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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7b3863f --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #69571 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69571) diff --git a/old/69571-0.txt b/old/69571-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 4411c1e..0000000 --- a/old/69571-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2008 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Euterpe, by Lionel R. McColvin - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Euterpe - Or, the future of art - -Author: Lionel R. McColvin - -Release Date: December 18, 2022 [eBook #69571] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Tim Lindell, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was - produced from images made available by the HathiTrust - Digital Library.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EUTERPE *** - - - - - - EUTERPE - OR - THE FUTURE OF ART - - - - - TO-DAY AND TO-MORROW - - _A Full List of the Series will be found at - the end of this Volume_ - - - - - EUTERPE - OR - THE FUTURE OF ART - - BY - - LIONEL R. McCOLVIN - - Author of _The Theory of Book-Selection_, - _Music in Public Libraries_, _etc._ - - LONDON: - KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUBNER & CO., LTD. - NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & CO. - - - - - Made and Printed in Great Britain by - M. F. Robinson & Co., Ltd., at The Library Press, Lowestoft - - - - -EUTERPE - - - - -I - - -At the outset it will be desirable to state that when I speak of -the future of art I do not mean the “art of the future”. Art can -be considered from either an inside or an outside point of view; -that is to say, we can deal either with its nature, problems, and -performances--art itself, or with the amount and quality of the -interest taken in art by men and women--the “art-life” of the -community. The latter subject is that dealt with here. - -The “art-life” of the civilized world is at present in a transition -period, which is fraught with distinct, though maybe unrealized, -dangers. Its problems are only indirectly related to the present and -the future state of art-production: whether we foresee development or -retrogression in modern tendencies in literature, painting, music, and -so on, these dangers will need to be faced, or they will, at least, -minimize the value of the creative work of to-morrow. For we are -concerned not with the production of art but with the enjoyment and -appreciation of art. As the latter is the more important, since without -it production would be sterile, it is an essential preliminary that -the conditions necessary for the healthy growth of a more widespread, -deeper-rooted love of the beautiful should exist. We are now viewing -the situation as sociologists, as men, rather than as artists. The -artist can be satisfied when he attains a certain level of performance: -at least he can work with content and happiness while he is seeking to -reach a may-be unattainable perfection. He is, naturally and rightly, -concerned with absolute values; and the critic and the individual -lover can maintain the same attitude. If a painting or a poem reaches -perfection, he asks no more. But the sociologist must take a different -attitude. To the artist and the critic the work is the end; to the -sociologist it is the beginning. It is not enough for him to know that -the painting is great, since to him it is only the means by which men -attain artistic enjoyment; it has no significance until it has acted -upon the minds of men. That being so he must ask other questions about -it--firstly, _How many_ men can see it? How many are able to appreciate -its value intelligently, gaining the full aesthetic, spiritual, or -intellectual stimulus from it?--in short, What is the aggregate of its -human significance? - -It does not follow, of course, that we can relate the quality of a -work of art to the “quantity” of its appeal; it would, in fact, be -absurd to suppose that it is necessarily better that 100,000 should -know and appreciate the second-rate than that 100 should love the -finest--neither, with certain reservations, need this necessarily be -untrue. The point I would urge at present is simply that the value -of art to humanity does depend very largely upon the desire and -opportunity of men to take advantage of it. The poet whose works are -ignored saving by the very few may be as impotent as a mute inglorious -Milton. - -Therefore there are two factors--production and reproduction, or, shall -we say, creation and distribution. A musician composes a symphony, -a dramatist writes a play, a novelist a story--that is the first -factor. If no one ever performed the symphony, produced the play, or -published the novel, of what importance would this creation prove to -the world?--Practically none. The art-product must be distributed -before it can accomplish any part of its essential purpose. It -necessarily follows, moreover, that the _wider_ the distribution, the -more adequately will it function. This is all very obvious, though -often forgotten, and will disclose the next step in the argument, -which is that, were it not for certain tendencies, increased means of -reproduction and distribution would lead to a better developed, more -valuable, and more active artistic life. That being so, the present, -which is a period when mankind is enjoying the benefit of recent and -important reproductive inventions, should be imbued with hopeful -tendencies--Is it? - -Yes and no. Let us take stock of our position. Reproduction is -almost entirely a mechanical matter, depending upon non-artistic, -purely material factors. Production is the business of the creative -artists; reproduction that of the scientists. The latter have given -us within recent years inventions which have revolutionized artistic -conditions--the mechanical processes and innumerable secondary -inventions such as stereotyping, and mechanical composition and -binding, which have facilitated the reproduction of printed matter, -the three-colour and other photo-mechanical methods of reproducing -pictorial matter, the gramophone, the piano-player, and wireless to aid -the distribution of music, and so on, throughout the range of pure and -applied art. - -Until recent years the percentage of the population who were in direct -contact with the fine arts had remained much the same in civilized -countries from probably the earliest times. Art had almost invariably -depended upon direct patronage of some kind or other, religious or -secular, if not entirely at least to an important degree. I would -not denounce this; one cannot, when one remembers that the system -fostered art which has not been equalled under the new régime. But -direct patronage by the few is rapidly declining and is to-day almost -negligible. It has been replaced, simply as a result of the mechanical -factor, by a more democratic economic basis. Some arts are still to -some extent produced for the few, but others entirely for the many. The -important fact is that wherever reproduction is easiest that art is the -most democratic--books and music, for example; wherever least possible -its range is narrower and its support less democratic, e.g., sculpture, -household decoration, etc. - - * * * * * - -The character of our artistic experience has therefore to a very large -extent been decided by purely non-artistic factors. That which _can_ -be reproduced has been reproduced, and opportunity has developed -taste. This is a generalization, though not a fallacious one. We -may assume that the artistic needs of men have been led into their -different channels partly as a result of personal inclination, but -very largely through the influence of opportunity. If a number of men -were cast upon a desert island with only books to minister to their -aesthetic needs, the majority would take what was to hand and be quite -content. I am not saying that this is a good tendency but that it is -a true hypothesis, applicable to modern life, and a contention which -is tenable on historical grounds. The favourite pursuits of early -civilizations were not those of to-day, and it is very unlikely that -any one factor has done so much to change taste as the development of -means of reproduction. The pursuit of once-popular arts need not die -out; it need not even decline, since the numbers of those interested in -all the arts is increasing; but the proportionate or relative interest -alters. This being so, can we ignore the influence of the mechanical -factor? It is operating in a striking manner to-day when _relatively_ -music is being appreciated by more and literature by fewer people, when -the theatre is attracting, relatively again, fewer every day than the -cinema, when the graphic arts are becoming more significant than the -plastic arts. - -To ignore the mechanical factor is to put effect before cause. -Certainly the character of taste has influenced the direction of -invention to some extent, since the scientist would naturally turn -first to fields where his work would be most effective. This aspect -should not, however, be magnified. Sooner or later science has given -all it was capable of giving to _every_ form of art, regardless of its -importance or popularity. - -And so we realize that the _character_ of public taste--that is to say, -the proportionate amount of interest in the various arts--has been -dictated by the mechanical factor. We can go still further and assert -that its _quality_ has been largely determined by this same influence. - - - - -II - - -Before we can appreciate the truth of that assertion--that the -quality of public taste has been influenced by mechanical methods of -reproduction--we must be prepared to view the art-life of the community -as a whole. Too often we tend to regard only the better elements, the -top layer, and to ignore the lower strata. We segregate a section of -the populace--that which appreciates, or pretends to appreciate, Art -(with a capital A)--and forget that the remainder, which indulges in -jazz, ‘the pictures’, light fiction, Bovril pictures, and tin-chapel -architecture, is actuated by the same motives. The quality of their -artistic experiences and the standard of their taste and artistic -education may be very different, yet they seek the same kind of -experience as the others. It is entirely a matter of degree. - -Therefore we must regard the art-life of a community, as we must and do -regard its social, religious, or political life, as comprising a little -good, much bad, and more that is indifferent. Once this is realized, -and only then, the full significance of the mechanical factor is -apparent. - -Let us go back to the pre-mechanical era, when only a small number -of people had any opportunity for contact with art and only a few -had developed a love for and the ability to appreciate its higher -manifestations. At the same time a similarly limited populace found -satisfaction in the second, third--and fifth-rate. Probably then, as -now, more enjoyed the second-best than the finest, and so on, though -probably the contrast was not so great as it is now. However that may -be, when a new reproductive process was introduced it was naturally -applied to the lower types rather than to the better, for an obvious -reason. It enabled _more people_ to be brought into contact, and -these newcomers must naturally be unaccustomed to and incapable of -appreciating the best. The education of taste is a slow process, -whereas the new invention was a sudden force, applied immediately in -whatever direction offered it the greatest scope. And so we find at -once an increase in the lower grades of appreciation which is out of -proportion to the benefits bestowed upon the higher. - -The trouble did not end there, however. Greater familiarity tends to -form taste, especially in these matters. Art serves most men chiefly as -a luxury, a relaxation, a recreation; and in our quest for these we are -apt to take that which is most easily obtained. The mechanical factor, -by making the fourth-rate accessible, _generated a desire for the -fourth-rate_: this desire stimulated further reproduction, and this, in -turn, brought more into the artistic fold, at each step lowering the -quality of the most accessible and the most desired. - -The result is that to-day the average quality of the whole artistic -consumption of the populace is considerably lower than it had ever -been before in civilized times. Though every day more and more people -are reading some kind of printed matter, witnessing plays--silent and -audible--of a sort, looking at pictures, penny plain or twopence -coloured, though the time is not far distant when every man will be -interested to some extent in art in one or other of its forms, our -art-life is developing not so much in quality as in quantity. - - - - -III - - -There is, of course, a bright side to the picture, and lest we be -accused of pessimism it will be well to discuss this now. - -In the first place all forms of art, good, bad, and indifferent, have -benefited by mechanical means of reproduction. The actual numbers -of those who can experience the finest things in art have increased -manifold, and to that extent, the art-life of the world is better -off than before. My only contention is that _proportionately_ fewer -appreciate the best, though _actually_ more do so. My only intention -here is to point out the essentially _quantitative_ tendencies of -to-day, lest we should mistake them for something better. Quantity -alone is not everything, and, if we fail to realize these tendencies -and endeavour to counteract their undesirable features, the time will -come when the disproportion between those who seek the worthy and -those who do not will be very dangerous. Why this will be so I hope to -show in the next chapter. - -To return to the bright side--Though quantity is not everything, it -_is_ something. It is better that people should appreciate the lowest -arts than that they should ignore them altogether. Provided, of course, -that any art is not definitely decadent and degenerate, it is better -than none. But even this aspect has its disadvantages. It might be -argued, not without reason, that it is more difficult to wean a person -from the poor thing he knows and has come to like than to introduce an -absolutely artistically-uneducated person to the moderately good. Of -that, however we shall speak later. - -Thirdly, improved reproductive methods have enriched art by enabling -minorities to flourish. - - - - -IV - - -And so we approach the real danger, which is naturally more potent in -some fields than in others. We have seen that the mechanical factor -has, by making the fourth-rate more accessible, increased the number of -those with fourth-rate tastes. Now we encounter the commercial factor -which enters at some stage into every art and almost every artistic -activity. Books, music, and pictures must be published, plays produced, -concerts arranged, art-objects manufactured, and so on. Outlay of -capital is almost invariably involved, and those with capital can -seldom be induced to use it without the usual expectation of gain. In -short, to some person or other nearly _all our artistic experiences are -business propositions_. Practically the only exceptions to this rule -are the institutions maintained at the public expense--art-galleries, -museums, public libraries, etc.--and even these are not entirely -divorced from indirect commercial relationships. - -Thus the nature and extent of art-reproduction are very largely -governed by commercial considerations. The effect of this is easily -seen. The natural desire of the capitalist is to secure the best return -from his investment, and this may be sought in two ways. Either he -may produce something for which there is a large demand, or he may -produce something for which there is less demand and charge more for -it. He will certainly avoid the thing for which there is only a small -or a problematic demand. Let us now remember that the proportion of -those who desire good art is decreasing, and it is clear that the -commercial factor is not improving the standard of public taste. Within -limits the most demand is for the least worth-while, and yet it is the -satisfaction of this demand which makes the most attractive commercial -proposition. He who wants the fine thing prized by a minority must pay -more for it if he is lucky enough to be able to do so and if he is -fortunate enough to have it produced for him, or go without it if he is -not. - -The snowball rolls on. The vicious sequence operates continuously. The -bigger the demand the more ready is the business-man to meet it; the -better the supply, the greater the desire. - -The extent to which the commercial factor is potent varies -considerably, and depends largely upon the amount of capital which -is involved in the single reproductive operation. Fortunately there -are still business-men in the art-producing world who are glad to -compromise, who sometimes put their ideals before their pockets, who -are satisfied so long as they are enabled to pay their way, who are -prepared at times to lose. Accordingly, whenever the capital involved -is not large, and whenever the investor can undertake a number of -contemporary ventures the loss on some of which should be covered by -profits on the others, better though less popular art is given its -chance. - -Probably the most fortunate art in this respect is that of literature -(in the widest sense of the word), and the most unfortunate the drama. -The percentage of worthy books which remain unpublished is very low -compared with that of plays or music, and even this percentage does -not indicate the real difference, since through lack of opportunity, -the number of artists who devote their energies to composition or -play-writing is much smaller than it should be. The reason is obvious. -A small circulation will pay the cost of publishing the average book--a -much smaller circulation (were it not for advertising expenses) than -many imagine; on the other hand, commercial conditions being what they -are, considerable public support is necessary if the producer of a -play, a film, or an orchestral concert is to secure any financial gain. -The publisher, moreover, does not put all his eggs into one basket; -the producer of plays, unless he is in an unusually strong financial -position, must. The former can afford to take occasional risks; the -latter cannot. - -Even in the case of books, however, the reader who seeks the same -kind of reading as many millions of others is in a more favourable -position than the man with individual, minority inclinations. The -greater the volume of reproduction, the lower the cost per copy. Even -were the business-man willing, he could not give the latter the full -benefit of mechanical inventions. It would not be worth his while to -do so. The complete utilization of mechanical methods involves the -use of expensive plant, which is justified only when the output is -large. It is, of course, a matter of degree, and many processes (e.g. -machine-casing of books) can be applied as readily to the few as to the -many. Other processes, on the contrary, never benefit the minority. In -graphic art, for example, there are several colour-processes by which -very cheap reproductions of pictures can be produced, but their use -is, for necessary commercial reasons, confined to popular works. The -pictures required by the few are never reproduced by these methods. - - - - -V - - -We may now summarize the problem, before passing to a discussion of -ways and means to counteract the dangerous tendencies of to-day. - -Firstly--though creative artists and educationists must regard this as -a hard saying--the most powerful force in the art-life of to-day is the -purely mechanical factor. - -Secondly, this factor is to a great extent determining the nature and -amount of art-production and reproduction. - -Thirdly, it is causing a decrease in the average quality of the total -artistic life of the community. - -Fourthly, this degeneration must naturally continue unless it is -counteracted by other influences. - -This statement is not an exaggerated one, and it does not ignore -the good effects of the new order. Even though a certain amount of -repetition is involved, it will be well to discuss in detail the causes -of degeneration in popular tastes. - -(1) Mechanical improvements were applied first to those grades of art -which offered most scope to the commercial element (and are now still -so applied to a greater extent). - -(2) Even if, in the beginning, lower tastes were not in a majority, any -widening of the circle of those interested would inevitably bring in a -large percentage of the artistically uneducated. - -(3) Each widening of the circle would involve a lowering of taste, and -also increase the commercial inducement to cater for the lower grade. - -(4) This being so, those with better tastes become an even smaller -minority, and (though they probably would be _actually_ better off) -they become _relatively_ at a disadvantage economically. Though they -might now have to pay less than they had to before for something, -they nevertheless still have to pay more than those who belong to the -majority. - -(5) Furthermore, the low grade is more accessible, easier to -experience, more frequently offered than the better thing. - -(6) Therefore, since (especially the large numbers whose tastes are -on the border line) we unconsciously tend to follow the easy way, -unless we deliberately seek to improve or maintain our taste, it will -degenerate. It is necessary to remember that art is usually regarded -as a recreation and, in spite of the saying that we take our pleasures -sadly, we do often take a short view, and are satisfied to find that -artistic recreation for the day which is first to hand, without thought -of the morrow. - -(7) In art-matters we are mostly conservative. Neither do we readily -set ourselves apart from our fellows. The history of any “best seller” -will prove this. Up to a point it is read by those who have discovered -that they might like it; after that it is read chiefly “because -everybody else is reading it”. It is wrong to attribute this tendency -to a mere desire to be “in the swim”; much more often it is because -readers, unconsciously classing themselves as average, argue that the -book which interests the average man will interest them. To a large -extent this applies to all popular art. Few people care to “waste their -time” experimenting when it is so much easier to fall in line with the -crowd. The only wonder is how the popularity of the “best seller” and -its kind begins: once that has happened the rest is a normal process. - -(8) The average man, being thus willing to follow the dictates of -the majority, is seldom likely to look elsewhere for his artistic -experiences. And so the tastes of the majority are more firmly -established--and the tastes of to-day form the tastes of to-morrow. - -I would not describe this as a vicious circle. Rather is it a vicious -spiral, the circumference of which ever increases. How can this state -of affairs be altered? - -Let us not be misunderstood. We are not asserting that this world with -its many who appreciate the less valuable is worse than the world of -the pre-mechanical era. Far from it. In every way it is better. The -actual quantity of good