448 The Embellishment of Dwellings. 



reason that nearly all who build houses ape one another, and 

 never think of anything save the gratification of their vanity, 

 which most generally consists of a desire to be thought 

 wealthy. Of the few such model places that are to be seen, 

 the most are the result of accident. It is by carefully ob- 

 serving these, and tracing to their source the agreeable sensa- 

 tions felt on beholding them, that we can learn the principles 

 on which their picturesque effects are founded. An exact 

 imitation of the model must be equally pleasing ; but as de- 

 signs must be made to suit different situations, we cannot 

 transfer the genuine charms of one place to another without 

 thoroughly comprehending the true and secret causes of the 

 pleasure they give to the spectator. 



In conclusion, I will repeat that it seems vastly more im- 

 portant to strive after these picturesque advantages in the 

 style of our dwellings and their appurtenances, than to seek 

 for a showy or ambitious style of architecture. It is of but 

 little importance whether a house be Gothic or Grecian, 

 Swiss or Italian, English or American in its style, provided it 

 be justly proportioned, and destitute of meretricious orna- 

 ments, and the grounds and outbuildings be so arranged as to 

 render the situation pleasing to the eye. How beautiful 

 soever a house may be, we may surround it with such deco- 

 rations as shall cancel the whole efTect of the fine style of its 

 architecture. Too much stress has of late years been placed 

 on mere architectural ornaments. Seek propriety in the style 

 of a house and let its beauty consist rather in its proportions 

 than its ornaments. Let it- be made attractive by a tasteful 

 and expressive laying out of the grounds, and you will have 

 done what will yield the most lasting satisfaction to the 

 owner, the occupant, and the public in general. 



Beverly^ Sept. 13, 1853. 



Mr. Flagg has a Lyceum Lecture carefully prepared " On 

 the Picturesque." The article in this magazine is no part 

 of the lecture, which treats of the subject in the abstract, 

 elucidating it by a variety of images drawn from nature and 

 art. — Ed. 



