I860.] Among the Trees. 267 Willow is the most conspicuous exam- ple, unless we except the American Elm ; but a remarkable difference may be ob- served in the drooping character of these two trees. In the Elm we perceive a general arching or curvature of all its branches, from their points of junction with the tree to their extremities ; so that two rows of Elms, meeting over an avenue, would represent, more nearly than any other trees disposed in the same manner, the vault of a Gothic arch. A double row of Weeping Willows would make no such figure by the meeting of their branches. The Weeping Willow extends its long arms in lines more near- ly straight, not originating, as in the Elm, for the most part, from one common cen- tre of junction, but joining the shaft of the tree at different points ; hence the drooping character of this tree is observ- ed only in its long, slender, and terminal spray. The Weeping Willow is one of the most poetical of trees, being consecrated to the Muse by the part which has been assigned it in many a scene of romance, and by its connection with events re- corded in Holy Writ. It is invested with a poetical interest by its symbolical rep- resentation of sorrow in the pendulous character of its spray, by its fanciful uses as a garland for disappointed lovers, and by the employment of it in burying- grounds, and in pictures as drooping over graves. We remember it in sacred his- tory by its association with the rivers of Babylon, with the tears of the Children of Israel, and with the forsaken harps of their sorrowing minstrels, who hung them upon its branches. It is distinguished by the graceful beauty of its outlines, its light- green delicate foliage, its sorrowing atti- tude, and its gently waving spray, all in sweet accordance with its picturesque, poetic, and Scriptural associations. Hence the Weeping Willow never fails to give pleasure to the sight even of the most insensible observer. There are not many whose minds are so obtuse as to be blind to its peculiarly graceful atti- tude and motions, and every one is fa- miliar with its history, as recorded in po- etry and romance, all the incidents of which have served to elevate it above any association with fashion or vulgarity. When we see it waving its long branch- es neatly over some private inclosure, overshadowing the gravelled walk and the flower-garden, or watching pensive- ly over the graves of the dead, where the light hues of its foliage help to soften the glowing fancies which are apt to arise from our meditations among the tombs, or on some wide common, giving sol- ace to the passing traveller, and invit- ing the playful children to its shade, or trailing its sweeping spray, like the tresses of a Naiad, over some silvery pond or gently flowing stream, it is in all cas- es a delightful object, always picturesque, always soothing, inspiring, and sacred to memory, and serving, by its alliance with what is hallowed in literature, to bind us more closely to Nature. Above all the trees of the New World, the Elm deserves to be considered the sovereign tree of New England. It is abundant both in field and forest, and forms the most remarkable feature in our cleared and cultivated grounds. Though the Elm is found in almost all parts of the country, in no other is it so con- spicuous as in the Northeastern States, where, from the earliest settlement of the country, it has been planted as a shade- tree, and has been valued as an orna- ment above the proudest importations from a foreign clime. It is the most re- markable of the drooping trees except the Willow, which it surpasses in stateli- ness and in the variety of its growth. When I look upon a noble Elm, though I feel no disposition to contemn the studies of those who examine its flow- ers and fruit with the scrutinizing eye of science, or the calculations of those who consider only its practical use it is to me an object of pleasing veneration. I look upon it as the embodiment of some benign intention of Providence, who has adapted it in numerous ways to the wants of his creatures. While admiring its grace and its majesty, I think of the great amount
