Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-05
THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT.
Identification of Grounds Best Done by
Experts.


From the Ohio State Journal.
Ten years ago the majority of prospec-
tive country householders would have
scoffed at the idea that expert assistance
was necessary to decide just where to place
ones house, and many architects would
have considered such assistance almost an
insult to their own skill. The new profess
sion has become so important now, how
ever. that many American schools and uni
versities have established courses for the
training of landscape architects. and at
the Massachusetts, Institute of Technology
to cite the first technical school in the
country to aid the study of landscape
architecture to that of structural architec-
ture-many charming imaginary country
estate is laid out with all the care that
would naturally be devoted to real prob
lens involving permanent homes and the
expenditure Of thousands of dollars.
The landscape architecture is a new
conner only on this side of the water
abroad he apparently dates back as far as
country the very beginning of the creation
Of great country estates brought demand
for experts in beautifying them, and. with
a few great exceptions this demand was
supplied at first by civil engineers whose
knowledge of the laying out of roads, build
ing of bridges and grading of land made
them landscape architects just so far as
that knowledge went and no further; or by
architects knowledge of trees shrubs and
plants. without his training in the broad
principles of arranging them to produce the
best esthetic effect. But landscape archi-
lecture as a profession. open to a large
body Of young men. was only recognized
when a much wider interest In country
homes had discovered an actual need for
men who should cooperate with the regu-
lar architects in so placing building that
the owner would never afterward wish that
1t had been placed differently
But aside from his care for the esthetic
beauty Of the environment, the landscape
architect enters the domain of the struc-
tural architect SO far as to declare where
such and such rooms should be situated
Every room has windows, and every win
dow has a view, so while the landsca De
architects mission Is not to determine the
size and shape Of the rooms, he NAV de-
eide what shall be the outlook OF each and
what is to enter 1t in the way of air and
sunshine. He plans the dining room. for
example, so that 1t shall get the morning
sun, and the drawing room or other after
noon apartment so that 1t shall have the
sunshine in the later hours of the day. In
short 1t is his task to- see that the house
gets the greatest benefit out of all the
forms of nature in It's SURROUNDINGS.
We can quite imagine some one saying that
all this is a fad" It is not So home ar
ranged upon these principles is far more
conducive to health and happiness than
one in which the aspects Of nature are
ignored or treated haphazard. The beauty
OF immediate surrouhangs the sense Of
and the feeling of possessing an outlet
through some vista leading far away into
the unknown. all reflect their ruling motif
on the mind; and there are times also
when some "wilderness'' nook, shut In from
the wide world. becomes the dearest SPOT
on earth. Whether all that the following
passage says is true or not. there is an ele-
ment of truth in it, the truth that contact
with nature is one of the best remedies for
human Ills. 1t is possible that the remedy
acts suggestively rather than physically,
but none the less 1t does act.