artistic endeavour is much greater, and every -increase in the numbers of those who appreciate the least worth-while -is a distinct gain to the community and to the individual. Our anxiety -is not so much for to-day as for to-morrow. There is no reason to doubt -that before long practically the whole population will be interested in -some form and grade of art. It is then that the trouble will begin to -assume serious proportions. Let us take a biological parallel. It is -agreed that if good stocks do not increase at the same rate as inferior -stocks they will gradually die out. If, in a world full of artistic -endeavour the good artistic stocks are not as sturdy as the remainder, -they too will in time die out. So long as the commercial and mechanical -factors are allowed full play, the good artistic stocks will be at a -disadvantage, and so the future of the finest elements of art depends -upon the success of efforts to counteract these factors. We must find -means (1) to make the most desirable art more accessible than it is -now, and (2) to increase the numbers of those who desire it. The latter -will serve two purposes: (_a_) it will help us in the first aim; and -(_b_) it will increase the aggregate quality and value of the artistic -life. - - - - -VI - - -We will deal with the second aim first, and it may be termed roughly -“Education”--the process of increasing a man’s ability to enjoy -better art. The last phrase embodies our idea of the function of -art-education. If education does that--improves the range and quality -of his pleasure in the beautiful--it has performed its prime duty. -Needless to say, we are not speaking now of that branch of education -which concerns itself with the training of practitioners--creative -or executive artists. That is quite a different matter, and one of -our first quarrels with the present system is that these two types of -education are not as clearly distinguished as they need to be. - -There are two classes of people who will benefit by education--those -who wish to enjoy and those who wish to practise. The needs of the two -classes are quite distinct, yet he who would enjoy is often given the -instruction provided (or which should be provided) for the others. The -disadvantages of this are: (_a_) the enjoyer approaches the subject -from quite a different angle, and practical instruction will sometimes -depreciate his appreciative faculties. The outsider sees most of the -game, and, moreover, one with knowledge of technical matters will tend -to allow technical questions to come before purely aesthetic ones; -(_b_) He will spend a great deal of time to no purpose, and will waste -opportunities and leisure which could be more advantageously applied; -(_c_) As he might be, and generally is, entirely devoid of sufficient -creative or executive ability to practise to his own satisfaction a -certain disappointment and disillusionment will colour his regard -for the artistic; (_d_) It is useless and wasteful to give technical -instruction to those who cannot and do not desire to apply it. Neither -does the practitioner gain. There is a tendency to compromise, and so -he does not always obtain the special purposive instruction he needs, -and the personnel and institutions fitted to instruct the practitioner -cannot devote all their energies to this essential work. Any increased -love of art, be it remembered, will cause a much greater demand for -professional creative and executive artists. And (_e_) he probably has -neither the time nor the inclination for practical studies, and so, -if there are no schemes specially for his benefit, he will receive no -education at all. - -Therefore there is a great need for systematic education in the -appreciation of art. Many more attempts are being made to-day than -there were a few years ago; yet the subject--a very difficult one--is -still in its infancy. The methods and aims of such education have not -yet been adequately formulated and must exercise educationists in -the near future. Failing a well-defined plan, they have taken refuge -in aspects of art-instruction which are not those best calculated to -stimulate genuine enjoyment. This explains to some extent the confusion -of practical and appreciative ends. It explains also our addiction to -historical and theoretical studies. He who would study the graphic arts -must try to draw and to paint; the music-lover must acquire some sort -of executive ability, and so devotes enough time to the routine of -“practice” to kill all his enthusiasm; and the student of literature -must become versed in its history. The art-lover is probably not -getting much harm; the music-lover is now often relieved by mechanical -instruments from the necessity for technique; than the historical -studies of the last-named, however, nothing more dreary and futile -could be invented. - -Improvement in the methods of education in appreciation must involve -the total abolition of the Examination system. Examinations may be -able to show whether a man can draw “correctly”, play the notes of -a composition, or is versed in the dates of a number of writers and -able to list their important works. But it cannot possibly give any -indication whether the education in appreciation is achieving its real -aim--the increase of the student’s ability to enjoy more and better -things, to find greater happiness and richer artistic experiences. -Those who would develop the appreciative faculties of others must take -the results of their labours for granted. - -As before said, our ideas of how to instil a love of beauty, how -to awaken interest in and arouse perception of artistic values, -are still vague. It is a matter which cannot be taught by rule of -thumb. It is not concerned with ascertained facts, nor discoverable -by ordered experiment. It is an individual matter. Largely, in -practice, such instruction will be exemplary rather than explanatory. -Much of the time spent will be devoted to introducing to students -actual examples of the art, and thereby the obstacles of ignorance -and prejudice will be removed. In addition to this, however, some -systematic instruction in the principles of aesthetics, of the general -criteria of works of art--completeness, congruity, balance, and -proportion, the subordination of details, the relation of means to -ends--will be evolved. I would suggest as a starting-point the study -of _form_, of the anatomy or architecture of art. Apart from the moral -value of cultivating a sense of proportion, of perspective, of the -inter-relation of parts--a sense which is as essential to a sane life -as to the appreciation of a picture or a musical composition--nothing -could lead more readily to an understanding of the artist’s aims and -plan of campaign. In music, for instance, a brief account of the -sequence of the main themes, which could be memorized, would render -intelligible and _whole_ a composition which otherwise would seem -meaningless, shapeless, and dreary. - - - - -VII - - -The fact remains, however, that the percentage of the population which -is affected by systematic education is, and is likely to remain, -very, very small. The artistic regeneration of the world would be a -very slow process if it depended entirely upon the existence of a -definite desire for education. Before any one will come into contact -with educational institutions he must have attained to a relatively -high standard of appreciation and he must be endowed already with -considerable enthusiasm for art. The greater problems are clearly: -(_a_) how to increase the interest of those who are almost if not -entirely indifferent to the point when they _will_ desire systematic -instruction; and (_b_) how to benefit those who will never (maybe -_can_ never) reach even that stage, or who will prefer to “educate -themselves”. - -As a preliminary to this it will be well to examine some of the causes -of low taste. Why is it that millions enjoy _When it’s Night-time in -Italy_, but are bored to tears by the Schumann _A minor Concerto_? Why -should _The Bat_ have power to thrill them when _Macbeth_ leaves them -cold? Why, in short, do they prefer the least good to the best? I will -not say “worst,” because nothing is bad which artistically can give -pleasure and morally is not evil. - -The obvious reason, which most of us would give glibly, is that these -people are intellectually and spiritually incapable of appreciating -good art. How far this is true, and how far the other reasons I shall -give are responsible, I would not care to suggest. Very probably it is -true in the large majority of cases. In a world the majority of whose -inhabitants are quite incapable of thinking intelligently or logically -about the most important influences in their lives, where politics -and religion and the fundamental human relationships are governed by -ignorant prejudices and irrational habits, where a large proportion of -men are mentally and physically below par, can we expect every man and -woman to possess the latent ability to embrace the beautiful? However -that may be, this obstacle to artistic education can be removed only -by the sociologist, the educationist, the moralist, and the biologist. -We who are concerned with the artistic factor can duly presuppose the -existence, now or to-morrow, of a germ of artistic impulse, since we -can only influence those who are capable. - -Secondly, as we noticed before, the greater familiarity and -accessibility of the low grade is a potent hindrance to development. - -Thirdly, we must remember that the average man seeks recreation when -he embraces art. He may have degraded his idea of the recreational and -come to think that unless an experience “livens him up” or “takes him -out of himself” it is not suitable recreation. The fact remains that as -a rule he is unwilling to give the matter any sustained thought (even -though exercising his mind might be a great change from the routine -of manual labour), and he is satisfied if the day’s leisure is passed -pleasantly. The idea of sustained, cumulative recreation, such as is -gained by the real lover of any art, when the pleasure of to-day adds -to the recreative value of that of to-morrow, when each experience -makes the following keener and more lasting, never occurs to him. - -Again, he is conservative and play for safety. Any improvement in taste -would involve stepping on to fresh ground, and he is not prepared to do -that. Somehow--generally by observing the likes and dislikes of people -of similar mentality--he has discovered “what he likes”, and he sees -no reason why he should take any risks. That is largely why he goes to -see farces, reads detective yarns or tales of the wild and woolly West, -and patronizes ballad-concerts and music-halls, but would never dream -of venturing into a repertory theatre or a classical concert, or of -reading a different type of book. His time, he thinks, and his money, -are too precious for excursions into the unknown. - -That alone would be sufficient deterrent, but, in addition, it sets up -prejudices. He does not want to explore, yet he has (subconsciously, -of course) to justify his conservatism. This he does by raising an -imaginary barrier between the things he knows he likes and the things -he doesn’t know anything at all about and _might_ not like. When he -is brought face to face with the unknown, rather than confess his -ignorance and lack of enterprise, even to himself, rather than admit -that his tastes are low, he jumps to the conclusion that he is wise to -be wary and that there must be some good reason for his attitude. Thus -he sets his mind at rest by retarding its development. - -Unfortunately there are outside influences which strengthen these -prejudices. For instance, too many of those who appreciate, or pretend -to appreciate, the best are apt to set themselves apart and to insist -that there is an unbridgeable gulf between their art and that of the -common herd. The average man hates this highbrow snobbery and hates, -too, everything they are supposed to care for, since it is tarred with -the same brush. - -Then, again, attempts to “improve” his taste for him generally arouse -his ire and invoke further prejudices--mainly because the would-be -improvers do not go the right way to work. It is not at all difficult -to realize that, since we all regard art as matter for the exercise -of taste, which is an individual prerogative--there is no absolute -scale of artistic values, though there is a general consensus of -educated opinion--the man who will readily accept the judgement of his -intellectual superiors will not so readily accept the opinions of the -artistically better informed. - -Then, it is by no means easy to persuade the artistically uneducated -that there is any need for education. He thinks that the enjoyable -aspects of art are fairly obvious and that there is no point in looking -beyond the obvious unless he is seeking for some extra-artistic -element--some intellectual or spiritual value. As he is only seeking -enjoyment, why should he waste time looking for anything else? It -must, therefore, be made quite clear to him that the chief aim of the -educationist is to increase his pleasure in art and that there is no -ulterior motive. Unfortunately the methods of many teachers (and here -I include all publicists and would-be popularizers) are not such as to -give this impression. - -Much teaching has been misguided. For example, for some obscure reason -critics and teachers frequently fail to discriminate between the -“absolute” and the “historical” value of the classics. They delight in -praising work which has little claim to our interest other than its -antiquity. They confront the bewildered seeker for enjoyable beauty -with volumes of extracts from “The Great Writers”, collections of the -Hundred Best Books, etc., than which nothing more ungodly, more dreary, -uninspired, unworthy, and unbeautiful could possibly be found. They -should know better, these people! Why will they do it? Almost as bad -are those who go to the opposite extreme and hail with acclamation the -newest, most unintelligible phantasies born of a craving for novelty. - -I am not exaggerating, though certainly the position is improving -wonderfully. But, of the books written twenty years ago and earlier -with the presumable intention of stimulating interest in literature -and art, certainly half would have antagonized the ordinary man--had -he bothered about them at all, which he didn’t. The critic may say -that he is not concerned with improving the taste of the man in -the street. Undoubtedly he has other tasks besides those of the -popularizer; much of his work can appeal only to the artistically -educated and it would be dangerous for him to devote an undue share -of his energies to this work. Nevertheless, he should more often cast -aside the highbrow attitude and any idea that the needs of the ordinary -man are unworthy of his consideration. The example, in the realms of -science, of such men as J. A. Thomson, Lankester, and others equally -unlikely to devote their energies to any but a good cause, should help -to dispel this illusion. We badly need writers who, without being -namby-pamby, superior, or academic, can help the man with the germ of -interest, writers who can point to the ascending steps in the ladder -of taste. Theirs is not an easy task. In the first place, they must be -_themselves_ interesting, for only a minority are willing to read books -with an ulterior motive. The actual popularizing books must provide -recreation and enjoyment as well as stimulation. - -In this connection it might be remarked that we are too ready to throw -stones at the writer who tries to bring his literary abilities within -the range of a wide public. He is accused of playing to the gallery, -of prostituting his art, of thinking of his royalties, and so on. Might -not a writer capable of attaining heights on which only a minority -could join him be rendering a better service to humanity at large by -sometimes choosing to give the majority the best they can appreciate? -And the competent conscientious workmen who, though they may not hope -or desire to rank with the greatest, give the public something which -it desires and understands, and which is nevertheless much better than -anything else of the same kind that it would read, render a finer -service than we are willing to admit. - -Secondly, the popularizer must not rob his public of its self-respect -or unduly destroy its faith in its own judgment in artistic matters. To -do so is to open up another source of prejudice and to raise a fresh -obstacle to enjoyment, for he who loses faith in his own opinions, who -is told that he should put no trust in his own judgment, endeavours to -embrace the artistic standards of others. This he cannot do, but he -begins to read books, and so on, from a sense of duty--because he has -been told that everybody ought to read so and so--and then to become a -liar and a hypocrite, to pretend to others that he enjoys books when he -doesn’t, to imagine to himself that he does when he doesn’t, so wasting -his opportunities and stunting his latent capabilities. With the right -kind of education his tastes and opinions would improve gradually -and without his noticing the difference. Although his taste would be -improving, all the time he would be following his own judgment, and so -he would always enjoy his contact with art. - -The popularizer who would approach the subject in the most -fruitful way will realize that the lower forms of art are purely -recreational--excepting of course that some activities have physical -values also. The ethical, spiritual, and intellectual aspects are not -developed until we reach a higher level. Therefore, if he is going to -lead to better things any one to whom art has been synonymous with -pure recreation, he must do so by utilizing the recreative element in -the better. For example, the educated reader seeks in Shakespeare the -statement of philosophical and moral ideas, beauty of language and -aptness of phraseology, the delineation of character, and the like. -But what is the good of pointing out these qualities to a man as a -reason why he should go to a Shakespearian performance rather than to a -farce or a melodrama, to one who is, as yet, only seeking recreation? -Tell him instead that _Twelfth Night_ is a good farce and _Macbeth_ a -good melodrama--as they undoubtedly are; rid his head of the idea that -Shakespeare is primarily something else, something much more “brainy” -and stodgy; try to instil in him the motive that filled the old Globe -with an audience which is the exact counterpart of our own uneducated -pleasure-seeking theatre-goers, and Shakespeare would become more -popular. Contact with his work would undoubtedly improve taste and the -appreciation of Shakespeare’s other qualities. Shakespeare was popular -in his own time because he enjoyed the reputation of being a good -entertainer. He isn’t popular to-day because the average man has been -taught by misguided people to regard him as a great writer. Of course -there are other reasons, but that is a most important one. - -Yet another cause of low taste is the prevalent lack of the ability -to concentrate. Enjoyment of the better types of art involves -concentration, not only because it must be cumulative, but also because -great art is generally built round an ampler theme than that which is -of only temporary appeal. If the artist deals with a big subject, he -must have room. If he avoids substance, he economizes, condenses, and -concentrates his production. Whichever course he adopts, the reader -or spectator must give him greater--either more extended or more -intense--attention maybe both. - -Education will improve powers of concentration; but, on the other hand, -it depends upon this ability. Therefore the psychological factor must -be considered by all educationists. They must prepare ladders leading -by easy stages from the purely enjoyable and insignificant to the -serious and significant, but it is not enough that the steps should -involve only gradual intellectual and aesthetic progress. They must -require also only a gradual increase in concentration. - -The chief aim of education and popularization must be, however, to -increase the realization of the function of art--which is (though art -may fulfil other purposes) to provide enjoyment, enjoyment in its -highest, most spiritual form maybe, yet nevertheless enjoyment. For -the pursuit of art is the pursuit of the beautiful, especially the -beautiful which is of man’s creation. If this pursuit cannot give -pleasure, the fault must be ours, since the “beautiful” which cannot -give pleasure to any is not beautiful. The converse, that anything -which gives pleasure is beautiful, is certainly _not_ true, but, -whatever our philosophical or moral criteria of beauty may be, they -must include the pleasure giving property. - -We need, nevertheless, to question ourselves whether this factor is -not only ignored but sometimes even suppressed by some educationists. -There are so many things in this world of imperfectly developed men and -women that give pleasure and are most unbeautiful, that we hesitate -to class our precious goods in the same category lest they be tarred -with the same brush. Yet we must do so. There is much that goes by the -name of Love which is but lust, greed, pride of possession, avarice, -habit, perversion, and waste, but we are not tempted to pretend that -genuine human affection is not love because it is something better than -the rest. So we must not be tempted to deny that art is essentially a -source of pleasure simply because it is the source of the finest, most -lasting, pleasure. To do so is to alienate those who are most in need -of its influence. - - - - -VIII - - -The second need--after education--is to make good art more accessible. -We have seen that, so long as the supply of art is a commercial -proposition, little, if any, improvement in its average quality can -be expected. Until, in some way, the good can be given the same -chance as the bad, the majority will continue to clamour for the bad, -since it will be the only thing they know. It seems, therefore, that -the only effective way to break the vicious circle is to try to put -art-provision as far as possible upon a non-commercial basis. We must -not be over-optimistic. Not a great deal can be done at present, and, -in any case, progress will be slow. - -The only way in which this can be done is “co-operation”--firstly the -co-operation of individuals associated only for this purpose, and -secondly that co-operation which is implied in all State or community -action. Let us deal with the first and most fruitful, to begin with. - -Let us not, may it be repeated, forge that the extent of co-operative -activity is limited by present desire and in exactly the same way as -the commercial activity. Even co-operative undertakings must pay their -way. The difference is three-fold, however. Firstly, the business -entertainment provider devotes his energies to those activities which -make the greatest _quantitive_ appeal. He does not ask: “Shall I -attract enough people to make this pay its way?”