BUILDING THE HOUSE 57 



gardens, and the outlook. The land-owner should 

 live all over his land, getting his life as well as his 

 living in the garden and orchard. This does not 

 mean that architecture is out of place in the country ; 

 only that it ought to be country architecture. 



As a rule, the man to plan a house is the man who 

 is to live in it, and it should express first of all his 

 feelings, and be very much what a shell is to a crus- 

 tacean only it need not be carried about on his 

 back. Have you ever noted how the useful and the 

 beautiful blend in one of these sea houses, the shell 

 telling you what the occupant really thinks and likes ? 

 Our houses do nothing of that sort, or very seldom 

 do it. 



The country is spotted all over with houses, for the 

 most part uniform, or very slightly varying a few 

 conventional features; and they are set back just 

 about an even distance from the road. Fortunately 

 it is not possible for them to be planted near enough 

 to quite create a row. The poorer ones are the pret- 

 tier, because they really express poor folks' needs, 

 and the nicest room is the kitchen, because it tells 

 more about the people who use it. A parlor or a 

 sitting room is generally pretentious and a flat fail- 

 ure every way. 



Just note how people look and act in one of these 

 formalities. The best place to receive visitors is on 

 your veranda in big rocking-chairs or rustic seats, 

 and as for your friends, take them to rustic seats and 

 hammocks under your trees. The poorest house in 



