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Artistic Development

Artistic Development image
Parent Issue
Day
22
Month
August
Year
1888
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

T IMITED space allows bat a brief -I- glance at only one slde of thli lnteresting question, a queatlon of great lmportance to auy manufaeturing comniunity. On the quality of its manufactures dopend largely the condition, the happiness of the majorlty of the individúala that composa that communlty, and thia "quality," whlch is of such importance, is in proportion to the skill and taste of thoae Individuals. Scarcely a dozen years hare passed sine tbat memorable party at PhUadelphia to which the United Btates Invited her sister natlons, and told them all "to bring theirwork." They carne, they brought their "work," and vrhen it wa spread out tor ezbibition and comparison our proud dame was forced to adinit that she was far behind in thoie accomplishments vfhere taste and artistic skill wart roquired. Her ooly consolatioa was in tbs evidence shown that she was "right smart" in other directions,and In the recollection that her mother bad a similar experiencs about a quarter of a oentury before. England profited by her exposition of 1851, and America has already profited by the Centennlal. It is true our country ba let vsluable time slip by, but the improvement in the design of American furuiture, stoves, pottery, glassware, jewelry, wallpapers and print cloths, are evidence that our manufacturera are fully alive to the imporUuce of the art quality in every object tbat has shape or color. The recent repoit of the chief of the bureau of education shows that our goverument too is not blind to the needs in this directiou, aud coutains an eloquent appeal for Industrial art schouls. From it eamest words on this subject I quote: "As natious progresa and consequent competition incienses, the preparation required for the struggle of lite varíes as well for the individual units which compose it, as the nation itelf. What was not feit here as a neceseity a ccntury ago is indispensable today. From an agriculturoi countrj tho pcople of the United States must of necessity, with accelerated strides, become more and more manufaoturing. Such is the world's development, to be successful It is cloar that our manufactures must become mors and more artistic, i. e., possess the genuiue art quality. The United Btatea every year continúes to pay milliuns to superior artlats and artisaug of other countries. Every cout of this represents a foreign tax, voluntarily paid, simplr in con6equence of ignorance and wn of skill." No ono will question the ahility of the American workruan or American manufacturar to learn. It is siinily a question of developmeut, of education. Shall we allow our workmen, our handworkerg, our manufacturers, to be forced into the more poorly paid aveuues of life, where little or no taste or skill is required, until the higher faculties, tliose facultics which more than any other separate the man from the brute - become dulled - from want of proper exercise, and they join the vast army of ignorant laboréis, or bocome a part of boine great soulless machine, a servant to a thing, and from childhood to old afie doomed to make tbc iufinleeimal part of something in which he takes no Interest and of which he probably doe not even kuow the use t R. C. Wilbt. Thu tui represeniuu above shows a group of clustered columns supporting the massive porch of th museum facade. The ehaftó are of polished granite and the capitals are elaborately culptured in an:tM'quc. One of me eupporting columns of the gallery is represent eil by thls cut. It stands out somewhat more prouiinently ttaan its iellows, and is in itscll a work of art which wfll do no discredit to its surroundingfc

Article

Subjects
Ann Arbor Courier
Old News