree. The trunk is rather slender and not very tall, we note. Others who have long watched the tree grow and have marked changes in the character of the trunk, look for marks of earlier char-- acteristics on the branches, and these the great lower branches that were the tirst to spread the tree in size. They were sturdy splendid hranches that lost nothing in the huftets and storms they withstood. And the storms were often violent little hurricanes. Some young man of today might recognize these hranches as those he played and climlsed among when he was a boy in his This .wlzooi ought lu be fviuclzcd for 1lt1T'llIfl Illllft' mists than the Ia-zu allozusf 13 4

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. U L v Z xr W X 'L all ' 3 kits W. k - 5 - N 1 ,S :S . f - ' 1 , Q ' K f 5- 1 ' Qt Q i J? Q 'Pl gf, v ' ' b fl Ag 4 . ', if if , -7' if , j 0 , ' V 1 ' ifk- if 1 1 1 , -.5 aff! ' ' IL 6 - 1 s ,1 ' Hx ig 4, --1+ - 17 6 , Q, ,QM JD gm Cm5'-- 5 ,. And the tree grew and grew- 12

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teens, and as he views them, he might recall his antics with some smiles for his foolish little self and some tenderness for the tree. VVhen he lived in the branches, he thought little of them. Perhaps he saw only the rustling, dancing leaves about him, but now, at least. he knows that those great arms made the leaves possible and that he might have had more appreciation of their willing- ness to bear him and give them of their fruits. Yet all of the branches he weighed and abused are not there. Some broke from the strain and were lost to him. Others dropped from the tree and were carried away by some wind that whispered promises of another better home. And for still others, we must charge the boy with no blame, be- cause, occasionally, a man, in passing, took a fancy for some particular branch for himself and ruthlessly deprived the trunk of one of its members. But all the while new branches have been coming on, fresh fthough not greenj young things they appeared. Soon they became an indispensable part of the tree and filled necessary places for its symmetry. For all that were lost, more than the number added themselves, and thus the tree grew and grew! XYhen there was not enough room for more branches to come out at the top.-M following thc laws of nature-new shoots came out at the bottom. Now there seems little room anywhere, other things pressing close and materially cramp- ing growth. But the way of the tree suggests that it will always stretch toward the light, and, as it grows. the fruit will be more abundant and the strength of the whole be increased. And the moral to you who watched the tree as it grew and grew is this: Revere the tree: you may obtain other such fruit later, but the flavor you'll remember is that which comes from these branches. If you have :cater on flzc knee, wear fwnnfvs. 14