THEORT OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN 



may become unnoticed, as does the sound of falling water. Then again, 

 whatever its character in moderate intensity, it may become painful in 

 increased intensity; warmth may be pleasant but heat unpleasant, a 

 chime of bells heard from a distance may be enjoyable, but they would 

 hardly be so to a hearer in the belfry. Pleasure due to the character of 

 the sensation arises, in some cases at least, from order among the stimuli 

 which cause the sensation; for instance, a clear note, a harmonious 

 chord, a pure color; but in some cases we can only say, as yet, that 

 common experience teaches that certain stimuli give pleasant mental 

 effects ; for instance, a sweet taste, a pleasant smell. These pleasures 

 also may be due to order among the stimuli that produce them, but in 

 the present state of our knowledge of the machinery of the human 

 senses, this is difficult to prove. 



Since perception of a thing is by its very nature the segregation in Pleasure in 

 the mind of the sensations coming from the thing, their comparison with ■^'yP"'"' 

 memories of previous experience, and their attribution as character- Imagination 

 istics all to the same exterior object, it follows that the pleasure of 

 perception as such must be sought in the relations of the sensations to "Ky^ 

 each other, in the relation of the percept to the memories, desires, 

 and emotions present in the mind at the time, and in the character of 

 the memories and emotions stirred by the particular act of perception. 



Perception will be attended with pleasure if the various sensations 

 concerned are harmonious or have qualities in common. Part of this 

 pleasure is doubtless due merely to ease of perception. The unity of - 



a thing is only another name for the common law governing, or the 

 common characteristic pertaining to, all the sensations received from 

 the thing. And the more fully the law is exemplified, the more readily 

 is the unity and separate existence of the object perceived. But apart 

 from mere ease of perception, harmony of the sensations concerned in 

 an act of perception gives a definite and very important pleasure of 

 its own. This pleasure forms part of the effect of every successful 



esthetic design. It is the end in view whenever a designer attempts to J 



unify his work by repetition or sequence or balance of parts. This we O • 



discuss under composition in Chapter VII. 



Perception of an object will be pleasant, if the percept accords with 

 the desires in the mind. To a wayfarer on a hot day a shade-giving tree 