--but instead, as a -rule, he asks which production will attract _most_ people and produce -most profit. It is nevertheless obvious that because a play, for -example, is not likely to be a popular success, or an artiste a star, -or a programme superlatively attractive, it is not right to assume that -these would not merit and receive sufficient support to cover expenses. -From ten plays (or ten musical programmes), one of which should succeed -in a business sense of the word and nine of which would only pay their -way, the commercial man naturally chooses the former. The other nine -are _never chosen_, unless unintentionally. Yet some of them might be -works of greater artistic merit. It is the business of co-operative -activities to select and to produce works of worth which belong to the -latter category. The art-life of the community would gain from this -in two ways: (_a_) since the tastes of the majority are low, the nine -unproduced works will almost certainly include some of higher artistic -value; and (_b_) there will be greater variety. - -Secondly, the selection of the works to be produced is made by the -business-man and not by the consumer. The business-man will object -to this statement, saying that his selection is dictated by public -demands; but it isn’t. In the first place, the public, whether popular -or other works are concerned, has no power to select at all; it can -only take or leave what is offered, which is a very different thing, -leading at the best to incomplete satisfaction and at the worst to -considerable waste. In the second place, the business-man selects not -according to popular demands but according to _his ideas_ of popular -demand--again a different matter. If it were not, he would not suffer -so many financial failures, for which the public has to pay in several -ways, such as higher prices, lower quality, conservatism, etc. - -In the third place, the commercial provider is in competition with -all his fellows. Each seeks to attract the biggest crowd, and to do -so indulges in the “star system”, in spectacular but not necessarily -artistic production, in expensive advertising, and so on. All of these -increase the price of the production without in any way improving its -artistic or recreative value. - -Co-operation in this matter involves the organization of Societies. -These may be quite small, e.g. Chamber-music groups, each of whose -members performs, dramatic reading-circles only large enough to provide -the casts--or on a large scale, e.g. the important Folk or Community -Theatres, the larger Music Clubs. The size of the Society would -determine the kind of work to be done, and would depend largely upon -local conditions. However big or small it may be, it would nevertheless -find suitable and desirable activities within its compass. Neither -need--nor in fact very often should--these Societies be “performing” -Societies, but, instead, “enjoying” Societies. By a performing Society -I mean one where the play or the music is performed by members of the -group, with the result that the practical or personal side is apt to -become more important than any other. The Music Clubs (of which there -are several, and should be more) on the other hand employ professional -players--the only real differences so far as the audience (of members) -is concerned between their own and ordinary commercial concerts are -that they receive better value for their money, can hear works which -would not otherwise be performed, and have some voice in the selection -of programmes. If the best results are to be attained, co-operative -art must make full use of the professional. Amateur art has its -limitations, and in any case demands the expenditure on practical -matters of energy which could be better spent in other directions. -Furthermore, the resources of any amateur group are limited. Thus, an -Orchestral Society which gave a monthly concert would be an exception, -and one orchestral concert per month is not sufficient to satisfy a -genuine music-loving community. The co-operative organizations would, -with probable advantage, eliminate much that was not absolutely -essential, e.g. their staging of plays would be as simple as possible: -otherwise there is no reason why their standard of production should -be below that of the commercial enterprise. In fact, it would probably -show more all-round excellence and better balance and ensemble. - -Probably the genuine artist-professionals would sooner work for such -Societies than for ordinary managers. They would, with a sufficiency of -Societies, earn as good a living and be more secure. They would have -more scope for developing their finer talents, a wider range of art to -interpret, and more intelligent, more enthusiastic, audiences. - -The possibilities of the other form of co-operation noticed before, -though great, will probably not be so fruitful. The State and Local -Government groups are very largely co-operative undertakings, their -function being to provide services which could not be given either at -all or so cheaply or efficiently without official organization. Some -of these services could, theoretically if not practically, be rendered -as well by private combinations. The extent of the activities of the -State is decided by the wishes of the majority, and, if the majority -desired that the State should engage in the dissemination of art, there -is no reason why it should not do so. In fact, it does by maintaining -art-galleries, museums, and libraries (in England) and by subsidizing -theatres, opera-houses, and conservatoires (in other countries). There -are some who would see the artistic activities of the State extended. - -There is much to be said both for and against this idea. On the one -side, it is arguable that State activities would be largely educational -and that it is just as desirable that people should be helped to enjoy -life as to succeed in other directions. This is perfectly true, and, -so long as the educational ideal is kept in sight, State assistance -is thoroughly justified. On the other hand, though the majority of -taxpayers agree that education is desirable, they do not all agree -that the finest art should be promoted at their expense. In other -words, non-essentially educational activities would not be justifiable -unless they were provided for, and at the request of, the majority; -and, well, we have seen that the majority do _not_ seek the best. -Therefore I feel that those who urge the subsidizing of theatres and -the like would be better advised to turn their attention to the other -type of co-operative enterprise. They might otherwise antagonize the -average man and do harm to the educational possibilities of the State -organizations. - -The museum is, of course, largely educational and not entirely or -even largely artistic in its aims. It and the art-gallery are also -in a very different position from such activities as the subsidized -theatre because they are devoted to the unique object--the specimen or -the picture--which _must_ be in the hands of the State if it is to be -available to all. There is no alternative to the public ownership of -museums and art-galleries. The public library, though it does not deal -with the unique, is in another way in a different category, since it, -alone of all State provisions, can give something to all men. Those -who do not desire good literature can obtain some other service--books -on business, science, sport, etc., recreative reading, and so on _ad -infinitum_--in return for their contribution towards its upkeep. The -public library, by appealing to all men, brings together a multitude of -interests and provides unlimited opportunities for the awakening of -new ideas. At the library alone is the good made as easily accessible -as the indifferent, and the very fact that they are to be found in the -same place is an educational factor of great significance. The man who -does not want good pictures or good plays has no need to come into -contact with them, and remains outside their influence. On the shelves -of a library books of all degrees of excellence and worthlessness -(within limits) are side by side so that even mere luck or too hasty -selection may lead to better tastes or fresh interests being acquired. -Therefore the library is an institution to be encouraged. - -Frankly I believe the remedy to lie in the hands of those who want -good art. None of these now can get as much of it as they desire; -most enjoy only a small portion. If people set to work to provide for -themselves so that, instead, a large part of their artistic desires was -satisfied, they would so do a great deal to improve the average tastes -of the community, since the membership of a healthy organization always -increases. Of course they must avoid the insidious desire, which has -wrecked many repertory enterprises, to attract outsiders, and must -never forget that the function of the Societies is the quite selfish -one of supplying their own needs. They, too, must be prepared to cut -their cloth accordingly. It is the desire to do more than the means of -the actual membership permits that leads to attempts to curry popular -favour “to help to balance things”. By so doing they put themselves on -the same footing as the commercial man, must take the same risks, and -suffer the same failures--and these are liable to be more disastrous -since Societies lack what little knowledge of popular tastes the -commercial man possesses. - -With sufficient organization and the co-operation of co-operative units -there is no reason why in time they should not be able to undertake any -feasible artistic enterprise. The music-lovers in at least six towns -in England could to-day with proper co-operation maintain a permanent -orchestra and the theatre-goers an intelligent adequate playhouse, and -all towns by grouping could do the same--so far as the orchestra is -concerned, at least. - -These things have been tried and failed, I will be told. To this, if it -be true, there are only two answers--the world has progressed only by -successive trials and failures; if the first failure had effectually -damped the ardour of our ancestors we should still be savages--and, -if these enterprises fail really from lack of desire for them and not -because of indifference, which can in time be removed, the artistic -level of the day must be much lower than even a semi-pessimist like the -writer dares to imagine. - - - - -IX - - -We cannot close even a brief essay without some reference to the -effect of some other mechanical devices, such as the gramophone, the -piano-player, and wireless, and a note on that all important subject, -commercial art. - -The appreciation of no art shows such great possibilities of expansion -in the near future as music. During the last few years it has been -released from its most irksome bonds and is now just beginning to -stretch its limbs. For technique has been the curse of music, and now -it is becoming possible to gain enjoyment without exercising one’s -executive and interpretive powers. - -Musicians are of two classes--executive and appreciative--those who -perform and those who listen. True enjoyment of music belongs to -the latter, just as true enjoyment of books, of pictures, of plays -is the reward of the reader and the spectator--not of the writer, -the painter, the actor, or the composer. _Their_ joy is of another -order--it is the joy of creation. - -Without the assistance of modern mechanical aids the music-lover had -either to listen to the music-making of his friends or of players at a -concert, or he had to attempt to interpret for himself. The first was -inconvenient and unsatisfactory. The selection of music was not his -own but that of others; the time and place were not of his choosing. -The alternative was even worse, since his appreciation was limited -by his interpretive powers and marred by his deficiencies. The owner -of a modern player-piano has the whole world of piano-music and a -wealth of arrangements at his command. Even the lover of orchestral, -instrumental, or vocal music has access, through the gramophone and the -wireless, to a passable substitute for the real thing. - -What effect will this have upon pianoforte music? In the first place, -we shall gradually rid ourselves of misplaced pride in the amateur’s -very limited technical powers. We shall no longer praise So and So -for being able to play Chopin’s _Studies_ after a fashion, but shall -consider him either a fool for wasting his time trying when he could -much more easily enjoy Cortot’s performance of them, or sympathize with -the poverty that prevents his purchasing this mechanical aid. Secondly, -we shall not waste time and kill natural love of music by the dreary -routine of “teaching the piano.” Instead, we shall teach appreciation. -If all the energy spent in acquiring a very inadequate technique were -diverted to the real business of appreciation, we should be a more -musical nation. Thirdly, we shall cease to tolerate the incompetent -player now so often foisted upon us or even sought for want of any -better, and the ostentatious “virtuoso” executant. - -Before very long the piano-player will cost no more than an ordinary -piano; in fact the ordinary instrument will no longer be manufactured. -In our schools “piano-playing” will be erased from the curriculum and -classes in appreciation substituted. - -But what about non-pianoforte music? There is a big difference. While -the piano-player produces exactly the same kind of musical tone as -the hand-played instrument, the gramophone, or the wireless, does -not reproduce at all exactly the timbre, quality or volume of the -instruments recorded. It provides not the real thing but a substitute, -which, though excellent, can never be entirely satisfactory. We do -not care to assert dogmatically what science will or will not make -possible in the future; at least, however, it is extremely doubtful -that a mechanical violin as adequate as the mechanical piano will ever -be invented. Wind instruments depend less upon human manipulation--the -organ, for instance, is nothing but an imperfect essay in this -direction. This is but idle speculation, however. As a practical -proposition we may say that the perfect mechanical reproduction of -music will be confined to the pianoforte. - -So we are left with these problems. Shall we be tempted to seek the -shadow and lose the substance--listen in often, but never attend -an orchestral or chamber concert or a violin or vocal recital? The -chances are that we shall, unless opportunities to enjoy the latter -are greater than at present. Considerable loss would result. The ears -of the next generation would become attuned to a diminished variety -of tonal experiences, for one thing. For another, the psychological, -even physical effects of large gradations in the volume of tone, such -as can be experienced only in the concert-room, should not willingly -be relinquished. And, again, it is not by any means the same thing to -listen to music in the company of others, in the atmosphere of the -concert-room, as it is to enjoy music in solitude. We may sometimes -prefer the latter, but that fact does not remove the difference. - -The second problem is that, though there is little physical or moral -good to be found in solo instrumental playing, such good _does_ result -from singing and partaking in concerted music. There is no good reason -why we should play the piano--rather than listen to it; but there -are many reasons why we should sing or play in chamber or orchestral -music. By all means let us listen to more music of all kinds; increased -facilities for listening should not, however, decrease our desire to -perform when performance can benefit us. - -Taking all these considerations together we may assume: - -(1) that pianoforte _playing_ will decline though much more pianoforte -music will be enjoyed. - -(2) that much of the practical energy now devoted to the pianoforte -will be directed to the study of other instruments. - -(3) that, unless our musical life is to increase in volume but diminish -in quality, more and not less concert-going and concerted instrumental -playing and choral singing must be provided. - -Books, music, pictures, sculpture, however, minister to only a -small part of the artistic needs of the community. By far the most -widespread, though not necessarily the most valuable, art-products are -those which we may describe as commercial, or industrial, or, better, -“applied” art. Only a minority, even in this age, concern themselves -with the first-named, but we all wear clothes, use furniture, live, -work, play, and worship in buildings, eat and drink out of vessels, and -so on, through every one of our daily occupations. Into each of these -art can, does, and must enter. We may wear clothes to keep us warm, -but they must be either ugly or otherwise--their existence implies -artistic properties, negative or positive. If they are ugly, we cannot -avoid their ugliness, though it may dull our appreciative faculties. -Of course this is true of all things. Every object, every occurrence -almost, has its artistic aspect. With every manufactured article, every -human production, however, this artistic quality is within our control. -When we make a cup, a hat, or a church, we can make it as beautiful or -as ugly as we like, subject to certain limitations, some of them real, -some imaginary. But we must be sufficiently interested in its artistic -value. It will seldom exist spontaneously, without conscious effort. - -That is, of course, the first and most powerful limitation. _Often -we don’t care._ And so long as we don’t care we shall receive -only according to our deserts. For the second limitation is that -manufactured goods are intended primarily for utility, and the -incentive for their production is profit. So long as we are content to -take the ugly but useful, so long as our artistic discrimination does -not give added commercial value to the beautiful, we can have no right -to expect the manufacturer to bother. He is not an apostle of art, but -a business-man. If we show him, as a business-man, that we desire a -well-proportioned jug and will refuse to buy a clumsy one, he will, -acting on business principles, supply the saleable article. So far -the remedy is in our own hands. Thirdly, many manufacturers have an -unjustifiably low opinion of public taste, and honestly believe that -the majority like tawdry things when, in truth, they accept them for -want of anything better or because they are cheaper. - -Fourthly, however, _when_ there is sufficient desire for the beautiful -it need not cost any more, but _until_ there is, it _will_, since, it -will be produced in response to a minority demand. This is a much more -serious limitation than it should be, for several reasons. - -(1) Popular taste has, since the initiation of the industrial era, -steadily improved, but the artistic standard of manufacturers is at -least a stage behind. There are at least two causes for this: (_a_) the -manufacturer can judge popular taste only by experiment, and this is, -on the average, bound to involve expense, and (_b_) when the machinery -and processes of manufacture are well established and smoothly running, -changes must entail extra costs and reorganization, ranging from the -installation of fresh plant to the employment of new designs. For this -reason alone the more artistic article must cost more, excepting in -those industries (such as the manufacture of dress-material) where -change and fashion are normal conditions. In other industries where -the product is less subject to variation (e.g. pottery--a firm could -produce and sell exactly the same cups and saucers for an unlimited -period), the extra cost is necessarily more to be expected. - -(2) The manufacturer may, and alas too often does, appreciate the -commercial value of beauty and _trades_ upon it. That is to say, he -manufactures ugly wall-paper and pleasant wall-paper, at practically -the same cost. He _could_ be content to make the normal profit from -both, but he realizes that many people don’t want to disfigure their -walls and will pay more for a pleasing design. He makes them do so, -since this behaviour is profitable to him. In this he cannot be -censured--rather should we praise him for not doing it more often. -Nevertheless, such action will be a drag upon artistic progress, and if -it can be prevented at all even the manufacturer in the long run will -benefit. Let all who can afford the more beautiful production purchase -it, but let them pay the extra price under protest. The manufacturer -must be made to realize that it is anti-social to make a profit out of -beauty, when by so doing he condemns the less fortunate man to suffer -the ugly. As the business-man is at heart as much interested as any -other person in the welfare of his fellow-men, this might have some -influence. And an independent inquiry (conducted by, say, a group of -art-students or a University) might achieve a little. They would try -to show us--if they could--why a fabric which is disfigured by a vile -design can be cheaper than a plain unprinted cloth, why there is truth -in the saying we all hear frequently, “Oh, yes, you all admire the -plain, simple costume or frock, but it’s so much more expensive, you -know,” and the like. - -Fifthly, industrial designers have not received due recognition and are -not well organized in relation to the industries. The designer is not -always as well acquainted with the special qualities and limitations -of the material to which his designs are to be applied as he might be; -the manufacturer does not often enough realize the importance of the -designer; and the young artist is apt to despise design--naturally, -because personal public recognition is never awarded to the -designer--and the best men prefer more pretentious if more precarious -fields. These shortcomings would, however, be removed as a matter of -course were the other limitations to be removed. - -Great improvements in industrial art cannot, however, be expected -until the general education and artistic appreciation of the public -has developed. Applied art will always move more slowly than fine art, -since the utility-factor will ever bring about a conflict of expediency -versus ideals. - -Architecture presents special difficulties, because it is at once -aggressive and unavoidable, and because it depends upon environment. -In other words, though we may, if we can afford, eschew the ugly pot, -tawdry furniture, and (so far at least as our indoor life is concerned) -garish clothing, we cannot avoid buildings. They form a large part of -our environment and influence our mental and bodily health. Those who -live in dirty, flat-fronted, unbroken streets have to resist actively -their environment if they would avoid dirty, drab, monotonous lives. -Those who daily traverse roads consisting of disorderly jumbles of -architectural misfits lose the sense of serenity, order, and fitness -they might gain in happier surroundings. The second of the points -mentioned before is that no building can be judged apart from its -surroundings. An essential of every work of art is that its parts shall -form a well-balanced whole, each detail being subordinated to the -general effect, which must convey a sense of completeness. Now, until -recently we have (with occasional exceptions) failed to realize that -the unit of architecture, so far as outward appearance is concerned, is -not the individual building but the whole street, everything, in fact, -which is in view from any one point. No one would suggest that the -wall of a picture-gallery was artistic because