, 1875-09-05
According to Adam Smith; in his Waalth of

| Nations, published century ago athe rn,e,
Wnlch regulate commerce are exclusively selfish. =
| he golden ruIe :" to do ~ yop would be done
by" is scarcely admitted in practice into o1,T
| commercial code: Business u business" a
the grand masim of the comme.c!al potenta:e
all over the work. The meaning Of which ia.
! that all feeling and sympathy for others. love.
friendship, or patriotism. OF even common
humanity. are to be ignored 10 take every
advantage which che law allows. 's pIy every art
OF legal thieviug Is the true dehui:,on Of the
phraee. BUSINESS is business" 1t is not
therefore uauaturA! it the artist class Ahould
think the strict man Of commerce mesh and mer.
cenarF II he merely acts as he has been taught
to think right.
The artist may be more OF less scrupaloue
than the man Of commerce, b1: his means OF
decelv'ug. or oyerreachtug. are limited to uu1-
ing his own works. or getting them pufed, but
| that Is rarely done except by Dealers The mind
| OF he artist ia almost exclusively occupied in
looking Al Nature and the best examples Of art
| III observing tire most pleasing manner N which
objects are grouped aud under what light and
shade they have the best effect, wnat arrange
ment OF Color Will be most harmonious and most
delight the eye OF the spectator. To create &
thing OF beauty is his chef aim and purpose.
He also ia perpetually On the watch to catch the
hs1ne manners, to seize all the beauties Of Ma
ture, and 10 transmit them by his art for the
good OF all. This has tendency to l!beralize
his Ideas. By connecting the happiness OF others
| with hia own he feels sympathy Tor all, but
render him lmprovident. and. perhaps as rule,
the literary man and tho artist far less provi-
dent than the CONNER .ia!- In their eutbusiasm
1or their art, and long and deep study lit. they
are apt to forget the remuneration for their labor
| AT least that Is secondary consideration With
| many artists and for this the commercial class
| arc apt to style them fools. No artist can az
ford to let work out OF his hands unfinished.
10 artist who deserves the name but will have
his work as we'll done as he possibly can do IT,
aud in countries where art has been long cuIti-
vated, this fact is tac1tly concurred in hv the
att-lovlng public, and q Law is founded upon it
Mhlcn regulates the decision OF tho cours8.
| That is, when man has seen specimen OF an
artists wors. and Afterwards gives him an order
Tor painting. bust or statne. the artist II OF
course the sole judge as TO when it il finished,
| OF as well a8 he can make 1t, aud the price
agreed on, for the artists usual Charge must be
| paid. Or II parties agree to tequeat the Court
to Dame some artlst OF note to give his opinion
this Is held to be fair aud just because when
hls employer selected the artist he (hav!ng seen
sample OF his abllitiss) selected at the same
time the quality OF tue work to be done. He
was probably no judge. never having made art
his study, and it the artist attempted to alter the
work to please klm. be might 1njure bis own
reputation. 10 alter work OF art TO please one
totally ignorant OF the rules OF art is almost tn
faGbty sure to spoil it, and artist should ever
Rtte1nptit.
In this Western country-comparatively new
art Is only beginning to be p1ec!ated, and it is
questionable If there ever was q country 80
young and go far advanced IN Art but Of
course there are here, az everywhere else. many
people who are well-to-do iu worldly matters,
but know nothing Of art, though otherwise we'll
educated, and who think they can order q
work OF art ~ they would bale OF
goods, and hnve it exactly done to please them.
Why not2 1t is their money that is to pay for
it. Now the worst of it is they are perfectly ain
cere and honest about it, and it is hard to get
them to see that it is very unreasonable, very
=
not consider, the difference there is between an
article Of commerce and work OF att- BY =
sklful merchant the qualities OF goods can be
specified with nice e1actness, and he can have
them precisely to order. But who can give
specification Of the qualities Of & work of art 2
Let the most intelligent man Of commerce try
his hand to specify what are to be the qualities
he desires simple head-size portrait to hare,
what the pose and air Of the head is to be. how
deep the shadows or high the light. and what
preston to be gwen to eyes and mouth, etc. II
he doE't 6nd his mistake he must be incapable OF
seeing ANYTHING whatever.
The thing caunot be done and any one who |
reflects, ard can comprehend the difference here |
mentioned will see' tue impropriety. il not IN |
JUSTICE OF interfering With the artist at ail 10
induce him to alter his work to please his en- !
pIoyer. It is true the work may. rather must. |
ne imperfect when finished, but so WAS the sam
Pile he saw, by the same hand which pleased /
him, or he wouldn't havs employed him. He /
has no right now to turn round and say he does
not like it ana will not pay for it, after keeping
him weeks, perhaps months at work, and no /
honorable man who knows anything OF art will
do it. Until our law judges, however learn !
something OF art, or at least the difference be-
tween work Of art aud an article of commerce,
1t will be vain to look for correct decision in
any disputed caae where art is concerned
It will sometimes happen that IN artist, BY an
effort, perhaps unconscious to bimself. eurpasses
his usual merit, and il his employer be Eealthy,
and appreciative OF artistic excellence, he will
give The artist according to his judgment, check
for as much as he deserves-dounle, or even
TREBLE his usual charge; not from feeling OF
charity or.generosity bu. because he believed it
was justly due to tbs artists genius and industry.
An instance OF this occurred few years after
the battle OF Waterloo. Tue Duke OF Welllns-
ton met W,,ke Ike st dinner one day, and having
works. he requested the artist to paint picture
for him Of tile ike kind. Wikie aaked the Duke
what was to be toe subject. sOh. something in
my own way" said the Duke. WilKie selected
the news OF the great battle just as soon as it
arrived in London. The Duke Was 80 much
pleased With the subject, and mode Of treating
it, that, though $40 gulneas was about the
price Wilk1e usually got for similar pictures,
The Duke paid him 1.500 guineas for
Ibis picture, and the engraver paid him the same
amount for the{ copyright, With leave to publish
The engraving. The Duke of Sutherland gave
Sir Thomas Lawrence l,500 guiness tor whole
ength portrait Of hls wife and child, although |
500 was his customary price for full lepgth but
he Duchess was the beauty OF all England. aud
chief OF the ladies in waiting on the Queen, and,
whether Str Thomas made an extra effort to e1-
:el himself on this portrait it is hard to say, but
he Duke took this mode Of marking his appre-
asion Of the work, and. to have the approval OF
uch men. who were noble BY nature, as we'll as
" courtesy, was more gratifying to the artist
ban the money. Among the less wealthy it il
lot unusual in cities where art is cultivated, to
ind similar instances Of art being appreciated
'eyond the artists demand, from ten to q hum
red gu1neas bnt it would be ln vain ~ we'll
. unreasonable to expect any such &C.
ion in a merely commercial man, eyen after
10 has acquired .. fortune unless hs has had .
ong training in art matters. And here is seen
he practical difference between the commercial
uIes of action aud the artistic II the artist see
nat. by some change OF the design, CT light and
hade, or color. he can render lis work i've or
IL times the value Of what he had agreed for, |
9 will not hesltaie an instant to do it. even
hough it cost him more labor; hut it would
ever do for merchant to increase the value at
he goods sold ut stated price cent heyqnd |
he price agreed to ; and here in this commercial |
though tne artist may produce =