The Livable House 



pool lies at the foot of a high terrace wall, and is fed through a 

 mask by a stream. Here again a strictly architectural feature of 

 the garden owes much of its interest, its intimate personal quality 

 to the planting about it. A more elaborate wall fountain is that 

 at "Brookside," of which Mr. Rondoni is the sculptor. It is de- 

 lightful in conception and the figures of the two fauns and the 

 mask are very amusing indeed. 



Garden houses, like walls, should conform to the style of archi- 

 tecture of the main house, for the garden and whatever pertains 

 to it ought to be part of an homogeneous whole; one should 

 be able to pass easily from house to garden and from garden to 

 house 1 feeling that each belongs to the other; and one of the surest 

 ways of accomplishing this spirit of coherence is uniformity of 

 design and correlation of material in all the architectural features 

 of the garden. Garden architecture, to be sure, need not be so 

 dignified as that of the house ; it admits of more freedom and play- 

 fulness in its treatment than does the more important architecture 

 of the house, but the same general style should be adhered to 

 throughout. 



The practice of this principle automatically rules out the Japa- 

 nese garden transplanted to our Western surroundings; like most 

 exotics, its fault is that it fails to fit in our civilization and tradi- 

 tions of art, and it must always occupy the position of a curiosity. 

 An Eastern garden is full of symbolism which is lost to the un- 

 trained Western mind, and it is no more feasible to graft this art 

 on our traditions of garden design than it is to introduce Japanese 

 manners, costumes, and religion. 



[146] 



