form of the tree, trunk, branches, and all,
becomes one frostwork of intensely brilliant silver, which is relieved
against the clear sky like a burning fringe, for some distance on either
side of the sun.[71] Now suppose that a person who had never seen pines
were, for the first time in his life, to see them under this strange
aspect, and, reasoning as to the means by which such effect could be
produced, laboriously to approach the eastern ridge, how would he be
amazed to find that the fiery spectres had been produced by trees with
swarthy and grey trunks, and dark green leaves! We, in our simplicity,
if we had been required to produce such an appearance, should have built
up trees of chased silver, with trunks of glass, and then been
grievously amazed to find that, at two miles off, neither silver nor
glass were any more visible; but nature knew better, and prepared for
her fairy work with the strong branches and dark leaves, in her own
mysterious way.

Sec. XIX. Now this is exactly what you have to do with your good ornament.
It may be that it is capable of being approached, as well as likely to
be seen far away, and then it ought to have microscopic qualities, as
the pine leaves have, which will bear approach. But your calculation of
its purpose is for a glory to be produced at a given distance; it may be
here, or may be there, but it is a _given_ distance; and the excellence
of the ornament depends upon its fitting that distance, and being seen
better there than anywhere else, and having a particular function and
form which it can only discharge and assume there. You are never to say
that ornament has great merit because "you cannot see the beauty of it
here;" but, it has great merit because "you _can_ see its beauty _here
only_." And to give it this merit is just about as difficult a task as I
could well set you. I have above noted the two ways in which it is done:
the one, being merely rough cutting, may be passed over; the other,
which is scientific alteration of design, falls, itself, into two great
branches, Simplification and Emphasis.

A word or two is necessary on each of these heads.

Sec. XX. When an ornamental work is intended to be seen near, if its
composition be indeed fine, the subdued and delicate portions of the
design lead to, and unite, the energetic parts, and those energetic
parts form with the rest a whole, in which their own immediate relations
to each other are not perceived. Remove this d