The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-22 00:00:00

SCROOLS OF ART.

A crowded meeting was held on Friday night
in the Hertford Town-hall, under the presidency
of the Mayor, Mr. J. Gripper, to consider the pro-
priety of establishing a school of art for Hertford
and its neighbourhood, in connexion with the
Committee of Council of Education.
After a few introductory remarks from the
MAYOR, who stated that rooms rent free had been
offered by Mr. Gilbertson for the purposes of a
school,
Mr. SPARKS, the manager of one of the largest
of the metropolitan schools, addressed the meeting
at considerable length, explaining the objects and
benefits of such institutions, and adducing
numerous instances in which pupils have raised
themselves into important positions which the;
could not have occupied without artistic know-
ledge.
The Right Hon. W. COWPER, in moving the
establishment of a school of art at Hertford, said—
Most of the large towns in this country have schools
of art. The Government, by the establishment of
an education departMent, may be considered the
founder of this branch f instruction, which it has
very much fostered, with e view of giving a sound
education in art to the com:nunity at large, and
especially with a view to the iLlprovement of our
manufactures in the great seats of Manufacture and
industry. For a considerable number of years
schools of art have been established, and the num-
ber in England at the present time :is 81. They
thrive very well in the large towns, where there is
a considerable population to draw from, aCd a
great number of persons interested in WL'at
is taught. But we cannot disguise the fa c t
that there is much greater difficulty in establishing
a school of art in a town of the size of Hertford;
and, if we succeed in establishing a flourishing
school, it must arise from the conviction of all
classes that it is desirable to have such a school,
and from their determination, according to their
several dpportunites, to encourage the foundation
and continuance of such an institution. (Hear.)
There are three classes of persons who are interested
in receiving instruction from a drawing-master—
first, the artisan who will attend in the evening,
and who for the small payment of 2s. per month,
may obtain a very useful training in drawing ;
secondly, there are the children belonging to the
National and British schools who learn a mere ele-
mentary sort of drawing; and then there are private
pupils, persons of both sexes, who may attend
morning classes, and who will not form a por-
tion of the school. But in addition to the pupils
at private schools in the neighbourhood, there may
be classes of grown-up persons who may come to
study in such schools. lam in hopes that many
of the ladies will attend, and combine with their
studies of colour and form a taste for drawing,
for we know that ladies naturally have a dispo-
sition towards such elegant pursuits as that of
drawinss (Hear, hear.) The advantages and
aids given by the Government are in the form
of payment to schoolmasters and pupil
teachers, and in the purchase of models and
other objects to lie copied ; and also in contributing
towards that annual competition for prizes which
stimulates to proficiency in the hope of success and
reward. (Hear, hear.) Perhaps the greatest thing
that has been done by the Government has been
the establishment of a central place of training
where the masters may acquire that knowledge
which they are afterwards to diffuse. Many
persons believe that drawing is merely an
accomplishment, and that a drawing school
is not exactly the thing which ought to
occupy the public mind, and which can tend to the
public advantage. If we turn to the advertise-
ments enumerating the various accomplishments
taught in ladies' and gentlemen's schools, we find
that drawing is generally put down as an extra,
and not as a staple of education. But I believe
drawing to be an important branch of public
and popular education, and I would venture to
suggest a few considerations in support of that
opinion. We have heard of many instances in
which artisans, from their knowledge of draw-
ing, have very greatly improved their positions,
and it is quite clear that persons who are
employed in building in any of its phases—whe-
ther as architects, surveyors, bricklayers, or car-
penters—must be greatly benefited by having the
power of drawing clearly and systematically the
objects with which they are conversant, and the
knowledge which is necessary to understand the
drawings of others. I would say that the drawing
taught in these schools does not consist mesely in
copying what some:master has done and becoming
an imitator, but in proceeding step by step from
the simplest elements up to the mastery of that style
which he desires to attain. G: eat attention is paid
to drawings of machinery, and every mechanic will
admit that it is of the greatest advantage to him to
get a certain amount of mastery over-C,:c
and to be able clearly to understand the drawings
that are placed before him. The benefit of such ;.ns
struction is not confined to ertisans. Every person
in every class of life will be benefited by having the
power of delineating with a pencil what he wants
to express, for a few strokes of the pencil will some-
times explain a design more, clearly than whole
pages of description. Those who have power over
the pencil often fly to the use of it. I remember
hearing of an Englishman visiting one of the most
famous eating-houses in Paris, who being unable to
make the waiter understand that he wanted some
mushrooms; drew the best representation he could
of that article upon a piece of paper. The waiter,
after examining the sketch, with which he was
somewhat puzzled, said he would fetch what the
gentleman wanted. He left the room, and on his
return, instead of producing a mushroom, he handed
to the gentleman an umbrella. (Laughter.) That
was the result of the inability of the gentleman to
pencil his wishes clearly. (Hear, hear.) We con-
stantly find the great advantage of being able to
place before the eyes of the people we are dealing
with what we cannot do by means of words. Draw-
ing may be viewed generally as one of the means
of developing the powers of observation and percep-
tion. There is nothing which so developes the
habit of observation correctly as the habit of draw-
ing. Any person may test that by drawing the
most familiar objects before his eyes. If you sit
down and place on paper a representation of any
house you are in the habit of visiting, or any wood
you are accustomed to go through, you will find
you have omitted many details which have been
observed so carelessly that you have not carried
them in your mind. How little we observe of a
great deal that is passing before us ! I dare say
that if any of you were asked the colour of the eyes
of your friends, you would not be able to remember
a very large number, and to say whether their pupils
were blue, or brown, or gray ' • and the colour of their
hair you would find it equally difficult to describe.
The incorrectness of the recollection of many persons
is perfectly astonishing, but the habit of drawing
compels people to observe closely and accurately.
(Hear.) It is this which renders drawing,,useful as
a part of the general education of the whole com-
munity. I speak not merely of its special advan-
tages. There may be among you great artistic
minds. It is possible that Hertford might produce
a Gainsborough or a Reynolds, but that I do not look
for, because geniuses come accidentally and can-
not be accounted for; but I feel quite certain that
the acquisition of the power of drawing would be
of advantage to everybody who is able to obtain it.
Consider how drawing enables those who practice
it to observe nature more closely—how much greater
interest it gives to the scenes around us. The per-
son who has a little knowledge of landscape, a little
fondness for pictures, will see in the outer aspect of
nature things which never struck him before he

