322 



houses as these homesteads built comfortably 

 within a man s income, in which he can and does 

 live more liberally than he cares to appear to live 

 houses in which, if times should change, he or his 

 children could live consistently and without mean 

 ness, on half his present expenditure. 



&quot; Another great reason why houses change hands 

 BO often, and are so little homes for those who pos 

 sess them, is the practice of living too hopefully into 

 the future, and without regard to future exigencies, 

 living with too much sail in proportion to ballast. 

 It is for every man to think what he desires in this 

 matter. Many do not desire homes in the sense 

 that I have described. They prefer to live on the 

 wing, and in a splendor above their real means. 

 With such it is better to rent, and quite absurd to 

 build. It is even worse it is mocking their children 

 to build a house so splendid that none of them will 

 be able to keep it up. Better the humblest cabin, 

 respected and loved as the dear old home of child 

 hood, the shelter of a father s gray hairs, the centre 

 of a hundred happy gatherings round a mother s 

 knees, the refuge uriinvaded by all enemies save the 

 last, and where even he is so serenely met and wel 

 comed as to be robbed of his sting, and to have his 

 enmity destroyed.&quot; 



In England, the passion for owning land may be 

 said to be hereditary among all classes. With the 

 titled and rich, who are able to gratify it, it has 

 produced some remarkable results. The great land 

 holders are now comparatively few in number. I 

 have seen them variously computed at from 30,000 



