| This holiday has a very short history. Father's Day | | | | louder than words. It was estimated that more than |
| was( started because there was a Mother's Day, and | | | | one million trees were planted in Nebraska on the |
| just because some Americans thought that if we had | | | | first Arbor Day.In the years following the first Arbor |
| a Mother's Day, we should also have a Father's Day. | | | | Day, his idea spread to Kansas, Tennessee, |
| So if we didn't have a Mother's Day, we never would | | | | Minnesota and Ohio. Today all 50 states Trees in |
| have had a Father's Day. Another part of the reason | | | | keeping with local weather.Hawaii celebrates it in |
| why Father' s Day has become important in North | | | | November, while Alaska in May! More interesting, each |
| America is that businesses found it was a good way | | | | state has a special "state tree". The "state tree" for |
| to get people to buy a gift for their father, a gift | | | | Nebraska is cottonwood, for Alaska is Sitka |
| from their store or their company.By the way, very | | | | Spruce.InfluenceArbor Day has now spread beyond |
| few countries have a Father's Day, though some | | | | the United States and is observed in many countries |
| have a Children's Day, or a special day for boys and | | | | of the world. In some it is the king or queen who |
| another for girls. More and more countries are having | | | | leads the national celebration, and in many cases |
| Mother's Day, so maybe Father's Day will also | | | | special trees are planted in memory of the day.Arbor |
| become popular before too long. Now, what do | | | | Day is of American origin and the idea has spread |
| people in North America do on Father's Day? The | | | | widely to other lands where it is observed as the |
| newspapers, radios, and TV tell children what they | | | | "Greening Week" of Japan, "The New Year's Days of |
| should do — buy, buy, buy a Father' s Day gift for | | | | Trees" in Israel, "The Tree-loving Week" of Korea, |
| your father. They even tell a wife to buy, buy, buy a | | | | and "The National Festival of Tree Planting" in India. |
| Father' s Day gift — not for her father but for | | | | Arbor Day in its various forms is now recognized in |
| her husband, even if he is not yet a father. And they | | | | more than fifty countries. China has its "Tree Planting |
| tell grandchildren to buy, buy, buy a Father's Day gift | | | | Day" on March 12.SignificanceOn Arbor Day, particular |
| for their grandfathers.The important thing to | | | | attention is drawn to the part that trees play in our |
| remember about Father's Day is that it is an | | | | lives. It's not just a day to plant trees and then |
| opportunity for American children (and especially | | | | forget everything about it for another 364 days. |
| grown-up men) to express their love for their father | | | | Planting a tree one day is no good to us if, during the |
| in a more open way than they usually do during the | | | | rest of the year, we neglect to care for it. Our |
| rest of the year.Arbor Day — Day of | | | | thought on Arbor Day should be an expression of |
| Trees，Origin of Arbor DayThe idea for Arbor | | | | enduring feeling, thought and action and not just a |
| Day came from Nebraska. A visitor to Nebraska | | | | moment of interest.Just as Mr. Morton put it, "Arbor |
| today wouldn't believe that the state was once a | | | | Day which has already transplanted itself to every |
| treeless plain. Yet it was the lack of trees there that | | | | state in the American Union and has even been |
| led to the founding of Arbor Day in the 1800s.At that | | | | adopted in foreign lands is not like other holidays. |
| time Nebraska was covered with few trees. So few | | | | Each of those reposes on the past, while Arbor Day |
| that the pioneers had trouble in getting enough to | | | | proposes for the future."What Can You Do?1)Get |
| build houses or to burn for fuel. There was no shade | | | | people into action. Ask as many people as possible to |
| from the sun or wind, and crops didn' t grow well in | | | | gather paper tobe recycled and save a tree. Use |
| the dry earth.Fortunately, among those moving into | | | | what you earn from the waste paper to buy aspecial |
| Nebraska in 1854 was J. Sterling Morton. He and his | | | | tree to plant in a park or other public |
| wife were nature lovers, and the home they | | | | place.2)#Conduct a tree search. Ask people to find |
| established in Nebraska was quickly planted with | | | | large, unusual or historic trees in your community. Jell |
| trees and flowers. Morton was a journalist and soon | | | | people to take care of them.3)#Get people'together |
| became editor of Nebraska's first newspaper, then | | | | to hold community parties and get their members |
| he became a member of the Nebraska State Board | | | | toadopt and care for street trees in front of their |
| of Agriculture.On January 4, 1872, Morton first | | | | homes.4)#Observe Arbor Day in a personal way by |
| proposed a tree-planting holiday to be called "Arbor | | | | planting a tree yourself. It is anact of kindness, a |
| Day" at a meeting of the State Board of Agriculture. | | | | labor of love and a duty as a citizen. Anyone can do |
| The date was set for April 10, 1872. Action speaks | | | | it. And thenwatch it grow together. |