PROBLEMS 185 



gives the " out-door room" sadly needed at the 

 present time. 



Thus by moving the chicken-yard and using sen- 

 sible clothes-posts, the appearance of the grounds 

 has greatly benefited. It will not be necessary to 

 warn against dumping garbage and ashes in such a 

 yard, because hardly any one is stupid enough to 

 deface a large area of greensward, unless it is with 

 the proverbial red geranium bed. That bed will 

 not intrude in this instance, because the space must 

 be left clear as a laundry-yard. Just so soon as 

 the back part of the grounds have been set to 

 rights, the result will be felt in the neighborhood, 

 and the chances are that others will follow suit. 



As has before been mentioned, the front part of 

 the grounds are semi-public in nature, and that 

 will not be the place for the indulgence of personal 

 whims and vagaries. Often it is only the love of 

 bright colors and the wish that their surroundings 

 appear neat that lead people to disfigure their 

 grounds. Behind the house one can be as inde- 

 pendent as possible without ruining the appear- 

 ance of a street. Of course it always happens that 

 the house that is most noticeable is, in the owner's 

 eyes, the most admirable residence on the street; 

 but that is almost without exception solely on ac- 



