areappealswhichshouldbemadetothepublic.Theartwhichhasfulfilledtheconditionsofbeautyhasfulfilledallconditions：
itisforthecritictoteachthepeoplehowtofindinthecalmofsuchartthehighestexpressionoftheirownmoststormypassions.
’Ihavenoreverence，’saidKeats，’forthepublic，norforanythinginexistencebuttheEternalBeing，thememoryofgreatmenandtheprincipleofBeauty.’
SuchthenistheprinciplewhichIbelievetobeguidingandunderlyingourEnglishRenaissance，aRenaissancemany—sidedandwonderful，productiveofstrongambitionsandloftypersonalities，yetforallitssplendidachievementsinpoetryandinthedecorativeartsandinpainting，foralltheincreasedcomelinessandgraceofdress，andthefurnitureofhousesandthelike，notcomplete.Fortherecanbenogreatsculpturewithoutabeautifulnationallife，andthecommercialspiritofEnglandhaskilledthat;nogreatdramawithoutanoblenationallife，andthecommercialspiritofEnglandhaskilledthattoo.
Itisnotthattheflawlessserenityofmarblecannotbeartheburdenofthemodernintellectualspirit，orbecomeinstinctwiththefireofromanticpassion—thetombofDukeLorenzoandthechapeloftheMedicishowusthat—butitisthat，asTheophileGautierusedtosay，thevisibleworldisdead，LEMONDEVISIBLEA
DISPARU.
Norisitagainthatthenovelhaskilledtheplay，assomecriticswouldpersuadeus—theromanticmovementofFranceshowsusthat.
TheworkofBalzacandofHugogrewupsidebysidetogether;nay，more，werecomplementarytoeachother，thoughneitherofthemsawit.Whileallotherformsofpoetrymayflourishinanignobleage，thesplendidindividualismofthelyrist，fedbyitsownpassion，andlitbyitsownpower，maypassasapillaroffireaswellacrossthedesertasacrossplacesthatarepleasant.Itisnonethelessgloriousthoughnomanfollowit—nay，bythegreatersublimityofitslonelinessitmaybequickenedintoloftierutteranceandintensifiedintoclearersong.Fromthemeansqualorofthesordidlifethatlimitshim，thedreamerortheidyllistmaysoaronpoesy’sviewlesswings，maytraversewithfawn—skinandspearthemoonlitheightsofCithaeronthoughFaunandBassariddancetherenomore.LikeKeatshemaywanderthroughtheold—worldforestsofLatmos，orstandlikeMorrisonthegalley’sdeckwiththeVikingwhenkingandgalleyhavelongsincepassedaway.Butthedramaisthemeeting—placeofartandlife;
itdeals，asMazzinisaid，notmerelywithman，butwithsocialman，withmaninhisrelationtoGodandtoHumanity.Itistheproductofaperiodofgreatnationalunitedenergy;itisimpossiblewithoutanoblepublic，andbelongstosuchagesastheageofElizabethinLondonandofPericlesatAthens;itispartofsuchloftymoralandspiritualardourascametoGreekafterthedefeatofthePersianfleet，andtoEnglishmanafterthewreckoftheArmadaofSpain.
Shelleyfelthowincompleteourmovementwasinthisrespect，andhasshowninonegreattragedybywhatterrorandpityhewouldhavepurifiedourage;butinspiteofTHECENCIthedramaisoneoftheartisticformsthroughwhichthegeniusoftheEnglandofthiscenturyseeksinvaintofindoutletandexpression.Hehashadnoworthyimitators.
Itisrather，perhaps，toyouthatweshouldturntocompleteandperfectthisgreatmovementofours，forthereissomethingHellenicinyourairandworld，somethingthathasaquickerbreathofthejoyandpowerofElizabeth’sEnglandaboutitthanourancientcivilisationcangiveus.Foryou，atleast，areyoung;
’nohungrygenerationstreadyoudown，’andthepastdoesnotwearyyouwiththeintolerableburdenofitsmemoriesnormockyouwiththeruinsofabeauty，thesecretofwhosecreationyouhavelost.
Thatveryabsenceoftradition，whichMr.Ruskinthoughtwouldrobyourriversoftheirlaughterandyourflowersoftheirlight，mayberatherthesourceofyourfreedomandyourstrength.
Tospeakinliteraturewiththeperfectrectitudeandinsoucianceofthemovementsofanimals，andtheunimpeachablenessofthesentimentoftreesinthewoodsandgrassbytheroadside，hasbeendefinedbyoneofyourpoetsasaflawlesstriumphofart.Itisatriumphwhichyouaboveallnationsmaybedestinedtoachieve.
ForthevoicesthathavetheirdwellinginseaandmountainarenotthechosenmusicofLibertyonly;othermessagesarethereinthewonderofwind—sweptheightandthemajestyofsilentdeep—
messagesthat，ifyouwillbutlistentothem，mayyieldyouthesplendourofsomenewimagination，themarvelofsomenewbeauty.
’Iforesee，’saidGoethe，’thedawnofanewliteraturewhichallpeoplemayclaimastheirown，forallhavecontributedtoitsfoundation.’If，then，thisisso，andifthematerialsforacivilisationasgreatasthatofEuropelieallaroundyou，whatprofit，youwillaskme，willallthisstudyofourpoetsandpaintersbetoyou？Imightanswerthattheintellectcanbeengagedwithoutdirectdidacticobjectonanartisticandhistoricalproblem;thatthedemandoftheintellectismerelytofeelitselfalive;thatnothingwhichhaseverinterestedmenorwomencanceasetobeafitsubjectforculture.
ImightremindyouofwhatallEuropeowestothesorrowofasingleFlorentineinexileatVerona，ortotheloveofPetrarchbythatlittlewellinSouthernFrance;nay，more，howeveninthisdull，materialisticagethesimpleexpressionofanoldman’ssimplelife，passedawayfromtheclamourofgreatcitiesamidthelakesandmistyhillsofCumberland，hasopenedoutforEnglandtreasuresofnewjoycomparedwithwhichthetreasuresofherluxuryareasbarrenastheseawhichshehasmadeherhighway，andasbitterasthefirewhichshewouldmakeherslave.
ButIthinkitwillbringyousomethingbesidesthis，somethingthatistheknowledgeofrealstrengthinart：notthatyoushouldimitatetheworksofthesemen;buttheirartisticspirit，theirartisticattitude，Ithinkyoushouldabsorbthat.
Forinnations，asinindividuals，ifthepassionforcreationbenotaccompaniedbythecritical，theaestheticfacultyalso，itwillbesuretowasteitsstrengthaimlessly，failingperhapsintheartisticspiritofchoice，orinthemistakingoffeelingforform，orinthefollowingoffalseideals.
Forthevariousspiritualformsoftheimaginationhaveanaturalaffinitywithcertainsensuousformsofart—andtodiscernthequalitiesofeachart，tointensifyaswellitslimitationsasitspowersofexpression，isoneoftheaimsthatculturesetsbeforeus.Itisnotanincreasedmoralsense，anincreasedmoralsupervisionthatyourliteratureneeds.Indeed，oneshouldnevertalkofamoraloranimmoralpoem—poemsareeitherwellwrittenorbadlywritten，thatisall.And，indeed，anyelementofmoralsorimpliedreferencetoastandardofgoodorevilinartisoftenasignofacertainincompletenessofvision，oftenanoteofdiscordintheharmonyofanimaginativecreation;forallgoodworkaimsatapurelyartisticeffect.’Wemustbecareful，’saidGoethe，’nottobealwayslookingforculturemerelyinwhatisobviouslymoral.Everythingthatisgreatpromotescivilisationassoonasweareawareofit.’
But，asinyourcitiessoinyourliterature，itisapermanentcanonandstandardoftaste，anincreasedsensibilitytobeauty（ifImaysayso）thatislacking.Allnobleworkisnotnationalmerely，butuniversal.Thepoliticalindependenceofanationmustnotbeconfusedwithanyintellectualisolation.Thespiritualfreedom，indeed，yourowngenerouslivesandliberalairwillgiveyou.Fromusyouwilllearntheclassicalrestraintofform.
