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>> You just heard one of our youngest alum performers
of the evening play Brahms and now it's time for youth
to give way to wisdom.
As the wisest or most weason alumni,
performing this evening it is my privilege to introduce you
to some of the work of an even wiser alum, the much beloved,
Ted Geisel class of '25.
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Years before scientists coined the phrase global warming,
Dr. Seuss gave us the story of the Lorax who speaks
for the trees, possibly the only children's book
that ever ticked off the logging industry.
Way back in the days when the grass was still green
and the pond was still wet and the clouds were still clean
and the song of the Swomee-Swans rang out in space,
one morning I came to this glorious place
and I first saw the trees, the Truffula Trees.
All my life I'd been searching for trees such as these,
the touch of their tufts was much softer than silk.
And they had the sweet smell of fresh butterfly milk.
In no time at all I built a small shop then I chopped
down a Truffula tree with one chop
and with great skillful skill and with great speedy speed,
I took the soft tuft and I knitted a Thneed.
The instant I finished I heard a ga-Zump.
I looked, I saw something pop out of the stump
of the tree I chopped down and it was sort of a man.
Describe him?
That's hard I don't know if I can "Mister!"
he said was a saw dusty sneeze.
"I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees."
He was very upset as he shouted and puffed.
What's that thing you made out of my Truffula tuft?
"Look Lorax", I said, "there's no cause
for alarm I chopped just one tree, I'm doing no harm,
I'm being quite useful, this thing is a Thneed,
a Thneed's a fine something that all people need, it's a shirt,
it's a sock, it's a glove, it's a hat
but it has other uses yes far beyond that."
The Lorax said, "Sir!
you are crazy with greed, there is no one on earth
who would buy that fool Thneed!"
But the very next minute I proved he was wrong for just
at that moment a chap came along and he thought
that the Thneed I had knitted was great
and he happily bought it for three ninety eight.
"I repeat," cried the Lorax "I speak for the trees!"
"I'm busy," I told him "shut up if you please."
Then Oh! Baby!
Oh! How my business did grow.
Now, chopping one tree at a time was too slow
so I quickly invented my super axe-hacker
and whacked off four Truffula trees at one smacker.
We were making Thneeds four times as fast as before
and that Lorax he didn't show up anymore until the next week
when he knocked on my new office door, he snapped, "I'm the Lorax
who speaks for the trees which you seem to be chopping
as fast as you please.
But I'm also in charge of the Brown Bar-ba-loots who played
in the shade in their Bar-ba-loots suits
and happily lived, eating Truffula Furits.
Now thanks to your hacking my trees to the ground,
there's not enough Truffula Fruit to go around.
I meant no harm.
I most truly did not.
But I had to grow bigger.
So bigger I got.
I went right on biggering selling more Thneeds.
And I biggered my money, which everyone needs.
Then again he came back?
I was fixing some pipes
when that old-nuisance Lorax can back with more gripes.
My poor Swomee-Swans why, they can't sing a note!
No one can sing who has smog in his throat.
Your machinery chugs on day and night
without stop making Gluppity-Glupp.
Also Schloppity-Schlopp.
You're glumping the pond where the Humming bird thing
and no more can they hum, cause their gills are all gummed.
And then I got mad.
I got terribly mad.
I yelled at the Lorax, "Now listen here, Dad!
All you do is yap-yap and say, Bad!
Bad! Bad! Bad!
And for your information you Lorax, I'm figgering
on biggering and biggering and biggering
and biggering turning more Trufulla Trees into Thneeds
which everyone, everyone, everyone needs!"
And at that very moment, we heard a loud whack!
From outside in the fields came a sickening smack
of an axe on a tree.
Then we heard the tree fall
and the very last Truffula Tree of them all!
Now all that was left 'neath the bad-smelling sky was my big
empty factory.
The Lorax and I.
And I'll never forget the grim look on his face
when he hoisted himself and took leave of this place,
and that that all that the Lorax left here
in this mess was a small pile of rocks,
with this one word unless.
Whatever that meant, well I just couldn't guess but now,
now that you're here the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear.
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better.
It's not. So Catch!
It's aTruffula Seed.
It's the last one of all!
Plant a new Truffula.
Treat it with care.
Give it clean water.
Feed it fresh air.
Grow a forest.
Protect it from axes that hack.
Then the Lorax and all of his friends can come back so catch!
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