THE LURE OF THE GARDEN 



what is accomplished, is perhaps the garden's deadliest 

 enemy. You cannot hasten nature beyond a certain 

 point, and a large part of a garden's charm is only at- 

 tained through the passage of time. But many among 

 us do not stay in any one place for more than a year or 

 two. The "step lively" of the trolley-car conductor is 

 the shibboleth of our lives ; here to-day and gone to- 

 morrow. Quick effects and quick results are what we 

 want. We cannot plant for ourselves, and why should 

 we plant for others? We must acquire leisure and 

 stability, and the desire for a home rather than a 

 series of stepping-stones, before we become makers of 

 gardens. 



The gardens made by our forefathers bespeak this 

 lost quality of repose, a quality inherent in them de- 

 spite the energy with which they confronted and sub- 

 dued the wilderness. For repose by no means excludes 

 energy. There is no need of being splendidly null 

 because of achieving a degree of serenity. The ability 

 to sit still and wait is a valuable one; for much most 

 worth while in our life must either be awaited or else 

 entirely missed. 



As this realization grows in us, we shall become not 

 only more quiet, but more simple. We need to strike 

 a balance, to learn that we can do all we have to do, 

 howsoever strenuous the task, and yet have time 

 enough to drop it all out of our minds for at least a 

 part of each day. Instead of devoting our whole 



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