Forallgreatartisdelicateart，roughnesshavingverylittletodowithstrength，andharshnessverylittletodowithpower.’Theartist，’asMr.Swinburnesays，’mustbeperfectlyarticulate.’
Thislimitationisfortheartistperfectfreedom：itisatoncetheoriginandthesignofhisstrength.Sothatallthesuprememastersofstyle—Dante，Sophocles，Shakespeare—arethesuprememastersofspiritualandintellectualvisionalso.
Loveartforitsownsake，andthenallthingsthatyouneedwillbeaddedtoyou.
Thisdevotiontobeautyandtothecreationofbeautifulthingsisthetestofallgreatcivilisednations.Philosophymayteachustobearwithequanimitythemisfortunesofourneighbours，andscienceresolvethemoralsenseintoasecretionofsugar，butartiswhatmakesthelifeofeachcitizenasacramentandnotaspeculation，artiswhatmakesthelifeofthewholeraceimmortal.
Forbeautyistheonlythingthattimecannotharm.Philosophiesfallawaylikesand，andcreedsfollowoneanotherlikethewitheredleavesofautumn;butwhatisbeautifulisajoyforallseasonsandapossessionforalleternity.
Warsandtheclashofarmiesandthemeetingofmeninbattlebytrampledfieldorleagueredcity，andtherisingofnationstheremustalwaysbe.ButIthinkthatart，bycreatingacommonintellectualatmospherebetweenallcountries，might—ifitcouldnotovershadowtheworldwiththesilverwingsofpeace—atleastmakemensuchbrothersthattheywouldnotgoouttoslayoneanotherforthewhimorfollyofsomekingorminister，astheydoinEurope.FraternitywouldcomenomorewiththehandsofCain，norLibertybetrayfreedomwiththekissofAnarchy;fornationalhatredsarealwaysstrongestwherecultureislowest.
’HowcouldI？’saidGoethe，whenreproachedfornotwritinglikeKorneragainsttheFrench.’HowcouldI，towhombarbarismandculturealoneareofimportance，hateanationwhichisamongthemostcultivatedoftheearth，anationtowhichIoweagreatpartofmyowncultivation？’
Mightyempires，too，theremustalwaysbeaslongaspersonalambitionandthespiritoftheageareone，butartatleastistheonlyempirewhichanation’senemiescannottakefromherbyconquest，butwhichistakenbysubmissiononly.ThesovereigntyofGreeceandRomeisnotyetpassedaway，thoughthegodsoftheonebedeadandtheeaglesoftheothertired.
AndweinourRenaissanceareseekingtocreateasovereigntythatwillstillbeEngland’swhenheryellowleopardshavegrownwearyofwarsandtheroseofhershieldiscrimsonednomorewiththebloodofbattle;andyou，too，absorbingintothegenerousheartofagreatpeoplethispervadingartisticspirit，willcreateforyourselvessuchrichesasyouhaveneveryetcreated，thoughyourlandbeanetworkofrailwaysandyourcitiestheharboursforthegalleysoftheworld.
Iknow，indeed，thatthedivinenaturalprescienceofbeautywhichistheinalienableinheritanceofGreekandItalianisnotourinheritance.Forsuchaninformingandpresidingspiritofarttoshieldusfromallharshandalieninfluences，weoftheNorthernracesmustturnrathertothatstrainedself—consciousnessofouragewhich，asitisthekey—noteofallourromanticart，mustbethesourceofallornearlyallourculture.Imeanthatintellectualcuriosityofthenineteenthcenturywhichisalwayslookingforthesecretofthelifethatstilllingersroundoldandbygoneformsofculture.Ittakesfromeachwhatisserviceableforthemodernspirit—fromAthensitswonderwithoutitsworship，fromVeniceitssplendourwithoutitssin.Thesamespiritisalwaysanalysingitsownstrengthanditsownweakness，countingwhatitowestoEastandtoWest，totheolive—treesofColonusandtothepalm—treesofLebanon，toGethsemaneandtothegardenofProserpine.
Andyetthetruthsofartcannotbetaught：theyarerevealedonly，revealedtonatureswhichhavemadethemselvesreceptiveofallbeautifulimpressionsbythestudyandworshipofallbeautifulthings.AndhencetheenormousimportancegiventothedecorativeartsinourEnglishRenaissance;henceallthatmarvelofdesignthatcomesfromthehandofEdwardBurne—Jones，allthatweavingoftapestryandstainingofglass，thatbeautifulworkinginclayandmetalandwoodwhichweowetoWilliamMorris，thegreatesthandicraftsmanwehavehadinEnglandsincethefourteenthcentury.
So，inyearstocometherewillbenothinginanyman’shousewhichhasnotgivendelighttoitsmakeranddoesnotgivedelighttoitsuser.Thechildren，likethechildrenofPlato’sperfectcity，willgrowup’inasimpleatmosphereofallfairthings’—IquotefromthepassageintheREPUBLIC—’asimpleatmosphereofallfairthings，wherebeauty，whichisthespiritofart，willcomeoneyeandearlikeafreshbreathofwindthatbringshealthfromaclearupland，andinsensiblyandgraduallydrawthechild’ssoulintoharmonywithallknowledgeandallwisdom，sothathewilllovewhatisbeautifulandgood，andhatewhatisevilandugly（fortheyalwaysgotogether）longbeforeheknowsthereasonwhy;andthenwhenreasoncomeswillkissheronthecheekasafriend.’
ThatiswhatPlatothoughtdecorativeartcoulddoforanation，feelingthatthesecretnotofphilosophymerelybutofallgraciousexistencemightbeexternallyhiddenfromanyonewhoseyouthhadbeenpassedinuncomelyandvulgarsurroundings，andthatthebeautyofformandcoloureven，ashesays，inthemeanestvesselsofthehouse，willfinditswayintotheinmostplacesofthesoulandleadtheboynaturallytolookforthatdivineharmonyofspirituallifeofwhichartwastohimthematerialsymbolandwarrant.
Preludeindeedtoallknowledgeandallwisdomwillthisloveofbeautifulthingsbeforus;yettherearetimeswhenwisdombecomesaburdenandknowledgeisonewithsorrow：foraseverybodyhasitsshadowsoeverysoulhasitsscepticism.Insuchdreadmomentsofdiscordanddespairwhereshouldwe，ofthistornandtroubledage，turnourstepsifnottothatsecurehouseofbeautywherethereisalwaysalittleforgetfulness，alwaysagreatjoy;tothatCITTEDIVINA，astheoldItalianheresycalledit，thedivinecitywhereonecanstand，thoughonlyforabriefmoment，apartfromthedivisionandterroroftheworldandthechoiceoftheworldtoo？
ThisisthatCONSOLATIONDESARTSwhichisthekey—noteofGautier’spoetry，thesecretofmodernlifeforeshadowed—asindeedwhatinourcenturyisnot？—byGoethe.YourememberwhathesaidtotheGermanpeople：’Onlyhavethecourage，’hesaid，’togiveyourselvesuptoyourimpressions，allowyourselvestobedelighted，moved，elevated，nayinstructed，inspiredforsomethinggreat.’Thecouragetogiveyourselvesuptoyourimpressions：
yes，thatisthesecretoftheartisticlife—forwhilearthasbeendefinedasanescapefromthetyrannyofthesenses，itisanescaperatherfromthetyrannyofthesoul.Butonlytothosewhoworshipheraboveallthingsdoessheeverrevealhertruetreasure：elsewillshebeaspowerlesstoaidyouasthemutilatedVenusoftheLouvrewasbeforetheromanticbutscepticalnatureofHeine.
AndindeedIthinkitwouldbeimpossibletooverratethegainthatmightfollowifwehadaboutusonlywhatgavepleasuretothemakerofitandgivespleasuretoitsuser，thatbeingthesimplestofallrulesaboutdecoration.Onething，atleast，Ithinkitwoulddoforus：thereisnosurertestofagreatcountrythanhownearitstandstoitsownpoets;butbetweenthesingersofourdayandtheworkerstowhomtheywouldsingthereseemstobeanever—wideninganddividingchasm，achasmwhichslanderandmockerycannottraverse，butwhichisspannedbytheluminouswingsoflove.
