Page:Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal, Volume 1, 1869.djvu/487

 1S68.] Landscape, Decorative., and Economic Gardening. is complete, without its sculpture in statue, and bust, or relief, in marble, or brass ; and so it will be thought. The pillar requires its capital of acanthus leaves ; the building, its ornamental frieze, its statues and reliefs without, its histories and allegories within." " The fine arts, though holding but an humble rank in the scale of merit of the mere utilitarian, hold a much higher one; and, I will add, juster one, in the scale of the man of good common sense, as well as in that of the mere lover of the beautiful. I cannot but think that the love and stucty of these arts must be followed by useful influences on human character generally, and especially are its elevating and refining influences needed on our American character; and for this reason, if for no ©ther, ought to be cherished." " Though with but little general edu- cation, the Italians are a people of great refinement of manners. As one, among both the causes and evidences of refine- ment, I would name their general love and appreciation of art ; they love it and honor it ; and it reflects an additional beauty upon their character. Their gov- ernments, also, honor and cherish it. They regard it as a means of education, and a source of innocent pleasure, con- tributing largely to the happiness of their people, to whom they throw open all their treasures, both of sculpture and painting." In connection with these ornamental necessities there is another important positive beauty of the geometrical style, which should be introduced at the Cap- itol. The grandeur of long, straight avenues, and the splendor of their vistas, must always arrest attention. The ele- ments that produce sublimity in a scene are repetition and continuity ; and these are developed in properly planted ave- nues. Let such an avenue be constructed, from the Capitol to the Potomac river, taking the National monument as a cen- tral point in the view. Let this avenue be planted on its margins with that beautiful, unique, and appropriate tree the Tulip Poplar, Liriodendron Tulip- ifera, leaving a clear vista three hundred feet in width ; and an effect would be produced of great scenic grandeur, if not of sublimity. I have here alluded to this national structure, because it is a fitting illustra- tion of the subject of this paper, and because the Capitol, as an architectural design, requires such massive adorn- ments to bring out its true beauties, which will not, otherwise, ever be seen ; and I ma} r further remark, that the above suggestions are perfectly practicable. There are no existing improvements, of any value, in the way of executing .any or all of them. There is a certain sublimity of beauty in a perfectly straight and judiciously planted avenue, that is not attained by any other disposition of trees. Occa- sionally, in travelling through some of the older States, we get a glimpse of the remains of some fine old avenue leading to an old mansion of hospitable aspect. But these venerable remnants are fast decaying, the trees generally used were of short-lived species, and otherwise un- desirable for the purpose. It has unfor- tunately become fashionable to decry this mode both of forming and planting avenues. They are by some pronounced as being stiff, formal, and destitute of beauty. There are those, who profess that they can see no beauty in a road, unless its lines are curving, and that with mathematical precision. But beauty does not depend upon mathematics. It can be recognized, without the ocular demonstration of engineering processes. A curved line is not beautiful simply because it curves. Other associations of the elements of beauty have to be taken into consideration. Neither is a straight line devoid of beauty, because of its form. On the contrar}^ it is only by uniformity of color and form, and regularity and continuity of line, that we can produce grand and imposing effects.