The Press.
London, England, 1858-12-04 00:00:00

No. 292.—V01. VI. LONDON, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1858.

safely over all the obstacles at which a more
terrestrial Pegasus would halt and stumble. If
he is not always thoroughly practical—which we
admit he often is—he is at all events never
vulgar or commonplace. And there is a way he
has of grasping a subject, and presenting it in a
fresh and vivid fashion, which generally brings
out its leading features under the light of a new
analysis ; and this, even though its divisions may
be reduced to formulae with which we are already
familiar, is never again regarded b; the mind
under quite the same aspect, but, by the myste-
rious privilege which Genius enjoys of " rescuing
" admitted truths from the neglect caused by their
" universal admission," is ever after associated
with the new language and new imagery under
which it has been represented and, we might
almost say, re-created by its author.

Thus, in the pages before us, instead of going
into details, and recommending how to study
nature, what examples to look for, what ancient
masters to imitate or observe—directions which

no one, assuredly, is more capable of giving, and
which, in an inaugural address to learners in Art
would hardly have been deemed out of place—
he goes at once to the root of the matter in its
broadest and most catholic, that is to say, its
moral and national aspect :

I suppose the persons interested in establishing a School
of Art for workmen may in the main be divided into two
classes, namely, first, those who chiefly desire to make the
men themselves happier, wiser, and better; and secondly,
those who desire to enable them to produce better and
more valuable work. These two objects may, of course, be
kept both in view at the same time; nevertheless, there
is a wide difference in the spirit with which we shall
approach our task, according to the motive of these two
which weighs most with us—a difference great enough to
divide, as I have said, the promoters of any such scheme
into two distinct classes ; one philanthropic in the gist of
its aim, and the other commercial in the gist of its aim ;
one desiring the workmen to be better informed chiefly for
his own sake, and the other chiefly that he may be enabled
to produce for us commodities precious in themselves, and
which shall successfully compete with those of other
countries.

This difference in motives leads to a difference
in the principles of art-education ; the wider in-
struction being applicable not to artizans in par-
ticular, but to labourers of all kinds ; the
narrower being specifically adapted to the im-
provement of the worker in one branch alone.
It is of little avail to teach drawing, &c., in
general to the latter, and suppose that he can
then apply it to his own trade. It is of no use
"to teach an iron-worker to observe the down
"on a each, and of none to teach laws of atmo-
" spheric effect to a carver in wood." Nor can
that which both respectively want be taught in
a single school ; experience alone can give them
the requisite power of manipulation. The only
general thing that can be taught in such a school
is the power of " sight." Here, again, we find a
valuable distinction, yet one which seems obvious
enough when stated :—The power "of seeing
objects clearly and truly" is by no means the
same thing as " the power of representing them,"
though they are often unconsciously confounded.
You may learn the knack of representing objects
without ever faithfully studying the objects them-
selves; but, let the objects be put before you to
copy as you can, and though your attempt may
be an entire failure, you will know a great deal
more about the object itself than you did before.
After such a struggle with Nature to learn her
secrets, we feel towards her as the hero in Virgil
did towards his adversary :