149 



To him the sunrise means glory as well as daylight. The lone and lofty mountains ele- 

 vate him to the contemplation of the Almighty power, even while they are " a shelter to 

 the wild goats;" and the dewy pastures where the cattle graze and recline in the long 

 shadows, lull him to the sweets of evening repose ; the sparkling stream, " where the wild 

 asses quench their thirst," will soothe and sing him to happiness and rest. The majestic 

 and commanding tree, whose widespread branches shelter the panting animals from the 

 lilaze of the noon- tide sun, is a picture of power and strength and varying loveliness, 

 which is to him a source of never-ending delight. When his eye surveys the swelling 

 landscape, the emotions which belong to him as a child of the Creator of all, inspire and 

 elevate him above the earth on which he treads, and distinguish from that other oi'der of 

 animal existence, to which all scenery is alike, whose sensibilities no ugliness of nature 

 or art offends, which no starry heavens delight, and no homely surroundings disturb ; 

 whose vision is blind both to the graces and deformities of even its own kind, which 

 nibbles the daisy and the June grass with equal satisfaction, and whose soul " cannot 

 rejoice with those who rejoice, nor weep with those who weep." It is man alone who 

 knows that " a thing of beauty is a joy forever." 



Taste in Tree Planting. 



It is in accordance with this sentiment that man has applied his skill and taste to 

 the creation of all the charming scenery of groves and bowers and gardens, to the en- 

 hancement of natural beauties themselves. Great gardens of antiquity, the monstrous 

 towering pleasure grounds of Rome and Babylon, set an example which advancing civil- 

 ization has not failed to follow. The cultivation of parks and gardens constitutes one of 

 the most interesting and important duties of modern art — a duty of the faithful perform- 

 ance of which England has set an admirable example. Leaving, in the early part of the 

 eighteenth century, the formal and heavy style then in vogue, through the influence of 

 some of her illustrious poets — Addison at Bilton, and Pope at Twickenham — the English 

 people revolutionized that whole system, and established that classical style of planting 

 which has since been so much admired and imitated throughout the most refined parts of 

 Europe. 



This science of landscape gardening, which advanced so slowly in the Old World, 

 and the proper system of constructing a city with light and water, and parks and shaded 

 streets, which was so shamefully neglected until a comparatively recent period there, have 

 until within a few years been entirely overlooked in our own country. 



When more than seventy years ago, the city of Cincinnati was founded, and the spot 

 was chosen on which has been erected such a splendid array of public buildings, private 

 dwellings, music halls, art galleries, churches and libraries, the application of art to the 

 arrangement of gardens, parks, streets and highways, was hardly thought of. It was 

 enough to clear the laud and till it without converting it into a pleasing picture. It was 

 all the early settlex's in our country could do to blaze a path through the forest without 

 considering how best to crown and drain a highway, and it was not until after the Revo- 

 lutionaiy war that the planting of trees and shrubs was made a necessary part of the 

 laying out of gardens and grounds. I remember well the only garden in the State of 

 Massachusetts, laid out early in this century by an English gardener, and kept in good 

 order to within a dozen years, an object of delight to all who were allowed to enter its 

 sacred inclosure and perambulate its well-visited walks. Such a scene as this was rare. 

 Public-spirited citizens planted avenues of trees in highways, and were considered bene- 

 factors. Here and there a "door-yard" was ornamented with clumps of lilacs and syr- 

 ingas, but nowhere, that I am aware of, were there associations of enterprising and 

 tasteful citizens organized for the purpose of adorning their towns and of providing for 

 the health and cemfort of themselves and of the community of whicli they formed a part. 

 It remained for our own generation to unite for so important and laudable a purpose ; and 

 I congratulate this beautiful city that its natural comeliness has been enhanced and its 

 suburbs made delightful by the combined efforts of those who believe that a love of 

 beauty is a human attribute, and that we are under a sacred obligation to preserve that 

 health which is given us for a high and useful purpose. The practical service of an asso- 