AndofsuchloveIthinkthattheabidingpresenceinourhousesofnobleimaginativeworkwouldbethesurestseedandpreparation.I
donotmeanmerelyasregardsthatdirectliteraryexpressionofartbywhich，fromthelittlered—and—blackcruseofoilorwine，aGreekboycouldlearnofthelionlikesplendourofAchilles，ofthestrengthofHectorandthebeautyofParisandthewonderofHelen，longbeforehestoodandlistenedincrowdedmarket—placeorintheatreofmarble;orbywhichanItalianchildofthefifteenthcenturycouldknowofthechastityofLucreceandthedeathofCamillafromcarvendoorwayandfrompaintedchest.Forthegoodwegetfromartisnotwhatwelearnfromit;itiswhatwebecomethroughit.ItsrealinfluencewillbeingivingthemindthatenthusiasmwhichisthesecretofHellenism，accustomingittodemandfromartallthatartcandoinrearrangingthefactsofcommonlifeforus—whetheritbebygivingthemostspiritualinterpretationofone’sownmomentsofhighestpassionorthemostsensuousexpressionofthosethoughtsthatarethefarthestremovedfromsense;inaccustomingittolovethethingsoftheimaginationfortheirownsake，andtodesirebeautyandgraceinallthings.
Forhewhodoesnotloveartinallthingsdoesnotloveitatall，andhewhodoesnotneedartinallthingsdoesnotneeditatall.
IwillnotdwellhereonwhatIamsurehasdelightedyouallinourgreatGothiccathedrals.Imeanhowtheartistofthattime，handicraftsmanhimselfinstoneorglass，foundthebestmotivesforhisart，alwaysreadyforhishandandalwaysbeautiful，inthedailyworkoftheartificershesawaroundhim—asinthoselovelywindowsofChartres—wherethedyerdipsinthevatandthepottersitsatthewheel，andtheweaverstandsattheloom：realmanufacturersthese，workerswiththehand，andentirelydelightfultolookat，notlikethesmugandvapidshopmanofourtime，whoknowsnothingoftheweborvasehesells，exceptthatheischargingyoudoubleitsvalueandthinkingyouafoolforbuyingit.NorcanIbutjustnote，inpassing，theimmenseinfluencethedecorativeworkofGreeceandItalyhadonitsartists，theoneteachingthesculptorthatrestraininginfluenceofdesignwhichisthegloryoftheParthenon，theotherkeepingpaintingalwaystruetoitsprimary，pictorialconditionofnoblecolourwhichisthesecretoftheschoolofVenice;forIwishrather，inthislectureatleast，todwellontheeffectthatdecorativearthasonhumanlife—onitssocialnotitspurelyartisticeffect.
Therearetwokindsofmenintheworld，twogreatcreeds，twodifferentformsofnatures：mentowhomtheendoflifeisaction，andmentowhomtheendoflifeisthought.Asregardsthelatter，whoseekforexperienceitselfandnotforthefruitsofexperience，whomustburnalwayswithoneofthepassionsofthisfiery—colouredworld，whofindlifeinterestingnotforitssecretbutforitssituations，foritspulsationsandnotforitspurpose;
thepassionforbeautyengenderedbythedecorativeartswillbetothemmoresatisfyingthananypoliticalorreligiousenthusiasm，anyenthusiasmforhumanity，anyecstasyorsorrowforlove.Forartcomestooneprofessingprimarilytogivenothingbutthehighestqualitytoone’smoments，andforthosemoments’sake.Sofarforthosetowhomtheendoflifeisthought.Asregardstheothers，whoholdthatlifeisinseparablefromlabour，tothemshouldthismovementbespeciallydear：for，ifourdaysarebarrenwithoutindustry，industrywithoutartisbarbarism.
Hewersofwoodanddrawersofwatertheremustbealwaysindeedamongus.Ourmodernmachineryhasnotmuchlightenedthelabourofmanafterall：butatleastletthepitcherthatstandsbythewellbebeautifulandsurelythelabourofthedaywillbelightened：letthewoodbemadereceptiveofsomelovelyform，somegraciousdesign，andtherewillcomenolongerdiscontentbutjoytothetoiler.Forwhatisdecorationbuttheworker’sexpressionofjoyinhiswork？Andnotjoymerely—thatisagreatthingyetnotenough—butthatopportunityofexpressinghisownindividualitywhich，asitistheessenceofalllife，isthesourceofallart.’Ihavetried，’IrememberWilliamMorrissayingtomeonce，’Ihavetriedtomakeeachofmyworkersanartist，andwhenIsayanartistImeanaman.’Fortheworkerthen，handicraftsmanofwhateverkindheis，artisnolongertobeapurplerobewovenbyaslaveandthrownoverthewhitenedbodyofaleprouskingtohideandtoadornthesinofhisluxury，butratherthebeautifulandnobleexpressionofalifethathasinitsomethingbeautifulandnoble.
Andsoyoumustseekoutyourworkmanandgivehim，asfaraspossible，therightsurroundings，forrememberthattherealtestandvirtueofaworkmanisnothisearnestnessnorhisindustryeven，buthispowerofdesignmerely;andthat’designisnottheoffspringofidlefancy：itisthestudiedresultofaccumulativeobservationanddelightfulhabit.’Alltheteachingintheworldisofnoavailifyoudonotsurroundyourworkmanwithhappyinfluencesandwithbeautifulthings.ItisimpossibleforhimtohaverightideasaboutcolourunlessheseesthelovelycoloursofNatureunspoiled;impossibleforhimtosupplybeautifulincidentandactionunlessheseesbeautifulincidentandactionintheworldabouthim.
Fortocultivatesympathyyoumustbeamonglivingthingsandthinkingaboutthem，andtocultivateadmirationyoumustbeamongbeautifulthingsandlookingatthem.’ThesteelofToledoandthesilkofGenoadidbutgivestrengthtooppressionandlustretopride，’asMr.Ruskinsays;letitbeforyoutocreateanartthatismadebythehandsofthepeopleforthejoyofthepeople，topleasetheheartsofthepeople，too;anartthatwillbeyourexpressionofyourdelightinlife.Thereisnothing’incommonlifetoomean，incommonthingstootrivialtobeennobledbyyourtouch’;nothinginlifethatartcannotsanctify.
Youhaveheard，Ithink，afewofyou，oftwoflowersconnectedwiththeaestheticmovementinEngland，andsaid（Iassureyou，erroneously）tobethefoodofsomeaestheticyoungmen.Well，letmetellyouthatthereasonwelovethelilyandthesunflower，inspiteofwhatMr.Gilbertmaytellyou，isnotforanyvegetablefashionatall.ItisbecausethesetwolovelyflowersareinEnglandthetwomostperfectmodelsofdesign，themostnaturallyadaptedfordecorativeart—thegaudyleoninebeautyoftheoneandthepreciouslovelinessoftheothergivingtotheartistthemostentireandperfectjoy.Andsowithyou：lettherebenoflowerinyourmeadowsthatdoesnotwreatheitstendrilsaroundyourpillows，nolittleleafinyourTitanforeststhatdoesnotlenditsformtodesign，nocurvingsprayofwildroseorbrierthatdoesnotliveforeverincarvenarchorwindowormarble，nobirdinyourairthatisnotgivingtheiridescentwonderofitscolour，theexquisitecurvesofitswingsinflight，tomakemorepreciousthepreciousnessofsimpleadornment.
Wespendourdays，eachoneofus，inlookingforthesecretoflife.Well，thesecretoflifeisinart.
