Enclosures 95 



to conform itself to than the enclosures of a park, 

 but I think otherwise, and quite approve of the 

 English fashion of having every park enclosed with 

 great care, but this enclosure should be varied and 

 in large part it should not be felt inside the park. 

 At bottom this question of enclosure is rather a 

 matter of expediency than of aesthetics, and yet as 

 an element of beauty I do not condemn it. Are 

 not such beautiful uncultivated spots marked off 

 as it were by distinct boundaries, and does not such 

 a division often increase their charm? For example, 

 a valley shut in by a dense forest or impassable rocks, 

 an island surrounded by running water, give the 

 feeling of home, of entire possession, of security 

 against intrusion or disturbance, allowing us to 

 enjoy all the more comfortably the beauty of the 

 surroundings. And, therefore, in a park the pre- 

 sence of a protecting wall or fence should be wel- 

 comed as a highly desirable element, necessary for 

 the peace and security of our enjoyment in excluding 

 the unwelcome intruder, but which should be so 

 contrived as to permit us to go out from the park into 

 the surrounding country. Hence the sight of an 

 enclosure can only be obnoxious to those who hold 

 so exaggerated a notion of freedom that, hating 

 everything that bears the name of barrier, they 

 would wish to overturn even imaginary barriers! 

 In England, as I have said before, not only every 

 park, but on account of the precious cattle, every 

 section of it, every coppice and every exposed young 



