The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-03-20
Co.ton.Manufaomres.


In rep,y 10 those who lake the position
th,t decorative art Is not practicsz, we'll
known organizer Of art schools asserts that
90 pcr cent. of the cost OF all thc houses In
the cities and larger towns OF ttc country
including contents, IS expended In orna-'
mcntstion. These fgures are doubtless
exaggerated, but 1t Is none the less true
shat decorative art Is emincntly practical
D. paradexical as may seem the statement,
one OF the economic questions OF the day
and that the leaking cities are realizing the
faet While there lisa great deal OF fun
merry connected with the aesthetic craze.
and an appreciation OF high art Is youch-
Ssfcd 10 but few, the demand for oru'mcn-
tssjop, As whole, isneither ephemeralnor
unnatural. II IL the logical outcome OF
greater diffusion Of education and wealth,
xud in Ae nature OF things must be per-
nanent and comparative IN an industrial
sense.
Boston, New York, Philadelphia. Balti-
more, and the leading western centres, all
have their schools Of art, andreports from
them show that they are anything but the
mere nurseries OF ;esthetieism for the sake
Of astheticism. On the contrary, they
are important adjunsts OF the manufactur-
ing interest, and the time Is fast coming
when they win he regarded as the very
foundation OF the skilled industries. In
the case OF one school In Philadelphia,
numbering one hundred pupils, a inanu-
fsctnrcr offered to employ them all: and a
Baltimore paper states that tho designs for
all the Faience ware made in that city are
colored by pupils OF the Maryland Institute,
who receive compensation for theirwork.
In view OF these facts, we ask II Rich
mond Is to be what every natural advan-
tage indicates she should be--a great man
uiacturing centre-is 1t not time that our
leading men were exerting themselves in
the matter .of establishing an AIT school?
Wheneverthe subiecthas been agitated be-
Gore il has been suggested that an indus
trial feature be incorporated into the pub
lic-school system. BSt TO this there are
serious objections; not The least OF which
Is that It would place the Government in
too patcTnal an attitude, and leave nothing.
TO individual enterprise and public spirit
and indyiduai selection. Further, such a
cembination would have a tendency TO
make the study OF industrial art in a mea-
sure obligatory and irksome, while expe-
rience proves that the best results are
attained when the study is recreative.
What Is wanted is an institute under
private patronage which might form the
basis for the Reorganization Of the old Me-
ehanics' Institute, where free-hand draw
ing and design can.be taught to such as
have penchant for these accomplish
ments. II has been well said that the ability
to draw what "the eye sees and the mind
conceives is the first step towards attaining
perfection in the mechanic arts" and the
youth who enters the shop or the factory
prepared 10 10 this has every advantage in
the race, because he is doubly valuable to
his employer.
To enumeratc the different ways in which
even the rudiments OF industrial art-educa-
ton could be utilized in promoting our
manufacturing interest is beyond the scope
OF q newspaper article. but there is one
point we would bring TO the attention OF
our capitalists and pablic-spirited men as
especially reinforcing our position. Re-
Gently the New England cotton-manufac-
turers appealed to the trunk-line railroads.&c.
help them, by reductions In freight charges,
fbf In. of 1,o
southern mills. The New York IiaeS,
in commenting on this, shows that by rea- |
son of the proximity Of the southern mills
to the field Of supply, the eheapness OF Ia
Dor, &C., the South can In the coarse fabric |
defy New England rivalry; but adds that !
on the finer yarns and prints and fancy |
goods and fabrics the northern mills will |
have little difficulty in maintaining their
supremacy for long time to come. The
suggestion in this is obvious. With
skilled labor, with class capable |
OF designing patterns, there is no reason
why Richmond should not in the near fu. |
ture divide the trade in prints and fancy |
fabrics now monopolized by New England. |
Her railroad connections, her position as |
distributing point, would more than cOun.
terbalance the difference in freights between
this point and her base Of supply OF raw ma
terlal, and more southern cities and their
base Of supply.
We have men in our midst competent to
conduct such an art school; we have pupils |
anxious to attend one; and all that Is ne
eessary In order that those most interested
may reap the benefits OF such an institution
Is for them to move quickly and vigilantIy
INT ho