HOUSEDECORATION
INmylastlectureIgaveyousomethingofthehistoryofArtinEngland.IsoughttotracetheinfluenceoftheFrenchRevolutionuponitsdevelopment.IsaidsomethingofthesongofKeatsandtheschoolofthepre—Raphaelites.ButIdonotwanttoshelterthemovement，whichIhavecalledtheEnglishRenaissance，underanypalladiumhowevernoble，oranynamehoweverrevered.Therootsofithave，indeed，tobesoughtforinthingsthathavelongpassedaway，andnot，assomesuppose，inthefancyofafewyoungmen—althoughIamnotaltogethersurethatthereisanythingmuchbetterthanthefancyofafewyoungmen.
WhenIappearedbeforeyouonapreviousoccasion，IhadseennothingofAmericanartsavetheDoriccolumnsandCorinthianchimney—potsvisibleonyourBroadwayandFifthAvenue.Sincethen，Ihavebeenthroughyourcountrytosomefiftyorsixtydifferentcities，Ithink.Ifindthatwhatyourpeopleneedisnotsomuchhighimaginativeartbutthatwhichhallowsthevesselsofeverydayuse.Isupposethatthepoetwillsingandtheartistwillpaintregardlesswhethertheworldpraisesorblames.Hehashisownworldandisindependentofhisfellow—men.Butthehandicraftsmanisdependentonyourpleasureandopinion.Heneedsyourencouragementandhemusthavebeautifulsurroundings.Yourpeopleloveartbutdonotsufficientlyhonourthehandicraftsman.
Ofcourse，thosemillionaireswhocanpillageEuropefortheirpleasureneedhavenocaretoencouragesuch;butIspeakforthosewhosedesireforbeautifulthingsislargerthantheirmeans.I
findthatonegreattroublealloveristhatyourworkmenarenotgiventonobledesigns.Youcannotbeindifferenttothis，becauseArtisnotsomethingwhichyoucantakeorleave.Itisanecessityofhumanlife.
Andwhatisthemeaningofthisbeautifuldecorationwhichwecallart？Inthefirstplace，itmeansvaluetotheworkmananditmeansthepleasurewhichhemustnecessarilytakeinmakingabeautifulthing.Themarkofallgoodartisnotthatthethingdoneisdoneexactlyorfinely，formachinerymaydoasmuch，butthatitisworkedoutwiththeheadandtheworkman’sheart.I
cannotimpressthepointtoofrequentlythatbeautifulandrationaldesignsarenecessaryinallwork.Ididnotimagine，untilIwentintosomeofyoursimplercities，thattherewassomuchbadworkdone.Ifound，whereIwent，badwall—papershorriblydesigned，andcolouredcarpets，andthatoldoffenderthehorse—hairsofa，whosestolidlookofindifferenceisalwayssodepressing.Ifoundmeaninglesschandeliersandmachine—madefurniture，generallyofrosewood，whichcreakeddismallyundertheweightoftheubiquitousinterviewer.Icameacrossthesmallironstovewhichtheyalwayspersistindecoratingwithmachine—madeornaments，andwhichisasgreataboreasawetdayoranyotherparticularlydreadfulinstitution.Whenunusualextravagancewasindulgedin，itwasgarnishedwithtwofuneralurns.
Itmustalwaysberememberedthatwhatiswellandcarefullymadebyanhonestworkman，afterarationaldesign，increasesinbeautyandvalueastheyearsgoon.TheoldfurniturebroughtoverbythePilgrims，twohundredyearsago，whichIsawinNewEngland，isjustasgoodandasbeautifulto—dayasitwaswhenitfirstcamehere.Now，whatyoumustdoistobringartistsandhandicraftsmentogether.Handicraftsmencannotlive，certainlycannotthrive，withoutsuchcompanionship.Separatethesetwoandyourobartofallspiritualmotive.
Havingdonethis，youmustplaceyourworkmaninthemidstofbeautifulsurroundings.Theartistisnotdependentonthevisibleandthetangible.Hehashisvisionsandhisdreamstofeedon.
Buttheworkmanmustseelovelyformsashegoestohisworkinthemorningandreturnsateventide.And，inconnectionwiththis，I
wanttoassureyouthatnobleandbeautifuldesignsarenevertheresultofidlefancyorpurposelessday—dreaming.Theycomeonlyastheaccumulationofhabitsoflonganddelightfulobservation.
Andyetsuchthingsmaynotbetaught.Rightideasconcerningthemcancertainlybeobtainedonlybythosewhohavebeenaccustomedtoroomsthatarebeautifulandcoloursthataresatisfying.
Perhapsoneofthemostdifficultthingsforustodoistochooseanotableandjoyousdressformen.Therewouldbemorejoyinlifeifweweretoaccustomourselvestouseallthebeautifulcolourswecaninfashioningourownclothes.Thedressofthefuture，Ithink，willusedraperytoagreatextentandwillaboundwithjoyouscolour.Atpresentwehavelostallnobilityofdressand，indoingso，havealmostannihilatedthemodernsculptor.
And，inlookingaroundatthefigureswhichadornourparks，onecouldalmostwishthatwehadcompletelykilledthenobleart.Toseethefrock—coatofthedrawing—roomdoneinbronze，orthedoublewaistcoatperpetuatedinmarble，addsanewhorrortodeath.
Butindeed，inlookingthroughthehistoryofcostume，seekingananswertothequestionswehavepropounded，thereislittlethatiseitherbeautifulorappropriate.OneoftheearliestformsistheGreekdraperywhichisexquisiteforyounggirls.Andthen，I
thinkwemaybepardonedalittleenthusiasmoverthedressofthetimeofCharlesI.，sobeautifulindeed，thatinspiteofitsinventionbeingwiththeCavaliersitwascopiedbythePuritans.
Andthedressforthechildrenofthattimemustnotbepassedover.Itwasaverygoldenageofthelittleones.Idonotthinkthattheyhaveeverlookedsolovelyastheydointhepicturesofthattime.ThedressofthelastcenturyinEnglandisalsopeculiarlygraciousandgraceful.Thereisnothingbizarreorstrangeaboutit，butitisfullofharmonyandbeauty.Inthesedays，whenwehavesuffereddreadfullyfromtheincursionsofthemodernmilliner，wehearladiesboastthattheydonotwearadressmorethanonce.Intheolddays，whenthedressesweredecoratedwithbeautifuldesignsandworkedwithexquisiteembroidery，ladiesrathertookaprideinbringingoutthegarmentandwearingitmanytimesandhandingitdowntotheirdaughters—aprocessthatwould，Ithink，bequiteappreciatedbyamodernhusbandwhencalledupontosettlehiswife’sbills.
Andhowshallmendress？Mensaythattheydonotparticularlycarehowtheydress，andthatitislittlematter.IamboundtoreplythatIdonotthinkthatyoudo.Inallmyjourneysthroughthecountry，theonlywell—dressedmenthatIsaw—andinsayingthisIearnestlydeprecatethepolishedindignationofyourFifthAvenuedandies—weretheWesternminers.Theirwide—brimmedhats，whichshadedtheirfacesfromthesunandprotectedthemfromtherain，andthecloak，whichisbyfarthemostbeautifulpieceofdraperyeverinvented，maywellbedweltonwithadmiration.Theirhighboots，too，weresensibleandpractical.Theyworeonlywhatwascomfortable，andthereforebeautiful.AsIlookedatthemI
couldnothelpthinkingwithregretofthetimewhenthesepicturesqueminerswouldhavemadetheirfortunesandwouldgoEasttoassumeagainalltheabominationsofmodernfashionableattire.
Indeed，soconcernedwasIthatImadesomeofthempromisethatwhentheyagainappearedinthemorecrowdedscenesofEasterncivilisationtheywouldstillcontinuetoweartheirlovelycostume.ButIdonotbelievetheywill.
Now，whatAmericawantsto—dayisaschoolofrationalart.Badartisagreatdealworsethannoartatall.Youmustshowyourworkmenspecimensofgoodworksothattheycometoknowwhatissimpleandtrueandbeautiful.TothatendIwouldhaveyouhaveamuseumattachedtotheseschools—notoneofthosedreadfulmoderninstitutionswherethereisastuffedandverydustygiraffe，andacaseortwooffossils，butaplacewheretherearegatheredexamplesofartdecorationfromvariousperiodsandcountries.
