THE PRIVATE GARDEN 



for the home and the town. Our ideal is a town 

 of homes all taking pleasant care of one an- 

 other. We want to make all neighbors and all 

 homes esthetically interesting to one another, 

 believing that this will relate them humanely, 

 morally and politically. We began with those 

 who pay no one to dig, plant or prune for them, 

 but soon we went further and ventured to 

 open to gardens kept with hired service an allied 

 competition for a separate list of prizes. In this 

 way we put into motion, between two elements 

 of our people which there are always more than 

 enough influences to hold sufficiently apart, a 

 joint pursuit of the same refining dehght and 

 so promoted the fellowship of an unconflicting 

 common interest. In degree some of us who 

 use hired help had already obtained this effect. 

 Last season: 



"Come," I often heard one of our judges say 

 on his rounds, "see my own garden some after- 

 noon; I'll show you all the mistakes I've made !" 

 And some came, and exchanged seeds and plants 

 with him. 



"A high civiUzation," said an old soldier to me 

 155 



