﻿THE 
  FACT 
  OF 
  BEAUTY 
  281 
  

  

  soon 
  to 
  close 
  the 
  door 
  on 
  inquiry 
  into 
  the 
  evolution 
  of 
  sesthetic 
  

   emotion. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  to 
  remember 
  also 
  that 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  value 
  

   has 
  been 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  beautiful 
  by 
  linking 
  it 
  to 
  love. 
  Shapes, 
  

   patterns, 
  colours, 
  lights, 
  fragrance, 
  movements, 
  perhaps 
  orig- 
  

   inating 
  for 
  constitutional 
  reasons, 
  as 
  decorative 
  exuberances 
  

   arise 
  even 
  in 
  complete 
  darkness, 
  come 
  to 
  be 
  seized 
  upon 
  by 
  

   selection 
  and 
  brought 
  into 
  the 
  service 
  of 
  preferential 
  mating. 
  

   To 
  this 
  difficult 
  subject 
  we 
  shall 
  return 
  in 
  Chapter 
  XIV. 
  

   We 
  simply 
  refer 
  to 
  it 
  now 
  because 
  it 
  suggests 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   ways 
  in 
  which 
  interest 
  in 
  the 
  beautiful 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  cul- 
  

   tivated 
  historically 
  in 
  pre-human 
  days. 
  

  

  Another 
  point 
  worthy 
  perhaps 
  of 
  consideration 
  is 
  that 
  

   aesthetic 
  emotion 
  is 
  its 
  own 
  evolutionary 
  reward, 
  since 
  the 
  

   feeling 
  has 
  a 
  quite 
  noteworthy 
  unifying 
  value 
  in 
  the 
  develop- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  personality, 
  and 
  in 
  its 
  communicability 
  has 
  been, 
  

   especially 
  in 
  music, 
  an 
  important 
  socialising 
  factor. 
  This 
  

   idea 
  has 
  been 
  elaborated 
  in 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  Guyau 
  that 
  enthu- 
  

   siastic 
  evolutionist 
  philosopher 
  who 
  recognised 
  the 
  impor- 
  

   tance 
  of 
  the 
  Beautiful 
  and 
  of 
  Art 
  in 
  adding 
  social 
  sympathy 
  

   to 
  social 
  synergy. 
  A 
  common 
  admiration 
  and 
  delight 
  helps 
  

   to 
  produce 
  a 
  community 
  of 
  feeling 
  and 
  sentiment. 
  

  

  To 
  speak 
  of 
  the 
  evolutionary 
  value 
  of 
  being 
  pleased 
  with 
  

   beautiful 
  things 
  does 
  not 
  involve 
  the 
  heresy 
  of 
  suggesting 
  

   that 
  we 
  like 
  beautiful 
  things 
  because 
  of 
  an 
  ulterior 
  reward. 
  

   The 
  delight 
  is 
  its 
  own 
  reward. 
  But 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  real 
  difficulty 
  

   here, 
  for 
  an 
  activity, 
  like 
  play, 
  which 
  is 
  exercised 
  for 
  its 
  

   own 
  sake, 
  may 
  none 
  the 
  less 
  have 
  survival 
  value. 
  Beyond 
  

   and 
  deeper 
  than 
  this 
  utilitarian 
  interpretation, 
  however, 
  

   there 
  is 
  the 
  idea 
  difficult, 
  we 
  confess, 
  to 
  state 
  that 
  just 
  

   as 
  a 
  beautiful 
  "organic 
  ornament 
  seems 
  often 
  of 
  no 
  use 
  to 
  

   its 
  possessor, 
  but 
  is 
  an 
  expression 
  of 
  a 
  harmonious 
  life, 
  so 
  

  

  