acquired that power. The commonest and the hum-
blest scenes acquire a sort of picturesquelleas.
Copied into a picture they produce an agreeable re-
sult. But until we have cultivated the drawing
faculty we are hardly aware of that which is
around us or is capable of giving us pleasure. It
is therefore wise for us to cultivate whatever

artistic faculty we may possess. (Hear, hear.) I
do not imagine that the schools of art, or any
schools, will develope many great artists. Artists
are rare, but almost all mankind have, with cul-
tivation, the power of perceiving and appreciating
the results of artistic genius in others. We
may by cultivating our habit of observation ac-
quire an interest in form and in beauty of colour
which we do not at present possess. Persons who
are not accustomed to look at pictures :go through
the National Gallery for the first time without
pleasure or satisfaction. There are some who do
not see that the bit of flat canvas hanging on the
wall is anything hut a kaleidescope or mosaic, and
that it represents distances and variety of surfaces,
and living men, and real scenes; but, after a little
habit of observing them and a little explo.nation,
the man who saw nothing interesting in the pic-
ture at first suddenly feels a great interest in the
work of art, and that it is well worthy of his atten-
tion. (Hear.) So that not merely on the ground
of the personal usefulness of drawing—not only on
the ground of its being desirable as a means of ge-
neral education, but also on the ground of increased
interest and amusement, I would recommend every
one who has the opportunity to join in this
pupils, or inducing those
under-
taking, by either becoming.
over whom they have influence to do so. (Hear,
hear.) It is astonishing how in endeavouring to
amuie ourselves, we overlook those most simple
and pure pleasures
Which Providence has pro-
vided. 'We are constantly looking for excitement,
for artificial amusement, and we do not regard
the simple delight and pleasure that
is given 1)7
natural objects to those who have eyes to ob-
serve them and minds to receive them. How
very few there are wno take very much pleasure in
arti4iCal buildings S 131 it we here iu this t(IlYjI

proof of good taf ;te in the shop which Mr. Ba'
mond has. produr 2,ed in Railway-street, and every
one will ad mit t hat such a building differs widely
from the oru'iva ry brick wall, with square holes for
the windows' and doors. ("Hear, hear,'" and a
laugh.) One great object for which schools of art
have been fostered is the desire to raise the taste of
t ;3' at large, and we have of late years
3
aprovement in the erdinary decoration
tl;ee n c
a om
vast mun
in ii
of houses. The papers upon our walls, all ont
articles of f urniture, have been greatly improved,
and all this is, I believe, very much attributable to
these 54e hoofs. They have told upon the manufac-
tures of Ma.nehester, upon the hardware of Shef-
field, and upon the potteries of Staffordshire. Ii
believe tin it the remarkable way in which our Eng-
lish china , has got ahead of the French and German
china is very much owing to the fostering aid of
the school c sf art at Stoke-upon-Trent. (Hear, hear.)
Not only is more cultivated taste required by
those who pr oduce, but among those who buy; so
that fwe can improve the taste and the knowledge
of the ti;rmer, and the artistic feeling of the con-
suming public, we are giving a fostering aid to our
industry and raising England in the scale of artistic
industry and artistic manufacture. (Hear.) There
are many t7publ'ic as well as private grounds on
which these schools ought to be supported. I
am quite sure that the private advantage of those
who will obtain the benefit of this school will be
quite sufficient to jas tify the effort which you arat
now making without looking to those larger and
wider views to which I have been adverting. If
we can find a sufficienty large body of pupils to
occupy the times of a firsi.-rate master, that master
can be produced. The conditions of the Govern-
; ment require that there shall be a sufficient number
of persons to profit by the teaching of the master,
do that no teaching power flay be wasted, and that
a good master may not be placed in a position where
he .mitt' not have enough to do. The school we
desire' to establish is not merely a drawing school
of the .s,;mplest form, but a school of art—a school
which vk give both the ordinary power of drawing
and such I,:n insight into the faithful representation
of natura; objects and into art itself as will be
really useftvl to the pupils, and enable them to
appreciate th‘c, general improvement of art feelings
which has bet extEading itself over this country,
and is changing'.England gradually from being a
mere prosaic cov,ntrY into one which will rank with
countries on the continent in the knowledge and
feeling of that Nvliich may truly be called art.
(Loud cheers.)
The resolution was adopted, and, on the motion
I of Sir M. Farquhar,Ki a subscription was entered
' into to defray the preliminary expenses of estab.
fishing the institution.

COUNTRY Mi)!REETS.