Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-05-13
DECORATIVE ART.

not the least significant tendency of the
times. The appearance Of disposition to
study art, among the people, shows that
the new doctrine of the influence Of the
environment upon the moral and intellect
ual growth, is bearing wholesome fruit.
Nothing in Puritanism was more baneful
than its rejection of all grace and beauty
of surroundings. Nothing has done more
to produce harsh and crude natures in En-
gland and America than this gloomy and
unlovely theory of life. And so the pres.
ent general movement towards the cultiva-
ton Of Beauty in the homes of the people
is one of the most encouraging signs, for it
indicates the existence of Widespread en-
thusiasm OF culture. In such a movement
we must not be disappointed by occasional
perversities, follies, extravagances and
fallacies. Folly is so large part of hu-
man nature in its present low stage of de.
velopment that we must be content if we
can secure general average of advance
ment. But there is another reason why
the art movement of the latter end of the
nineteenth century is producing supera-
bundance of extravagances, and this is
that the intellectual stimulus which sus.
tains it seems to have been applied almost
exclusively to women. Unquestionably it
is to their new. found ardor that the spread
of the decorative art movement is due.
The male intellect has not manifested more
than passing interest in it. In great
centers of culture like London and Paris
there are no doubt priests as we'll as
priestesses of the new art cult, but it is
none the less true that its vitality is de.
rived mainly from women, and that but for
them it would die out.
And herein lies certain danger. For
women cannot be depended upon to sustain
any movement which does not depend at
least equally upon the men, and this is
perfectly natural. Decorative art at pres.
emit is in danger of becoming the toy and
plaything of the frivolous element among
women; we mean that element which
possesses no real intellect, which borrows
all its ideas, which changes its doctrines
with the seasons, which is q slave to
fashion, which moves in dreary round of
conventionalities. Should decorative art
fall into such keeping it may be discredited
in the eyes of real men and women-for
those only are real who do their own think
ing. Now to prevent such an outcome
should be the desire of all sensible people,
seeing that the virtues of the movement
are very conspicuous, and seeing that if
developed properly it is calculated to assist
in the elevation of the people to a much
higher plane of civilization. The appreci-
alton of the beautiful is capacity which
can best be expanded by constant and
gradual education of the eye and mind.
The influence of the environment upon the
mind is an axiom of the modern phi.
losophy. The coarse and vulgar spirit may
be refined and purified by gently leading it
to admire, prefer, and finally demand, some
element Of beauty in its surroundings.
And happily science and invention have
made so much progress that it is no longer
necessary to be wealthy in order to enjoy
the pleasures which decorative art has at
its disposal.
II 10 not frpa On ANNA havo a11oood fbot
all women possess an artistic taste. As a
matter of fact quite as many women as
men are utterly destitute Of any such taste,
and one of the results of this is that great
deal of very incongruous and inartistic
decoration is being done everywhere. But
even experiments which result in artistic
failures are by no means necessarily actual
failures. Even blunder in art may in.
volve certain growth in taste. and discon-
tent with the ugliness of existing conditions
is the first step towards q desire for in.
struction in better things. As yet, how
ever, the men have not showed as much
intellectually in thid connection as the
women. They have been absorbed in their
business, land, by the way, business is
often tar more brutalizing in its effects
than men realize.) They have perhaps al.
lowed their wives and daughters to have
their own way, but they themselves have
little or no interest in the matter, or at
least have probably INDUCED sort of con-
temptous tolerance towards what they
called the cart craze" and have gone
about hattering themselves that they are
altogether too wise and sensible to become
enthusiastic in such matters.
But they are mistaken. They are not
wise, but stupid, in thus thinking and
behaving. For decorative art, rightly un.
derstood and employed, is an educational
process of the most valuable kind; process
which can be made to impart moral
training as well as an esthetic one, and
which can be so applied as to make all the
difference between success and failure in
the bringing up of family. Whoever
substitutes beauty of form and color for
ugliness, in his surroundings, distinctly I'M
proves his moral atmosphere; distinctly
purifes and refnes it; distinctly places
himself upon higher intellectual level.
He will find that he is impelled to become
less coarse himself that invariably he ap-
preciates and comes to seek grace and har-
mony in his environment. And all his
family will come under the same influences
will gain in esthetic perception WILL learn
to appreciate Nature more, and to insist
upon that which, being beautiful and har.
monious and refined, is also wholesome.
But the men must not leave this great
reform movement to the women. 1t is a
momentous task, and it demands strenuous
application of masculine as well as femi-
nine intelligence. The latter may have