Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1894-02-24
ART AND INDUSTRY.
AN ADDRESS DELIVERED TO WORK
MEN Hy Mr.. GLADSTONE.

I'm. Dtsslnesiea Between Fine Art nnd
uaiisy-Esery Industrial Art. However,
may rartaka ~ the Character o. fihe
Arf--Lessons frem Greece.
Mr.. Gladstone was presentat the Agricni-
tural hail in Islington to Distribute tne
prizes gained at the national workmens sex
hibitIon and delivered long speccn on lrt
and industry, In the course OF whieh nv
said;
When we speak Of fine art, we speak
principally of what IL dissociated from oi-
rect and immediate utility lido NOT mean
that painting, sculpture. music, Tor exam
ple, have not utility belonging 70 tnem
But It IN utility standing In diherehs ~
lation to the work OF art from that utiiity
which characterizes the objects whieh are
exhibited IN this building. But let me ini.
press thisL think It isaprincipleot proau
application and great Importance. Ever!
industrial art. almost without exception,h
not altogether, can be brought 70 paisaae
of the character Of fine art. Now, tnis ~
= principle Of vast consequence ana one
which requires to be inculcated, because
when you labor upon objects which pave q
palpable, direct aud obvious utility the eie-
ment of beauty which ought 70 attach 70
all productions In general IL apt 10 DE un.
iarvaiued and placed altogether out OF
view.
should not like 10 mention any country
In the world which has been distinguished
Inv urliness in its industrial productions. II
would Ia a very invidious Office TO under
take. But undoubtedly there arecountries
which arc less distinguished for uniting
beauty with convenience than other coun-
tries. both present and In former times.
But who are the great teachers In this re
snectY II you want to define them, you
| must 60 back n long way You may learn
| much from modern countries; you may
| learn much from the countries In the west
ern Mediterranean Of the period OF thalater
middle age.
III YOU want to 20 TO the fountain head,
YOU must 20 to that small peninsula which
was inhabited by the Greeks. You must
GO TO O small part of that peninsula--to the
| small city Of Athens. IL Is from her artists
that In the year 1898 and in the coming
wears you will have to learn all the mos;
profound, all the most important lessons
| which are to be learned by those who de
sire 70 elevate industry into the regions Of
art by uniting together beauty and conven
fence. It may seem TO he strange thing
an obsolete idea. Butifyou choose to leavs
il obsolete and forgotten, see nothing els
for 1t.
But what mean IL that for those whs
desire to see useful things made beautiful
the means Of reviving that old discipline
are still ut hand, and II you want to se'
what Ii did In former times you have moth
ing TO do but to go into institutions or ex
hibitions containing utensils which hay,
been recovered perhaps from the bowels o
the earth. Then, not accidentally, not n
particular cases, but as n general rule, II
order to make a thing useful the Greek
never found 1t necessary TO make It ugly
To great extent In modern times we sup
pose ourselves TO DO very free from super
stition, and often on occasions when worr
not bit more free from superstition thai
J those who have gone before us we shoul'
find that we have only changed the form
! of 1t.
But there are many who believe that Il
the case Of industrial productions 1t isa los
OF time and plans to think about giving 3
! them character OF beauty. 1t Is hisfalse
hood which wo ought II we can to tear u
} by the roots. Let Us reply 10 those whosel
us so that, on the contrary, the whole his
E tory of Greek art Is q demonstration OF til
3 truth OF that important and essential prir
! oiple. Now what IL very curious Is this
. that In Greece the effect or at all events
. contemporary phenomenon Of that sacre
: wedding-if may SO call it-between IL
dustry and. beauty Is that the idea Is moi
: fruitful and more abundant than In an
Z other country In the world.
4 A most remarkable instance Of this ha
occurred quite recently. In the streets {
Athens there were sold by some casus
street boys figures about 10 inches or foe
J. in height of the human frame made {
n burned clay. which attracted the attentio
Of some men OF practiccd eye. who recol
o nized that they were OF exquisite beaut,
They began to purchase them. More I'll
ures appeared, more buyers appeared, an
at last the collectors In France In Englan
and In other places began 10 be anxious
q range these figures among their art objecs
The figures were found In the tombs
Tanagra, n second rate city in n second raj
province OF Greece. In Beotia. which WI
known as the most stupid, would rath'
q say the least clever and distinguished,
d all the provinces of Greece Think VIII
l. must have been the abundance OF the sem
n of beauty and the power OF producir
e beauty In visible form among a Poop
Q which could afford to throw into the toni
q OF a second rate people of n second rate eli
o In a second rate state those objects viii,
K people are now glad 10 abstract from the
n and exhibit in the choice cases OF the Lo
> vre or the British museuml
" There Is one wonderful art, gentleme
n which | will mention-the beautiful art
n bookbinding IL is one which has be,
scarcely noticed. Books are wonderf
n things. wonderful above all with respe
a TO what may call the soul Of the book. ii
| words that 1t contains and the ideas viii.
70 the words convey. But there Is also, su
!. posing there were no soul. the manufactu
st Of the book historically recoricd--the pr
10 dnction Of the book considered as ma
10 ketable, material object. That the produ
i tion OF the manuscript In early times
fore the invention Of printing. the bean
full and wonderful character OF the ear
printing, and sometimes even now In q
n. degenerate century In later printing, 4
= mere impression Of the letters ON the pas
= may be carried toward the character Of
II high art and fine art IL thing viii
! people do not generally dream Of.