﻿December, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  459 
  

  

  Street 
  Entrances 
  

  

  By 
  Helen 
  Lukens 
  Gaut 
  

  

  EATED 
  at 
  a 
  table 
  spread 
  with 
  fine 
  linen, 
  

   silver 
  and 
  cut 
  glass 
  your 
  anticipations 
  of 
  a 
  

   good 
  dinner 
  are 
  greater 
  than 
  if 
  seated 
  at 
  a 
  

   board 
  covered 
  with 
  oilcloth 
  and 
  littered 
  

   with 
  tinware. 
  In 
  the 
  same 
  fashion 
  your 
  

   expectations 
  of 
  wonderful 
  things 
  to 
  come 
  

   are 
  lashed 
  into 
  high 
  speed 
  when 
  your 
  car- 
  

   riage 
  whirls 
  between 
  two 
  splendid 
  monuments 
  that 
  mark 
  the 
  

   approach 
  to 
  the 
  dwelling 
  for 
  which 
  you 
  are 
  bound 
  ; 
  whereas, 
  

   on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  if 
  you 
  must 
  get 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  dusty 
  road 
  to 
  

   let 
  down 
  the 
  bars 
  of 
  an 
  old 
  board 
  fence, 
  ruining 
  the 
  shine 
  

  

  " 
  

  

  

  iHP 
  

  

  A 
  Simple 
  Wall 
  Can 
  Effectively 
  Retain 
  Lawns 
  and 
  Flower 
  Beds 
  

  

  of 
  your 
  boots 
  by 
  doing 
  so, 
  your 
  hopes 
  of 
  hospitality 
  and 
  re- 
  

   finement 
  beyond 
  the 
  boundary 
  are 
  weighted 
  with 
  suspicion. 
  

   Yet 
  it 
  is 
  truth 
  that 
  the 
  oilcloth 
  covered 
  table 
  with 
  its 
  tin 
  

   dishes 
  is 
  invariably 
  loaded 
  with 
  good, 
  wholesome, 
  hearty 
  

   victuals, 
  the 
  kind 
  that 
  give 
  man 
  the 
  comfortable, 
  pleasant 
  

   assurance 
  of 
  a 
  "square 
  meal," 
  a 
  pleasurable 
  sensation 
  he 
  is 
  

   usually 
  stranger 
  to 
  when 
  nibbling 
  this 
  and 
  that 
  delicacy 
  while 
  

   partaking 
  of 
  a 
  "cut-glass" 
  dinner. 
  Then, 
  too, 
  beyond 
  the 
  

   bars 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  board 
  fence 
  one 
  usually 
  finds 
  the 
  apple 
  

   orchard 
  with 
  its 
  blushing 
  fruit, 
  the 
  arbor 
  with 
  restful 
  shade, 
  

   and 
  a 
  host 
  with 
  the 
  soul 
  of 
  a 
  man, 
  whose 
  hand 
  grasps 
  that 
  

   of 
  his 
  visitor 
  with 
  honest 
  sincerity. 
  After 
  all, 
  it 
  is 
  simplicity, 
  

   whether 
  in 
  the 
  serving 
  of 
  a 
  potato 
  or 
  the 
  serving 
  of 
  hospi- 
  

   tality, 
  that 
  makes 
  the 
  best 
  impression, 
  that 
  paints 
  the 
  most 
  

   beautiful 
  and 
  lasting 
  pictures 
  in 
  our 
  gallery 
  of 
  memories. 
  

   There 
  is, 
  in 
  simplicity, 
  the 
  eloquence 
  of 
  God, 
  while 
  the 
  

   grandeur 
  of 
  man's 
  making 
  seems 
  always 
  shouting 
  and 
  blow- 
  

   ing 
  self-congratulatory 
  trumpets. 
  

  

  Sometimes 
  the 
  builder 
  of 
  a 
  simple 
  home 
  on 
  a 
  fifty-foot 
  city 
  

   lot, 
  lacking 
  a 
  sense 
  of 
  harmony, 
  and 
  wishing 
  to 
  punctuate 
  

   his 
  place 
  of 
  residence 
  with 
  aristocratic 
  emphasis, 
  erects 
  huge 
  

  

  monuments 
  of 
  stone 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  of 
  his 
  street 
  entrance. 
  

   The 
  combination 
  is 
  as 
  far-fetched 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  diamond 
  

   tierra 
  with 
  a 
  calico 
  gown. 
  You 
  feel 
  as 
  if 
  someone 
  is 
  trying 
  

   to 
  deceive 
  you. 
  There 
  is 
  something 
  hypocritical 
  in 
  the 
  

   arrangement. 
  

