A SCHOOL OF ART AND THE COMMUNITY. 469' 



decoration of the schools, the pictures, the printing of stationery, 

 notices, and books used by educational authorities. The authori- 

 ties consult their engineer, treasurer or surveyor on matters; 

 peculiar to their departments, but they rarely think of using the 

 art master — who is also a public servant — on matters relating to 

 his profession. It is no more costly to have matter printed in 

 legible types and set up in an orderly manner, or the class room 

 decorated in a harmonious way. In far too many instances there 

 is no evidence of any thought or brain work displayed on the part 

 of those who set up the type, or any consideration given to the- 

 selection of school pictures and their arrangement on the walls of 

 the school. 



Short talks may be given to the pupils in the upper standards 

 of the primary and secondary schools, dealing with the various 

 crafts, and the history of art generally. These should be corre 

 lated with history, geography or literature lessons. Get our boys 

 and girls to realise that the fertility of the Nile Valley made civi- 

 lisation possible, and so produced the ancient art of Egypt ; and' 

 that the rude construction of, say, Stonehenge, is but the building 

 principle of the Parthenon without its refinements. A Greek 

 temple of radiant marble, with its sculptured gods and goddesses, 

 its ordered plan and simple and expressive lines, is a reflection of 

 the mental development of the Greek race. Their whole art is the 

 counterpart of the investigations of Socrates concerning a defini- 

 tion. The imperial instinct of the Romans, and their mission to 

 conquer and rule, finds outward expression in Roman architecture, 

 not in Rome alone, but to the very outskirts of the empire. Tho 

 decline of this empire is written clearly in the language of art. 

 In the decoration of Santa Sophia, with its absence of the use of 

 the human figure, we still hear the echoes of the theological dis- 

 putes and arguments of the iconoclasts. The wonders of the 

 European cathedrals recall the height of the church power. The 

 Renaissance may be given its proper meaning, instead of remain- 

 ing a high-sounding word. The period which sent men forth to 

 explore the unknown seas and make navigation a scientific calling 

 gives us scientific architecture and sculpture. The advent of 

 machinery may be seen in the hopeless artistic state of the 19th 

 century, with its Gothic and Renaissance revivals. 



I believe that art viewed from this standpoint could be 

 advantageously introduced into our schools with the result that 

 the future generation will learn to regard the past with interest. 

 and to feel that expressing itself through any form of art would 

 be only carrying on a great tradition. This co-ordination with 

 the elementary schools is, to my mind, an essential, to assure the 

 community receiving full benefit from its art school. The fore- 

 going instruction naturally takes place outside the school of art, 

 and for its accomplishment the staff are the only ones affected. 



When considering the actual work within the school one of the 

 most important aspects to be regarded is the relation between 

 industry and the school curriculum. It is to be taken for granted 

 that the school is in close touch with the employers and employees 



