CHAPTER XII 

 HINTS TO RURAL IMPROVERS* 



ONE of the most striking proofs of the progress of re- 

 finement in the United States is the rapid increase 

 of taste for ornamental gardening and rural embel- 

 lishment in all the older portions of the northern and middle 

 states. 



It cannot be denied, that the tasteful improvement of a 

 country residence is both one of the most agreeable and 

 the most natural recreations that can occupy a cultivated 

 mind. With all the interest and, to many, all the excite- 

 ment of the more seductive amusements of society, it has 

 the incalculable advantage of fostering only the purest 

 feelings, and (unlike many other occupations of business 

 men) refining, instead of hardening the heart. 

 The great German poet, Goethe, says - 



"Happy the man who hath escaped the town, 

 Him did an angel bless when he was born." 



This apostrophe was addressed to the devotee of country 

 life as a member of a class, in the old world, where men, for 

 the most part, are confined to certain walks of life by the 

 limits of caste, to a degree totally unknown in this country. 

 With us, country life is a leading object of nearly all 

 men's desires. The wealthiest merchant looks upon his 



* Original date of July, 1848. 



It is as interesting as it is surprising to observe how completely the 

 point of view and even the use of the English language have changed in 

 70 years. No one now would think of addressing an essay to "rural 

 improvers" nor of writing a chapter on "rural embellishments." Even 

 "ornamental gardening" has now an unpleasant sound. Yet Mr. Down- 

 ing in his day used the English language with the utmost care and refine- 

 ment. F. A. W. 



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