THE WEST SHORE.
FoniTEENTii Year.
BEPTEMDEIt, 1SS
Neurit U.
BEAUTIFUL HOMES OP PORTLAND.
f ' ' !ifv
ARLY in tho history of
the Pacific coast, tat lit
tle thought was taken of
ornament or architect ur.
al beauty in tho con
struction of either buai
nes house or dwelling!
The times were homely
and practical to tho last
degree. Almost any.
thing that waa largo i
enoogh and would abed ,
water waa good enough ;
to do buaineaa in, and a
good dinner and a comfortable place in which to !
aleep were considered the moat important essentials j
of a home. Every one wa intent upon M getting a j
start in life' and bad no time to waste opon luxuries ;
and frills, 13 at as time paaaed and wealth accuma- j
lated, aa the pioneer era gave way to the one of aet- j
tied communities and permanent institutions, ss the ,
older business men began to retire from active life ;
and enjoy tho fruit of their many year of toil, as tho j
younger generation, educated with ideas and tastes J
their fathers had not, at their age, poeiMl tho time j
and means to acquire, came upon tho field and pre
pared to tako charge of tho business tho older ones !
were about to abandon, and aa others poeicg !
wealth and refinement came here to invest their j
means in developing the resources of tho grow;cg '
west, a change came, at first slowly, and then rapidly,
until now it would be difficult to find a portion of tho
Union whero more tasto is displayed or more money
expended for tho erection of buildings, either for pub
lie or private use. Especially is this so in tho mat
ter of privato residence, and in this respr-ct Portland
lead all tho cities of tho coast In the number of ele
gant and costly dwellings a compared to Ur total
population. Posaetiicg tho most wraith pr capita,
she has not been at all cifgvdly in usicg it for Ler
own adornment, and for tho entertainment of thoo
who, from timo to time, enjoy her hoj4ulitie.
Culture and refinement havo their beat hula in
the homo of tho individual, both in tho objects with
which ho surrounds himlf and in tho mannr r of en.
joying them; and, tested by this standard, Poitland
may fairly bo said to bo a city of beautiful homes, f
liberal, cultured, refined ami hpitabli ropU
estate in tho better rmidenon jxrrtlons of tho city is
extremely valuable, yet many of our citU"ii havo not
Uen deterred from using an entire llck for ?e.
dencc and ornamental grounds lcau of th frt
that tho ground alone is worth from f.'ii),000() l
1100,000.00. Nor havo th7 limitM tho archiM, lh
furnisher, or tho landscape gardener, to ruli!i thi
first cost of tho land; but in everything, froru first t
last, have done all that ample wealth anl refill ImU
ouKl accomplish to produce a homo beuiful with
out and within and pcmsiicg all tho rr.pirnnrt-U
demanded by comfort, oouveniencfl and artMio tat.
As a general thing, tho houses are surrounded ith
ample grounds, a wbol block h-ing occuj WA u many
instance, and by some two Mucks have tA n util
vi Oren lawns, ornameLtal trees and ahruU, and
a profusion of fl-iweri of every hu, in which prtd
inatt the n, tho Ut suited to this c lifuato J all
tho children of Flora, gredth eye contiuually. Thr
is scarcely a werk io tho ycr wln th Mushing r
or tho many-huJ pansy d' not offer up its incn4
upon the shrino of Uauty from tiubdmU of dor.
yards, asd no season wbro tho emra! 1 grrro of frh
ml growing grass and clovrr da not rtfrtth tho
weary eye from tho well. kept lawta. In this mtUr of
jcrennially gren graa and our M'joudcg C jrr, th
jplo of Portland j:u an adra&tago out th-if
frills in tho et. Tho aortic of tt Uwo in t
areincoutatt d-mafcd, for tho raiu of Utf al
tho tverrrady garden bo of surs&'r k'rp th Utts
fresh at I Uautiful tho entiro yrr, whiU lh sport
ful Jul Ytml, t plajs but fc pra&ks iu this