SuchaplaceistheSouthKensingtonMuseuminLondon，whereonwebuildgreaterhopesforthefuturethanonanyotheronething.
ThereIgoeverySaturdaynight，whenthemuseumisopenlaterthanusual，toseethehandicraftsman，thewood—worker，theglass—blowerandtheworkerinmetals.Anditisherethatthemanofrefinementandculturecomesfacetofacewiththeworkmanwhoministerstohisjoy.Hecomestoknowmoreofthenobilityoftheworkman，andtheworkman，feelingtheappreciation，comestoknowmoreofthenobilityofhiswork.
Youhavetoomanywhitewalls.Morecolouriswanted.YoushouldhavesuchmenasWhistleramongyoutoteachyouthebeautyandjoyofcolour.TakeMr.Whistler’s’SymphonyinWhite，’whichyounodoubthaveimaginedtobesomethingquitebizarre.Itisnothingofthesort.Thinkofacoolgreyskyfleckedhereandtherewithwhiteclouds，agreyoceanandthreewonderfullybeautifulfiguresrobedinwhite，leaningoverthewateranddroppingwhiteflowersfromtheirfingers.Hereisnoextensiveintellectualschemetotroubleyou，andnometaphysicsofwhichwehavehadquiteenoughinart.Butifthesimpleandunaidedcolourstriketherightkeynote，thewholeconceptionismadeclear.IregardMr.
Whistler’sfamousPeacockRoomasthefinestthingincolourandartdecorationwhichtheworldhasknownsinceCorreggiopaintedthatwonderfulroominItalywherethelittlechildrenaredancingonthewalls.Mr.WhistlerfinishedanotherroomjustbeforeI
cameaway—abreakfastroominblueandyellow.Theceilingwasalightblue，thecabinet—workandthefurniturewereofayellowwood，thecurtainsatthewindowswerewhiteandworkedinyellow，andwhenthetablewassetforbreakfastwithdaintybluechinanothingcanbeconceivedatoncesosimpleandsojoyous.
ThefaultwhichIhaveobservedinmostofyourroomsisthatthereisapparentnodefiniteschemeofcolour.Everythingisnotattunedtoakey—noteasitshouldbe.Theapartmentsarecrowdedwithprettythingswhichhavenorelationtooneanother.Again，yourartistsmustdecoratewhatismoresimplyuseful.InyourartschoolsIfoundnoattempttodecoratesuchthingsasthevesselsforwater.Iknowofnothinguglierthantheordinaryjugorpitcher.Amuseumcouldbefilledwiththedifferentkindsofwatervesselswhichareusedinhotcountries.Yetwecontinuetosubmittothedepressingjugwiththehandleallononeside.Idonotseethewisdomofdecoratingdinner—plateswithsunsetsandsoup—plateswithmoonlightscenes.Idonotthinkitaddsanythingtothepleasureofthecanvas—backducktotakeitoutofsuchglories.Besides，wedonotwantasoup—platewhosebottomseemstovanishinthedistance.Onefeelsneithersafenorcomfortableundersuchconditions.Infact，Ididnotfindintheartschoolsofthecountrythatthedifferencewasexplainedbetweendecorativeandimaginativeart.
Theconditionsofartshouldbesimple.Agreatdealmoredependsupontheheartthanuponthehead.Appreciationofartisnotsecuredbyanyelaborateschemeoflearning.Artrequiresagoodhealthyatmosphere.Themotivesforartarestillaroundaboutusastheywereroundabouttheancients.Andthesubjectsarealsoeasilyfoundbytheearnestsculptorandthepainter.Nothingismorepicturesqueandgracefulthanamanatwork.Theartistwhogoestothechildren’splayground，watchesthemattheirsportandseestheboystooptotiehisshoe，willfindthesamethemesthatengagedtheattentionoftheancientGreeks，andsuchobservationandtheillustrationswhichfollowwilldomuchtocorrectthatfoolishimpressionthatmentalandphysicalbeautyarealwaysdivorced.
Toyou，morethanperhapstoanyothercountry，hasNaturebeengenerousinfurnishingmaterialforartworkerstoworkin.YouhavemarblequarrieswherethestoneismorebeautifulincolourthananytheGreekseverhadfortheirbeautifulwork，andyetdayafterdayIamconfrontedwiththegreatbuildingofsomestupidmanwhohasusedthebeautifulmaterialasifitwerenotpreciousalmostbeyondspeech.Marbleshouldnotbeusedsavebynobleworkmen.Thereisnothingwhichgavemeagreatersenseofbarrennessintravellingthroughthecountrythantheentireabsenceofwoodcarvingonyourhouses.Woodcarvingisthesimplestofthedecorativearts.InSwitzerlandthelittlebarefootedboybeautifiestheporchofhisfather’shousewithexamplesofskillinthisdirection.WhyshouldnotAmericanboysdoagreatdealmoreandbetterthanSwissboys？
Thereisnothingtomymindmorecoarseinconceptionandmorevulgarinexecutionthanmodernjewellery.Thisissomethingthatcaneasilybecorrected.Somethingbettershouldbemadeoutofthebeautifulgoldwhichisstoredupinyourmountainhollowsandstrewnalongyourriverbeds.WhenIwasatLeadvilleandreflectedthatalltheshiningsilverthatIsawcomingfromthemineswouldbemadeintouglydollars，itmademesad.Itshouldbemadeintosomethingmorepermanent.ThegoldengatesatFlorenceareasbeautifulto—dayaswhenMichaelAngelosawthem.
Weshouldseemoreoftheworkmanthanwedo.Weshouldnotbecontenttohavethesalesmanstandbetweenus—thesalesmanwhoknowsnothingofwhatheissellingsavethatheischargingagreatdealtoomuchforit.Andwatchingtheworkmanwillteachthatmostimportantlesson—thenobilityofallrationalworkmanship.
Isaidinmylastlecturethatartwouldcreateanewbrotherhoodamongmenbyfurnishingauniversallanguage.Isaidthatunderitsbeneficentinfluenceswarmightpassaway.Thinkingthis，whatplacecanIascribetoartinoureducation？Ifchildrengrowupamongallfairandlovelythings，theywillgrowtolovebeautyanddetestuglinessbeforetheyknowthereasonwhy.Ifyougointoahousewhereeverythingiscoarse，youfindthingschippedandbrokenandunsightly.Nobodyexercisesanycare.Ifeverythingisdaintyanddelicate，gentlenessandrefinementofmannerareunconsciouslyacquired.WhenIwasinSanFranciscoIusedtovisittheChineseQuarterfrequently.ThereIusedtowatchagreathulkingChineseworkmanathistaskofdigging，andusedtoseehimeverydaydrinkhisteafromalittlecupasdelicateintextureasthepetalofaflower，whereasinallthegrandhotelsoftheland，wherethousandsofdollarshavebeenlavishedongreatgiltmirrorsandgaudycolumns，Ihavebeengivenmycoffeeormychocolateincupsaninchandaquarterthick.IthinkIhavedeservedsomethingnicer.
Theartsystemsofthepasthavebeendevisedbyphilosopherswholookeduponhumanbeingsasobstructions.Theyhavetriedtoeducateboys’mindsbeforetheyhadany.Howmuchbetteritwouldbeintheseearlyyearstoteachchildrentousetheirhandsintherationalserviceofmankind.Iwouldhaveaworkshopattachedtoeveryschool，andonehouradaygivenuptotheteachingofsimpledecorativearts.Itwouldbeagoldenhourtothechildren.Andyouwouldsoonraiseuparaceofhandicraftsmenwhowouldtransformthefaceofyourcountry.IhaveseenonlyonesuchschoolintheUnitedStates，andthiswasinPhiladelphiaandwasfoundedbymyfriendMr.Leyland.Istoppedthereyesterdayandhavebroughtsomeoftheworkherethisafternoontoshowyou.
