EDITOR'S TABLE. 



275 



subject. It was not without some sur- 

 prise, therefore, that we read in the 

 "Nation," of October 16th, a review 

 of this work, which, though in some 

 respects cordially appreciative, was in 

 important respects at variance with the 

 common verdict. The writer speaks 

 of the scientific character of the book 

 in a very pronounced way as "a work 

 so laden with untiring and skillful ob- 

 servation and so clear and easy to read, 

 that it is plainly destined to remain the 

 classical account of the color-sense for 

 many years to come." But before he 

 gets through he talks in so different a 

 strain as to occasion some perplexity 

 with reference to his real state of miad 

 upon the subject. 



The critic in the " Nation " raises 

 the question whether scientific inves- 

 tigation can be of use to artists, and 

 he assumes that Professor Rood be- 

 lieves it may be. That question, how- 

 ever, we do not here propose to con- 

 sider, but merely to show that the 

 writer in the " Nation " has been both 

 unfair and unfortunate in the examples 

 he cites as proof of the bad consequences 

 flowing from the assumption he attrib- 

 utes to Professor Rood. He says: "As 

 to the question whether scientific in- 

 vestigation is an aid to artistic produc- 

 tion or to artistic judgment, the author 

 seems to assume that it may be. In 

 the preface it is asserted that while 

 knowledge of the laws of color ' will 

 not enable people to become artists,' it 

 may help in artistic work. Now, wheth- 

 er this is so or not, there is no chance 

 to discuss in these columns, but a chap- 

 ter of Professor Rood's book might 

 well have been devoted to the exami- 

 nation of that question, and we regret 

 to find instead of such examination the 

 whole argument of the last two or three 

 chapters resting upon the assumption 

 of what we think ought to have been 

 proved." Again he says : " The last 

 chapter is devoted to the use of color 

 in painting and decoration ; and in this 

 the evident knowledge and right feel- 



ing of the author are made useless by 

 the false system adopted — the system 

 of arguing from assumed principles to 

 results instead of comparing results to- 

 gether with the view of establishing 

 principles." As an example of this 

 "false system," the fact is then pointed 

 out that four pages are devoted to state- 

 ments respecting the good, bad, and in- 

 different combinations of colors in pairs. 

 The fact is, however, that Professor 

 Rood has taken especial pains, in the 

 very instances selected, to explain that 

 the method complained of is precisely 

 the one he has not followed ; and that 

 the information contained in the tables 

 is not derived from scientific experi- 

 ments, but by observation of the results 

 of artistic experience. Professor Rood 

 has carefully guarded himself here in 

 the very opening paragraph of the chap- 

 ter " On the Combination of Colors in 

 Pairs and Triads." He there says : "In 

 the previous portion of this work we 

 have dealt with facts that are capable 

 of more or less rigorous demonstration ; 

 but we now encounter a great series of 

 problems that can not be solved by the 

 methods of the laboratory or by the aid 

 of a strictly logical process. Why a 

 certain combination of colors pleases us 

 or why we are left cold or even some- 

 what shocked by another arrangement, 

 are questions for which we can not al- 

 ways frame answers that are satisfac- 

 tory even to ourselves. There is no 

 doubt that helpful and harmful con- 

 trasts have a very great influence on 

 our decision, as will hereafter be pointed 

 out ; but, besides this, we are some- 

 times influenced by obscure and even 

 unknown considerations. Among these 

 may perhaps be found inherited ten- 

 dencies to Hke or dislike combinations 

 or even colors; influence of the gen- 

 eral color-atmosphere by which we are 

 surrounded ; training ; and also a more 

 or less delicate susceptibility. The au- 

 thor gives below, in the form of tables, 

 some of the results furnished by expe- 

 rience, and takes pleasure in acknowl- 



