XXX Editor's Introduction 



son from England to help him in improving 

 Muskau, He speaks appreciatively of many land- 

 scape architects and horticulturists or gardeners, 

 explains their ideas, and even quotes them at 

 length, and does not hesitate to criticize them as 

 he did in the case of Repton's son. Nor did he 

 claim for himself any special academic standing. 

 He did not apparently consider himself a pro- 

 fessor of the art, nor did he undertake to found 

 any special school of landscape gardening. Rather 

 he felt like a great amateur who engaged him- 

 self in a pleasant occupation vs^ith profound se- 

 riousness, and faithfully devoted himself to it 

 because it was the joy of his life. Probably, if 

 he had desired posthumous fame, he would have 

 written more for publication. It sufficed him to 

 make a fine map of the park of Muskau and 

 describe it more or less completely and add 

 thereto sundry "hints," as he terms them, 

 although their character is so fundamental and 

 comprehensive that it would be difficult to find 

 anything better of its kind in landscape-gardening 

 literature. A quaint, original, free spirit of a man ! 

 He did his chore in life with little regard to 

 fame, and none too much for rules or conven- 

 tions. Consequently, it is not strange that, with 

 his broad and almost prophetic outlook, he should 

 impress us as almost a man of the present day. 

 Certainly, as one walks and drives at the present 

 time around his park at Muskau, it is impossible 

 not to recognize the kinship of his work with 

 modern landscape gardening. He seems to have 



