, 1873-05-11
An Interesting Work by Mr.. q. ".
S. Cleveland, Of This City.
Application Of tic Art to tho Embellish-
nent Of a Private Estate, or the ::
Laying:0ut Of a Town. i
shallthe Cities Of the Future Copy the
Blemishes Of the, Cities: of
the Present +.
Benefits of the art in a Pecuniary
Point of View. ,:''',

Z O4bG w AC"s
Some Remarks on Lincoln Park---The
River-Towns of the West.
Most people hare an Idea that, landscape gar
denns, or architecture, IS it ought to be called,
has eomething to do with laying ont rose-bushes
in elegant ju1tapoeition, and planning miracul-
Gus sna1lB Of gravel-paths. They look on it as q
luxury to be enjoyed, like Other lu1ures, in after
years, when, having acquired, after tho American
system, : fortune and d premature imbecility,
they "roti1c" to come abode OF rural felicity,
and spend their declining years in bedizening
q ten-acre lot, yclept park, and q structure Of
abortiyo architecture, yclept villa They e1-
pend large sums in reducing their places to
DEAD LEVEL OF DEFoRuTY.
If there is q natural wood upon it, they grub
up all the underbrush, and 1op all the trees into
gauut;; top-heaYy scarecrows. If there is gen
tie swell in their land, giving an agreeable diver
sity to tina surface they viii terrace it, or cart it
away and Hi up some little hollow, where they
might have, almost for the wishing, a little gem
Of lake. Having, by these ingenious destruc-
rions, got nd efectually Of Nature, they feel
themselves ready for Art, and call upon the
landRcape-archte for some Of his ameliorating
decorations. They know just what they want,
and with great vo1ubility tell the landscape
architect what he is to-. do. They want
"a fountain garishly displayed for the ad1nira-
tion Of every .wayfarer on the street; u. rustic
arbor or eeat, not where any one would ever be
tempted to make use Of it, but where it mhy
most conspicuously proclaim that this is the
abode of rural felicity aower-beds, rock-work,
eerpentine walks, all to bo arranged with the
same obvious purpose OF display; the idea
throughout being that the place must be dressed
up to look pretty, that the landscape e-gardeuors
duty is simply to arrange the dressing, and the
test Of his skill consists in making the most
elaborate display Of such baby-house furniture
as the owner is willing to pay for" "a
AL these secondary and hopeless applications,
these attempts to do with an Art which has been
forestallcd what ought to have been done by
the simple preservation Of Nature, are not land
ecape architecture. They are no more land
scape-architecture than the attempt to restore
some old, 1nisused, unacceptable portrait Of
Van Dykes, which has bean used as garrett
curtain, is painting Observation-Disclosures
DISTINCT ART OF ITS OWN,
With principles, traditions, and fealties OF its
own; it IL primary, not secondary; it covers not
alone the Identifying OF private estate. but
the arranging OF suburban villages, and even
the preparatory and fundamental prearranglng
of whole towns. ..
Il 10 defined by
MR. Il: VS.. CLEVELAND, ,....
Of this city, in . charming. book, just published
" Jansen, McClurg d Co., to be, the art OF at
economically, and gracefully to any Of the varied
wants Of civilization" 9
Tn1s MOST FASCINATING OF TIE ARTS
.ur. Cleveland explains With great breadth, and,
attention to detail He takes 1t up from 1te hum
blest applications in the adornment of simple
frout-yard to the massive and comprehensiye
work Of aot!cipang re agntt H. o1 RGpaaeaa
eites Tor towns, central parks, conveniently ar
ranged streets, and picturesque dwelling-places.
Aa he says: =
It cannot be denied that one mode Of adapting the
nrraug of city, torn, private estate to
natural featurea Of its kitaton, my hc preferable
to another, as means OF securing the utmost con-
s:7activo and graceful manner It cannot bo denied
that the infinitely varying circumstances Of the topog
e1onng variety Of in order to secure the
kbcEt e3ch 1t cannot be denied that the design OF
Fsrch arrangements demands the exercise Of skill judg
reu and ste equa at least to that required for the
architecture Of buildings. 1t seems almost absurd
that Of reasoning should be necessary in
order to Prove the existence Of such IN art az and-
Eca1e architecture, but willie continue to ignore Its
existence, and to 50 on blindy and without method,
III the performance Of works which obviously should
10 bared dirccu; upon Its prnctpes-and with such
al oppo.tunity as NJ nation ever before enjoyed Of
diysloiing tic theory and practice Of tho art-am
rigut in asserting ita Claims, and demanding II
ous fer the sake Of our future reputation, that they
should be 1ecognf-ed2 ''''' ~.'-'s 80
His fundamental idea-one on which he insists
With great eaInestness-is, that the landscape
architects work
IS PRIMARY,
and lhat he ought to be tha first on the ground
whether the affair on hand is to arrange garden,
or Is one Of those vast Western real estate opera
items, by which the eituation and courses OF a.
future city are to be determined, it ought to be
managed with q view to making the best poBsi-
bic use OF natural advantages. L is tho original
design that fixes forever the intrinsic charac-
determines whether it is to be beentifu1 and
picturesque, a joy forever, or an immortal de-
formity. Mistakes made by careless or ignorant
hands in the beginning can never be reinedied: -
The following extlact viii show how Mr..
Cleveland applies bis theory to the case Of
s~'~~' -. ArR1vArE ESTATE, -=s~
with 4 thoroughly practical. provision for COM
fort ard tho utG1ies Of life, and also with the
kindly eye OF d lo;;e. OF Nature who wiahes to
preserve her beauties from outrage:' ?.
In selecting the position for house, which il to be-
come family homestead. on estate comprising the
usual variety Of rural scenery in the form Of hills val
aj:cent 70 its oxn limits, it shonld BE- remembered
that tho immediate wants Of its first occupants
11so but single LINK in the chain Of circumstances
Which should be hken into consideration before |
making the fnni decEion. The building about to be
erected may ouas several generations Of occupants
and II would prove source Of coaatant annoyance to
discover, when too late, that Ind been made
in its position. involving dfsagreeable Consequences
hch might have been avoided or failing 10 SECURE
advantages which another situation would have af-
forded.
Such mistakes are very common, and conaidera-
.ou Of Of the questions involved will show that
the probability Of their occurrence Ia very great 80
II any considerable elevation, commanding an e1-
tended prospect, is included in the a1en tho first
impulse OF an inexperienced person will be to eelect
the summit the most desirable site for the residence
The importance ct securing such a view from the /
Windows, conducive to the happiness Of the daily
life Of the occupants, Is ap: to be oTerrated in tho
cathaaaam excited By its drst contemplation AIost
people btcone indifferent to 1t when its novelty is
DESTROYED BY daily habit. whereas the annoyance |
attending the to elevated position, which at
inst seemed a cheap price for the treasure to ba
secured, never diminished by repetition. The |
necessity Ct climbing the hill q. every return to the
house. in all conditions Of weather. through rain and
Elect, and icy winda and hroilng whatever the