the individual pictures -were good, and yet, although much more care and artistry is devoted -to hanging pictures than is spent in arranging the contiguity of -buildings, we seem to be quite satisfied with haphazard town-planning. -Yet all who sorrow at the wilful waste and destruction of the -beautiful must lament when they see, as they must often do, noble and -beautiful edifices or the simple but refined works of architects, who -as a rule devote more love and receive less incentive than any other -art workers, ruined by their surroundings. - -But how, one may ask, can this be avoided? Adjoining plots of land -may belong to different owners, contiguous buildings are built for -different purposes, by those with much or little to spend, designed -by different architects--how can one expect them to conform to one -artistic scheme? Perhaps that is too much to expect. Can we even -ask that they should not be violently opposed to one another, not -mutually destructive? Yes. But this can be secured in only one way. -Local authorities must be given, or must take upon themselves, the -duty of controlling building operations in all public places. They -would not, and could not, be arbitrary: they would need to consider -many difficulties, and they could not rightly impose any restrictions -which would make the construction of suitable premises impossible -within the reasonable means of those for whom they were being built. -All they could undertake would be to co-ordinate proposed work, to -advise, and to prohibit flagrant affronts to public good taste. Let a -local committee composed of the best architects and the hardest-headed -business-men in the town, with a disinterested man of taste--a parson, -a farmer, a writer--as chairman, be formed. Much good could be done in -this way. - -In domestic architecture we cannot expect much attention to be -given to artistic matters in these days when it is difficult to -obtain a sufficiency of houses of any kind. Nevertheless, there -is one suggestion with great practical possibilities. It is that -of the novelist Mr. J. J. Connington, who proposes that instead -of standardization of design small parts capable of being erected -in a large number of ways should be standardized. The readers who -are interested are referred to _Nordenholt’s Million_ for further -particulars of this most interesting idea. - - - - -X - - -The most significant tendency of art and the greatest danger, -which operates in all fields, is, therefore, that commercialism, -mass-production, standardization, and the heeding of large volumes -of demand will lead to an increase in the quantity of art-production -but a decrease in the average of its quality, unless the evils of the -system are counteracted by certain developments, the chief of which are -education, co-operation, and the birth of a new attitude with regard to -art-ideals. - -Our attitude towards the arts must lead us to relate them more closely -to our other interests and, as a corollary, the different kinds and -different values of artistic enjoyment must be synthesized. We desire -neither to set art upon a pedestal of superiority nor to despise it as -a recreative frivolity. We need to realize on the one hand that all -human activities possess of a necessity positive or negative artistic -significance which we cannot avoid; even though we consciously ignore -art, we are subconsciously and indirectly influenced. Further, we -cannot disregard the close economic relationship between the artistic -and the merely utilitarian. - -We have seen something, but only one aspect, of this when discussing -applied art; the relation is wider than this, since, for example, the -amount of time, energy, money, and material available for artistic -purposes is closely connected with material economic conditions. And, -still further, there is the psychological or spiritual element, art -satisfying human needs which are unsatisfied by other activities, -supplementing, filling the gaps in our personal development. We cannot -put art into a watertight compartment. The extent to which art appeals -to an individual, and the particular way in which and the special -medium through which artistic impulses find expression, will depend -very largely upon biological and social factors, upon the materially -ordered associations of the individual, his work, his health, -everything that impinges upon his life. Further research will expose -the fundamental reasons for this, but even now we realize that a love -of dancing, of the theatre, of poetry, of sculpture is not a mere gift -or genius or taste or predilection but also something which is fostered -and directed by material environment. Confronted with this realization, -we must regard art as an inseparable organic element in life, not as a -superimposed culture which may or may not exist in any individual or -take any form. - -And the corollary of this, as said before, is that, since artistic -potentialities exist in all men according to their being and -environment, the realm of art will present as large a variety of -values, types, and manifestations as does our life itself. Yet all -these manifestations are part of one. Good, bad, or indifferent, they -represent the best, most suitable art that different men at any time -are capable of appreciating or desirous of cultivating. This is the -excuse for our plea for broadmindedness. - - - - - _Each, pott 8vo, 2/6 net_ _Occasionally illustrated_ - - TO-DAY AND - TO-MORROW - - -This series of books, by some of the most distinguished English -thinkers, scientists, philosophers, doctors, critics, and artists, was -recognized on publication as a noteworthy event. Written from various -points of view, one book frequently opposing the argument of another, -they provide the reader with a stimulating survey of the most modern -thought in many departments of life. Several volumes are devoted to -the future trend of Civilization, conceived as a whole; while others -deal with particular provinces, and cover the future of Woman, War, -Population, Clothes, Wireless, Morals, Drama, Poetry, Art, Sex, Law, -etc. - -It is interesting to see in these neat little volumes, issued at a low -price, the revival of a form of literature, the Pamphlet, which has -been in disuse for 200 years. - - _Published by_ - KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUBNER & CO., LTD. - Broadway House: 68-74 Carter Lane, London, E.C.4 - - - - -_VOLUMES READY_ - - - =Daedalus=, or Science and the Future. By J. B. S. HALDANE, Reader in - Biochemistry, University of Cambridge. _Sixth impression._ - - “A fascinating and daring little book.”--_Westminster Gazette._ - “The essay is brilliant, sparkling with wit and bristling with - challenges.”--_British Medical Journal._ “Predicts the most - startling changes.”--_Morning Post._ - - - =Callinicus=, a Defence of Chemical Warfare. By J. B. S. HALDANE. - _Second impression._ - - “Mr. Haldane’s brilliant study.”--_Times Leading Article._ “A book - to be read by every intelligent adult.”--_Spectator._ “This - brilliant little monograph.”--_Daily News._ - - - =Icarus=, or the Future of Science. By BERTRAND RUSSELL, F.R.S. - _Third impression._ - - “Utter pessimism.”--_Observer._ “Mr. Russell refuses to believe that - the progress of Science must be a boon to mankind.”--_Morning Post._ - “A stimulating book, that leaves one not at all - discouraged.”--_Daily Herald._ - - - =What I Believe.= By BERTRAND RUSSELL, F.R.S. _Second impression._ - - “One of the most brilliant and thought-stimulating little books I - have read--a better book even than _Icarus_.”--_Nation._ “Simply and - brilliantly written.”--_Nature._ “In stabbing sentences he punctures - the bubble of cruelty, envy, narrowness, and ill-will which those in - authority call their morals.”--_New Leader._ - - - =Tantalus=, or the Future of Man. By F. C. S. SCHILLER, Fellow of - Corpus Christi College, Oxford. - - “They are all (_Daedalus_, _Icarus_, and _Tantalus_) brilliantly - clever, and they supplement or correct one another.”--_Dean Inge_, - in _Morning Post_. “Immensely valuable and infinitely - readable.”--_Daily News._ “The book of the week.”--_Spectator._ - - - =Quo Vadimus?= Glimpses of the Future. By E. E. FOURNIER D’ALBE, - D.Sc., author of “Selenium, the Moon Element,” etc. - - “A wonderful vision of the future. A book that will be talked - about.”--_Daily Graphic._ “A remarkable contribution to a remarkable - series.”--_Manchester Dispatch._ “Interesting and singularly - plausible.”--_Daily Telegraph._ - - - =Lysistrata=, or Woman’s Future and Future Woman. By ANTHONY M. - LUDOVICI, author of “A Defence of Aristocracy”, etc. - - “A stimulating book. Volumes would be needed to deal, in the - fullness his work provokes, with all the problems raised.”--_Sunday - Times._ “Pro-feminine, but anti-feministic.”--_Scotsman._ “Full of - brilliant common-sense.”--_Observer._ - - - =Hypatia=, or Woman and Knowledge. By MRS. BERTRAND RUSSELL. With a - frontispiece. _Second impression._ - - An answer to _Lysistrata_. “A passionate vindication of the rights - of women.”--_Manchester Guardian._ “Says a number of things - that sensible women have been wanting publicly said for a long - time.”--_Daily Herald._ “Everyone who cares at all about these - things should read it.”--_Weekly Westminster._ - - - =The Mongol in our Midst=: a Study of Man and his Three Faces. By - F. G. CROOKSHANK, M.D., F.R.C.P. With 28 Plates. _Second edition, - revised._ - - “A brilliant piece of speculative induction.”--_Saturday Review._ - “An extremely interesting and suggestive book, which will reward - careful reading.”--_Sunday Times._ “The pictures carry fearful - conviction.”--_Daily Herald._ - - - =The Conquest of Cancer.= By H. W. S. WRIGHT, M.S., F.R.C.S. - Introduction by F. G. CROOKSHANK, M.D. - - “Eminently suitable for general reading. The problem is fairly - and lucidly presented. One merit of Mr. Wright’s plan is that he - tells people what, in his judgment, they can best do, _here and - now_.”--From the _Introduction_. - - - =The Passing of the Phantoms=: a Study of Evolutionary Psychology and - Morals. By C. J. PATTEN, Professor of Anatomy, Sheffield University. - With 4 Plates. - - “Readers of _Daedalus_, _Icarus_ and _Tantalus_, will be grateful - for an excellent presentation of yet another point of - view.”--_Yorkshire Post._ “This bright and bracing little - book.”--_Literary Guide._ “Interesting and original.”--_Medical - Times._ - - - =Perseus=: of Dragons. By H. F. SCOTT STOKES. With 2 illustrations. - - “A diverting little book, chock-full of ideas. Mr. Stokes’ - dragon-lore is both quaint and various.”--_Morning Post._ “Very - amusingly written, and a mine of curious knowledge for which the - discerning reader will find many uses.”--_Glasgow Herald._ - - - =Wireless Possibilities.= By Professor A. M. LOW. With 4 diagrams. - - “As might be expected from an inventor who is always so fresh, he - has many interesting things to say.”--_Evening Standard._ “The - mantle of Blake has fallen upon the physicists. To them we look for - visions, and we find them in this book.”--_New Statesman._ - - - =Narcissus=: an Anatomy of Clothes. By GERALD HEARD. With 19 - illustrations. - - “A most suggestive book.”--_Nation._ “Irresistible. Reading it - is like a switchback journey. Starting from prehistoric times we - rocket down the ages.”--_Daily News._ “Interesting, provocative, and - entertaining.”--_Queen._ - - - =Thamyris=, or Is there a Future for Poetry. By R. C. TREVELYAN. - - “Of high authority.”--_Saturday Review._ “Very suggestive.”--_J. - C. Squire_, in _Observer_. “A very charming piece of work. I agree - with all, or at any rate, almost all its conclusions.”--_J. St. Loe - Strachey_, in _Spectator_. - - - =Proteus=, or the Future of Intelligence. By VERNON LEE, author of - “Satan the Waster,” etc. - - “We should like to follow the author’s suggestions as to the - effect of intelligence on the future of Ethics, Aesthetics, - and Manners. Her book is profoundly stimulating and should be - read by everyone.”--_Outlook._ “A concise, suggestive piece of - work.”--_Saturday Review._ - - - =Paris=, or the Future of War. By Captain B. H. LIDDELL HART. - - “A gem of close thinking and deduction.”--_Observer._ “A noteworthy - contribution to a problem of concern to every citizen in this - country.”--_Daily Chronicle._ “There is some lively thinking about - the future of war in _Paris_, just added to the set of live-wire - pamphlets on big subjects, called collectively ‘To-Day and - To-Morrow.’”--_Manchester Guardian._ - - - =Hephaestus=, the Soul of the Machine. By E. E. FOURNIER D’ALBE, D.Sc. - - Hephaestus is the god of fire, the incarnation of the machine age of - to-day. He is now master of the world. How this came about, what - will be the results of this increasing domination of our planet, is - the theme of the book. - - - =Thrasymachus=, the Future of Morals. By C. E. M. JOAD, author of - “Common-Sense Ethics,” etc. - - A penetrating study of the herd, or conventional, morality of the - day, prophesying a Puritan revival in morals, with intolerance and - heresy-hunting. This will lead to the Americanization of England and - a great increase in irregular sexual relationships. In the end a new - religious revival is foreseen. - - - =Lycurgus=, or the Future of Law. By E. S. P. HAYNES, author of - “Concerning Solicitors,” etc. - - An analysis of the present condition of Law in England, dealing with - legislation, the law-courts, criminal law, family law, land-laws, - costs, international law, individual liberty, and such subjects. - - - =Prometheus=, or Biology and the Advancement of Man. By H. S. - JENNINGS, Professor of Zoology, Johns Hopkins University. - - A lucid summary of the recent striking advances in biological - knowledge, genetics, and the theory of evolution, with numerous - concrete illustrations. The conclusions are applied to the problem - of improvement in the human race. - - - =Timotheus=, the Future of the Theatre. By BONAMY DOBRÉE, author of - “Restoration Drama,” etc. - - Traces the possible developments of the theatre, not only along - mechanical lines, but upon those which playwrights, actors, and - psychologists might achieve, were their idiosyncracies given scope. - The whole forms a comment on the theatre of to-day. - - - =Pygmalion=, or the Doctor of the Future. By R. MCNAIR WILSON, M.D. - - The author foresees an evolution in the personality of the doctor, - who will become less of a scientist, more of a humanist, and use - every spiritual agency, as well as every practical measure, to - restore the human body and soul to health. - - -_READY SHORTLY_ - - - =Cassandra=, or the Future of the British Empire. By F. C. S. - SCHILLER, D.Sc. - - A penetrating analysis of the disruptive influences of work in the - Empire. - - - =Gallio=, or the Tyranny of Science. By J. W. N. SULLIVAN, author of - “A History of Mathematics.” - - - =Euterpe=, or the Future of Art. By LIONEL R. MCCOLVIN, author of - “The Theory of Book-Selection.” - - Shows how economic factors influence artistic production and affect - artistic methods. - - - =Artifex=, or the Future of Craftsmanship. By JOHN GLOAG, author of - “Time, Taste, and Furniture.” - - Indicates how the machine may be used to extend the glory of - craftsmanship. - - - =Pegasus=, or Problems of Transport. By Colonel J. F. C. FULLER, - author of “The Reformation of War,” etc. - - An account of “cross-country” vehicles, which will achieve a - revolution as great as that caused by the railway. - - - =Atlantis=, or the United States and the Future. By Colonel J. F. C. - FULLER. - - A witty and penetrating analysis of the American spirit. - - - =Midas=, or the Future of the United States. By C. H. BRETHERTON, - author of “The Real Ireland,” etc. - - A companion volume to _Atlantis_, written from a different - viewpoint. - - - =Nuncius=, the Future of Advertising. By GILBERT RUSSELL. - - - =The Future of the English Language.= By BASIL DE SELINCOURT. - - - - - -TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES: - - - Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_. - - Emboldened text is surrounded by equals signs: =bold=. - - Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. - - Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized. - - Archaic or variant spelling has been retained. - - The cover image for this eBook was created by the transcriber and is - entered into the public domain. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EUTERPE *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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McColvin—A Project Gutenberg eBook - </title> - <link rel="icon" href="images/cover.jpg" type="image/x-cover"> - <style> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -@media print { hr.chap {display: none; visibility: hidden;} } - -div.chapter {page-break-before: always;} -h2.nobreak {page-break-before: avoid;} - -.gap {padding-left: 6em;} - -.hangingindent {text-indent: -1em; } - -p.drop-cap { - text-indent: -0.35em; -} - -p.drop-cap:first-letter -{ - float: left; - margin: 0em 0.15em 0em 0em; - font-size: 250%; - line-height:0.85em; - text-indent: 0em; -} -.x-ebookmaker p.drop-cap{ - text-indent: 0em; -} -.x-ebookmaker p.drop-cap:first-letter -{ - float: none; - margin: 0; - font-size: 100%; -} - -.pagenum { - position: absolute; - left: 92%; - font-size: smaller; - text-align: right; - font-style: normal; - font-weight: normal; - font-variant: normal; - text-indent: 0; -} - -.blockquot { - margin-left: 17.5%; - margin-right: 17.5%; -} - -.blockquot2 { - margin-left: 2em; - margin-right: 2em; -} - -.x-ebookmaker .blockquot { - margin-left: 7.5%; - margin-right: 7.5%; -} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} - -.ph1 {text-align: center; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;} -.ph2 {text-align: center; font-size: xx-large; font-weight: bold;} - -div.titlepage {text-align: center; page-break-before: always; page-break-after: always;} -div.titlepage p {text-align: center; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5; margin-top: 2em;} - -.xxlarge {font-size: 200%;} -.xlarge {font-size: 150%;} -.large {font-size: 125%;} -.small {font-size: 50%;} - -.x-ebookmaker .hide {display: none; visibility: hidden;} - -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; - page-break-inside: avoid; - max-width: 100%; -} - -.transnote {background-color: #E6E6FA; - color: black; - font-size:smaller; - margin-left: 17.5%; - margin-right: 17.5%; - padding: 1em; - margin-bottom: 1em; - font-family:sans-serif, serif; } - -</style> -</head> -<body> -<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Euterpe, by Lionel R. McColvin</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Euterpe</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em;'>Or, the future of art</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Lionel R. McColvin</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: December 18, 2022 [eBook #69571]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Tim Lindell, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from images made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library.)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EUTERPE ***</div> - -<div class="figcenter hide"><img src="images/coversmall.jpg" width="450" alt=""></div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> -<div class="chapter"> -<h1>EUTERPE<br> -<span class="small">OR</span><br> -THE FUTURE OF ART</h1> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="ph1">TO-DAY AND TO-MORROW</p> - -<p class="center"><i>A Full List of the Series will be found at<br> -the end of this Volume</i></p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/i_title.jpg" alt=""></div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> -<div class="titlepage"> -<p><span class="xxlarge">EUTERPE</span><br> -OR<br> -<span class="xlarge">THE FUTURE OF ART</span></p> - -<p>BY<br> -<span class="large">LIONEL R. McCOLVIN</span><br> - -Author of <i>The Theory of Book-Selection</i>,<br> -<i>Music in Public Libraries</i>, <i>etc.</i></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">London</span>:<br> -KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUBNER & CO., <span class="smcap">Ltd.</span><br> -<span class="smcap">New York: E. P. Dutton</span> & <span class="smcap">Co.</span></p> -</div> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="center">Made and Printed in Great Britain by<br> -M. F. Robinson & Co., Ltd., at The Library Press, Lowestoft</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_5">[5]</span> -<p class="ph2">EUTERPE</p> - -<h2 class="nobreak">I</h2> -</div> - -<p>At the outset it will be desirable to -state that when I speak of the future of -art I do not mean the “art of the future”. -Art can be considered from either an inside -or an outside point of view; that is to -say, we can deal either with its nature, -problems, and performances—art itself, -or with the amount and quality of the -interest taken in art by men and women—the -“art-life” of the community. The -latter subject is that dealt with here.</p> - -<p>The “art-life” of the civilized world -is at present in a transition period, which -is fraught with distinct, though maybe -unrealized, dangers. Its problems are -only indirectly related to the present -and the future state of art-production: -whether we foresee development or retrogression -in modern tendencies in literature,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_6">[6]</span> -painting, music, and so on, these dangers -will need to be faced, or they will, at -least, minimize the value of the creative -work of to-morrow. For we are concerned -not with the production of art -but with the enjoyment and appreciation -of art. As the latter is the more important, -since without it production would be -sterile, it is an essential preliminary that -the conditions necessary for the healthy -growth of a more widespread, deeper-rooted -love of the beautiful should exist. -We are now viewing the situation as -sociologists, as men, rather than as artists. -The artist can be satisfied when he -attains a certain level of performance: -at least he can work with content and -happiness while he is seeking to reach a -may-be unattainable perfection. He is, -naturally and rightly, concerned with -absolute values; and the critic and the -individual lover can maintain the same -attitude. If a painting or a poem reaches -perfection, he asks no more. But the -sociologist must take a different attitude. -To the artist and the critic the work is the -end; to the sociologist it is the beginning. -It is not enough for him to know that the -painting is great, since to him it is only<span class="pagenum" id="Page_7">[7]</span> -the means by which men attain artistic -enjoyment; it has no significance until it -has acted upon the minds of men. That -being so he must ask other questions -about it—firstly, <i>How many</i> men can -see it? How many are able to appreciate -its value intelligently, gaining the full -aesthetic, spiritual, or intellectual stimulus -from it?—in short, What is the aggregate -of its human significance?