Herearetwodisksofbeatenbrass：thedesignsonthemarebeautiful，theworkmanshipissimple，andtheentireresultissatisfactory.Theworkwasdonebyalittleboytwelveyearsold.
Thisisawoodenbowldecoratedbyalittlegirlofthirteen.Thedesignislovelyandthecolouringdelicateandpretty.Hereyouseeapieceofbeautifulwoodcarvingaccomplishedbyalittleboyofnine.Insuchworkasthis，childrenlearnsincerityinart.
Theylearntoabhortheliarinart—themanwhopaintswoodtolooklikeiron，orirontolooklikestone.Itisapracticalschoolofmorals.NobetterwayistheretolearntoloveNaturethantounderstandArt.Itdignifieseveryflowerofthefield.
And，theboywhoseesthethingofbeautywhichabirdonthewingbecomeswhentransferredtowoodorcanvaswillprobablynotthrowthecustomarystone.Whatwewantissomethingspiritualaddedtolife.NothingissoignoblethatArtcannotsanctifyit.
ARTANDTHEHANDICRAFTSMAN
PEOPLEoftentalkasiftherewasanoppositionbetweenwhatisbeautifulandwhatisuseful.Thereisnooppositiontobeautyexceptugliness：allthingsareeitherbeautifulorugly，andutilitywillbealwaysonthesideofthebeautifulthing，becausebeautifuldecorationisalwaysonthesideofthebeautifulthing，becausebeautifuldecorationisalwaysanexpressionoftheuseyouputathingtoandthevalueplacedonit.Noworkmanwillbeautifullydecoratebadwork，norcanyoupossiblygetgoodhandicraftsmenorworkmenwithouthavingbeautifuldesigns.Youshouldbequitesureofthat.Ifyouhavepoorandworthlessdesignsinanycraftortradeyouwillgetpoorandworthlessworkmenonly，buttheminuteyouhavenobleandbeautifuldesigns，thenyougetmenofpowerandintellectandfeelingtoworkforyou.Byhavinggooddesignsyouhaveworkmenwhoworknotmerelywiththeirhandsbutwiththeirheartsandheadstoo;otherwiseyouwillgetmerelythefoolortheloafertoworkforyou.
Thatthebeautyoflifeisathingofnomoment，Isupposefewpeoplewouldventuretoassert.Andyetmostcivilisedpeopleactasifitwereofnone，andinsodoingarewrongingboththemselvesandthosethataretocomeafterthem.Forthatbeautywhichismeantbyartisnomereaccidentofhumanlifewhichpeoplecantakeorleave，butapositivenecessityoflifeifwearetoliveasnaturemeantusto，thatistosayunlesswearecontenttobelessthanmen.
Donotthinkthatthecommercialspiritwhichisthebasisofyourlifeandcitieshereisopposedtoart.Whobuiltthebeautifulcitiesoftheworldbutcommercialmenandcommercialmenonly？
Genoabuiltbyitstraders，Florencebyitsbankers，andVenice，mostlovelyofall，byitsnobleandhonestmerchants.
Idonotwishyou，remember，’tobuildanewPisa，’nortobring’thelifeorthedecorationsofthethirteenthcenturybackagain.’
’Thecircumstanceswithwhichyoumustsurroundyourworkmenarethose’ofmodernAmericanlife，’becausethedesignsyouhavenowtoaskforfromyourworkmenaresuchaswillmakemodern’American’lifebeautiful.’Theartwewantistheartbasedonalltheinventionsofmoderncivilisation，andtosuitalltheneedsofnineteenth—centurylife.
Doyouthink，forinstance，thatweobjecttomachinery？Itellyouwereverenceit;wereverenceitwhenitdoesitsproperwork，whenitrelievesmanfromignobleandsoullesslabour，notwhenitseekstodothatwhichisvaluableonlywhenwroughtbythehandsandheartsofmen.Letushavenomachine—madeornamentatall;itisallbadandworthlessandugly.Andletusnotmistakethemeansofcivilisationfortheendofcivilisation;steam—engine，telephoneandthelike，areallwonderful，butrememberthattheirvaluedependsentirelyonthenobleuseswemakeofthem，onthenoblespiritinwhichweemploythem，notonthethingsthemselves.
Itis，nodoubt，agreatadvantagetotalktoamanattheAntipodesthroughatelephone;itsadvantagedependsentirelyonthevalueofwhatthetwomenhavetosaytooneanother.Ifonemerelyshrieksslanderthroughatubeandtheotherwhispersfollyintoawire，donotthinkthatanybodyisverymuchbenefitedbytheinvention.
ThetrainthatwhirlsanordinaryEnglishmanthroughItalyattherateoffortymilesanhourandfinallysendshimhomewithoutanymemoryofthatlovelycountrybutthathewascheatedbyacourieratRome，orthathegotabaddinneratVerona，doesnotdohimorcivilisationmuchgood.Butthatswiftlegionoffiery—footedenginesthatboretotheburningruinsofChicagothelovinghelpandgeneroustreasureoftheworldwasasnobleandasbeautifulasanygoldentroopofangelsthateverfedthehungryandclothedthenakedintheantiquetimes.Asbeautiful，yes;allmachinerymaybebeautifulwhenitisundecoratedeven.Donotseektodecorateit.Wecannotbutthinkallgoodmachineryisgraceful，also，thelineofstrengthandthelineofbeautybeingone.
Givethen，asIsaid，toyourworkmenofto—daythebrightandnoblesurroundingsthatyoucanyourselfcreate.Statelyandsimplearchitectureforyourcities，brightandsimpledressforyourmenandwomen;thosearetheconditionsofarealartisticmovement.Fortheartistisnotconcernedprimarilywithanytheoryoflifebutwithlifeitself，withthejoyandlovelinessthatshouldcomedailyoneyeandearforabeautifulexternalworld.
Butthesimplicitymustnotbebarrennessnorthebrightcolourgaudy.Forallbeautifulcoloursaregraduatedcolours，thecoloursthatseemabouttopassintooneanother’srealm—colourwithouttonebeinglikemusicwithoutharmony，merediscord.
Barrenarchitecture，thevulgarandglaringadvertisementsthatdesecratenotmerelyyourcitiesbuteveryrockandriverthatI
haveseenyetinAmerica—allthisisnotenough.Aschoolofdesignwemusthavetooineachcity.Itshouldbeastatelyandnoblebuilding，fullofthebestexamplesofthebestartoftheworld.Furthermore，donotputyourdesignersinabarrenwhitewashedroomandbidthemworkinthatdepressingandcolourlessatmosphereasIhaveseenmanyoftheAmericanschoolsofdesign，butgivethembeautifulsurroundings.Becauseyouwanttoproduceapermanentcanonandstandardoftasteinyourworkman，hemusthavealwaysbyhimandbeforehimspecimensofthebestdecorativeartoftheworld，sothatyoucansaytohim：’Thisisgoodwork.GreekorItalianorJapanesewroughtitsomanyyearsago，butitiseternallyyoungbecauseeternallybeautiful.’Workinthisspiritandyouwillbesuretoberight.Donotcopyit，butworkwiththesamelove，thesamereverence，thesamefreedomofimagination.Youmustteachhimcolouranddesign，howallbeautifulcoloursaregraduatedcoloursandglaringcolourstheessenceofvulgarity.Showhimthequalityofanybeautifulworkofnatureliketherose，oranybeautifulworkofartlikeanEasterncarpet—beingmerelytheexquisitegradationofcolour，onetoneansweringanotherliketheansweringchordsofasymphony.
