336 Landscape Gardening 



to copy from, procure works where such designs exist, or 

 slill better, a rough and cheap sketch from a competent 

 architect, as a guide. Persuade your neighbor, who is about 

 to build, that even if his house is to cost but $600, there is 

 no economy that he can practise in the expenditure of that 

 sum so indisputable or which he will so completely realize 

 the value of afterwards as $10 or $20 worth of advice, with a 

 few pen or pencil marks to fix the ideas upon paper, from an 

 architect of acknowledged taste and judgment. Whether 

 the house is to look awkward and ugly or whether it is to 

 be comfortable and pleasing for years all depend upon the 

 idea of that house which previously exists in somebody's 

 mind, - - either architect, owner, or mechanic, - - whoever 

 in short conceives what that house shall be before it becomes 

 "a local habitation," or has any name among other houses 

 already born in the hitherto graceless village. 



It is both surprising and pleasant to one accustomed to 

 watch the development of the human soul to see the gradual 

 but certain effect of building one really good and tasteful 

 house in a graceless village. Just as certain as there is a 

 dormant spark of the love of beauty, which underlies all 

 natures extant, in that village, so certain will it awaken at 

 the sight of that house. You will hear nothing about it; 

 or if you do, perhaps you may, at first, even hear all kinds of 

 facetious comments on Mr. -'s new house. But next 

 year you will find the old mode abandoned by him who builds 

 a new house. He has a new idea; he strives to make his 

 dwelling manifest it; and this process goes on till by-and-by 

 you wonder what new genius has so changed the aspect of 

 this village and turned its neglected, bare, and lanky streets 

 into avenues of fine foliage, and streets of neat and tasteful 

 houses. 



It is an old adage that "a cobbler's family has no shoes." 

 We are forced to call the adage up for an explanation of 

 the curious fact that in five villages out of six in the United 

 States there does not appear to have been room enough in 

 which properly to lay out the streets or place the houses. 

 Why on a continent so broad that the mere public lands 



