MAGIC OF THE BUSH.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1866, 27 September 1913, Page 5

MAGIC OF THE BUSH.

A PLEA FOR OUR FORESTS. [Br Imogen.] At tko opening of the Hutt Flower Show, some two or threo weeks ago, His Excellency the Governor niailo a strong appeal to those present in the Town Hall to do what they could in the matter of the preservation of our flora and native bush. Nor has this ■been the only plea. It" seems to be cno of the inevitable sacrifices that have to bo raado in the peopling and settling of a young country, and when -the exquisite gracc and beauty of this ■yrild life has "neon marred beyond all chance of recovery, the realisation of what has been lost begins to. make itself felt. The sadness of it is that much of it lias been unnecessary. With the' disappearance of tho bush from the face of tho valleys and hill«ides, all the elusive haunting charm that does so much to mako Now Zealand the lively land that_ it is—one of Pan's last and much ioved resting places—will have been driven away, and one more sacrifico will have been mado to the prevailing of tho age—commonplace, unimaginati'.vo and destructive. The Spirit of the Bush. • One of the most pitiful things that .Dan be seen are a few isolated tracts of bush left on a hillside whilo away to the right and tho left are arid, scarred broken shoulders and peaks covered with the blackencd despairing ghosts of Ivhat had once been n glorious living forest—one of the most beautiful and wonderful things that has ever been created. Enter that forlorn patch cf bush land, and anyone who has the least love of wild bush life at once becomes aware, of the death-blow. Of sentient life,"as wo know it, trees may have much or nothing, but in the days when humanity was much nearer to nature than it is now, those people of whoso wisdom and knowledge so littlo now remains credited. them with psychic consciousness, intelligence and

LATEST FREAK IN SYDNEY-A . HAREM VEIL.

strango group powers. In the great forest regions ot Europe,there are still to be gathered to-day weird .storicß told by wood-cuttors wlio spend their lives in gloomy depths unknown by any save themselves,' and whose days are bounded by nothing but trees, trees, trees, and giants at that._ It is not strango that thoy have assimilated the mystery around them, and that, to them, the forest becomes one sentient being. In " The Blue Bird" the trees arc allowed to give expression to their bitter erimity to man, the destroyer, and each in turn —the cak, the beech, the elm, the poplar, and the birch—plan the destruction of Tyltyl and Mytyl in rovengo for tho havoc that had been ■wrought against them by man's deBtrucuveness. Affinities of Trees. , It is quito'.a well-known, fact that trees choo.se their own society, and have their own aversions and attractions, tfceir own death struggles, too. jn some case 3 they utterly refuse to grow beside members of another family and, in others, they can not lean and interlace too elosply. Trees as we know them in our gardens, however, are utterly alien to those of the wild bush. They are tamed, broken, Immunised things, and the only link they have with the wild life from which they canie lie 3 in the birds who sing to them and iiost in their branches and in the winds ■that slip from bole to bole, and breathe of the distant, depths through which they have passed. Music of Pan's Pipes. It is difficult to forget the magic and charm that lies in forest land. A thousand and one things contribute to it—the play of the sunlight upon the leaves, and among the branches and iree-trunks, the silence that yet seoms hold the sound of all things that live, tho Tising and falling sough of tho wind as it breathes among tho shadowy tree tops, the ■exquisite earthly fragrance that is like none other, and ftbovo all, the sense of a remote intense and pervasive life, veiled and. »at tremendous power. Pan is everywhere, and if we listen long enough we may yet hear the magic of his piping, faint perhaps, but telling of illimitable mystery. Miss Milsom desires to bring under tha notice of ladiw.iitul gentlenwn the Tery latest methods and preparations for fcnir and faco treatments. Guaranteed euro for Alopocia, Areata (or bald spots) Genuine treatment of the scalp for oily' dry, perished, grey and falling hair. P Ps j! tive cure for Dandruff and Irritation Write- for Mies Milsom's book (free), containing full instructions for home treatm(mt. Every client taught homo treatment. Scientific Faco Massage, astounding results after one course, with thorough jeason. JBI Is. Shampooing-Electrolysis (permanent and painless). Hair-work, every description, latest Natural Hair Tads, Switches, etc. Hair-dressing taught. Manicuring. Personal attention. Strictly confidential. Miss Milsom, King's Chambers. Wellington. Telephone 811.*