The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-07-07
rurtrc1uRr.

De(9tVe's 10 near MT. W Hue Iast uign's AZ
hali.past s Mr.. Wilde made his appearance,
He wore his "court costume" consisting
Of a suit Of rich black velvet, knee breeches,
ak hose, lace wristbands, patcnt-leather
slippers with silver buckles, and an inn
mense watch fob. He was received with
applause, but proceeded with his lecture
without much ado. lie said that in his
lecture he did not wish to give definition
OF beauty, but sketch Of what is being
done i'm England I'm the way OF developing
art. In every city there Is q certain amount
OF artistic intellect and power, he said.
which should be searched out and made 10
create beautiful things.
Art has the value that the workman puts
into his work, and true art Is where tbe
workman works with his heart and head ~
well Us with his hands. The object must
| be 10 secure beautiful designs and TO enlist
] the sympathy, support, and practical WORK
of men and women OF nobility. In America
I the fault Is that handicraft Is rot sui1ciently
\ honored. The lesser arts are overlooked.
we should begin by making the common
articles of everyday life beautiful. III we
neglect the useful and common things
az life and wait for art TO be bestowed
upon the more expensive things, art will
ALWAYS be for the rich. lie said that IL was
| wrong to suppose that there was opposi-
ton between the useful and the beautiful.
He referred TO his own experience in visit
| ing houses where the rooms were out OF
proportion and decorated with an utter dis
regard OF the eternal fitness Of things. lie
made an appeal on behalf OF secondhand
articles. and said that Ii was very common
idea that an article Is less valuable be-
cause il is secondhand. lie said il thing
is made by good workman 1t increases in
value every day we use it,. The old gothic
cathedrals are more beautiful to-day than
when they wee first erected. so II Is win
all true works. They increase in value. in
beauty and value, every day we use them.
We should reinstate art, and should take
! care that word secondhand Is never used.
Danish that word. Give the artisan 10 ull-
derstand that the value OF his work Will be
measured by the amount OF beauty tDat ne
puts into il. The speaker referred TO the
belief that commercial men ana coiiinerciai
cities are
ENEMIES OF ART.
He said that such was undoubtedly an
error. and that art had floOrished and
reached high stage in commercial cities,
and that it was highly appreciated by COM
mercial men. He said that il has become
well settled that art is healthy when it
makes beautiful forests and fields and men
and women. and it Is unhealthy when it
goes back TO the romantic ages. lie said
that in modern dress we have given the
artist no scope: and as for the sculptor, we
have nearly got rid OF him. When one
contemplates any OF the statues that we
have erected to cur great men, we must
feel that sculpture has only added new
horror TO death. Let there be in every city
school Of art. Let the useful arts be
taught, and let every city make its carpets,
glass, wallpaper, etc. II would save mo-
ney for the people, and would raise up just
the class of artists that are wantcd-thc
foundation for the higher arts.
What is needed is Il good class OF skilled
handcrafts. The trouble in America is
that in the schools in every case the pupils
are TO be found decorating little luXurieS.
They should begin little lower down and
make something useful. For in those cities
where the schools teach the sc little darlingS
| still found coarse and ugly shapes for
even a vessel 10 hold water. Begin by ma
king simple things beautiful and true art
will lie built up. a city should have Il
museum-no fossils, but rational mll-
seum-where everything is beautiful, and
where one could have all the best work OF
artisans before him, where young artisans
can go and see them. All wOrkmen should
90 there, and their work will be done with
more pleasure, and it will be better done.
The lecturer spoke in favor OF sculptOr>
depending more on nature for models, and
said that in the gamboIs Of q schoo-boy or
i'm the work OF a man on dock graceful
positions for models could be obtained that
could be secured nowhere else. He said
they could go to the fields and to the woods
and to the pastures and watch the herds
and to work from nature; that the whole
Of Greek art was founded on Just such
simple things.
| IN SPEAKING OF TIE SOUTH
he said: You have these beautiful for
ests. 1t seems so barren TO find outside Of
your houses no carving. Art should be
generous. and should be seen everywhere.
Encourage your school of wood-carving.
There is no school of art so easy as the
school of wood-carving. The little lads in
Switzerland can carve flowers which they
find i'm the fields, and their herds and the
windows of their homes are beautiful with
their handiwork. What a Swiss boy can
do well an American boy can do twice as
well. He spoke OF gold and silver icwelry,
and said that the lack Of art in IL
manufacture was lamentably great. lie
said that by the introduction of ma
chinery we are turning men into machines,
while in art we can encourage men and
women. He spoke in eloquent terms OF
the influence which beautiful thing,
exercise over children, and spoke OF the
, little value which we place upon
things that are ugly. lie said: Wher
one comes TO educating child
the mistake is to educate them en-
tirely in books. Let them learn from
nature, fields. forests, and books. Teach
them to use their hands. Have in every
school Il good workshop. Teach him tC
! carve. beat out metal, and the like
I Ii is certain that it would be
golden hour in his school-day life
, In speaking Of the South he said
"Here in the South it should be the hom
of ART You have beautiful surrounding
, so different in the North. There is no vege
tation that is not yours. You have th
= two perfect essentials for Il cultivation o
high art-bcautiful flowers and beautiful
women. Ii those things don't affect you
4 YOU are lost to sensibiliticS. When yol
. have young artists do not leave them {,
, themselves. The world underestimate tn
value of IFS own praise. Bring to thei
faces the flush that lraise will bring. The,
1 put in marble and painting the flowers tina
| adorn your hillSides and your valleys, ant
! there they will live forever The lecture
was an agreeable surprise, and the audience
G was well entertained. Mr.. Wilde ant
party leave this morning for Augusta
i where Mr.. Wilde lectures tonight.
Fan.FIirting I'm the Park.
From the London World.I