Mount Royal, Montreal 
sions^.of the mountain. They covered an area 
in all of about;400'^ acres. 
With this general notion of Montreal and the 
topographical character of the mountain in mind, 
we can proceed more intelligently to a consideration 
of the controlling purposes and aims of the design. 
The first step was to determine what the conditions 
made impossible or inappropriate. The mountain 
being chosen as the site of the park, it would become 
impossible as well as inappropriate to try to make 
anything else than a mountain of it. The delusion 
The new work of art was to be r consistent with 
Nature’s but to have more, not less, of poetic charm. 
What then was to be the main purpose of the 
design ? It was to idealize such mountain beauty 
as already existed, to remove its defects, to enhance 
its strength and majesty, to give more of unity and 
more of harmony to the whole effect; and, at the 
same time, to provide adequately all those human 
conveniences without which the full realization of 
the purpose of the mountain as a public park would 
have been impossible. Therefore, to quote the 
DIFFERENT WINDING ROADS OF CRAGS’ FOOT 
“ Refinement in such matters—roads and their grades for example—is the main part of landscape architecture ” 
that flower beds are the required and proper furni¬ 
ture of a public park was at once dismissed. Noth¬ 
ing inconsistent with mountain dignity, serenity and 
strength was to be retained or unnecessarily intro¬ 
duced. On the other hand, the mistake of “letting 
alone” simply on the ground that what is, is natural, 
was to be avoided. For Mr. Olmsted knew that 
by intelligent interference other effects equally 
natural and much more beautiful could be obtained. 
The old work of Nature can seldom be preserved just 
as it is, but it suggests what is to be attempted. 
landscape architect himself, “the grounds of the 
mountain were to be subdued in character and 
operations for their improvement were not to be 
ambitious but intended: (i) To relieve the surface 
of the mountain of the accidental and transient con¬ 
dition through which it has at present an unneces¬ 
sarily desolate and melancholy aspect. (2) Without 
destroying the essential picturesqueness of its natural 
features, to add a greater beauty of foliage. (3) To 
subordinate and as far as may be practicable, ob¬ 
scure with suitable natural objects the constructions 
79 
