New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-05-15
THE LOVE OF BEAUTY
Need Not Be Confined to Artists,
DR.. Ross Tells Teachers.

That the sense Of beauty is not given to artists
only. but awaits development in all, was the
message delivered hv DR. Denman II. Ross 10 the
Eastern Art Teachers Association at the opening
OF its tenth annual meeting in the American MI
scum Of Natural History yesterday afternoon.
Heretofore" said DR.. Ross. we have regarded
the artist person out OF the ordinary course of
nature. We have proceeded on the assumption that
his appreciation of beauty impossible to al
most every else. The rest Of might only
know little about art and get little pleasure
Of il. But the artist has senses, faculties,
that have not.
The trouble with much Of art teaching has
been that # has been the teaching Of art at ALL
but only teaching about art and artist. Works of
presented the public like geological speci
mems. and interest in them is like our interest
in insects and reptiles. We think about art and
not Of it, and ii does not mean to us love Of
order and sense of beauty.
1T is by learning things. but by doing things
that attain TO 4 love Of order and Of beauty
and unfortunately of students old
when they come to this endeavor. They too
much interested in the purposes OF art TO become
interested in art itself It too late for them
get the feeling of the sense Of beauty. The Har-
ward undergraduate has many interests strong
al his interest in He is TOO sophisticated to
so through elementary exercises The work Of
doing things for the sake Of order and beauty and
for other end must be given the very young.
Or. Ross said that the artistic training of the
child should be begun with music II could De
taught TO make harmonious sounds before il was
taught 20 speak Then should come harmonious
motion and dancing, and then dancing and music
together Next comes the teaching OF language in
connection with music, and after that writing.
which can be made an exercise in drawing and
design. contrary 10 current pedagogical opinion
DR. Ross thinks reading should come after
writing, and this. too. should be made an aesthetic
training Manual training should not be under
taken ill the child has been well exercised in
design. and should be allowed O teach
manual work who has had thorough training
In design.
The trouble with most Of our manual training
szid Dr. Ross. is that the teachers have had no
sesthetic training. and put the most outra geous
models before the children
All these things Dr. Ross called training IN
essthettc righteousness which also an ethical
training much better than any that can be OBJ
tsined later.
And having once acquired the love OF order and
beauty he concluded. the child will carry 1t into
other arts. and DO everything IN orderly and
beautiful way from habit and instinct
The delegates were welcomed by DR.. H Q.
Burnpus. director of the Museum Of Natural His
tory and the president or the association. Arthur
Wesley Cow, Of Teachers College responded 10
his address. The meetings will continue to-day and
tomorrow. This afternoon o'clock DR.. Burnpus
will talk the educational work of the museum
and after the address the members Of the associa-
ton viii be conducted through the museum by the
director.
In the evening Hamilton Wright Mahie. Of The
Outlook" delivered address on The Creative
Spirit in Teaching Re divided history into four
creative I,er1ods-that Of Athens for HARMONY
symmetry. form and language: England the Eliza
bethan, for energy in speech and action and
thought; Germany, in the advancement Of liberty.
with Goethe. whom he called the greatest Of ali
art critics Schiller Ferder and WfnckeIrnarn. and
New England. for the reawakening. with Haw-
rhorne, Emerson and Lowell the apostles.