TREES OF LIBERTY. The custom, common to almost all the nations of Europe, of celebrating the beginning of 'spring and various national and ecclesiastical festivals by setting up green boughs, led, during the war of independence in the United States, to the habit of planting poplars and other trees as the symbol of growing freedom. This example was imitated during the French revolution. The Jacobins in Paris are said to. have planted the first tree of liberty in 1790; and the custom spread rapidly through the whole of France. These trees, crowned with the cap of liberty, were soon to be found in every village, while the people danced round them, singing revolutionary songs, and regarded them as the rendezvous of the patriots. Poplars were at first employed, but afterward oaks were substituted in their place. This custom was regulated by a decree of the convention, and diffused over foreign countries by the republican armies. During the reign of terror, thousands lost their lives under the pretext of having injured a tree of liberty. During the empire, this custom, like all others that bad originated during the republic, was completely suppressed. In the July revolution of 1830, trees of liberty
were again set up, particularly at Paris. But the populace took no interest in the matter. During the February revolution of 1848, trees of liberty once more came Imo vogue at Paris and other places where the inhabitants held republican principles. They were generally hung with tricolored ribbons, circles, and triangles, the symbols of unity and equality, and surmounted with the cap of liberty. In Paris, on the occasion of erecting a tree of liberty, a priest was frequently conveyed to the spot for the purpose of consecrating it. After most of the trees of liberty had fallen dui ig the conflicts in the streets of Paris in June, 1848, government issued an order for their removal from all places where they impeded traffic. Before the end of the year they had entirely dis appeared. Numerous trees of liberty were erected in Italy during the revolution of 1848 and 1849, but fell as the different insurrections were quelled. A learned and interesting breatise has been written on this subject by the abbe Gregoire.