^BOUNDARIES— NECESSARY AND NEEDLESS 



led, in a measure, to judge the progress of the town toward 

 the best standards, by the status of the fence question. 



Somehow the village, with its miserable, circumscribed 

 "two-by-four" lots, its half-built, wholly unpainted, wooden, 

 or pretentious iron, picket fences, and the ragged wire net- 

 ting with its half-hung gateways and broken-down posts, 

 stirs up an irritation within me that I realize is worthy of a 

 greater cause. I can close my eyes now and look down the 

 principal resident streets of a half-dozen different towns in 

 Southern California, fairly successful from a commercial 

 standpoint perhaps, but artistically considered, and as places 

 for home-making, failures. 



Now, of course, the first question to be answered is, is a 

 fence absolutely necessary for protection? If it is I have 

 nothing to say. There may be dogs, and cattle, and careless 

 people who must be guarded against, and if there are no 

 laws that can be brought to bear in restraining them from 

 intrusion, then of course we shall have to fence against 

 them, but it is an easy matter to inculcate a right sentiment 

 in most neighborhoods if it is rightly set about. However, 

 if there must be a fence, why not make an effort to have 

 something artistic. A low stone wall, or a low wooden curb 

 covered with vines, or a neat iron fence, or, if it must be 

 wooden and cheap, why not make a low rustic fence from 

 the pretty bamboos, or even from the boughs of the eucalyp- 

 tus, or the poplar, or cottonwood; but whatever it is, re- 

 member it need not be more expensive simply because it is 

 agreeable to the eye. I do not fancy the much-used wire 



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