154 OUR ENGLISH LAND MUDDLE. 



Some landlords allow an undue proportion 



of land to lie waste for the purposes of sport 



and pleasure. 



That is by no means a light indictment. All 



those things call for remedy. But the sum of 



them do not justify a capital verdict, especially 



as on the other side can be urged : — 



On the average, landlords are more con- 

 siderate and kind than any other class of 

 employers. 



Very many landlords do in England what 

 Lord Dunraven does in Ireland — devote a 

 great amount of organizing ability and of 

 capital to the land for the love of it rather 

 than with the hope of an adequate money 

 reward. 



The devotion of some land to parks and 

 woods is an aesthetic benefit to all the 

 community, and is of value for climatic 

 reasons. If the woods all over the country 

 were destroyed, the evil effects would 

 soon be felt, not only in the loss of beauty 

 of landscape, but in actual deterioration 

 of soil (vide ex-President Roosevelt's " Mes- 

 sage to Congress," showing the evils of 



