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  THE 
  FACT 
  OF 
  BEAUTY 
  

  

  sons. 
  Thus 
  an 
  ellipse 
  with 
  its 
  axes 
  in 
  the 
  proportion 
  5 
  : 
  3 
  

   has 
  been 
  recorded 
  as 
  very 
  pleasing 
  since 
  300 
  B.C. 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  

   golden 
  or 
  divine 
  section 
  ; 
  it 
  leads 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  mystic 
  pentagram. 
  

   But 
  why 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  pleasing 
  than 
  other 
  ellipses, 
  or 
  than 
  a 
  

   rectangle, 
  who 
  can 
  tell 
  us 
  ? 
  The 
  eye 
  registers 
  certain 
  forms 
  

   with 
  pleasure; 
  there 
  are 
  lines 
  that 
  flow 
  and 
  shapes 
  that 
  sing. 
  

   The 
  approximate 
  logarithmic 
  spirals, 
  so 
  common 
  throughout 
  

   organic 
  nature, 
  for 
  instance 
  in 
  horns 
  and 
  cones, 
  in 
  shells 
  

   and 
  buds, 
  are 
  peculiarly 
  pleasing. 
  

  

  Perhaps 
  this 
  depends 
  in 
  part 
  on 
  racial 
  education. 
  For 
  

   racially 
  we 
  were 
  brought 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  country, 
  and 
  grew 
  up 
  

   more 
  appreciative 
  of 
  rounded 
  surfaces 
  than 
  of 
  sharp 
  corners. 
  

   When 
  we 
  get 
  beyond 
  the 
  domain 
  of 
  the 
  inorganic, 
  Nature 
  

   is 
  on 
  the 
  whole 
  a 
  world 
  of 
  curves. 
  We 
  were 
  brought 
  up 
  

   on 
  curves. 
  Perhaps 
  certain 
  dominant 
  associations 
  of 
  very 
  

   early 
  origin 
  linked 
  curves 
  and 
  pleasure 
  together. 
  Even 
  our 
  

   photographic 
  plate 
  our 
  retina 
  is 
  a 
  beautiful 
  curved 
  sur- 
  

   face, 
  and 
  this 
  may 
  have 
  something 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  our 
  dislike 
  

   of 
  the 
  angular. 
  

  

  Among 
  organisms 
  we 
  like 
  best 
  those 
  with 
  flowing 
  lines, 
  

   which 
  repeat 
  one 
  another 
  rhythmically; 
  which 
  conspire, 
  as 
  

   Lessing 
  said, 
  to 
  one 
  effect; 
  which 
  are 
  readily 
  summed 
  up; 
  

   which 
  compose. 
  We 
  are 
  apt 
  to 
  be 
  less 
  pleased 
  with 
  asym- 
  

   metrical 
  animals 
  (like 
  snails), 
  top-heavy 
  animals 
  (like 
  horn- 
  

   bills), 
  disproportionately 
  lanky 
  animals 
  (like 
  ostriches), 
  not 
  

   that 
  any 
  of 
  these 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  artistically 
  apologised 
  for. 
  We 
  

   are 
  least 
  inclined 
  to 
  admire 
  creatures 
  whose 
  architectural 
  

   plan 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  grasp, 
  which 
  are 
  distracting 
  conundrums, 
  

   or 
  those 
  which 
  are 
  too 
  prolonged 
  and 
  monotonous 
  in 
  their 
  

   repetition 
  (like 
  millipedes), 
  or 
  those 
  which 
  startle 
  our 
  per- 
  

   ceptual 
  conventionalities 
  (like 
  the 
  Indian 
  Ocean 
  fish 
  which 
  

   has 
  a 
  window 
  right 
  through 
  it). 
  But 
  our 
  point 
  is 
  simply 
  

  

  