THE COUNTRY HOME [CHAPTER 
the influence of conditions that seem at first quite 
similar to those which surrounded our fathers of 
seventy-five years ago — conditions that created a 
great degree of uniformity in customs, and a very 
fixed equality of privileges. But looking deeper, 
we shall see that old things are not to be repeated. 
There will be a combination of country and city life 
— country freedom with city culture. New ideas 
will take root easily, and new methods. The latest 
scientific information will be sought and applied. 
No one will be isolated. ‘These new homes will be 
joined by telephones, so that they can talk together, 
plan together, laugh together. I think we shall 
have an age of real democracy — at least of growing 
democracy. 
I shall close this chapter with a few general hints. 
The first of these and one of the most important 
is that, wherever you establish your home, you do 
not undertake grading natural slopes into terraces or 
levels. Nature has probably as much wit in fixing 
the land as you can show with your plow and 
scraper. The most you should undertake is to re- 
move unnatural roughness, and fill up gullies; but 
you should not in any way disturb the general lay 
of theland. When that sort of improvement is once 
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