46 AMERICAN HANDBOOK 



deodar, or even a Norway spruce, solitary 

 and alone ? would look as ridiculous by the 

 side of one of our western log-houses, as 

 a noble, weather-beaten, rustic-looking oak 

 would alongside a magnificent modern spe- 

 cimen of city architecture. 



41. We often hear the remark that ever- 

 greens around a mansion look so beautiful. 

 Others again give a decided ^preference to 

 deciduous trees. This difference of opinion 

 can be accounted for on philosophical princi- 

 ples, and does not originate from any varia- 

 tion in the principles of beauty. Evergreens 

 are the accompaniments of the thoughtful 

 and the reflective. As we advance in age, 

 the fondness for them grows more devoted. 

 Their unchanging character suits the re- 

 flective steadiness that characterizes old age, 

 and which draws our affection towards them 

 as to bosom friends. Deciduous trees are 

 emblematic of lightness and gayety; the 

 young and untutored will always prefer 

 them. Our happiest remembrances cling 

 around the old oak of our childhood's home, 

 without a thought or a care for the holly or 

 the pine. 



