ROOF-TREE 263 



vanity, but on the contrary great humility and sin- 

 gleness of purpose. The Gothic cathedral does not 

 try to look beautiful ; it is beautiful from the start, 

 and entirely serious. London Bridge is a heroic 

 resolution in stone, and apparently has but one pur- 

 pose, and that is to carry the paved street with all 

 its surging masses safely over the river. 



Unless, therefore, you have had the rare success 

 of building without pride, your house will offend 

 you by and by, and offend others. 



Perhaps after one had graduated in this school 

 and built four or five houses, he would have the 

 courage to face the problem squarely, and build, 

 much more plainly and unpretentiously, a low, nest- 

 ling structure of undressed boards, or unhammered 

 stone, and be content, like the oyster, with the 

 roughest of shells without, so that he be sure of 

 the mother-of-pearl within. 



