The Lake Charles echo., 1894-06-08
SCENERY COMPARED.
THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
ENGLISH AND AMERICAN.

The one Is EEerywhsre Affected by Man
and Art--The other IL Prlmeval and vir-
gia--Luxury may suit Engiish Scenery
but Not SO with Us.
Having lately visited England after a
long absence my mind since my return
has been busy with the subject of tho re-
lations between our scenery and that Of |
the old world. / visited dull part of |
Hampshire. On leaving the house where |
! was staying 1t was necessary to get /
up to an early breakfast to catch Q train
Two young soldiers, very pleasant and |
friendly fellows, who went away at the |
same time, were in the cab with me.
Reference was made to the scenery, and /
one of them, who had been in America,
said, 'rYou Americans may not always
say you admire England, but in your
hearts You know there Is nothing like
it." / looked out of the cab window at
the fiat and very rolled out landscape,
cut up into squares and plots by iron
fences, which, however, with its sparse
oaks standing here and there, was not
without classic grace, and thought OF
tho fresh and magic outlines of the Viz
ginia mountains. But tho hour was
much too carly and too drowsy to allow
of any expression of dissent, II Is an
old question, that between tho scenery
Of the two worlds 1t Is simple enough,
however, with an obvious answer, Hore
| it is primeval and virgin nature; there,
nature affected by man and art,
The difference between European and
| American trees and woodlands Is sig
nificant of this, Early in September an
acquaintance took me to look ut re-
markable oak on his place in Essex,
which he said had been thought by some
persons to be relic of the ancient Brit
ish forest. This oak, which was not very
high threw its powerful arms straight
out In all directions over wide space
of ground. Certainly suCh u tree could
not have stood in an aboriginal forest
There would not have been sufficient
sun to produce so great an amount OF
LEAKAGE, and there would have been no
room for such vast lateral extension,
It so happened that only a few months
before, in Juno perhaps, ! had seen in
Tennessee a good deal Of forest which
was almost virgin, The trees went
straight upward to Il great height, the
boles being clean Of branches q long
distance from the ground and the leaf
age scant, except at the top, where 1t TO
oeiyed the sun, rode into the middle
of this forest The trees We're often &c
close together that it would have been
hard for horse to go between them,
aud my horse followed the bed OF q
stream which was 50 shallow that II
scarcely more than wet his fetlocksr the
rhododendrons being very thick on each
side Of me, Hating i'll the midst OF the
level floor of tho forest, it was an i'm
pressive scene which l found, The pale
lofty trunks stood everywhere parallel
and with q stately deCorum and regular
: ity, except where, half way up the ad
J laeent mountain side, some tumblinl
- trees, leaning at angles against thei
b surrounding fellows, which had arrest
= ed them in falling, varied the universe
. propriety with u noble confusion tn
: gray trunks looking like mighty fallel
y pillars Of q ruined temple.
\ 1t is true that our scenery IL not YER
& rich In its associations Of human history
=, | lhlH hbuIBb vi lllthibnN wv ANNN ~
. . only to a slight degree But tho land
u soape has its own history, Il II not wei
70 to consider that history Is not sconer
! made more Impressive by the study
y those sublime changes which have prt
" pared the world which we see, aud ma
not the disclosures OF men Of science, Z
far NJ the unlearned are capable of con
=. pretending them, DO brought to the ser'
3I ice of the seuRO nf natural beauty
- Apather contrast there may be IN Il
~ scenery of the two lands, There IL tn
~ to be said of English sGenery--it h sui
! y able to tho luxury and comfort of hnI
~ lish country life " Is appropriate
w tho English tleshpots There are plen
W OF eaHntry houses throughout lnglaI
in which material comforts arc OF Il
~ best, aud which Rt certain seasons 90
w tain much agreeable company OF b1
sexes. / had some experience OF such
W house in Surrey, Tho library was exc'
- lent, For q wonder the weather W
~ good, tho ephemeral British sunshiI
hs remaining all day on tho southern wa
hs aud really lavish among those howe
~ OF the garden you do not know by naIp
y y Easily detained by such an eEistens
~ - you are not inelipea 70 anything me
III III active than a9ns kind pf pleasant res
~ ing and are likely ia lose yoUr place
M NJ. that, while your gaze rests upon I
w hills To the west, 10 such q life q
wv such q state pf mind tho vague, soft
pect OF the Surrey hills was most sui
ble---two impalpable ranges Of hills,
A Turing to the eyes. Essences they see
. 4 cd rather than substance or matt
ant and unreal, save In their gentle en-
@ ing aid ooloriug. And they were always
"s ing there, auiyeEiRR Vi IN 4 arealn-
s9,l mirage which did nat go away
saw II there ia an agreement between Il
MI ury and English scenery, my sentim
II Is that, on the contrary, luxury does
:, i suit our scenery, An iron found
!, - strange to say, dOas no harm, A for
~ a faot0rY by the side u 4 pond III
iact with water lilipsa~l have now VA "a
~ tho Now England landscape-these
az. NOT unsuitable But Q tine house
gsih soma way Is, and my sense Of tneonR
I, ,tf ~ ity extends as well ta those maHai
hea which d friend describes % 9Heen A
IL the front and Mary Ann IN the Il
Architecture, both pFiYate and pah
shapla he such as ID RHAiea to the i
said requirements aud HISTORY a white ~
-ldls far instance, mafk HH sAeh ehRFel
rssfi New England fagmeFs have ppils
iete, generations, What an elaanent pbiee
thst u wigle ana indulatinR view II
im. Nsdal I'll CentHry
medical maa has lonnd eut that
f s.seaalar bta 4 ltaI NfFaak uufs