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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
as if it were of none； and in so doing are wronging both themselves
and those that are to come after them。 For that beauty which is
meant by art is no mere accident of human life which people can
take or leave； but a positive necessity of life if we are to live
as nature meant us to； that is to say unless we are content to be
less than men。
Do not think that the commercial spirit which is the basis of your
life and cities here is opposed to art。 Who built the beautiful
cities of the world but commercial men and commercial men only？
Genoa built by its traders； Florence by its bankers； and Venice；
most lovely of all； by its noble and honest merchants。
I do not wish you； remember； 'to build a new Pisa；' nor to bring
'the life or the decorations of the thirteenth century back again。'
'The circumstances with which you must surround your workmen are
those' of modern American life； 'because the designs you have now
to ask for from your workmen are such as will make modern' American
'life beautiful。' The art we want is the art based on all the
inventions of modern civilisation； and to suit all the needs of
nineteenth…century life。
Do you think； for instance； that we object to machinery？ I tell
you we reverence it； we reverence it when it does its proper work；
when it relieves man from ignoble and soulless labour； not when it
seeks to do that which is valuable only when wrought by the hands
and hearts of men。 Let us have no machine…made ornament at all； it
is all bad and worthless and ugly。 And let us not mistake the
means of civilisation for the end of civilisation； steam…engine；
telephone and the like； are all wonderful； but remember that their
value depends entirely on the noble uses we make of them； on the
noble spirit in which we employ them； not on the things themselves。
It is； no doubt； a great advantage to talk to a man at the
Antipodes through a telephone； its advantage depends entirely on
the value of what the two men have to say to one another。 If one
merely shrieks slander through a tube and the other whispers folly
into a wire； do not think that anybody is very much benefited by
the invention。
The train that whirls an ordinary Englishman through Italy at the
rate of forty miles an hour and finally sends him home without any
memory of that lovely country but that he was cheated by a courier
at Rome； or that he got a bad dinner at Verona； does not do him or
civilisation much good。 But that swift legion of fiery…footed
engines that bore to the burning ruins of Chicago the loving help
and generous treasure of the world was as noble and as beautiful as
any golden troop of angels that ever fed the hungry and clothed the
naked in the antique times。 As beautiful； yes； all machinery may
be beautiful when it is undecorated even。 Do not seek to decorate
it。 We cannot but think all good machinery is graceful； also； the
line of strength and the line of beauty being one。
Give then； as I said； to your workmen of to…day the bright and
noble surroundings that you can yourself create。 Stately and
simple architecture for your cities； bright and simple dress for
your men and women； those are the conditions of a real artistic
movement。 For the artist is not concerned primarily with any
theory of life but with life itself； with the joy and loveliness
that should come daily on eye and ear for a beautiful external
world。
But the simplicity must not be barrenness nor the bright colour
gaudy。 For all beautiful colours are graduated colours； the
colours that seem about to pass into one another's realm … colour
without tone being like music without harmony； mere discord。
Barren architecture； the vulgar and glaring advertisements that
desecrate not merely your cities but every rock and river that I
have seen yet in America … all this is not enough。 A school of
design we must have too in each city。 It should be a stately and
noble building； full of the best examples of the best art of the
world。 Furthermore； do not put your designers in a barren
whitewashed room and bid them work in that depressing and
colourless atmosphere as I have seen many of the American schools
of design； but give them beautiful surroundings。 Because you want
to produce a permanent canon and standard of taste in your workman；
he must have always by him and before him specimens of the best
decorative art of the world； so that you can say to him： 'This is
good work。 Greek or Italian or Japanese wrought it so many years
ago； but it is eternally young because eternally beautiful。' Work
in this spirit and you will be sure to be right。 Do not copy it；
but work with the same love； the same reverence； the same freedom
of imagination。 You must teach him colour and design； how all
beautiful colours are graduated colours and glaring colours the
essence of vulgarity。 Show him the quality of any beautiful work
of nature like the rose； or any beautiful work of art like an
Eastern carpet … being merely the exquisite gradation of colour；
one tone answering another like the answering chords of a symphony。
Teach him how the true designer is not he who makes the design and
then colours it； but he who designs in colour； creates in colour；
thinks in colour too。 Show him how the most gorgeous stained…glass
windows of Europe are filled with white glass； and the most
gorgeous Eastern tapestry with toned colours … the primary colours
in both places being set in the white glass； and the tone colours
like brilliant jewels set in dusky gold。 And then as regards
design； show him how the real designer will take first any given
limited space； little disk of silver； it may be； like a Greek coin；
or wide expanse of fretted ceiling or lordly wall as Tintoret chose
at Venice （it does not matter which）； and to this limited space …
the first condition of decoration being the limitation of the size
of the material used … he will give the effect of its being filled
with beautiful decoration； filled with it as a golden cup will be
filled with wine； so complete that you should not be able to take
away anything from it or add anything to it。 For from a good piece
of design you can take away nothing； nor can you add anything to
it； each little bit of design being as absolutely necessary and as
vitally important to the whole effect as a note or chord of music
is for a sonata of Beethoven。
But I said the effect of its being so filled； because this； again；
is of the essence of good design。 With a simple spray of leaves
and a bird in flight a Japanese artist will give you the impression
that he has completely covered with lovely design the reed fan or
lacquer cabinet at which he is working； merely because he knows the
exact spot in which to place them。 All good design depends on the
texture of the utensil used and the use you wish to put it to。 One
of the first things I saw in an American school of design was a
young lady painting a romantic moonlight landscape on a large round
dish； and another young lady covering a set of dinner plates with a
series of sunsets of the most remarkable colours。 Let your ladies
paint moonlight landscapes and sunsets； but do not let them paint
them on dinner plates or dishes。 Let them take canvas or paper for
such work； but not clay or china。 They are merely painting the
wrong subjects on the wrong material； that is all。 They have not
been taught that every material and texture has certain qualities
of its own。 The design suitable for one is quite wrong for the
other； just as the design which you should work on a flat table…
cover ought to be quite different from the design you would work on
a curtain； for the one will always be straight； the other broken
into folds； and the use too one puts the object to should guide one
in the choice of