</p> - -<p>It does not follow, of course, that we -can relate the quality of a work of art to -the “quantity” of its appeal; it would, -in fact, be absurd to suppose that it is -necessarily better that 100,000 should -know and appreciate the second-rate -than that 100 should love the finest—neither, -with certain reservations, need -this necessarily be untrue. The point -I would urge at present is simply that the -value of art to humanity does depend very -largely upon the desire and opportunity -of men to take advantage of it. The poet -whose works are ignored saving by the -very few may be as impotent as a mute -inglorious Milton.</p> - -<p>Therefore there are two factors—production -and reproduction, or, shall we say, -creation and distribution. A musician<span class="pagenum" id="Page_8">[8]</span> -composes a symphony, a dramatist writes -a play, a novelist a story—that is the -first factor. If no one ever performed the -symphony, produced the play, or published -the novel, of what importance would this -creation prove to the world?—Practically -none. The art-product must be distributed -before it can accomplish any -part of its essential purpose. It necessarily -follows, moreover, that the <i>wider</i> the -distribution, the more adequately will -it function. This is all very obvious, -though often forgotten, and will disclose -the next step in the argument, which is -that, were it not for certain tendencies, -increased means of reproduction and -distribution would lead to a better developed, -more valuable, and more active -artistic life. That being so, the present, -which is a period when mankind is enjoying -the benefit of recent and important -reproductive inventions, should be imbued -with hopeful tendencies—Is it?</p> - -<p>Yes and no. Let us take stock of our -position. Reproduction is almost entirely -a mechanical matter, depending upon -non-artistic, purely material factors. Production -is the business of the creative -artists; reproduction that of the scientists.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">[9]</span> -The latter have given us within -recent years inventions which have revolutionized -artistic conditions—the mechanical -processes and innumerable secondary -inventions such as stereotyping, and -mechanical composition and binding, -which have facilitated the reproduction -of printed matter, the three-colour and -other photo-mechanical methods of reproducing -pictorial matter, the gramophone, -the piano-player, and wireless to aid the -distribution of music, and so on, throughout -the range of pure and applied art.</p> - -<p>Until recent years the percentage of -the population who were in direct contact -with the fine arts had remained much the -same in civilized countries from probably -the earliest times. Art had almost -invariably depended upon direct patronage -of some kind or other, religious or secular, -if not entirely at least to an important -degree. I would not denounce this; -one cannot, when one remembers that the -system fostered art which has not been -equalled under the new régime. But -direct patronage by the few is rapidly -declining and is to-day almost negligible. -It has been replaced, simply as a result of -the mechanical factor, by a more democratic<span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">[10]</span> -economic basis. Some arts are -still to some extent produced for the few, -but others entirely for the many. The -important fact is that wherever reproduction -is easiest that art is the most democratic—books -and music, for example; -wherever least possible its range is -narrower and its support less democratic, -e.g., sculpture, household decoration, etc.</p> - -<hr class="tb"> - -<p>The character of our artistic experience -has therefore to a very large extent -been decided by purely non-artistic factors. -That which <i>can</i> be reproduced has been -reproduced, and opportunity has developed -taste. This is a generalization, -though not a fallacious one. We may -assume that the artistic needs of men have -been led into their different channels -partly as a result of personal inclination, -but very largely through the influence -of opportunity. If a number of men -were cast upon a desert island with only -books to minister to their aesthetic needs, -the majority would take what was to -hand and be quite content. I am not -saying that this is a good tendency but -that it is a true hypothesis, applicable to -modern life, and a contention which is<span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">[11]</span> -tenable on historical grounds. The -favourite pursuits of early civilizations -were not those of to-day, and it is very -unlikely that any one factor has done so -much to change taste as the development -of means of reproduction. The pursuit -of once-popular arts need not die out; -it need not even decline, since the numbers -of those interested in all the arts is increasing; -but the proportionate or relative -interest alters. This being so, can we -ignore the influence of the mechanical -factor? It is operating in a striking manner -to-day when <i>relatively</i> music is being -appreciated by more and literature by -fewer people, when the theatre is attracting, -relatively again, fewer every day than -the cinema, when the graphic arts are -becoming more significant than the plastic -arts.</p> - -<p>To ignore the mechanical factor is to -put effect before cause. Certainly the -character of taste has influenced the direction -of invention to some extent, since the -scientist would naturally turn first to -fields where his work would be most -effective. This aspect should not, however, -be magnified. Sooner or later science -has given all it was capable of giving to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">[12]</span> -<i>every</i> form of art, regardless of its importance -or popularity.</p> - -<p>And so we realize that the <i>character</i> -of public taste—that is to say, the proportionate -amount of interest in the various -arts—has been dictated by the mechanical -factor. We can go still further and assert -that its <i>quality</i> has been largely determined -by this same influence.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">[13]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">II</h2> -</div> - -<p>Before we can appreciate the truth of -that assertion—that the quality of public -taste has been influenced by mechanical -methods of reproduction—we must be -prepared to view the art-life of the community -as a whole. Too often we tend -to regard only the better elements, the -top layer, and to ignore the lower strata. -We segregate a section of the populace—that -which appreciates, or pretends to -appreciate, Art (with a capital A)—and -forget that the remainder, which indulges -in jazz, ‘the pictures’, light fiction, -Bovril pictures, and tin-chapel architecture, -is actuated by the same motives. The -quality of their artistic experiences and -the standard of their taste and artistic -education may be very different, yet they -seek the same kind of experience as the -others. It is entirely a matter of degree.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_14">[14]</span>Therefore we must regard the art-life -of a community, as we must and do regard -its social, religious, or political life, as -comprising a little good, much bad, and -more that is indifferent. Once this is -realized, and only then, the full significance -of the mechanical factor is apparent.</p> - -<p>Let us go back to the pre-mechanical -era, when only a small number of people -had any opportunity for contact with -art and only a few had developed a love -for and the ability to appreciate its higher -manifestations. At the same time a -similarly limited populace found satisfaction -in the second, third—and fifth-rate. -Probably then, as now, more enjoyed the -second-best than the finest, and so on, -though probably the contrast was not so -great as it is now. However that may be, -when a new reproductive process was -introduced it was naturally applied to -the lower types rather than to the -better, for an obvious reason. It enabled -<i>more people</i> to be brought into -contact, and these newcomers must -naturally be unaccustomed to and incapable -of appreciating the best. The -education of taste is a slow process,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">[15]</span> -whereas the new invention was a sudden -force, applied immediately in whatever -direction offered it the greatest scope. -And so we find at once an increase in the -lower grades of appreciation which is -out of proportion to the benefits bestowed -upon the higher.</p> - -<p>The trouble did not end there, however. -Greater familiarity tends to form taste, -especially in these matters. Art serves -most men chiefly as a luxury, a relaxation, -a recreation; and in our quest for these -we are apt to take that which is most -easily obtained. The mechanical factor, -by making the fourth-rate accessible, -<i>generated a desire for the fourth-rate</i>: this -desire stimulated further reproduction, -and this, in turn, brought more into the -artistic fold, at each step lowering the -quality of the most accessible and the -most desired.</p> - -<p>The result is that to-day the average -quality of the whole artistic consumption -of the populace is considerably lower -than it had ever been before in civilized -times. Though every day more and more -people are reading some kind of printed -matter, witnessing plays—silent and -audible—of a sort, looking at pictures,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">[16]</span> -penny plain or twopence coloured, though -the time is not far distant when every man -will be interested to some extent in art -in one or other of its forms, our art-life -is developing not so much in quality -as in quantity.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">[17]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">III</h2> -</div> - -<p>There is, of course, a bright side to the -picture, and lest we be accused of pessimism -it will be well to discuss this now.</p> - -<p>In the first place all forms of art, good, -bad, and indifferent, have benefited by -mechanical means of reproduction. The -actual numbers of those who can experience -the finest things in art have increased -manifold, and to that extent, the art-life -of the world is better off than before. My -only contention is that <i>proportionately</i> -fewer appreciate the best, though <i>actually</i> -more do so. My only intention here is -to point out the essentially <i>quantitative</i> -tendencies of to-day, lest we should mistake -them for something better. Quantity -alone is not everything, and, if we fail -to realize these tendencies and endeavour -to counteract their undesirable features, -the time will come when the disproportion -between those who seek the worthy and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">[18]</span> -those who do not will be very dangerous. -Why this will be so I hope to show in -the next chapter.</p> - -<p>To return to the bright side—Though -quantity is not everything, it <i>is</i> something. -It is better that people should appreciate -the lowest arts than that they should -ignore them altogether. Provided, of -course, that any art is not definitely -decadent and degenerate, it is better than -none. But even this aspect has its disadvantages. -It might be argued, not -without reason, that it is more difficult -to wean a person from the poor thing he -knows and has come to like than to introduce -an absolutely artistically-uneducated -person to the moderately good. Of that, -however we shall speak later.</p> - -<p>Thirdly, improved reproductive methods -have enriched art by enabling minorities to -flourish.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">[19]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">IV</h2> -</div> - -<p>And so we approach the real danger, -which is naturally more potent in some -fields than in others. We have seen that -the mechanical factor has, by making the -fourth-rate more accessible, increased the -number of those with fourth-rate tastes. -Now we encounter the commercial factor -which enters at some stage into every -art and almost every artistic activity. -Books, music, and pictures must be -published, plays produced, concerts -arranged, art-objects manufactured, and -so on. Outlay of capital is almost invariably -involved, and those with capital -can seldom be induced to use it without -the usual expectation of gain. In short, -to some person or other nearly <i>all our -artistic experiences are business propositions</i>. -Practically the only exceptions to -this rule are the institutions maintained -at the public expense—art-galleries, -museums, public libraries, etc.—and even<span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">[20]</span> -these are not entirely divorced from -indirect commercial relationships.</p> - -<p>Thus the nature and extent of art-reproduction -are very largely governed -by commercial considerations. The effect -of this is easily seen. The natural desire -of the capitalist is to secure the best -return from his investment, and this may -be sought in two ways. Either he may -produce something for which there is a -large demand, or he may produce something -for which there is less demand and -charge more for it. He will certainly avoid -the thing for which there is only a small -or a problematic demand. Let us now -remember that the proportion of those who -desire good art is decreasing, and it is -clear that the commercial factor is not -improving the standard of public taste. -Within limits the most demand is for the -least worth-while, and yet it is the satisfaction -of this demand which makes the -most attractive commercial proposition. -He who wants the fine thing prized by a -minority must pay more for it if he is -lucky enough to be able to do so and -if he is fortunate enough to have it produced -for him, or go without it if he is not.</p> - -<p>The snowball rolls on. The vicious<span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">[21]</span> -sequence operates continuously. The -bigger the demand the more ready is the -business-man to meet it; the better the -supply, the greater the desire.</p> - -<p>The extent to which the commercial -factor is potent varies considerably, and -depends largely upon the amount of -capital which is involved in the single -reproductive operation. Fortunately there -are still business-men in the art-producing -world who are glad to compromise, who -sometimes put their ideals before their -pockets, who are satisfied so long as -they are enabled to pay their way, who -are prepared at times to lose. Accordingly, -whenever the capital involved is not large, -and whenever the investor can undertake -a number of contemporary ventures the -loss on some of which should be covered -by profits on the others, better though -less popular art is given its chance.</p> - -<p>Probably the most fortunate art in -this respect is that of literature (in the -widest sense of the word), and the most -unfortunate the drama. The percentage -of worthy books which remain unpublished -is very low compared with that of -plays or music, and even this percentage -does not indicate the real difference,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">[22]</span> -since through lack of opportunity, the -number of artists who devote their -energies to composition or play-writing is -much smaller than it should be. The -reason is obvious. A small circulation -will pay the cost of publishing the average -book—a much smaller circulation (were -it not for advertising expenses) than many -imagine; on the other hand, commercial -conditions being what they are, considerable -public support is necessary if the -producer of a play, a film, or an orchestral -concert is to secure any financial gain. The -publisher, moreover, does not put all his -eggs into one basket; the producer of -plays, unless he is in an unusually strong -financial position, must. The former can -afford to take occasional risks; the latter -cannot.</p> - -<p>Even in the case of books, however, -the reader who seeks the same kind of -reading as many millions of others is -in a more favourable position than the -man with individual, minority inclinations. -The greater the volume of reproduction, -the lower the cost per copy. Even -were the business-man willing, he could not -give the latter the full benefit of mechanical -inventions. It would not be worth<span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">[23]</span> -his while to do so. The complete utilization -of mechanical methods involves the -use of expensive plant, which is justified -only when the output is large. It is, of -course, a matter of degree, and many -processes (e.g. machine-casing of books) -can be applied as readily to the few as to -the many. Other processes, on the contrary, -never benefit the minority. In -graphic art, for example, there are several -colour-processes by which very cheap -reproductions of pictures can be produced, -but their use is, for necessary commercial -reasons, confined to popular works. The -pictures required by the few are never -reproduced by these methods.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">[24]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">V</h2> -</div> - -<p>We may now summarize the problem, -before passing to a discussion of ways and -means to counteract the dangerous tendencies -of to-day.</p> - -<p>Firstly—though creative artists and -educationists must regard this as a -hard saying—the most powerful force in -the art-life of to-day is the purely -mechanical factor.</p> - -<p>Secondly, this factor is to a great -extent determining the nature and amount -of art-production and reproduction.</p> - -<p>Thirdly, it is causing a decrease in the -average quality of the total artistic life -of the community.</p> - -<p>Fourthly, this degeneration must naturally -continue unless it is counteracted by -other influences.</p> - -<p>This statement is not an exaggerated -one, and it does not ignore the good<span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">[25]</span> -effects of the new order. Even though -a certain amount of repetition is involved, -it will be well to discuss in detail the -causes of degeneration in popular tastes.</p> - -<p>(1) Mechanical improvements were -applied first to those grades of art which -offered most scope to the commercial -element (and are now still so applied to -a greater extent).</p> - -<p>(2) Even if, in the beginning, lower -tastes were not in a majority, any widening -of the circle of those interested would -inevitably bring in a large percentage -of the artistically uneducated.</p> - -<p>(3) Each widening of the circle would -involve a lowering of taste, and also -increase the commercial inducement to -cater for the lower grade.</p> - -<p>(4) This being so, those with better -tastes become an even smaller minority, -and (though they probably would be -<i>actually</i> better off) they become <i>relatively</i> -at a disadvantage economically. Though -they might now have to pay less than they -had to before for something, they nevertheless -still have to pay more than those -who belong to the majority.</p> - -<p>(5) Furthermore, the low grade is -more accessible, easier to experience,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">[26]</span> -more frequently offered than the better -thing.</p> - -<p>(6) Therefore, since (especially the -large numbers whose tastes are on the -border line) we unconsciously tend to -follow the easy way, unless we deliberately -seek to improve or maintain our taste, -it will degenerate. It is necessary to -remember that art is usually regarded as -a recreation and, in spite of the saying -that we take our pleasures sadly, we do -often take a short view, and are satisfied -to find that artistic recreation for the -day which is first to hand, without -thought of the morrow.</p> - -<p>(7) In art-matters we are mostly -conservative. Neither do we readily set -ourselves apart from our fellows. The -history of any “best seller” will prove -this. Up to a point it is read by those -who have discovered that they might -like it; after that it is read chiefly -“because everybody else is reading it”. -It is wrong to attribute this tendency to -a mere desire to be “in the swim”; much -more often it is because readers, unconsciously -classing themselves as average, -argue that the book which interests the -average man will interest them. To a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">[27]</span> -large extent this applies to all popular art. -Few people care to “waste their time” -experimenting when it is so much easier to -fall in line with the crowd. The only -wonder is how the popularity of the -“best seller” and its kind begins: once -that has happened the rest is a normal -process.</p> - -<p>(8) The average man, being thus -willing to follow the dictates of the -majority, is seldom likely to look elsewhere -for his artistic experiences. And so the -tastes of the majority are more firmly -established—and the tastes of to-day form -the tastes of to-morrow.</p> - -<p>I would not describe this as a vicious -circle. Rather is it a vicious spiral, the -circumference of which ever increases. -How can this state of affairs be altered?</p> - -<p>Let us not be misunderstood. We are -not asserting that this world with its -many who appreciate the less valuable -is worse than the world of the pre-mechanical -era. Far from it. In every way it -is better. The actual quantity of good -artistic endeavour is much greater, and -every increase in the numbers of those -who appreciate the least worth-while -is a distinct gain to the community and to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">[28]</span> -the individual. Our anxiety is not so -much for to-day as for to-morrow. There -is no reason to doubt that before long -practically the whole population will be -interested in some form and grade of -art. It is then that the trouble will begin -to assume serious proportions. Let us -take a biological parallel. It is agreed -that if good stocks do not increase at the -same rate as inferior stocks they will -gradually die out. If, in a world full of -artistic endeavour the good artistic stocks -are not as sturdy as the remainder, they -too will in time die out. So long as the -commercial and mechanical factors are -allowed full play, the good artistic stocks -will be at a disadvantage, and so the -future of the finest elements of art depends -upon the success of efforts to counteract -these factors. We must find means (1) -to make the most desirable art more -accessible than it is now, and (2) to -increase the numbers of those who -desire it. The latter will serve two purposes: -(<i>a</i>) it will help us in the first aim; -and (<i>b</i>) it will increase the aggregate -quality and value of the artistic life.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">[29]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">VI</h2> -</div> - -<p>We will deal with the second aim first, -and it may be termed roughly “Education”—the -process of increasing a man’s -ability to enjoy better art. The last -phrase embodies our idea of the function -of art-education. If education does that—improves -the range and quality of his -pleasure in the beautiful—it has performed -its prime duty. Needless to say, we are -not speaking now of that branch of education -which concerns itself with the training -of practitioners—creative or executive -artists. That is quite a different matter, -and one of our first quarrels with the -present system is that these two types of -education are not as clearly distinguished -as they need to be.