THE LAWS OF DEVELOPING LANDSCAPE. 



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natural that anybody ever saw, being generally mere lumpy pools, regard- 

 ing neither the land formations nor the characters of the scenes they are 

 to enhance. The outlines of water should be ever varying according 

 to the character of the surroundings. Figures 177, 178, and 179 show that 

 the formations of different sheets of water, pools, or lakes need never be 

 alike, but that each one can be made to suit the character of its sur- 

 roundings. 



Pure, clear water is a joy to life. In peaceful moments it is the 

 mirror of nature, a very mirror of magic, showing all surroundings, from 

 the smallest, wee grass-blade, the flowers, the noble trees, and the stately 

 rocks, to the very scenic skies themselves, distinctly giving some of the 

 variations of a double existence — an existence of impression and an exist- 

 ence of earth. Between these two a gulf is fixed, for earth is limited 

 in its capacity, but impression is infinite everywhere. 



Moving water in sunshine puts to shame all the jewels the eyes of 

 men and women ever saw, for such water in natural developments pro- 

 duces worlds of brilliants as it goes sparkling on its dazzling career. 



Water attracts all and feeds our impressions with its loveliness ; from 

 the smallest to the largest quantities of pure water, all give a charm, a 

 life, a welcome impress to our being. 



Amidst our lakes, rivers, ravines, &c, beautiful bridges are an assist- 

 ance to scenery. Properly made bridges are one of the best mediums as 

 unions of the formal art of man's building and the informal and infinite 

 beauties of natural formations. 



Character. 



When the impressions of beauty are known to us, known so as to 

 move and sway our impulses, we learn somewhat of the reality of those 

 impressions and their immense power. 



The benefits of infinite impressions are so much to the inner life of 

 our existence that we are apt to endeavour to analyse them, and give 

 names to them, calling these impressions characters. Then, when we can 

 analyse somewhat, we are able to denote some of the advantages that these 

 impressions make upon our real life. We name these characters according 

 to their results— graceful, stately, sublime, tender, &c. — whether they 

 unfold to us knowingly or unknowingly. 



Character is impression of beauty, and causes human beings to forget 

 their bodily existence by its power of displaying the beauties of silent life. 

 We receive these advantages only when we have learned to gather these 

 impressions truly. These impressions are so far beyond language that 

 words cannot do more than act as finger-posts to guide or point to 

 characters of beauty, for the true impressions of beauty are those of 

 inspiration. 



Impressions form every being, and continue such formation, while the 

 body may be asleep, awake, in action, or at rest ; in fact, under any or all 

 existences of body, the human being continues developing its real life 

 according to the impressions received. 



To learn character is to learn the advantages of beauty, to learn true 

 admiration ; for only by the power of true admiration is beauty known. 



