The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-08-01
GROWTH OF ART SPIRIT.
American Schools Are Young and
Their Fruit Scarcely Ripe.

To what extent do the great schools
of art, or, speaking more strictly, OF
artisan art, succeed in this country ?
1t is difficult question to answer. Such
schools are young and the fruits of their
| teaching have hardly ripened. Again,
some of their graduates receive only a
part of their training at home, and so
abroad to complete it, so that in tbs
end their art takes quality from that
with which they are environed later.
And, again, some of the students who
begin with the hope and intent of be-
coming designers, carvers, illustrators
and illuminants end with being painters
and sculptors. Yet, there is excellent
schools in this city,in Boston,in Chicago
and elsewhere is sound, and the IN
fiuence of it widespread.
For it is possible that the highest
values of art are not in the highest
manifestations The pictured master
piece is for the buyer. At best it is seen
only by the frequenters of a church or a
museum. But the touch of art that
converts common utensil to a thing OF
beauty that Will be seen and USED OF
! millions has an educative consequence,
/ slight and unconscious as it may be.
! Remembering what the average Amer
| lean parlor was half a century ago,
what horrors of hair cloth. Tides, black
walnut cravings, wax and feather work,
! funeral wreaths. Brussels carpets,
starehed curtains. glaring paper and
hand painted pictures it contained, who
can doubt that the American people
have better taste today than they had
at that time? Remembering when a
certain style of house was the highest
/ type of "elegance"-the dreariest habi-
! tatiOn conceived by mortal mind-We
trace our esthetic growth in contrast of
it with late architecture which, if it
| fails to disclose high originality, at least
makes wise choice of old world material,
| and sometimes as in our churches,
/ h11i1dinOS and the constructions
of world fairs. reaches splendor and
ma gnificence-
England had to borrow from the con-
| tinent when she wanted a portierc- or
strip of wall paper. or book bind
ing that was not utterly unconven-
tional. or a piece of furniture such as
had not been made by machinery in a
shop. She awoke to the economic folly
of this. and began TO educate her own
workmen. In this she saves millions
sterling to her own people, and pro-
duceS good. sound, characteristic work.
| We in America are beginning to appre-
ciate the like necessity. There was a
time when it was proper to be clothed
and surrounded with materials from
abroad. There was a time when it was
not fashionable to buy American pic,
! lures, just as there was a time when it
was not customary to see American
PLAYS or read American books. We are
Kidding ourselves of our affectations,
and are AmericaniZing our arts.
more people are getting rid of machine
made stuff and are buying strong, indlvid-
ual, handsome furniture and decorations
! You can no more make a work of art by
ma ehinery than you can write a poem that
way For mere service the machine pro-
duct Will do. 1t suffices, at present, for
schools, military barracks and almhouses.
But the object with which one is to live
must have beauty and to have that it
must have character and originality. 1t is
in the encoura cement OF these qualities
that the art ana techpIeal schools are CIV
himself as clearly in a piece of furniture
as in a picture. We are not to overlook
the moral or esthetic value of little things
and common things and useful things We
can not all afford MilletS and Illnesses, yet
more can afford articles of beauty than
buy them. and where they not the
home is crude. dull. the satisfaction less.
and the taste is coarse. Our cities would
not contain the eye-sores that they do
and New York is the worst in all the world
in some respects-if even the rudiments of
art had been more commonly taught The
delights of bad taste are keen, but never