</p> - -<p>There are two classes of people who will -benefit by education—those who wish to -enjoy and those who wish to practise. The -needs of the two classes are quite distinct,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">[30]</span> -yet he who would enjoy is often given the -instruction provided (or which should -be provided) for the others. The disadvantages -of this are: (<i>a</i>) the enjoyer -approaches the subject from quite a -different angle, and practical instruction -will sometimes depreciate his appreciative -faculties. The outsider sees most of the -game, and, moreover, one with knowledge -of technical matters will tend to allow -technical questions to come before purely -aesthetic ones; (<i>b</i>) He will spend a great -deal of time to no purpose, and will waste -opportunities and leisure which could be -more advantageously applied; (<i>c</i>) As he -might be, and generally is, entirely devoid -of sufficient creative or executive ability -to practise to his own satisfaction a -certain disappointment and disillusionment -will colour his regard for the artistic; -(<i>d</i>) It is useless and wasteful to give -technical instruction to those who cannot -and do not desire to apply it. Neither -does the practitioner gain. There is a -tendency to compromise, and so he -does not always obtain the special purposive -instruction he needs, and the -personnel and institutions fitted to instruct -the practitioner cannot devote all their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">[31]</span> -energies to this essential work. Any -increased love of art, be it remembered, -will cause a much greater demand for -professional creative and executive artists. -And (<i>e</i>) he probably has neither the time nor -the inclination for practical studies, and -so, if there are no schemes specially for his -benefit, he will receive no education at all.</p> - -<p>Therefore there is a great need for -systematic education in the appreciation -of art. Many more attempts are being -made to-day than there were a few years -ago; yet the subject—a very difficult -one—is still in its infancy. The methods -and aims of such education have not -yet been adequately formulated and -must exercise educationists in the near -future. Failing a well-defined plan, they -have taken refuge in aspects of art-instruction -which are not those best -calculated to stimulate genuine enjoyment. -This explains to some extent the confusion -of practical and appreciative ends. It -explains also our addiction to historical -and theoretical studies. He who would -study the graphic arts must try to draw -and to paint; the music-lover must -acquire some sort of executive ability, -and so devotes enough time to the -routine of “practice” to kill all his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">[32]</span> -enthusiasm; and the student of literature -must become versed in its history. The -art-lover is probably not getting much -harm; the music-lover is now often -relieved by mechanical instruments from -the necessity for technique; than the -historical studies of the last-named, however, -nothing more dreary and futile -could be invented.</p> - -<p>Improvement in the methods of education -in appreciation must involve the -total abolition of the Examination system. -Examinations may be able to show -whether a man can draw “correctly”, -play the notes of a composition, or is -versed in the dates of a number of writers -and able to list their important works. -But it cannot possibly give any indication -whether the education in appreciation -is achieving its real aim—the increase of -the student’s ability to enjoy more and -better things, to find greater happiness -and richer artistic experiences. Those -who would develop the appreciative -faculties of others must take the results -of their labours for granted.</p> - -<p>As before said, our ideas of how to -instil a love of beauty, how to awaken -interest in and arouse perception of -artistic values, are still vague. It is a -matter which cannot be taught by rule<span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">[33]</span> -of thumb. It is not concerned with -ascertained facts, nor discoverable by -ordered experiment. It is an individual -matter. Largely, in practice, such instruction -will be exemplary rather than explanatory. -Much of the time spent will be -devoted to introducing to students actual -examples of the art, and thereby the -obstacles of ignorance and prejudice will -be removed. In addition to this, however, -some systematic instruction in the principles -of aesthetics, of the general criteria -of works of art—completeness, congruity, -balance, and proportion, the subordination -of details, the relation of means to ends—will -be evolved. I would suggest as a -starting-point the study of <i>form</i>, of the -anatomy or architecture of art. Apart -from the moral value of cultivating a -sense of proportion, of perspective, of the -inter-relation of parts—a sense which is -as essential to a sane life as to the appreciation -of a picture or a musical composition—nothing -could lead more readily to -an understanding of the artist’s aims and -plan of campaign. In music, for instance, -a brief account of the sequence of the -main themes, which could be memorized, -would render intelligible and <i>whole</i> a -composition which otherwise would seem -meaningless, shapeless, and dreary.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">[34]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">VII</h2> -</div> - -<p>The fact remains, however, that the -percentage of the population which is -affected by systematic education is, and -is likely to remain, very, very small. -The artistic regeneration of the world -would be a very slow process if it depended -entirely upon the existence of a definite -desire for education. Before any one -will come into contact with educational -institutions he must have attained to -a relatively high standard of appreciation -and he must be endowed already with -considerable enthusiasm for art. The -greater problems are clearly: (<i>a</i>) how to -increase the interest of those who are -almost if not entirely indifferent to the -point when they <i>will</i> desire systematic -instruction; and (<i>b</i>) how to benefit those -who will never (maybe <i>can</i> never) reach -even that stage, or who will prefer to -“educate themselves”.</p> - -<p>As a preliminary to this it will be well<span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">[35]</span> -to examine some of the causes of low -taste. Why is it that millions enjoy -<i>When it’s Night-time in Italy</i>, but are bored -to tears by the Schumann <i>A minor -Concerto</i>? Why should <i>The Bat</i> have -power to thrill them when <i>Macbeth</i> leaves -them cold? Why, in short, do they prefer -the least good to the best? I will not say -“worst,” because nothing is bad which -artistically can give pleasure and morally -is not evil.</p> - -<p>The obvious reason, which most of -us would give glibly, is that these people -are intellectually and spiritually incapable -of appreciating good art. How far this is -true, and how far the other reasons -I shall give are responsible, I would not -care to suggest. Very probably it is -true in the large majority of cases. In -a world the majority of whose inhabitants -are quite incapable of thinking intelligently -or logically about the most important -influences in their lives, where -politics and religion and the fundamental -human relationships are governed by -ignorant prejudices and irrational habits, -where a large proportion of men are -mentally and physically below par, can -we expect every man and woman to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">[36]</span> -possess the latent ability to embrace the -beautiful? However that may be, this -obstacle to artistic education can be -removed only by the sociologist, the -educationist, the moralist, and the biologist. -We who are concerned with -the artistic factor can duly presuppose -the existence, now or to-morrow, of a -germ of artistic impulse, since we can -only influence those who are capable.</p> - -<p>Secondly, as we noticed before, the -greater familiarity and accessibility of -the low grade is a potent hindrance to -development.</p> - -<p>Thirdly, we must remember that the -average man seeks recreation when he -embraces art. He may have degraded his -idea of the recreational and come to -think that unless an experience “livens -him up” or “takes him out of himself” -it is not suitable recreation. The fact -remains that as a rule he is unwilling to -give the matter any sustained thought -(even though exercising his mind might -be a great change from the routine of -manual labour), and he is satisfied if the -day’s leisure is passed pleasantly. The -idea of sustained, cumulative recreation, -such as is gained by the real lover of any<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">[37]</span> -art, when the pleasure of to-day adds to -the recreative value of that of to-morrow, -when each experience makes the following -keener and more lasting, never occurs -to him.</p> - -<p>Again, he is conservative and play -for safety. Any improvement in taste -would involve stepping on to fresh ground, -and he is not prepared to do that. Somehow—generally -by observing the likes -and dislikes of people of similar mentality—he -has discovered “what he likes”, -and he sees no reason why he should -take any risks. That is largely why he -goes to see farces, reads detective yarns -or tales of the wild and woolly West, -and patronizes ballad-concerts and music-halls, -but would never dream of venturing -into a repertory theatre or a classical -concert, or of reading a different type of -book. His time, he thinks, and his money, -are too precious for excursions into the -unknown.</p> - -<p>That alone would be sufficient deterrent, -but, in addition, it sets up prejudices. -He does not want to explore, yet he has -(subconsciously, of course) to justify his -conservatism. This he does by raising an -imaginary barrier between the things he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">[38]</span> -knows he likes and the things he doesn’t -know anything at all about and <i>might</i> not -like. When he is brought face to face with -the unknown, rather than confess his -ignorance and lack of enterprise, even -to himself, rather than admit that his -tastes are low, he jumps to the conclusion -that he is wise to be wary and that there -must be some good reason for his attitude. -Thus he sets his mind at rest by retarding -its development.</p> - -<p>Unfortunately there are outside -influences which strengthen these -prejudices. For instance, too many of -those who appreciate, or pretend to appreciate, -the best are apt to set themselves -apart and to insist that there is an -unbridgeable gulf between their art and -that of the common herd. The average -man hates this highbrow snobbery and -hates, too, everything they are supposed -to care for, since it is tarred with the same -brush.</p> - -<p>Then, again, attempts to “improve” -his taste for him generally arouse his -ire and invoke further prejudices—mainly -because the would-be improvers do not -go the right way to work. It is not at -all difficult to realize that, since we all<span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">[39]</span> -regard art as matter for the exercise of -taste, which is an individual prerogative—there -is no absolute scale of artistic values, -though there is a general consensus of -educated opinion—the man who will -readily accept the judgement of his -intellectual superiors will not so readily -accept the opinions of the artistically -better informed.</p> - -<p>Then, it is by no means easy to persuade -the artistically uneducated that there is -any need for education. He thinks that -the enjoyable aspects of art are fairly -obvious and that there is no point in -looking beyond the obvious unless he is -seeking for some extra-artistic element—some -intellectual or spiritual value. As -he is only seeking enjoyment, why should -he waste time looking for anything else? -It must, therefore, be made quite clear -to him that the chief aim of the educationist -is to increase his pleasure in art and -that there is no ulterior motive. -Unfortunately the methods of many -teachers (and here I include all publicists -and would-be popularizers) are not such -as to give this impression.</p> - -<p>Much teaching has been misguided. For -example, for some obscure reason critics<span class="pagenum" id="Page_40">[40]</span> -and teachers frequently fail to discriminate -between the “absolute” and the -“historical” value of the classics. They -delight in praising work which has little -claim to our interest other than its -antiquity. They confront the bewildered -seeker for enjoyable beauty with volumes -of extracts from “The Great Writers”, -collections of the Hundred Best Books, -etc., than which nothing more ungodly, -more dreary, uninspired, unworthy, and -unbeautiful could possibly be found. They -should know better, these people! Why -will they do it? Almost as bad are those -who go to the opposite extreme and hail -with acclamation the newest, most unintelligible -phantasies born of a craving for -novelty.</p> - -<p>I am not exaggerating, though certainly -the position is improving wonderfully. -But, of the books written twenty years -ago and earlier with the presumable -intention of stimulating interest in literature -and art, certainly half would have -antagonized the ordinary man—had he -bothered about them at all, which -he didn’t. The critic may say that -he is not concerned with improving -the taste of the man in the street.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">[41]</span> -Undoubtedly he has other tasks besides -those of the popularizer; much of his work -can appeal only to the artistically educated -and it would be dangerous for him to -devote an undue share of his energies -to this work. Nevertheless, he should -more often cast aside the highbrow attitude -and any idea that the needs of the ordinary -man are unworthy of his consideration. -The example, in the realms of science, -of such men as J. A. Thomson, Lankester, -and others equally unlikely to devote -their energies to any but a good cause, -should help to dispel this illusion. We -badly need writers who, without being -namby-pamby, superior, or academic, can -help the man with the germ of interest, -writers who can point to the ascending -steps in the ladder of taste. Theirs is not -an easy task. In the first place, they must -be <i>themselves</i> interesting, for only a -minority are willing to read books with -an ulterior motive. The actual popularizing -books must provide recreation and -enjoyment as well as stimulation.</p> - -<p>In this connection it might be remarked -that we are too ready to throw stones at -the writer who tries to bring his literary -abilities within the range of a wide public.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">[42]</span> -He is accused of playing to the gallery, of -prostituting his art, of thinking of his -royalties, and so on. Might not a writer -capable of attaining heights on which only -a minority could join him be rendering -a better service to humanity at large by -sometimes choosing to give the majority -the best they can appreciate? And the -competent conscientious workmen who, -though they may not hope or desire to -rank with the greatest, give the public -something which it desires and understands, -and which is nevertheless much -better than anything else of the same kind -that it would read, render a finer service -than we are willing to admit.</p> - -<p>Secondly, the popularizer must not rob -his public of its self-respect or unduly -destroy its faith in its own judgment in -artistic matters. To do so is to open up -another source of prejudice and to raise -a fresh obstacle to enjoyment, for he who -loses faith in his own opinions, who is told -that he should put no trust in his own -judgment, endeavours to embrace the -artistic standards of others. This he -cannot do, but he begins to read books, and -so on, from a sense of duty—because he -has been told that everybody ought to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">[43]</span> -read so and so—and then to become a liar -and a hypocrite, to pretend to others that -he enjoys books when he doesn’t, to -imagine to himself that he does when he -doesn’t, so wasting his opportunities and -stunting his latent capabilities. With the -right kind of education his tastes and -opinions would improve gradually and -without his noticing the difference. -Although his taste would be improving, -all the time he would be following his own -judgment, and so he would always enjoy -his contact with art.</p> - -<p>The popularizer who would approach -the subject in the most fruitful way will -realize that the lower forms of art are -purely recreational—excepting of course -that some activities have physical values -also. The ethical, spiritual, and intellectual -aspects are not developed until we -reach a higher level. Therefore, if he is -going to lead to better things any one to -whom art has been synonymous with pure -recreation, he must do so by utilizing the -recreative element in the better. For -example, the educated reader seeks in -Shakespeare the statement of philosophical -and moral ideas, beauty of language and -aptness of phraseology, the delineation of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">[44]</span> -character, and the like. But what is the -good of pointing out these qualities to a -man as a reason why he should go to a -Shakespearian performance rather than to -a farce or a melodrama, to one who is, as -yet, only seeking recreation? Tell him -instead that <i>Twelfth Night</i> is a good -farce and <i>Macbeth</i> a good melodrama—as -they undoubtedly are; rid his head of the -idea that Shakespeare is primarily something -else, something much more “brainy” -and stodgy; try to instil in him the motive -that filled the old Globe with an audience -which is the exact counterpart of our own -uneducated pleasure-seeking theatre-goers, -and Shakespeare would become more -popular. Contact with his work would -undoubtedly improve taste and the -appreciation of Shakespeare’s other -qualities. Shakespeare was popular in his -own time because he enjoyed the reputation -of being a good entertainer. He isn’t -popular to-day because the average man -has been taught by misguided people to -regard him as a great writer. Of course -there are other reasons, but that is a most -important one.</p> - -<p>Yet another cause of low taste is the -prevalent lack of the ability to concentrate.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">[45]</span> -Enjoyment of the better types of art -involves concentration, not only because -it must be cumulative, but also because -great art is generally built round an -ampler theme than that which is of only -temporary appeal. If the artist deals -with a big subject, he must have room. -If he avoids substance, he economizes, -condenses, and concentrates his production. -Whichever course he adopts, -the reader or spectator must give him -greater—either more extended or more -intense—attention maybe both.</p> - -<p>Education will improve powers of -concentration; but, on the other hand, it -depends upon this ability. Therefore the -psychological factor must be considered by -all educationists. They must prepare -ladders leading by easy stages from the -purely enjoyable and insignificant to the -serious and significant, but it is not enough -that the steps should involve only gradual -intellectual and aesthetic progress. They -must require also only a gradual increase -in concentration.</p> - -<p>The chief aim of education and popularization -must be, however, to increase the -realization of the function of art—which is -(though art may fulfil other purposes) to -provide enjoyment, enjoyment in its<span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">[46]</span> -highest, most spiritual form maybe, yet -nevertheless enjoyment. For the pursuit -of art is the pursuit of the beautiful, -especially the beautiful which is of man’s -creation. If this pursuit cannot give -pleasure, the fault must be ours, since the -“beautiful” which cannot give pleasure -to any is not beautiful. The converse, -that anything which gives pleasure is -beautiful, is certainly <i>not</i> true, but, -whatever our philosophical or moral -criteria of beauty may be, they must -include the pleasure giving property.</p> - -<p>We need, nevertheless, to question ourselves -whether this factor is not only -ignored but sometimes even suppressed -by some educationists. There are so -many things in this world of imperfectly -developed men and women that give -pleasure and are most unbeautiful, that -we hesitate to class our precious goods in -the same category lest they be tarred with -the same brush. Yet we must do so. -There is much that goes by the name of -Love which is but lust, greed, pride of -possession, avarice, habit, perversion, and -waste, but we are not tempted to pretend -that genuine human affection is not love -because it is something better than the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">[47]</span> -rest. So we must not be tempted to deny -that art is essentially a source of pleasure -simply because it is the source of the -finest, most lasting, pleasure. To do so -is to alienate those who are most in need -of its influence.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">[48]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">VIII</h2> -</div> - -<p>The second need—after education—is -to make good art more accessible. We -have seen that, so long as the supply of -art is a commercial proposition, little, if -any, improvement in its average quality -can be expected. Until, in some way, -the good can be given the same chance as -the bad, the majority will continue to -clamour for the bad, since it will be the -only thing they know. It seems, therefore, -that the only effective way to break -the vicious circle is to try to put art-provision -as far as possible upon a non-commercial -basis. We must not be over-optimistic. -Not a great deal can be done -at present, and, in any case, progress will -be slow.</p> - -<p>The only way in which this can be done -is “co-operation”—firstly the co-operation -of individuals associated only for this -purpose, and secondly that co-operation -which is implied in all State or -community action. Let us deal with the -first and most fruitful, to begin with.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">[49]</span>Let us not, may it be repeated, forge -that the extent of co-operative activity -is limited by present desire and in exactly -the same way as the commercial activity. -Even co-operative undertakings must pay -their way. The difference is three-fold, -however. Firstly, the business entertainment -provider devotes his energies to -those activities which make the greatest -<i>quantitive</i> appeal. He does not ask: -“Shall I attract enough people to make -this pay its way?”