THE LANDSCAPE BEAUTIFUL 



of a pleasant Sunday afternoon or evening 

 in a good Concord buggy with a safe horse 

 to drive mile after mile of shady country 

 lane. Such things in the country take the 

 place of theaters and amusement parks in 

 cities, and are vastly better. They are 

 so much better that their value should be 

 frankly recognized and their beauties fully 

 developed. 



Such scenery drives are not alone for 

 youthful lovers. If ever I grow so old as 

 not to enjoy a mile of country road with 

 the wife of my maturity, I shall know that 

 I am ready for the divorce courts and the 

 boneyard. 



The preservation of good scenery is 

 one of the first duties of rural improvers. 

 Every locality has its lake, its river, its 

 favorite picnic ground, its high hill with 

 wide-sweeping prospect, its grove of noble 

 trees, its cave, its gorge, its "devil's garden," 

 or its level intervale. Let all such be 

 cherished like a woman's honor. They are 

 beyond all price. They are usually un- 

 marked and uncared for, and are often 

 ignorantly and cheaply sacrificed. 



Sometimes there are historic trees to 

 be preserved, or historic spots to be marked. 



216 



