Art Out-of-Doors 
and to the varieties of surface in the ground 
has been settled, there is nothing left for him 
but to do the best he can with his approach ; 
this often means something very different 
from the best that might have been done ; 
and upon the character of the approach may 
depend the success or failure of the place as 
a whole. 
In places of much size a curved entrance- 
drive is better than a straight one. Natur- 
ally, there may be a case when a wide 
straight avenue can, with advantage, be car- 
ried in a direct line through a great estate, 
leading to a house whose architectural maj- 
esty demands a very dignified approach. 
But such cases rarely occur in America. 
As a rule what we call a large place is not 
large according to English ideas, at least in 
so far as the ornamental grounds are con- 
cerned ; and a house which we consider 
stately, an Englishman would be apt to call 
merely comfortable. Almost without excep- 
tion, therefore, wide straight drives are in- 
admissible in this country, except in pub- 
lic parks ; a curved road is better, because 
96 