  

  The 
  cottage 
  home 
  with 
  approach 
  marked 
  by 
  simple 
  quaint 
  

   affairs 
  of 
  timberwork, 
  an 
  arch 
  perhaps, 
  or 
  a 
  roofed 
  entrance 
  

   gate 
  overhung 
  with 
  trailing 
  vines, 
  is 
  an 
  honest 
  bit 
  of 
  civiliza- 
  

   tion. 
  It 
  means 
  just 
  what 
  it 
  indicates, 
  just 
  coziness 
  and 
  com- 
  

   fort. 
  These 
  roofed 
  entrance 
  gates 
  are 
  especially 
  attractive, 
  

   and 
  are 
  of 
  inexpensive 
  and 
  easy 
  construction. 
  They 
  appear 
  

  

  best 
  when 
  made 
  of 
  rustic 
  or 
  

   unplaned 
  lumber. 
  A 
  rustic 
  

   gate 
  under 
  the 
  narrow 
  roof 
  

   gives 
  picturesqueness, 
  but 
  

   where 
  there 
  is 
  much 
  going 
  

   in 
  and 
  out 
  a 
  gate 
  is 
  a 
  nuis- 
  

   ance 
  to 
  open 
  and 
  shut. 
  The 
  

   roofed 
  entranceway 
  shown 
  

   in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  illustrations 
  is 
  

   a 
  pleasing 
  style, 
  and 
  appro- 
  

   priate 
  for 
  marking 
  a 
  drive- 
  

   way 
  leading 
  to 
  a 
  cottage 
  or 
  

   bungalow. 
  If 
  the 
  lot 
  is 
  

   narrow, 
  this 
  driveway, 
  be- 
  

   cause 
  of 
  the 
  space 
  required 
  

   for 
  the 
  dwelling, 
  is 
  neces- 
  

   sarily 
  relegated 
  to 
  one 
  side 
  

   of 
  the 
  lot. 
  A 
  wall 
  of 
  lattice, 
  

   covered 
  with 
  climbing 
  ge- 
  

   raniums, 
  honeysuckles 
  or 
  

   roses, 
  to 
  hedge 
  the 
  garden 
  

   across 
  the 
  front 
  and 
  connect 
  

   with 
  the 
  roofed 
  entrance 
  

   gate, 
  gives 
  a 
  happy 
  effect, 
  

   and 
  if 
  the 
  wall 
  is 
  high 
  

   enough, 
  affords 
  the 
  owner 
  

   the 
  privacy 
  of 
  his 
  garden, 
  

   where 
  he 
  may 
  sit 
  in 
  his 
  

   shirt 
  sleeves 
  and 
  peace, 
  

   smoke 
  his 
  pipe 
  and 
  read 
  his 
  

   newspaper, 
  without 
  being 
  the 
  eye-target 
  for 
  passers-by. 
  

   Neither 
  can 
  he 
  see 
  the 
  tireless 
  fish 
  wagons, 
  sprinkling 
  carts 
  

   and 
  ambulances 
  as 
  they 
  hurry 
  by 
  in 
  procession. 
  By 
  closing 
  

   his 
  ears 
  to 
  the 
  noises 
  of 
  traffic, 
  he 
  can, 
  without 
  over-exertion 
  

   of 
  the 
  imagination, 
  believe 
  himself 
  in 
  the 
  glad 
  country, 
  for 
  

   behind 
  his 
  garden 
  wall 
  flowers 
  bloom 
  riotously, 
  and 
  birds 
  

   llock 
  down 
  from 
  the 
  sun-scorched 
  church 
  spires 
  to 
  sing 
  their 
  

   chorals, 
  finding 
  inspiration 
  for 
  their 
  music 
  in 
  God's 
  hymnals, 
  

   the 
  blossoms 
  and 
  green 
  leaves. 
  

  

  A 
  small 
  cottage 
  located 
  on 
  a 
  city 
  lot 
  can 
  be 
  appropriately 
  

   and 
  comfortably 
  walled 
  from 
  the 
  street 
  by 
  a 
  high, 
  neatly 
  

   trimmed 
  cypress 
  hedge, 
  the 
  entrance-way 
  being 
  accentuated 
  

   by 
  square 
  evergreen 
  monuments, 
  or 
  any 
  other 
  shape 
  desired, 
  

   for 
  that 
  matter, 
  for 
  by 
  frequent 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  pruning 
  shears 
  

   and 
  a 
  little 
  ingenuity, 
  the 
  cypress 
  may 
  be 
  induced 
  to 
  take 
  on 
  

   any 
  form 
  from 
  pillars 
  and 
  fruit 
  baskets 
  to 
  royal 
  arches. 
  A 
  

   high 
  cypress 
  hedge, 
  however, 
  terminating 
  at 
  the 
  entrance- 
  

   way 
  in 
  square 
  dignified 
  pillars, 
  is 
  best 
  suited 
  to 
  the 
  country 
  

   place 
  consisting 
  of 
  several 
  acres. 
  The 
  cypress 
  is 
  a 
  brisk 
  

   grower, 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  objection 
  one 
  could 
  have 
  to 
  it 
  is 
  its 
  

   almost 
  constant 
  need 
  of 
  trimming. 
  If 
  not 
  properly 
  attended 
  

  

  