HINTS TO RURAL IMPROVERS. 



11 



©r, more strictly, correct taste, only exists 

 where sensibility to the Beautiful, and good 

 judgment, are combined in the same mind. 

 Thus, a person may have a delicate 

 organization, which will enable him to 

 receive pleasure from every thing that pos- 

 sesses grace or beauty, but with it so little 

 power of discrimination as to be unable to 

 select among many pleasing objects, those 

 which, under given circumstances, are the 

 most beautiful, harmonious, or fitting. Such 

 a person may be said to have natural sen- 

 sibility, or fine perceptions, but not good 

 taste ; the latter belongs properly to one 

 who, among many beautiful objects, rapid- 

 ly compares, discriminates, and gives due 

 rank to each, according to its merit. 



Now, although that delicacy of organi- 

 zation, usually called taste, is a natural 

 gift, which can no more be acquired than 

 hearing can be by a deaf man, yet, in most 

 persons, this sensibility to the Beautiful may 

 he cultivated and ripened into good taste 

 by the study and comparison of beautiful 

 productions in nature and art. 



This is precisely what we wish to insist 

 upon, to all persons about to commence 

 rural embellishments, who have not a culti- 

 vated or just taste ; but only sensibility, or 

 what they would call a natural taste. 



Three-fourths of all the building and 

 ornamental gardening of America, hitherto, 

 have been amateur performances — oft- 

 en the productions of persons who, with 

 abundant natural sensibility, have taken 

 no pains to cultivate it and form a correct, 

 or even a good taste, by studying and com- 

 paring the best examples already in exist- 

 *8nce in various parts of this or other coun- 

 tries. Now the study of the best produc- 

 tions in the fine arts is not more necessary 

 40 the success of the young painter and 

 sculptor than that of buildings and grounds 

 to the amateur or professional improver, 



who desires to improve a country residence 

 well and tastefully. In both cases com- 

 parison, discrimination, the use of the rea- 

 soning faculty, educate the natural delicacy 

 of perception into a taste, more or less just 

 and perfect, and enable it not only to ar- 

 rive at Beauty, but to select the most beau- 

 tiful for the end in view. 



There are at the present moment, with- 

 out going abroad, opportunities of cul- 

 tivating a taste in landscape-gardening, 

 quite sufficient to enable any one of natu- 

 ral sensibility to the Beautiful, combined 

 with good reasoning powers, to arrive at 

 that point which may be considered good 

 taste. There are, indeed, few persons who 

 are aware how instructive and interesting 

 to an amateur, a visit to all the finest coun- 

 try residences of the older states, would be at 

 the present moment. The study of books 

 on taste is by no means to be neglected by 

 the novice in rural embellishment ; but the 

 practical illustrations of different styles and 

 principles, to be found in the best cottage 

 and villa residences, are far more convincing 

 and instructive, to most minds, than lessons 

 taught in any other mode whatever. 



We shall not, therefore, hesitate to com- 

 mend a few of the most interesting places 

 to the study of the tasteful improver. By 

 the expenditure of the necessary time and 

 money to examine and compare thoroughly 

 such places, he will undoubtedly save him- 

 self much unnecessary outlay ; he will be 

 able to seize ariid develop many beauties 

 which would otherwise be overlooked ; and, 

 most of all, he will be able to avoid the 

 exhibition of that crude and uncultivated 

 taste, which characterises the attempts of 

 the majority of beginners, — who rather 

 know how to enjoy beautiful grounds than 

 how to go to work to produce them. 



For that species of suburban cottage or 

 villa residence which is most frequently 