Teachhimhowthetruedesignerisnothewhomakesthedesignandthencoloursit，buthewhodesignsincolour，createsincolour，thinksincolourtoo.Showhimhowthemostgorgeousstained—glasswindowsofEuropearefilledwithwhiteglass，andthemostgorgeousEasterntapestrywithtonedcolours—theprimarycoloursinbothplacesbeingsetinthewhiteglass，andthetonecolourslikebrilliantjewelssetinduskygold.Andthenasregardsdesign，showhimhowtherealdesignerwilltakefirstanygivenlimitedspace，littlediskofsilver，itmaybe，likeaGreekcoin，orwideexpanseoffrettedceilingorlordlywallasTintoretchoseatVenice（itdoesnotmatterwhich），andtothislimitedspace—
thefirstconditionofdecorationbeingthelimitationofthesizeofthematerialused—hewillgivetheeffectofitsbeingfilledwithbeautifuldecoration，filledwithitasagoldencupwillbefilledwithwine，socompletethatyoushouldnotbeabletotakeawayanythingfromitoraddanythingtoit.Forfromagoodpieceofdesignyoucantakeawaynothing，norcanyouaddanythingtoit，eachlittlebitofdesignbeingasabsolutelynecessaryandasvitallyimportanttothewholeeffectasanoteorchordofmusicisforasonataofBeethoven.
ButIsaidtheeffectofitsbeingsofilled，becausethis，again，isoftheessenceofgooddesign.WithasimplesprayofleavesandabirdinflightaJapaneseartistwillgiveyoutheimpressionthathehascompletelycoveredwithlovelydesignthereedfanorlacquercabinetatwhichheisworking，merelybecauseheknowstheexactspotinwhichtoplacethem.Allgooddesigndependsonthetextureoftheutensilusedandtheuseyouwishtoputitto.OneofthefirstthingsIsawinanAmericanschoolofdesignwasayoungladypaintingaromanticmoonlightlandscapeonalargerounddish，andanotheryoungladycoveringasetofdinnerplateswithaseriesofsunsetsofthemostremarkablecolours.Letyourladiespaintmoonlightlandscapesandsunsets，butdonotletthempaintthemondinnerplatesordishes.Letthemtakecanvasorpaperforsuchwork，butnotclayorchina.Theyaremerelypaintingthewrongsubjectsonthewrongmaterial，thatisall.Theyhavenotbeentaughtthateverymaterialandtexturehascertainqualitiesofitsown.Thedesignsuitableforoneisquitewrongfortheother，justasthedesignwhichyoushouldworkonaflattable—
coveroughttobequitedifferentfromthedesignyouwouldworkonacurtain，fortheonewillalwaysbestraight，theotherbrokenintofolds;andtheusetoooneputstheobjecttoshouldguideoneinthechoiceofdesign.Onedoesnotwanttoeatone’sterrapinsoffaromanticmoonlightnorone’sclamsoffaharrowingsunset.
Gloryofsunandmoon，letthembewroughtforusbyourlandscapeartistandbeonthewallsoftheroomswesitintoremindusoftheundyingbeautyofthesunsetsthatfadeanddie，butdonotletuseatoursoupoffthemandsendthemdowntothekitchentwiceadaytobewashedandscrubbedbythehandmaid.
Allthesethingsaresimpleenough，yetnearlyalwaysforgotten.
Yourschoolofdesignherewillteachyourgirlsandyourboys，yourhandicraftsmenofthefuture（forallyourschoolsofartshouldbelocalschools，theschoolsofparticularcities）.WetalkoftheItalianschoolofpainting，butthereisnoItalianschool;thereweretheschoolsofeachcity.EverytowninItaly，fromVeniceitself，queenofthesea，tothelittlehillfortressofPerugia，eachhaditsownschoolofart，eachdifferentandallbeautiful.
SodonotmindwhatartPhiladelphiaorNewYorkishaving，butmakebythehandsofyourowncitizensbeautifulartforthejoyofyourowncitizens，foryouhaveheretheprimaryelementsofagreatartisticmovement.
For，believeme，theconditionsofartaremuchsimplerthanpeopleimagine.Forthenoblestartonerequiresaclearhealthyatmosphere，notpollutedastheairofourEnglishcitiesisbythesmokeandgrimeandhorridnesswhichcomesfromopenfurnaceandfromfactorychimney.Youmusthavestrong，sane，healthyphysiqueamongyourmenandwomen.Sicklyoridleormelancholypeopledonotdomuchinart.Andlastly，yourequireasenseofindividualismabouteachmanandwoman，forthisistheessenceofart—adesireonthepartofmantoexpresshimselfinthenoblestwaypossible.Andthisisthereasonthatthegrandestartoftheworldalwayscamefromarepublic：Athens，Venice，andFlorence—
therewerenokingsthereandsotheirartwasasnobleandsimpleassincere.ButifyouwanttoknowwhatkindofartthefollyofkingswillimposeonacountrylookatthedecorativeartofFranceundertheGRANDMONARQUE，underLouistheFourteenth;thegaudygiltfurniturewrithingunderasenseofitsownhorrorandugliness，withanymphsmirkingateveryangleandadragonmouthingoneveryclaw.Unrealandmonstrousartthis，andfitonlyforsuchperiwiggedpompositiesasthenobilityofFranceatthattime，butnotatallfitforyouorme.Wedonotwanttherichtopossessmorebeautifulthingsbutthepoortocreatemorebeautifulthings;forevermanispoorwhocannotcreate.NorshalltheartwhichyouandIneedbemerelyapurplerobewovenbyaslaveandthrownoverthewhitenedbodyofsomeleprouskingtoadornortoconcealthesinofhisluxury，butrathershallitbethenobleandbeautifulexpressionofapeople’snobleandbeautifullife.Artshallbeagainthemostgloriousofallthechordsthroughwhichthespiritofagreatnationfindsitsnoblestutterance.
Allaroundyou，Isaid，lietheconditionsforagreatartisticmovementforeverygreatart.Letusthinkofoneofthem;asculptor，forinstance.
Ifamodernsculptorweretocomeandsay，’Verywell，butwherecanonefindsubjectsforsculptureoutofmenwhowearfrock—coatsandchimney—pothats？’Iwouldtellhimtogotothedocksofagreatcityandwatchthemenloadingorunloadingthestatelyships，workingatwheelorwindlass，haulingatropeorgangway.I
haveneverwatchedamandoanythingusefulwhohasnotbeengracefulatsomemomentofhislabour：itisonlytheloaferandtheidlesauntererwhoisasuselessanduninterestingtotheartistasheistohimself.Iwouldaskthesculptortogowithmetoanyofyourschoolsoruniversities，totherunninggroundandgymnasium，towatchtheyoungmenstartforarace，hurlingquoitorclub，kneelingtotietheirshoesbeforeleaping，steppingfromtheboatorbendingtotheoar，andtocarvethem;andwhenhewaswearyofcitiesIwouldaskhimtocometoyourfieldsandmeadowstowatchthereaperwithhissickleandthecattle—driverwithliftedlasso.Forifamancannotfindthenoblestmotivesforhisartinsuchsimpledailythingsasawomandrawingwaterfromthewelloramanleaningwithhisscythe，hewillnotfindthemanywhereatall.GodsandgoddessestheGreekcarvedbecausehelovedthem;saintandkingtheGothbecausehebelievedinthem.
Butyou，youdonotcaremuchforGreekgodsandgoddesses，andyouareperfectlyandentirelyright;andyoudonotthinkmuchofkingseither，andyouarequiteright.Butwhatyoudoloveareyourownmenandwomen，yourownflowersandfields，yourownhillsandmountains，andthesearewhatyourartshouldrepresenttoyou.
Ourshasbeenthefirstmovementwhichhasbroughtthehandicraftsmanandtheartisttogether，forrememberthatbyseparatingtheonefromtheotheryoudoruintoboth;yourobtheoneofallspiritualmotiveandallimaginativejoy，youisolatetheotherfromallrealtechnicalperfection.Thetwogreatestschoolsofartintheworld，thesculptoratAthensandtheschoolofpaintingatVenice，hadtheiroriginentirelyinalongsuccessionofsimpleandearnesthandicraftsmen.ItwastheGreekpotterwhotaughtthesculptorthatrestraininginfluenceofdesignwhichwasthegloryoftheParthenon;itwastheItaliandecoratorofchestsandhouseholdgoodswhokeptVenetianpaintingalwaystruetoitsprimarypictorialconditionofnoblecolour.Forweshouldrememberthatalltheartsarefineartsandalltheartsdecorativearts.ThegreatesttriumphofItalianpaintingwasthedecorationofapope’schapelinRomeandthewallofaroominVenice.MichaelAngelowroughttheone，andTintoret，thedyer’sson，theother.Andthelittle’Dutchlandscape，whichyouputoveryoursideboardto—day，andbetweenthewindowsto—morrow，is’
nolessaglorious’pieceofworkthantheextentsoffieldandforestwithwhichBenozzohasmadegreenandbeautifultheoncemelancholyarcadeoftheCampoSantoatPisa，’asRuskinsays.
