36 STUDIES IN GARDENING 



sistently beautiful both in design and in ornament, 

 with a beauty that seems to ennoble the pleasures 

 that it serves. There is something in the order and 

 quiet of a beautiful formal garden, in its perfect recon- 

 cilement of nature and man, which gives one a greater 

 love of life, and this is just the same feeling that one 

 gets from the enjoyment of a beautiful house. Both 

 seem to prove that man is not a mere defacer of the 

 world, that if he chooses he can add beauty to it, even 

 in fulfilling his own wants, like the flowers themselves. 

 The best art is nearer to nature than any attempt 

 to imitate her, because it comes into being, like her 

 beauties, for some purpose outside itself. 



