ON THE THEORY OF A GARDEN. 17 



love, poesy, and passion. Indeed, were its winsome- 

 ness not balanced by simple human enjoyments 

 were its charmed silences not broken by the healthy 

 interests of common daily life the romps of children, 

 the clink of tea-cups, the clatter of croquet-mallets, 

 the melee of the tennis-courts, the fiddler's scrape, 

 and the tune of moving feet, it might well seem too 

 lustreful a place for this work-a-day world. 



Apart from its other uses, there is no spot like a 

 garden for cultivating the kindly social virtues. Its 

 perfectness puts people upon their best behaviour. 

 Its nice refinement secures the mood for politeness. 

 Its heightened beauty produces the disposition that 

 delights in what is beautiful in form and colour. Its 

 queenly graciousness of mien inspires the reluctant 

 loyalty of even the stoniest mind. Here, if any- 

 where, will the human hedgehog unroll himself and 

 deign to be companionable. Here friend Smith, 

 caught by its nameless charm, will drop his brassy 

 gabble and dare to be idealistic ; and Jones, forgetful 

 of the main chance and " bulls " and " bears," will 

 throw the rein to hjs sweeter self, and reveal that 

 latent elevation of soul and tendency to romance 

 known only to his wife ! 



"There be delights," says an ancient writer, 

 " that will fetch the day about from sun to sun, 

 and rock the tedious year as in a delightful dream." 

 This tells, in terse English, the pleasures of a garden 

 and the instincts that are gratified in its making. 

 For a garden is Arcady brought home. It is man's 

 bit of gaudy make-believe his well-disguised fiction 



c 



