LIVING OUTDOORS 29 



base-ball require. Some of the loveliest garden effects I saw in 

 England were bowling greens, and we now have some exquisite 

 examples in America, such as the Larz Anderson green, at Brook- 

 line, Mass., and the Mather green at Ishpeming, Mich., where 

 the resting-place is under a pergola. The ideal bowling green is 

 circular, so that you can change the "crease," or line of play, every 

 day or two and thus keep the green everywhere in perfect order. 



The chief expense in bowls is in maintaining a perfect lawn. 

 A regulation set costs about twelve dollars, including eight bowls, 

 two jacks, and a book of rules. If I were a factory owner I would 

 certainly give my men a chance to play bowls and quoits at noon 

 and night. Many employers in England do this. These games have 

 an immediate effect in cutting out friction and improving the esprit 

 de corps, while the health and efficiency of the workers are slowly 

 but steadily improved. It costs only ten cents to find out 

 whether this game is adapted to your purpose, for there is a little 

 guide book that will tell you all about it. And don't forget that 

 the antics of the weighted ball are always amusing to young and 

 old, so that even if you never become an expert you cannot miss 

 having good exercise and good fun. 



But I think we have comparatively little to learn from England 

 about vigorous sports and pastimes. The greatest lesson about 

 outdoor living that she can teach us is the necessity of having a garden. 

 For what we need most is relaxation and there is no way in which 

 we can refresh ourselves for the world's work like living in a garden 

 as the English do. We seem to think that whether a man has a 

 garden or not is a mere incident, or simply a matter of taste. 

 But to an Englishman a garden is as necessary as a dining-room 

 and from the stand-point of national health, it is perhaps quite as 

 necessary to a family as sanitary plumbing. I do not say this 



