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nothing can be conceived at once so simple and so joyous。
The fault which I have observed in most of your rooms is that there
is apparent no definite scheme of colour。 Everything is not
attuned to a key…note as it should be。 The apartments are crowded
with pretty things which have no relation to one another。 Again；
your artists must decorate what is more simply useful。 In your art
schools I found no attempt to decorate such things as the vessels
for water。 I know of nothing uglier than the ordinary jug or
pitcher。 A museum could be filled with the different kinds of
water vessels which are used in hot countries。 Yet we continue to
submit to the depressing jug with the handle all on one side。 I do
not see the wisdom of decorating dinner…plates with sunsets and
soup…plates with moonlight scenes。 I do not think it adds anything
to the pleasure of the canvas…back duck to take it out of such
glories。 Besides； we do not want a soup…plate whose bottom seems
to vanish in the distance。 One feels neither safe nor comfortable
under such conditions。 In fact； I did not find in the art schools
of the country that the difference was explained between decorative
and imaginative art。
The conditions of art should be simple。 A great deal more depends
upon the heart than upon the head。 Appreciation of art is not
secured by any elaborate scheme of learning。 Art requires a good
healthy atmosphere。 The motives for art are still around about us
as they were round about the ancients。 And the subjects are also
easily found by the earnest sculptor and the painter。 Nothing is
more picturesque and graceful than a man at work。 The artist who
goes to the children's playground； watches them at their sport and
sees the boy stoop to tie his shoe； will find the same themes that
engaged the attention of the ancient Greeks； and such observation
and the illustrations which follow will do much to correct that
foolish impression that mental and physical beauty are always
divorced。
To you； more than perhaps to any other country； has Nature been
generous in furnishing material for art workers to work in。 You
have marble quarries where the stone is more beautiful in colour
than any the Greeks ever had for their beautiful work； and yet day
after day I am confronted with the great building of some stupid
man who has used the beautiful material as if it were not precious
almost beyond speech。 Marble should not be used save by noble
workmen。 There is nothing which gave me a greater sense of
barrenness in travelling through the country than the entire
absence of wood carving on your houses。 Wood carving is the
simplest of the decorative arts。 In Switzerland the little
barefooted boy beautifies the porch of his father's house with
examples of skill in this direction。 Why should not American boys
do a great deal more and better than Swiss boys？
There is nothing to my mind more coarse in conception and more
vulgar in execution than modern jewellery。 This is something that
can easily be corrected。 Something better should be made out of
the beautiful gold which is stored up in your mountain hollows and
strewn along your river beds。 When I was at Leadville and
reflected that all the shining silver that I saw coming from the
mines would be made into ugly dollars； it made me sad。 It should
be made into something more permanent。 The golden gates at
Florence are as beautiful to…day as when Michael Angelo saw them。
We should see more of the workman than we do。 We should not be
content to have the salesman stand between us … the salesman who
knows nothing of what he is selling save that he is charging a
great deal too much for it。 And watching the workman will teach
that most important lesson … the nobility of all rational
workmanship。
I said in my last lecture that art would create a new brotherhood
among men by furnishing a universal language。 I said that under
its beneficent influences war might pass away。 Thinking this； what
place can I ascribe to art in our education？ If children grow up
among all fair and lovely things； they will grow to love beauty and
detest ugliness before they know the reason why。 If you go into a
house where everything is coarse； you find things chipped and
broken and unsightly。 Nobody exercises any care。 If everything is
dainty and delicate； gentleness and refinement of manner are
unconsciously acquired。 When I was in San Francisco I used to
visit the Chinese Quarter frequently。 There I used to watch a
great hulking Chinese workman at his task of digging； and used to
see him every day drink his tea from a little cup as delicate in
texture as the petal of a flower； whereas in all the grand hotels
of the land； where thousands of dollars have been lavished on great
gilt mirrors and gaudy columns； I have been given my coffee or my
chocolate in cups an inch and a quarter thick。 I think I have
deserved something nicer。
The art systems of the past have been devised by philosophers who
looked upon human beings as obstructions。 They have tried to
educate boys' minds before they had any。 How much better it would
be in these early years to teach children to use their hands in the
rational service of mankind。 I would have a workshop attached to
every school； and one hour a day given up to the teaching of simple
decorative arts。 It would be a golden hour to the children。 And
you would soon raise up a race of handicraftsmen who would
transform the face of your country。 I have seen only one such
school in the United States； and this was in Philadelphia and was
founded by my friend Mr。 Leyland。 I stopped there yesterday and
have brought some of the work here this afternoon to show you。
Here are two disks of beaten brass： the designs on them are
beautiful； the workmanship is simple； and the entire result is
satisfactory。 The work was done by a little boy twelve years old。
This is a wooden bowl decorated by a little girl of thirteen。 The
design is lovely and the colouring delicate and pretty。 Here you
see a piece of beautiful wood carving accomplished by a little boy
of nine。 In such work as this； children learn sincerity in art。
They learn to abhor the liar in art … the man who paints wood to
look like iron； or iron to look like stone。 It is a practical
school of morals。 No better way is there to learn to love Nature
than to understand Art。 It dignifies every flower of the field。
And； the boy who sees the thing of beauty which a bird on the wing
becomes when transferred to wood or canvas will probably not throw
the customary stone。 What we want is something spiritual added to
life。 Nothing is so ignoble that Art cannot sanctify it。
ART AND THE HANDICRAFTSMAN
PEOPLE often talk as if there was an opposition between what is
beautiful and what is useful。 There is no opposition to beauty
except ugliness： all things are either beautiful or ugly； and
utility will be always on the side of the beautiful thing； because
beautiful decoration is always on the side of the beautiful thing；
because beautiful decoration is always an expression of the use you
put a thing to and the value placed on it。 No workman will
beautifully decorate bad work； nor can you possibly get good
handicraftsmen or workmen without having beautiful designs。 You
should be quite sure of that。 If you have poor and worthless
designs in any craft or trade you will get poor and worthless
workmen only； but the minute you have noble and beautiful designs；
then you get men of power and intellect and feeling to work for
you。 By having good designs you have workmen who work not merely
with their hands but with their hearts and heads too； otherwise you
will get merely the fool or the loafer to work for you。
That the beauty of life is a thing of no moment； I suppose few
people would venture to assert。 And yet most civilised people act