The Artist 
cathedral aisles, completely over-arched by 
giant elms and maples ; and this also is a 
sight that one might travel far to see. 
Good planning, we know, is the foun- 
dation of all good gardening art. Impor- 
tant in the smallest problem, it is trebly 
important in large ones ; and nothing in the 
world is so instructive with regard to good 
planning on a very large scale as are our great 
public parks. In them, I think, we can 
learn more about the highest principles of 
landscape-gardening than Europe could 
teach. When a student can really appreci- 
ate all the excellence of one of Mr. Olm- 
sted’s parks, when he really understands its 
creator’s ideals and methods, he has done 
much to fit himself for his own future work. 
Small problems are not very illuminative 
with regard to great ones ; but the way in 
which great ones have been managed— as a 
whole and in their several parts — may be 
infinitely helpful with regard to the smallest ; 
that is to say, if the student always bears in 
mind that, in his art as in the architect’s, 
the virtue of virtues is fitness. 
369 
