ADVICE FOR LACKLAND 



have lived long enough to know that profes- 

 sional traditions in all the arts— landscape 

 gardening and architecture among the rest — 

 stand in the way of a great many beauties. 

 Every country-place wants its special art-gar- 

 niture (without respect to traditions) as much 

 as every pretty face wants its special environ- 

 ments of colors and of laces. When, therefore, 

 I hear a man declaim against white gates, or 

 red gates, or rustic gates, or stone gates, per 

 se, without reference to their position, or sug- 

 gestive aims, I condemn him as an iron meth- 

 odist, who apprehends no beauty by intuition, 

 but only by force of precept. 



Perhaps I have myself rather hastily con- 

 demned all close gates, as belonging to stable- 

 courts and jail-yards. There are situations, 

 certainly, where they are not only allowable, 

 (as upon back-entrances of gardens,) but 

 where they contribute eminently to the air of 

 privacy which must mark every true home. 

 And I am reminded, in this connection, of a 

 certain garden-door-way, which I saw near 

 Keightley, in Yorkshire; it opened upon a 

 narrow lane in the rear of the suburban 

 grounds to which it was attached, and showed 

 such homely, resolute determination to work 

 up into tasteful shape the stones abounding in 



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