Donotimitatetheworksofanation，GreekorJapanese，ItalianorEnglish;buttheirartisticspiritofdesignandtheirartisticattitudeto—day，theirownworld，youshouldabsorbbutimitatenever，copynever.UnlessyoucanmakeasbeautifuladesigninpaintedchinaorembroideredscreenorbeatenbrassoutofyourAmericanturkeyastheJapanesedoesoutofhisgreysilver—wingedstork，youwillneverdoanything.LettheGreekcarvehislionsandtheGothhisdragons：buffaloandwilddeeraretheanimalsforyou.
Goldenrodandasterandroseandalltheflowersthatcoveryourvalleysinthespringandyourhillsintheautumn：letthembetheflowersforyourart.NotmerelyhasNaturegivenyouthenoblestmotivesforanewschoolofdecoration，buttoyouaboveallothercountrieshasshegiventheutensilstoworkin.
YouhavequarriesofmarblericherthanPentelicus，morevariedthanParos，butdonotbuildagreatwhitesquarehouseofmarbleandthinkthatitisbeautiful，orthatyouareusingmarblenobly.
Ifyoubuildinmarbleyoumusteithercarveitintojoyousdecoration，likethelivesofdancingchildrenthatadornthemarblecastlesoftheLoire，orfillitwithbeautifulsculpture，friezeandpediment，astheGreeksdid，orinlayitwithothercolouredmarblesastheydidinVenice.OtherwiseyouhadbetterbuildinsimpleredbrickasyourPuritanfathers，withnopretenceandwithsomebeauty.Donottreatyourmarbleasifitwasordinarystoneandbuildahouseofmereblocksofit.Foritisindeedapreciousstone，thismarbleofyours，andonlyworkmenofnobilityofinventionanddelicacyofhandshouldbeallowedtotouchitatall，carvingitintonoblestatuesorintobeautifuldecoration，orinlayingitwithothercolouredmarbles：for’thetruecoloursofarchitecturearethoseofnaturalstone，andI
wouldfainseethemtakenadvantageoftothefull.Everyvarietyishere，frompaleyellowtopurplepassingthroughorange，red，andbrown，entirelyatyourcommand;nearlyeverykindofgreenandgreyalsoisattainable，andwiththeseandwithpurewhitewhatharmonymightyounotachieve.Ofstainedandvariegatedstonethequantityisunlimited，thekindsinnumerable.Werebrightercoloursrequired，letglass，andgoldprotectedbyglass，beusedinmosaic，akindofworkasdurableasthesolidstoneandincapableoflosingitslustrebytime.Andletthepainter’sworkbereservedfortheshadowedloggiaandinnerchamber.
’Thisisthetrueandfaithfulwayofbuilding.Wherethiscannotbe，thedeviceofexternalcolouringmayindeedbeemployedwithoutdishonour—butitmustbewiththewarningreflectionthatatimewillcomewhensuchaidswillpassawayandwhenthebuildingwillbejudgedinitslifelessness，dyingthedeathofthedolphin.
Betterthelessbright，moreenduringfabric.ThetransparentalabastersofSanMiniatoandthemosaicsofSaintMark’saremorewarmlyfilledandmorebrightlytouchedbyeveryreturnofmorningandevening，whilethehuesoftheGothiccathedralshavediedliketheirisoutofthecloud，andthetemples，whoseazureandpurpleonceflamedabovetheGrecianpromontory，standintheirfadedwhitenesslikesnowswhichthesunsethasleftcold.’—Ruskin，SEVENLAMPSOFARCHITECTURE，II.
Idonotknowanythingsoperfectlycommonplaceindesignasmostmodernjewellery.Howeasyforyoutochangethatandtoproducegoldsmiths’workthatwouldbeajoytoallofus.Thegoldisreadyforyouinunexhaustedtreasure，storedupinthemountainholloworstrewnontheriversand，andwasnotgiventoyoumerelyforbarrenspeculation.Thereshouldbesomebetterrecordofitleftinyourhistorythanthemerchant’spanicandtheruinedhome.
Wedonotrememberoftenenoughhowconstantlythehistoryofagreatnationwillliveinandbyitsart.OnlyafewthinwreathsofbeatengoldremaintotellusofthestatelyempireofEtruria;
and，whilefromthestreetsofFlorencethenobleknightandhaughtydukehavelongsincepassedaway，thegateswhichthesimplegoldsmithGhibertimadefortheirpleasurestillguardtheirlovelyhouseofbaptism，worthystillofthepraiseofMichaelAngelowhocalledthemworthytobetheGatesofParadise.
Havethenyourschoolofdesign，searchoutyourworkmenand，whenyoufindonewhohasdelicacyofhandandthatwonderofinventionnecessaryforgoldsmiths’work，donotleavehimtotoilinobscurityanddishonourandhaveagreatglaringshopandtwogreatglaringshop—boysinit（nottotakeyourorders：theyneverdothat;buttoforceyoutobuysomethingyoudonotwantatall）.
Whenyouwantathingwroughtingold，gobletorshieldforthefeast，necklaceorwreathforthewomen，tellhimwhatyoulikemostindecoration，flowerorwreath，birdinflightorhoundinthechase，imageofthewomanyouloveorthefriendyouhonour.
Watchhimashebeatsoutthegoldintothosethinplatesdelicateasthepetalsofayellowrose，ordrawsitintothelongwiresliketangledsunbeamsatdawn.Whoeverthatworkmanbe，helphim，cherishhim，andyouwillhavesuchlovelyworkfromhishandaswillbeajoytoyouforalltime.
ThisisthespiritofourmovementinEngland，andthisisthespiritinwhichwewouldwishyoutowork，makingeternalbyyourartallthatisnobleinyourmenandwomen，statelyinyourlakesandmountains，beautifulinyourownflowersandnaturallife.Wewanttoseethatyouhavenothinginyourhousesthathasnotbeenajoytothemanwhomadeit，andisnotajoytothosethatuseit.Wewanttoseeyoucreateanartmadebythehandsofthepeopletopleasetheheartsofthepeopletoo.Doyoulikethisspiritornot？Doyouthinkitsimpleandstrong，nobleinitsaim，andbeautifulinitsresult？Iknowyoudo.
Follyandslanderhavetheirownwayforalittletime，butforalittletimeonly.Younowknowwhatwemean：youwillbeabletoestimatewhatissaidofus—itsvalueanditsmotive.
Thereshouldbealawthatnoordinarynewspapershouldbeallowedtowriteaboutart.Theharmtheydobytheirfoolishandrandomwritingitwouldbeimpossibletooverestimate—nottotheartistbuttothepublic，blindingthemtoall，butharmingtheartistnotatall.Withoutthemwewouldjudgeamansimplybyhiswork;butatpresentthenewspapersaretryinghardtoinducethepublictojudgeasculptor，forinstance，neverbyhisstatuesbutbythewayhetreatshiswife;apainterbytheamountofhisincomeandapoetbythecolourofhisneck—tie.Isaidthereshouldbealaw，butthereisreallynonecessityforanewlaw：nothingcouldbeeasierthantobringtheordinarycriticundertheheadofthecriminalclasses.Butletusleavesuchaninartisticsubjectandreturntobeautifulandcomelythings，rememberingthattheartwhichwouldrepresentthespiritofmodernnewspaperswouldbeexactlytheartwhichyouandIwanttoavoid—grotesqueart，malicemockingyoufromeverygateway，slandersneeringatyoufromeverycorner.