Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-09-04
THE MEANING OF GARDENS
BY DR.. Frank Crane

The great Bacon wrote an essay "Of
Gardens which, by the way, was rather
commonplace and showed that Homer mods.
There have been several learned men in
China and Japan who have written of Gar
dens, but most of this sort of literature
that have seen has been curious and
pedantic.
1t has always seemed, however, that there
is behind every garden an idea Everything
in it is in some way the clothing express
sion of the soul that made it.
After wandering through many gardens,
particularly in the Far East where gardening
is a seriously practiced art, have noted
the following features and have guessed at
their significance
/. The Tree. This stands for all vegeta-
ton, shrubbery and greenery. The Tree is
a symbol of the vitality of Nature, the force
of it's growth. The early Teutonic peoples
worshiped trees, and for each man tree
was selected which grew with his growth and
was cut down and formed his coffin at his
death. The Tree means the mothering of
Nature; from it comes the food shelter,
clothing and housing of man.
2. The Water The pool or still water is
the Eye of the landscape, It makes the
earth seem alive, just as man seems awake
when his eye opens. Still water is a sign
Of perfection, the one thing that nature
makes perfectly smooth and even. The run
ming brook is the voice of the earth; it
babbles on and tattles all the secrets of the
universe to those who can understand.
3. The Stone The great rock or natural
stone is particularly fancied in all Far East
gardens Huge rocks are transported from
great distances-rOcks honeycombed by the
beating of ocean waves: rocks smelted into
quaint forms by the furnaces of volcanoes
rocks followed and gnar1ed by the teeth of
torrents; petrifaction from the depths of in
cd M
mineral districts-all these are sought for
and treasured The Stone represents that
fxity which this fuctuating life Graves, that
strength and immutability of which we
dream.
A. The Way. There are three forms of
the Way, the Gate, the Bridge and the Path
Much is made of the Gate in all eastern
and grounds. The Gate stands for the sane
tity of property, for the right which man
has to his own which implies the right of
keeping other people out.
The meaning of Bridges is obvious, There
is always a way to surmount any difficulty
The art and labor Of man can overcome any
obstacle of Nature. The Bridge is the typi-
cal triumph of the human spiri over the OPP
position of natural forces.
The Path must be in every garden. It is
never straight but always winding picturing
that strange and devious I ~ in which the
progress of each life takes it's direction. The
beginning we know and the end we know
but the Path between is strange and winding
s. The Lantern. In every eastern garden
there is a lantern. Often this is a massive
stone in the top of which is a little windew
wherein a candle may be set. Sometimes it
is of metal. The object of the Lantern is
not to give light to illuminate the landscape
but to be point of light to be looked at
for itself. Shakespeare caught the spiritul
significance of the little light ray in a great
darkness
Glow far that little candle sheds it's beams,
SO shines good deed in a naughty world"
In some such manner the Soul may be fed
by the Garden
Copyright 1927