g against any man's building-lots, but how in the light of
common-sense a man can, with his eyes open, build his shanty on some
of the streets in your enterprising city, is too much for my
understanding. If they would first put in good big sewers, running
slick and clean to the river, and underdrain the whole premises, 't
wouldn't be quite so bad. But I don't want them, anyway; give me the
high land and the dry land. I'm not particular about founding on a
rock, either; that was well enough in old times when they didn't want
cellars, but let me have a good bed of sand or gravel. Cellar may not
be quite so cool, but all we need is to go down a little deeper,
while, as for health, I'd rather be ten feet under ground in such a
spot than occupy the "second-story front," in some places I could
mention.

Your foundation is all right in theory, and if I was going to put up a
steam chimney, a government building, or anything else that must be
done in the best way, regardless of expense, I should go for it. For
cheap, common work, 't isn't worth while to be over-nice or over-wise.
I tell you, there is danger of knowing too much about some things.
According to your notion, a man couldn't do better than to stick the
ground full of tenpenny nails to start with, and I should think a
thousand-legged worm would be about the most substantial animal that
treads the globe.

As to planting my house, when I've bought the lot, I'll ask you to
take a look at it. I have a fancy for some sort of a sidehill, so I
can get into my house, from one side at least, without going up stairs
out of doors, and still have the first floor airy and dry.

Yours,

JOHN.

LETTER VII.

From the Architect.

NATURE'S BRICKS ARE BETTER THAN OURS.

DEAR JOHN: Where to build your house may be, in truth, a question
quite as important as how to build it. I regret my inability to give
you the advice you need. Dr. Bowditch has, I think, intimated that
there is an elysian field not far from here of such rare sanitary
virtue that if its locality were known there would scarcely be
standing-room within its borders for those who would flock thither, or
something to that effect. I trust we shall some time have a scientific
practical investigation of the whole matter, and such definite
information as will enable us at least to qualify, by artificial
means, evils that cannot, in thickly settled regions, be wholly
avoided. Meantime stick to your text, keep hig