—but instead, as a -rule, he asks which production will attract -<i>most</i> people and produce most profit. It is -nevertheless obvious that because a play, -for example, is not likely to be a popular -success, or an artiste a star, or a programme -superlatively attractive, it is not -right to assume that these would not -merit and receive sufficient support to -cover expenses. From ten plays (or ten -musical programmes), one of which should -succeed in a business sense of the word and -nine of which would only pay their way, -the commercial man naturally chooses the -former. The other nine are <i>never chosen</i>, -unless unintentionally. Yet some of them -might be works of greater artistic merit. -It is the business of co-operative activities<span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">[50]</span> -to select and to produce works of worth -which belong to the latter category. The -art-life of the community would gain from -this in two ways: (<i>a</i>) since the tastes -of the majority are low, the nine unproduced -works will almost certainly -include some of higher artistic value; and -(<i>b</i>) there will be greater variety.</p> - -<p>Secondly, the selection of the works to -be produced is made by the business-man -and not by the consumer. The business-man -will object to this statement, saying -that his selection is dictated by public -demands; but it isn’t. In the first place, -the public, whether popular or other -works are concerned, has no power to -select at all; it can only take or leave -what is offered, which is a very different -thing, leading at the best to incomplete -satisfaction and at the worst to considerable -waste. In the second place, the -business-man selects not according to -popular demands but according to <i>his -ideas</i> of popular demand—again a different -matter. If it were not, he would not suffer -so many financial failures, for which the -public has to pay in several ways, such -as higher prices, lower quality, conservatism, -etc.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">[51]</span>In the third place, the commercial -provider is in competition with all his -fellows. Each seeks to attract the -biggest crowd, and to do so indulges in the -“star system”, in spectacular but not -necessarily artistic production, in expensive -advertising, and so on. All of -these increase the price of the production -without in any way improving its artistic -or recreative value.</p> - -<p>Co-operation in this matter involves -the organization of Societies. These may -be quite small, e.g. Chamber-music groups, -each of whose members performs, dramatic -reading-circles only large enough to provide -the casts—or on a large scale, e.g. -the important Folk or Community -Theatres, the larger Music Clubs. The -size of the Society would determine the -kind of work to be done, and would -depend largely upon local conditions. -However big or small it may be, it would -nevertheless find suitable and desirable -activities within its compass. Neither -need—nor in fact very often should—these -Societies be “performing” Societies, -but, instead, “enjoying” Societies. By -a performing Society I mean one where the -play or the music is performed by members<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">[52]</span> -of the group, with the result that the -practical or personal side is apt to become -more important than any other. The -Music Clubs (of which there are several, -and should be more) on the other hand -employ professional players—the only -real differences so far as the audience (of -members) is concerned between their own -and ordinary commercial concerts are -that they receive better value for their -money, can hear works which would not -otherwise be performed, and have some -voice in the selection of programmes. If -the best results are to be attained, co-operative -art must make full use of the -professional. Amateur art has its limitations, -and in any case demands the -expenditure on practical matters of energy -which could be better spent in other -directions. Furthermore, the resources -of any amateur group are limited. Thus, -an Orchestral Society which gave a -monthly concert would be an exception, -and one orchestral concert per month is -not sufficient to satisfy a genuine music-loving -community. The co-operative -organizations would, with probable advantage, -eliminate much that was not -absolutely essential, e.g. their staging of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">[53]</span> -plays would be as simple as possible: -otherwise there is no reason why their -standard of production should be below -that of the commercial enterprise. In -fact, it would probably show more all-round -excellence and better balance and -ensemble.</p> - -<p>Probably the genuine artist-professionals -would sooner work for such Societies than -for ordinary managers. They would, with -a sufficiency of Societies, earn as good a -living and be more secure. They would -have more scope for developing their -finer talents, a wider range of art to -interpret, and more intelligent, more -enthusiastic, audiences.</p> - -<p>The possibilities of the other form of -co-operation noticed before, though great, -will probably not be so fruitful. The -State and Local Government groups are -very largely co-operative undertakings, -their function being to provide services -which could not be given either at all or -so cheaply or efficiently without official -organization. Some of these services -could, theoretically if not practically, be -rendered as well by private combinations. -The extent of the activities of the State is -decided by the wishes of the majority,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">[54]</span> -and, if the majority desired that the -State should engage in the dissemination -of art, there is no reason why it should not -do so. In fact, it does by maintaining art-galleries, -museums, and libraries (in -England) and by subsidizing theatres, -opera-houses, and conservatoires (in other -countries). There are some who would -see the artistic activities of the State -extended.</p> - -<p>There is much to be said both for and -against this idea. On the one side, it is -arguable that State activities would be -largely educational and that it is just as -desirable that people should be helped to -enjoy life as to succeed in other directions. -This is perfectly true, and, so long as the -educational ideal is kept in sight, State -assistance is thoroughly justified. On the -other hand, though the majority of taxpayers -agree that education is desirable, -they do not all agree that the finest art -should be promoted at their expense. In -other words, non-essentially educational -activities would not be justifiable unless -they were provided for, and at the request -of, the majority; and, well, we have seen -that the majority do <i>not</i> seek the best. -Therefore I feel that those who urge the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">[55]</span> -subsidizing of theatres and the like would -be better advised to turn their attention -to the other type of co-operative enterprise. -They might otherwise antagonize the -average man and do harm to the educational -possibilities of the State organizations.</p> - -<p>The museum is, of course, largely -educational and not entirely or even -largely artistic in its aims. It and the -art-gallery are also in a very different -position from such activities as the -subsidized theatre because they are -devoted to the unique object—the specimen -or the picture—which <i>must</i> be in the -hands of the State if it is to be available -to all. There is no alternative to the -public ownership of museums and art-galleries. -The public library, though it -does not deal with the unique, is in another -way in a different category, since it, alone -of all State provisions, can give something -to all men. Those who do not desire good -literature can obtain some other service—books -on business, science, sport, etc., -recreative reading, and so on <i>ad infinitum</i>—in -return for their contribution towards -its upkeep. The public library, by appealing -to all men, brings together a multitude -of interests and provides unlimited opportunities<span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">[56]</span> -for the awakening of new ideas. -At the library alone is the good made as -easily accessible as the indifferent, and the -very fact that they are to be found in the -same place is an educational factor of -great significance. The man who does not -want good pictures or good plays has no -need to come into contact with them, and -remains outside their influence. On the -shelves of a library books of all degrees -of excellence and worthlessness (within -limits) are side by side so that even mere -luck or too hasty selection may lead to -better tastes or fresh interests being -acquired. Therefore the library is an -institution to be encouraged.</p> - -<p>Frankly I believe the remedy to lie in -the hands of those who want good art. -None of these now can get as much of it -as they desire; most enjoy only a small -portion. If people set to work to provide -for themselves so that, instead, a large -part of their artistic desires was satisfied, -they would so do a great deal to improve -the average tastes of the community, -since the membership of a healthy organization -always increases. Of course they -must avoid the insidious desire, which has -wrecked many repertory enterprises, to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">[57]</span> -attract outsiders, and must never forget -that the function of the Societies is the -quite selfish one of supplying their own -needs. They, too, must be prepared to -cut their cloth accordingly. It is the desire -to do more than the means of the actual -membership permits that leads to attempts -to curry popular favour “to help to -balance things”. By so doing they put -themselves on the same footing as the -commercial man, must take the same -risks, and suffer the same failures—and -these are liable to be more disastrous since -Societies lack what little knowledge of -popular tastes the commercial man -possesses.</p> - -<p>With sufficient organization and the -co-operation of co-operative units there is -no reason why in time they should not -be able to undertake any feasible artistic -enterprise. The music-lovers in at least -six towns in England could to-day with -proper co-operation maintain a permanent -orchestra and the theatre-goers an intelligent -adequate playhouse, and all -towns by grouping could do the same—so -far as the orchestra is concerned, at least.</p> - -<p>These things have been tried and -failed, I will be told. To this, if it be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">[58]</span> -true, there are only two answers—the -world has progressed only by successive -trials and failures; if the first failure had -effectually damped the ardour of our -ancestors we should still be savages—and, -if these enterprises fail really from lack of -desire for them and not because of indifference, -which can in time be removed, the -artistic level of the day must be much -lower than even a semi-pessimist like the -writer dares to imagine.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">[59]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">IX</h2> -</div> - -<p>We cannot close even a brief essay -without some reference to the effect of -some other mechanical devices, such as -the gramophone, the piano-player, and -wireless, and a note on that all important -subject, commercial art.</p> - -<p>The appreciation of no art shows such -great possibilities of expansion in the near -future as music. During the last few years -it has been released from its most irksome -bonds and is now just beginning to stretch -its limbs. For technique has been the -curse of music, and now it is becoming -possible to gain enjoyment without exercising -one’s executive and interpretive -powers.</p> - -<p>Musicians are of two classes—executive -and appreciative—those who perform -and those who listen. True enjoyment of -music belongs to the latter, just as true -enjoyment of books, of pictures, of plays -is the reward of the reader and the -spectator—not of the writer, the painter,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">[60]</span> -the actor, or the composer. <i>Their</i> joy is -of another order—it is the joy of creation.</p> - -<p>Without the assistance of modern -mechanical aids the music-lover had either -to listen to the music-making of his -friends or of players at a concert, or he -had to attempt to interpret for himself. -The first was inconvenient and unsatisfactory. -The selection of music was -not his own but that of others; the time -and place were not of his choosing. The -alternative was even worse, since his -appreciation was limited by his interpretive -powers and marred by his -deficiencies. The owner of a modern -player-piano has the whole world of -piano-music and a wealth of arrangements -at his command. Even the lover of -orchestral, instrumental, or vocal music -has access, through the gramophone and -the wireless, to a passable substitute for -the real thing.</p> - -<p>What effect will this have upon pianoforte music? -In the first place, we shall -gradually rid ourselves of misplaced -pride in the amateur’s very limited -technical powers. We shall no longer -praise So and So for being able to play -Chopin’s <i>Studies</i> after a fashion, but shall<span class="pagenum" id="Page_61">[61]</span> -consider him either a fool for wasting his -time trying when he could much more -easily enjoy Cortot’s performance of them, -or sympathize with the poverty that -prevents his purchasing this mechanical -aid. Secondly, we shall not waste time -and kill natural love of music by the -dreary routine of “teaching the piano.” -Instead, we shall teach appreciation. If -all the energy spent in acquiring a very -inadequate technique were diverted to the -real business of appreciation, we should -be a more musical nation. Thirdly, we -shall cease to tolerate the incompetent -player now so often foisted upon us or -even sought for want of any better, and -the ostentatious “virtuoso” executant.</p> - -<p>Before very long the piano-player will -cost no more than an ordinary piano; in -fact the ordinary instrument will no longer -be manufactured. In our schools “piano-playing” -will be erased from the curriculum -and classes in appreciation substituted.</p> - -<p>But what about non-pianoforte music? -There is a big difference. While the piano-player -produces exactly the same kind of -musical tone as the hand-played instrument, -the gramophone, or the wireless,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">[62]</span> -does not reproduce at all exactly the -timbre, quality or volume of the instruments -recorded. It provides not the real -thing but a substitute, which, though -excellent, can never be entirely satisfactory. -We do not care to assert dogmatically -what science will or will not -make possible in the future; at least, -however, it is extremely doubtful that a -mechanical violin as adequate as the -mechanical piano will ever be invented. -Wind instruments depend less upon human -manipulation—the organ, for instance, -is nothing but an imperfect essay in this -direction. This is but idle speculation, -however. As a practical proposition we -may say that the perfect mechanical -reproduction of music will be confined to -the pianoforte.</p> - -<p>So we are left with these problems. -Shall we be tempted to seek the shadow -and lose the substance—listen in often, but -never attend an orchestral or chamber -concert or a violin or vocal recital? The -chances are that we shall, unless opportunities -to enjoy the latter are greater -than at present. Considerable loss would -result. The ears of the next generation -would become attuned to a diminished<span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">[63]</span> -variety of tonal experiences, for one thing. -For another, the psychological, even -physical effects of large gradations in the -volume of tone, such as can be experienced -only in the concert-room, should not -willingly be relinquished. And, again, -it is not by any means the same thing to -listen to music in the company of others, -in the atmosphere of the concert-room, -as it is to enjoy music in solitude. We -may sometimes prefer the latter, but that -fact does not remove the difference.</p> - -<p>The second problem is that, though -there is little physical or moral good to be -found in solo instrumental playing, such -good <i>does</i> result from singing and partaking -in concerted music. There is no -good reason why we should play the -piano—rather than listen to it; but there -are many reasons why we should sing or -play in chamber or orchestral music. By -all means let us listen to more music of all -kinds; increased facilities for listening -should not, however, decrease our desire -to perform when performance can benefit -us.</p> - -<p>Taking all these considerations together -we may assume:</p> - -<p>(1) that pianoforte <i>playing</i> will decline<span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">[64]</span> -though much more pianoforte music will -be enjoyed.</p> - -<p>(2) that much of the practical energy -now devoted to the pianoforte will be -directed to the study of other instruments.</p> - -<p>(3) that, unless our musical life is to -increase in volume but diminish in -quality, more and not less concert-going -and concerted instrumental playing and -choral singing must be provided.</p> - -<p>Books, music, pictures, sculpture, however, -minister to only a small part of the -artistic needs of the community. By far the -most widespread, though not necessarily -the most valuable, art-products are those -which we may describe as commercial, -or industrial, or, better, “applied” art. -Only a minority, even in this age, concern -themselves with the first-named, but we -all wear clothes, use furniture, live, work, -play, and worship in buildings, eat and -drink out of vessels, and so on, through -every one of our daily occupations. Into -each of these art can, does, and must -enter. We may wear clothes to keep us -warm, but they must be either ugly or -otherwise—their existence implies artistic -properties, negative or positive. If they -are ugly, we cannot avoid their ugliness,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">[65]</span> -though it may dull our appreciative -faculties. Of course this is true of all -things. Every object, every occurrence -almost, has its artistic aspect. With -every manufactured article, every human -production, however, this artistic quality -is within our control. When we make -a cup, a hat, or a church, we can make it -as beautiful or as ugly as we like, subject -to certain limitations, some of them real, -some imaginary. But we must be sufficiently -interested in its artistic value. It -will seldom exist spontaneously, without -conscious effort.</p> - -<p>That is, of course, the first and most -powerful limitation. <i>Often we don’t care.</i> -And so long as we don’t care we shall -receive only according to our deserts. For -the second limitation is that manufactured -goods are intended primarily for utility, -and the incentive for their production is -profit. So long as we are content to take -the ugly but useful, so long as our artistic -discrimination does not give added commercial -value to the beautiful, we can have -no right to expect the manufacturer to -bother. He is not an apostle of art, but a -business-man. If we show him, as a -business-man, that we desire a well-proportioned<span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">[66]</span> -jug and will refuse to buy -a clumsy one, he will, acting on business -principles, supply the saleable article. So -far the remedy is in our own hands. -Thirdly, many manufacturers have an -unjustifiably low opinion of public taste, -and honestly believe that the majority -like tawdry things when, in truth, they -accept them for want of anything better -or because they are cheaper.</p> - -<p>Fourthly, however, <i>when</i> there is sufficient -desire for the beautiful it need not -cost any more, but <i>until</i> there is, it <i>will</i>, -since, it will be produced in response to a -minority demand. This is a much more -serious limitation than it should be, for -several reasons.</p> - -<p>(1) Popular taste has, since the initiation -of the industrial era, steadily improved, -but the artistic standard of -manufacturers is at least a stage behind. -There are at least two causes for this: -(<i>a</i>) the manufacturer can judge popular -taste only by experiment, and this is, on -the average, bound to involve expense, -and (<i>b</i>) when the machinery and processes -of manufacture are well established and -smoothly running, changes must entail -extra costs and reorganization, ranging<span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">[67]</span> -from the installation of fresh plant to the -employment of new designs. For this -reason alone the more artistic article must -cost more, excepting in those industries -(such as the manufacture of dress-material) -where change and fashion are normal -conditions. In other industries where the -product is less subject to variation -(e.g. pottery—a firm could produce and -sell exactly the same cups and saucers -for an unlimited period), the extra cost -is necessarily more to be expected.</p> - -<p>(2) The manufacturer may, and alas -too often does, appreciate the commercial -value of beauty and <i>trades</i> upon it. That -is to say, he manufactures ugly wall-paper -and pleasant wall-paper, at practically -the same cost. He <i>could</i> be content to -make the normal profit from both, but he -realizes that many people don’t want to -disfigure their walls and will pay more -for a pleasing design. He makes them do -so, since this behaviour is profitable to -him. In this he cannot be censured—rather -should we praise him for not -doing it more often. Nevertheless, such -action will be a drag upon artistic progress, -and if it can be prevented at all even the -manufacturer in the long run will benefit.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">[68]</span> -Let all who can afford the more beautiful -production purchase it, but let them pay -the extra price under protest. The -manufacturer must be made to realize -that it is anti-social to make a profit out -of beauty, when by so doing he condemns -the less fortunate man to suffer the ugly. -As the business-man is at heart as much -interested as any other person in the -welfare of his fellow-men, this might have -some influence. And an independent -inquiry (conducted by, say, a group of -art-students or a University) might achieve -a little. They would try to show us—if -they could—why a fabric which is disfigured -by a vile design can be cheaper than -a plain unprinted cloth, why there is -truth in the saying we all hear frequently, -“Oh, yes, you all admire the plain, -simple costume or frock, but it’s so much -more expensive, you know,” and the like.</p> - -<p>Fifthly, industrial designers have not -received due recognition and are not well -organized in relation to the industries. -The designer is not always as well -acquainted with the special qualities -and limitations of the material to which -his designs are to be applied as he might -be; the manufacturer does not often<span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">[69]</span> -enough realize the importance of the -designer; and the young artist is apt to -despise design—naturally, because personal -public recognition is never awarded -to the designer—and the best men prefer -more pretentious if more precarious fields. -These shortcomings would, however, be -removed as a matter of course were the -other limitations to be removed.