The Natural Style in Landscape Gardening 



(Our terminology here, where we speak of the 

 formal form and the informal form, is execrable, 

 but it is unavoidable, and the ideas are perfectly 

 definite and logical.) 



Our partial definition of the so-called natural 

 style of landscape gardening speaks of it in terms 

 of form. But any vital style must have something 

 more than form. It must also have a living, breath- 

 ing spirit. Any form without spirit is dead and fit 

 only for the crematory. 



What then is the informing spirit of the natural 

 style? Is it not the spirit of the natural landscape? 

 We speak of the spirit of the woods, or the spirit 

 of the mountains ; and, quite as precisely as common 

 language can ever convey spiritual ideas, we know 

 what we mean. We do actually have a perfectly 

 clear idea in mind when we speak of these things. 



The idea is not only clear, but valuable in the 

 highest degree. Our spiritual ideas are always more 

 important than our thoughts about materials; and 

 it is more important to any man — much more im- 

 portant — to know the spirit of the woods or the 

 spirit of the plains or the spirit of the mountains. 



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