Nah SN tan te tes eae bs Te iit eta a hates ato MLR i 
>. dane Man the, he, > pad: " Ss 7 
MINNESOTA SUMMER MEETING, 1895. 227 
the examination of some master piece of Yankee ingenuity, perhaps 
a loom, a locomotive or a printing press, especially if it stood along- 
side of its counterpart of English or Continental origin; the first of 
lightand graceful design and bright with paint and polished metal, 
the latter, simply strong, to be sure, but heavy and clumsy, and 
funereal of aspect with its coat of dark paint; and been ready to 
claim that the American does not hesitate to try at least to combine 
use and beauty, if sufficient inducement be offered, especially, we 
must confess, if that inducement be of a financial character. 
But when we turn to the surroundings of our country homes, we 
find nothing in the comparison in which we can boast; to be sure, we 
may plead that when the years of our natural life are measured like 
theirs by the millenium rather than by the century or even decade, 
as is now the case, things will be different; we can also call attention 
to the severe climatic conditions we have to combat, and safely as- 
sert that,if ever we should be so situated that three days of rain,three 
of fog and one of cloudy weather would be styled a pleasant week, 
we would be able to produce lawns equal to those of “ Merrie Eng- 
land.” 
Let us, however, return to our subject. Why is it that to most 
minds the two terms, use and beauty, seem so incongruous? Is it 
not on account of a misconception of the true meaning of the word 
“beauty?” 
To too many minds this word suggests grandness, an overloading 
with inappropriate ornamentation and, what is perhaps worse, an 
unrenumerative expenditure of time and money. To these I would 
say that true beauty in anything will not interfere with its highest 
usefulness; when it does the essence of its beauty has departed. 
How then shall we apply this to our homes? First, for what are 
our homes established? The political economist will inform us 
that the home is the unit from which the nation is made up, but we 
will not consider it in this connection. 
To many of us the home is the scene of our daily business, and so 
nothing will beautify it which interferes unreasonably with our 
regular task; but to all, the true home stands asa place of refuge 
to which we turn when our day’s work is over to gain in the com- 
pany of our family and friends the rest and strength, both bodily 
and mental, which shall fit us for the toil of the morrow, and itis 
for the purpose of obtaining the restful surroundings we so much 
desire that we turn to the trees, the shrubs and the flowers for their 
grateful aid. So we planta group of trees and shrubs here to hide 
the barnyard or the shop, that the thought of our usual employ- 
ment may not force itself too prominently on our resting time; we 
search the swamps for the woodbine or bittersweet to give the pleas- 
ant shade for the veranda; we place a couple of evergreens to frame 
a distant view, and so place upon the walls of our private art gallery 
a picture, ever changing with the home or the season; and, perhaps, 
on the borders of the lawn a bed of hollyhocks, larkspur and 
monkshood will remind the elders of the old homestead in the 
East. 