</p> - -<p>Great improvements in industrial art -cannot, however, be expected until the -general education and artistic appreciation -of the public has developed. Applied -art will always move more slowly than -fine art, since the utility-factor will ever -bring about a conflict of expediency -versus ideals.</p> - -<p>Architecture presents special difficulties, -because it is at once aggressive and -unavoidable, and because it depends upon -environment. In other words, though we -may, if we can afford, eschew the ugly -pot, tawdry furniture, and (so far at least -as our indoor life is concerned) garish -clothing, we cannot avoid buildings. They -form a large part of our environment -and influence our mental and bodily -health. Those who live in dirty, flat-fronted, -unbroken streets have to resist<span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">[70]</span> -actively their environment if they would -avoid dirty, drab, monotonous lives. Those -who daily traverse roads consisting of -disorderly jumbles of architectural misfits -lose the sense of serenity, order, and -fitness they might gain in happier surroundings. -The second of the points -mentioned before is that no building can -be judged apart from its surroundings. -An essential of every work of art is that -its parts shall form a well-balanced whole, -each detail being subordinated to the -general effect, which must convey a -sense of completeness. Now, until -recently we have (with occasional exceptions) -failed to realize that the unit -of architecture, so far as outward appearance -is concerned, is not the individual -building but the whole street, everything, -in fact, which is in view from any one -point. No one would suggest that the -wall of a picture-gallery was artistic -because the individual pictures were good, -and yet, although much more care and -artistry is devoted to hanging pictures -than is spent in arranging the contiguity -of buildings, we seem to be quite satisfied -with haphazard town-planning. Yet all -who sorrow at the wilful waste and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">[71]</span> -destruction of the beautiful must lament -when they see, as they must often do, -noble and beautiful edifices or the simple -but refined works of architects, who as a -rule devote more love and receive less -incentive than any other art workers, -ruined by their surroundings.</p> - -<p>But how, one may ask, can this be -avoided? Adjoining plots of land may -belong to different owners, contiguous -buildings are built for different purposes, -by those with much or little to spend, -designed by different architects—how can -one expect them to conform to one -artistic scheme? Perhaps that is too -much to expect. Can we even ask that -they should not be violently opposed to -one another, not mutually destructive? -Yes. But this can be secured in only one -way. Local authorities must be given, or -must take upon themselves, the duty of -controlling building operations in all -public places. They would not, and could -not, be arbitrary: they would need to -consider many difficulties, and they could -not rightly impose any restrictions which -would make the construction of suitable -premises impossible within the reasonable -means of those for whom they were<span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">[72]</span> -being built. All they could undertake -would be to co-ordinate proposed work, -to advise, and to prohibit flagrant affronts -to public good taste. Let a local committee -composed of the best architects -and the hardest-headed business-men in -the town, with a disinterested man of -taste—a parson, a farmer, a writer—as -chairman, be formed. Much good could -be done in this way.</p> - -<p>In domestic architecture we cannot -expect much attention to be given to -artistic matters in these days when it is -difficult to obtain a sufficiency of houses -of any kind. Nevertheless, there is one -suggestion with great practical possibilities. -It is that of the novelist Mr. J. J. Connington, -who proposes that instead of standardization -of design small parts capable of -being erected in a large number of ways -should be standardized. The readers -who are interested are referred to -<i>Nordenholt’s Million</i> for further particulars -of this most interesting idea.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">[73]</span> - -<h2 class="nobreak">X</h2> -</div> - -<p>The most significant tendency of art -and the greatest danger, which operates -in all fields, is, therefore, that commercialism, -mass-production, standardization, and -the heeding of large volumes of demand -will lead to an increase in the quantity -of art-production but a decrease in the -average of its quality, unless the evils of -the system are counteracted by certain -developments, the chief of which are -education, co-operation, and the birth of -a new attitude with regard to art-ideals.</p> - -<p>Our attitude towards the arts must -lead us to relate them more closely to our -other interests and, as a corollary, the -different kinds and different values of -artistic enjoyment must be synthesized. -We desire neither to set art upon a pedestal -of superiority nor to despise it as a -recreative frivolity. We need to realize -on the one hand that all human activities -possess of a necessity positive or negative -artistic significance which we cannot avoid; -even though we consciously ignore art,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">[74]</span> -we are subconsciously and indirectly -influenced. Further, we cannot disregard -the close economic relationship between -the artistic and the merely utilitarian.</p> - -<p>We have seen something, but only one -aspect, of this when discussing applied -art; the relation is wider than this, since, -for example, the amount of time, energy, -money, and material available for artistic -purposes is closely connected with material -economic conditions. And, still further, -there is the psychological or spiritual -element, art satisfying human needs which -are unsatisfied by other activities, supplementing, -filling the gaps in our personal -development. We cannot put art into -a watertight compartment. The extent -to which art appeals to an individual, and -the particular way in which and the -special medium through which artistic -impulses find expression, will depend -very largely upon biological and social -factors, upon the materially ordered -associations of the individual, his work, -his health, everything that impinges upon -his life. Further research will expose the -fundamental reasons for this, but even -now we realize that a love of dancing, of -the theatre, of poetry, of sculpture is not<span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">[75]</span> -a mere gift or genius or taste or predilection -but also something which is -fostered and directed by material environment. -Confronted with this realization, -we must regard art as an inseparable -organic element in life, not as a superimposed -culture which may or may not -exist in any individual or take any form.</p> - -<p>And the corollary of this, as said before, -is that, since artistic potentialities exist -in all men according to their being and -environment, the realm of art will present -as large a variety of values, types, and -manifestations as does our life itself. Yet -all these manifestations are part of one. -Good, bad, or indifferent, they represent -the best, most suitable art that different -men at any time are capable of appreciating -or desirous of cultivating. This is the -excuse for our plea for broadmindedness.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="center"><i>Each, pott 8vo, 2/6 net</i> <span class="gap"> <i>Occasionally illustrated</i></span></p> - -<p class="ph2">TO-DAY AND<br> -TO-MORROW</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="drop-cap">THIS series of books, by some of the -most distinguished English thinkers, -scientists, philosophers, doctors, critics, -and artists, was recognized on publication -as a noteworthy event. Written from -various points of view, one book frequently -opposing the argument of another, they -provide the reader with a stimulating -survey of the most modern thought in -many departments of life. Several -volumes are devoted to the future trend -of Civilization, conceived as a whole; -while others deal with particular provinces, -and cover the future of Woman, -War, Population, Clothes, Wireless, -Morals, Drama, Poetry, Art, Sex, Law, etc.</p> - -<p>It is interesting to see in these neat -little volumes, issued at a low price, the -revival of a form of literature, the -Pamphlet, which has been in disuse for -200 years.</p> - -<p class="center"><i>Published by</i><br> -KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUBNER & CO., LTD.<br> -Broadway House: 68-74 Carter Lane, London, E.C.4</p> -</div> - -<hr class="tb"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="ph1"><i>VOLUMES READY</i></p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Daedalus</b>, or Science and the Future. -By <span class="smcap">J. B. S. Haldane</span>, Reader in -Biochemistry, University of Cambridge. -<i>Sixth impression.</i></p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>“A fascinating and daring little book.”—<i>Westminster -Gazette.</i> “The essay is brilliant, -sparkling with wit and bristling with -challenges.”—<i>British Medical Journal.</i></p> - -<p>“Predicts the most startling changes.”—<i>Morning -Post.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Callinicus</b>, a Defence of Chemical Warfare. -By <span class="smcap">J. B. S. Haldane</span>. <i>Second impression.</i></p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>“Mr. Haldane’s brilliant study.”—<i>Times -Leading Article.</i> “A book to be read by every -intelligent adult.”—<i>Spectator.</i> “This brilliant -little monograph.”—<i>Daily News.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Icarus</b>, or the Future of Science. By -<span class="smcap">Bertrand Russell, f.r.s.</span> <i>Third -impression.</i></p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>“Utter pessimism.”—<i>Observer.</i> “Mr. -Russell refuses to believe that the progress of -Science must be a boon to mankind.”—<i>Morning -Post.</i> “A stimulating book, that -leaves one not at all discouraged.”—<i>Daily -Herald.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>What I Believe.</b> By <span class="smcap">Bertrand Russell, -f.r.s.</span> <i>Second impression.</i></p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>“One of the most brilliant and thought-stimulating -little books I have read—a better -book even than <i>Icarus</i>.”—<i>Nation.</i> “Simply -and brilliantly written.”—<i>Nature.</i> “In -stabbing sentences he punctures the bubble of -cruelty, envy, narrowness, and ill-will which -those in authority call their morals.”—<i>New -Leader.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Tantalus</b>, or the Future of Man. By -<span class="smcap">F. C. S. Schiller</span>, Fellow of Corpus -Christi College, Oxford.</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>“They are all (<i>Daedalus</i>, <i>Icarus</i>, and -<i>Tantalus</i>) brilliantly clever, and they supplement -or correct one another.”—<i>Dean Inge</i>, in -<i>Morning Post</i>. “Immensely valuable and -infinitely readable.”—<i>Daily News.</i> “The -book of the week.”—<i>Spectator.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Quo Vadimus?</b> Glimpses of the Future. -By <span class="smcap">E. E. Fournier d’Albe, D.Sc.</span>, author -of “Selenium, the Moon Element,” etc.</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>“A wonderful vision of the future. A book -that will be talked about.”—<i>Daily Graphic.</i> -“A remarkable contribution to a remarkable -series.”—<i>Manchester Dispatch.</i> “Interesting -and singularly plausible.”—<i>Daily Telegraph.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Lysistrata</b>, or Woman’s Future and -Future Woman. By <span class="smcap">Anthony M. -Ludovici</span>, author of “A Defence of -Aristocracy”, etc.</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>“A stimulating book. Volumes would be -needed to deal, in the fullness his work provokes, -with all the problems raised.”—<i>Sunday -Times.</i> “Pro-feminine, but anti-feministic.”—<i>Scotsman.</i> -“Full of brilliant common-sense.”—<i>Observer.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Hypatia</b>, or Woman and Knowledge. By -<span class="smcap">Mrs. Bertrand Russell</span>. With a -frontispiece. <i>Second impression.</i></p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>An answer to <i>Lysistrata</i>. “A passionate -vindication of the rights of women.”—<i>Manchester -Guardian.</i> “Says a number of -things that sensible women have been wanting -publicly said for a long time.”—<i>Daily Herald.</i> -“Everyone who cares at all about these things -should read it.”—<i>Weekly Westminster.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>The Mongol in our Midst</b>: a Study of -Man and his Three Faces. By <span class="smcap">F. G. -Crookshank, m.d., f.r.c.p.</span> With 28 -Plates. <i>Second edition, revised.</i></p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>“A brilliant piece of speculative induction.”—<i>Saturday -Review.</i> “An extremely interesting -and suggestive book, which will reward -careful reading.”—<i>Sunday Times.</i> “The -pictures carry fearful conviction.”—<i>Daily -Herald.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>The Conquest of Cancer.</b> By <span class="smcap">H. W. S. -Wright, m.s., f.r.c.s.</span> Introduction -by <span class="smcap">F. G. Crookshank, m.d.</span></p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>“Eminently suitable for general reading. -The problem is fairly and lucidly presented. -One merit of Mr. Wright’s plan is that he tells -people what, in his judgment, they can best -do, <i>here and now</i>.”—From the <i>Introduction</i>.</p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>The Passing of the Phantoms</b>: a Study -of Evolutionary Psychology and Morals. -By <span class="smcap">C. J. Patten</span>, Professor of Anatomy, -Sheffield University. With 4 Plates.</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>“Readers of <i>Daedalus</i>, <i>Icarus</i> and <i>Tantalus</i>, -will be grateful for an excellent presentation -of yet another point of view.”—<i>Yorkshire -Post.</i> “This bright and bracing little book.”—<i>Literary -Guide.</i> “Interesting and original.”—<i>Medical -Times.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Perseus</b>: of Dragons. By <span class="smcap">H. F. Scott -Stokes</span>. With 2 illustrations.</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>“A diverting little book, chock-full of ideas. -Mr. Stokes’ dragon-lore is both quaint and -various.”—<i>Morning Post.</i> “Very amusingly -written, and a mine of curious knowledge for -which the discerning reader will find many -uses.”—<i>Glasgow Herald.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Wireless Possibilities.</b> By Professor -<span class="smcap">A. M. Low</span>. With 4 diagrams.</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>“As might be expected from an inventor -who is always so fresh, he has many interesting -things to say.”—<i>Evening Standard.</i> -“The mantle of Blake has fallen upon the -physicists. To them we look for visions, and -we find them in this book.”—<i>New Statesman.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Narcissus</b>: an Anatomy of Clothes. By -<span class="smcap">Gerald Heard</span>. With 19 illustrations.</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>“A most suggestive book.”—<i>Nation.</i> -“Irresistible. Reading it is like a switchback -journey. Starting from prehistoric times we -rocket down the ages.”—<i>Daily News.</i> -“Interesting, provocative, and entertaining.”—<i>Queen.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Thamyris</b>, or Is there a Future for -Poetry. By <span class="smcap">R. C. Trevelyan</span>.</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>“Of high authority.”—<i>Saturday Review.</i> -“Very suggestive.”—<i>J. C. Squire</i>, in <i>Observer</i>. -“A very charming piece of work. I agree -with all, or at any rate, almost all its -conclusions.”—<i>J. St. Loe Strachey</i>, in <i>Spectator</i>.</p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Proteus</b>, or the Future of Intelligence. -By <span class="smcap">Vernon Lee</span>, author of “Satan the -Waster,” etc.</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>“We should like to follow the author’s -suggestions as to the effect of intelligence on -the future of Ethics, Aesthetics, and Manners. -Her book is profoundly stimulating and should -be read by everyone.”—<i>Outlook.</i> “A concise, -suggestive piece of work.”—<i>Saturday Review.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Paris</b>, or the Future of War. By Captain -<span class="smcap">B. H. Liddell Hart</span>.</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>“A gem of close thinking and deduction.”—<i>Observer.</i> -“A noteworthy contribution to -a problem of concern to every citizen in this -country.”—<i>Daily Chronicle.</i> “There is some -lively thinking about the future of war in -<i>Paris</i>, just added to the set of live-wire -pamphlets on big subjects, called collectively -‘To-Day and To-Morrow.’”—<i>Manchester -Guardian.</i></p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Hephaestus</b>, the Soul of the Machine. -By <span class="smcap">E. E. Fournier d’Albe, D.Sc.</span></p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>Hephaestus is the god of fire, the incarnation -of the machine age of to-day. He is now -master of the world. How this came about, -what will be the results of this increasing -domination of our planet, is the theme of the -book.</p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Thrasymachus</b>, the Future of Morals. -By <span class="smcap">C. E. M. Joad</span>, author of “Common-Sense -Ethics,” etc.</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>A penetrating study of the herd, or conventional, -morality of the day, prophesying -a Puritan revival in morals, with intolerance -and heresy-hunting. This will lead to the -Americanization of England and a great -increase in irregular sexual relationships. In -the end a new religious revival is foreseen.</p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Lycurgus</b>, or the Future of Law. By -<span class="smcap">E. S. P. Haynes</span>, author of “Concerning -Solicitors,” etc.</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>An analysis of the present condition of Law -in England, dealing with legislation, the law-courts, -criminal law, family law, land-laws, -costs, international law, individual liberty, -and such subjects.</p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Prometheus</b>, or Biology and the Advancement -of Man. By <span class="smcap">H. S. Jennings</span>, -Professor of Zoology, Johns Hopkins -University.</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>A lucid summary of the recent striking -advances in biological knowledge, genetics, -and the theory of evolution, with numerous -concrete illustrations. The conclusions are -applied to the problem of improvement in the -human race.</p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Timotheus</b>, the Future of the Theatre. -By <span class="smcap">Bonamy Dobrée</span>, author of “Restoration -Drama,” etc.</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>Traces the possible developments of the -theatre, not only along mechanical lines, but -upon those which playwrights, actors, and -psychologists might achieve, were their -idiosyncracies given scope. The whole forms -a comment on the theatre of to-day.</p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Pygmalion</b>, or the Doctor of the Future. -By <span class="smcap">R. Mcnair Wilson</span>, M.D.</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>The author foresees an evolution in the -personality of the doctor, who will become less -of a scientist, more of a humanist, and use -every spiritual agency, as well as every -practical measure, to restore the human body -and soul to health.</p> -</div></div> - -<p class="ph1"><i>READY SHORTLY</i></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Cassandra</b>, or the Future of the British -Empire. By <span class="smcap">F. C. S. Schiller, D.Sc.</span></p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>A penetrating analysis of the disruptive -influences of work in the Empire.</p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Gallio</b>, or the Tyranny of Science. By -<span class="smcap">J. W. N. Sullivan</span>, author of “A -History of Mathematics.”</p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Euterpe</b>, or the Future of Art. By -<span class="smcap">Lionel R. McColvin</span>, author of “The -Theory of Book-Selection.”</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>Shows how economic factors influence -artistic production and affect artistic methods.</p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Artifex</b>, or the Future of Craftsmanship. -By <span class="smcap">John Gloag</span>, author of “Time, -Taste, and Furniture.”</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>Indicates how the machine may be used to -extend the glory of craftsmanship.</p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Pegasus</b>, or Problems of Transport. -By Colonel <span class="smcap">J. F. C. Fuller</span>, author of -“The Reformation of War,” etc.</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>An account of “cross-country” vehicles, -which will achieve a revolution as great as -that caused by the railway.</p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Atlantis</b>, or the United States and the -Future. By Colonel <span class="smcap">J. F. C. Fuller</span>.</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>A witty and penetrating analysis of the -American spirit.</p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Midas</b>, or the Future of the United States. -By <span class="smcap">C. H. Bretherton</span>, author of -“The Real Ireland,” etc.</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>A companion volume to <i>Atlantis</i>, written -from a different viewpoint.</p> -</div></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<div class="hangingindent"> -<p><b>Nuncius</b>, the Future of Advertising. By -<span class="smcap">Gilbert Russell</span>.</p> - -<p><b>The Future of the English Language.</b> -By <span class="smcap">Basil de Selincourt</span>.</p> -</div></div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="transnote"> -<p class="ph1">TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:</p> - -<p>Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.</p> - -<p>Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized.</p> - -<p>Archaic or variant spelling has been retained.</p> - -<p>The cover image for this eBook was created by the transcriber and is entered into the public domain.</p> -</div></div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EUTERPE ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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