LAYING OUT OF GROUNDS. 179 



to qualify the monotony of one unvarying scene, be- 

 wildering from its very extent not only to distinguish 

 the home view from that of every plodder along the 

 highway, but furthermore, and chiefly, to show such 

 traces of art management as shall quicken the zest 

 with which the natural beauties, as successively un- 

 folded, are enjoyed. A great scene of mountains, or 

 river, or sea, or plain, is indeed always a great scene ; 

 but in the presence of it a country home is not neces- 

 sarily a beautiful home. To this end, the art that 

 deals with landscape effect must wed the home to the 

 view ; must drape the bride, and teach us the piquant 

 value of a " coy, reluctant, amorous delay." 



Again, it should be a cardinal rule in landscape 

 art (as in all other art, I think) not to multiply means 

 for producing a given effect. Where one stroke of 

 the brush is enough, two evidence weakness, and 

 three incompetency. If you can secure a graceful 

 sweep to your approach-road by one curve, two are 

 an impertinence. If a clump of half a dozen trees 

 will effect the needed diversion of the eye and pro- 

 duce the desired shade, any additions are worse than 

 needless. If some old lichened rock upon your lawn 

 is grateful to the view, do not weaken the effect by 

 multiplying rocks. Simple effects are the purest and 

 best effects as well in landscape art as in moral 

 teaching. 



