The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1893-05-29
BEAUTY IN THE USEFUL ARTS

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BEAUTY IN THE USEFUL ARTS.
The Effect o. Unhampered Greed is to
Produce Ugliness.
Il Il difficult for human beings to
harden themselves at all points against
the impressions and the charm of beau
ty. Every form of life, that can be
called in any sense natural, will admit
them. II we look for an exception. we
shall perhaps come nearest to finding
one IN a quarter where it would not at
first be expected. know not whether
there IS any one among the many species
of human ALTERATION hat renders a
man so entirely ~callous as the lust Of
gain in its extreme degrees. That
passion. where it has full dominion. ex-
cludes every other: it shuts out even
What might be called redeeming in
tirmitieS; it blinds men to the sense of
beauty. as much as to the perception of
justice and right: cases might perhaps
be named Of countries where greedi-
ness for money holds the widest sway.
and where unmitigated ugliness is
II principal characteristic Of in
duStrlal products. On the other hand
do not believe that it is ~extravagant to
say. that the pursuit of the element of
beauty. in the business of production,
Will be found to act with d genial.
Christening. andretining influence on the
commercial spirit; that. up to d certain
point. it is in the nature of a preventative
against some of the moral dangers that
brSet trading and manufacturing en-
terprises; and hat we are justified in
regarding it not merely as an
zeal benefit: not merely as that which
contributes to our works an element Of
value, not merely as that which sup
plies a particular faculty of human
nature with its proper food: but as a
liberalizing and d civilizing power.
and an instrument, in its own sphere.
OF moral and social improvement. In
deed it would be strange if deliberate
departure from what we see t. be the
law of nature. in its outward sphere,
were the road to a close conformity
with its innermost and highest laws.
But now let us not conceive that, be-
cause the love of beauty finds for
itself a place in the general heart of
mankind, therefore we need never
make it the object of a special atten-
ton, or put in action special means to
promote and uphold it. For after all,
our attachment to it is a matter Of de-
gree. and of degree which experience
has shown to be. in different places.
and at different times. indefinitely vari-
able. We may not be able to repro
duce the age of Pericles. or even that
which is known as the Cinque-centO:
but yet it depends upon our OWL choice
whether we shall or shall not have a
title to claim kindred. however re-
mOtely, with either age or with both of
those brilliant periods. What we are
bound to do is this: To take care thai
everything we produce shall, in its
kind and class, be as good as we can
make it. When DR.. Johnson was asked
by Mr.. Boswell how he had attained to
his extraordinary excellence in CONVEX
satiOn, he replied he had no other sys-
tenn han this. that whenever he had
anything TO say he tried to say it in the
best manner he was able. 1t is this
perpetual striving after excellence on
the one hand Or the want of such effort
on the other which more than the Origi-
nal difference of gifts contributes to
bring abOut the differences we observe
in the works and chara tiers Of men.