THE LURE OF THE GARDEN 
what is accomplished, is perhaps the garden’s deadliest 
enemy. You cannot hasten nature beyond a certain 
point, and a large part of a garden’s charm is only at¬ 
tained through the passage of time. But many among 
us do not stay in any one place for more than a year or 
two. The ‘'step lively” of the trolley-car conductor is 
the shibboleth of our lives; here to-day and gone to¬ 
morrow. Quick effects and quick results are what we 
want. We cannot plant for ourselves, and why should 
we plant for others? We must acquire leisure and 
stability, and the desire for a home rather than a 
series of stepping-stones, before we become makers of 
gardens. 
The gardens made by our forefathers bespeak this 
lost quality of repose, a quality inherent in them de¬ 
spite the energy with which they confronted and sub¬ 
dued the wilderness. For repose by no means excludes 
energy. There is no need of being splendidly null 
because of achieving a degree of serenity. The ability 
to sit still and wait is a valuable one; for much most 
worth while in our life must either be awaited or else 
entirely missed. 
As this realization grows in us, we shall become not 
only more quiet, but more simple. We need to strike 
a balance, to learn that we can do all we have to do, 
howsoever strenuous the task, and yet have time 
enough to drop it all out of our minds for at least a 
part of each day. Instead of devoting our whole 
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