42 



THE PARKS AND GARDENS OF PARIS. 



[ClIAV. II. 



accordingly would shovel them out of the way as rubbish — more 

 ofteusive than the biggest weeds. 



But the greatest drawback to the beauty of this garden is a 

 dirty and formal pool dignified by the name of a lake, and by the 

 side of which is one of the meanest of all shams — the sham ruin. 

 There are few greater mistakes made in gardens than placing 

 small sheets of artificial water in them. There is, however, one 

 virtue in artificial waters seen abroad — they are rarely deep or 

 large enough to drown the children, though ugly enough to 

 irritate sensitive adults. With us the artificial water generally 

 assumes the form of a duck-pond ; in France it is much nearer to 

 a haud-basin. There, if the " lawn " be only as large as a table- 

 cloth, a tub in cement is sure to find a place on it. Happily in 



^i 



Vgly and needless Structures iti the Pnrc Monceaii. 



our small gardens water is less frequently seen. The eft'ect of 

 still water is only pleasant where it sparkles in the sun in broad 

 masses. Nothing can be much more ofi"ensive than small pools of 

 stagnant water. Near a dwelling-house they are objectionable for 

 many reasons ; besides, the space they occupy is precious for better 

 things. Good design in other ways will not in these cases com- 

 pensate for the error of forming artificial water where there is not 

 abundant room for it. It is enough to have half the little gardens 

 about Paris spoiled with cemented tubs without disfiguring this 

 small park with a " lake " of soup-like water. No doubt when the 

 gardens of Paris are delivered from the engineer and tlie architect 

 and placed in the hands of trained garden-artists we shall see 

 an end of these sham ruins, sham pools, sham pyramids, toy 

 bridges. 



