A SCHOOL OF ART AND THE COMMUNITY. 473 



support of the head teacher and assistant masters of the town 

 schools. Every opportunity must be taken to bring the work of 

 the school before the teachers, and demonstrations and lectures 

 concerning the exhibits in the school museum and art gallery 

 might be arranged. Loans to teachers of books, photographs, and 

 models help to make a common interest, and circulating loans of 

 good drawings, craftwork, lettering and paintings not only help to 

 raise the standard of work in the schools, but suggest a further 

 course of work at the art school. 



Having created an interest, and, I hope, a desire on the part 

 of some to take up some occupation which would involve an art 

 training, how are we to encourage pupils to attend the school ? 

 In the first place we must offer a curriculum which shall be 

 acknowledged by authorities and employers; secondly, by establish- 

 ing small bursaries, a number of students may be enabled to 

 attend full time. This may appear to be a very costly business, 

 but one must consider that the larger the classes the more th; 

 Government grant is likely to be. 



In dealing with our second class, the artizans, the best method 

 of approach is through the various societies and unions of their 

 particular trades or crafts. It is most important that the interest 

 and support of the societies be gained, and when once the membeis 

 feel that they have a definite interest in the school's welfare it is 

 not a difficult matter to get hold of students. 



The general public is a much more difficult section to get into 

 touch with. I have already mentioned the matter of lectures. 

 The press may be utilised in this direction ; not only should the 

 matter affect the school and its aims be written up, but general 

 subjects which affect the town directly and indirectly, for example 

 the historic review of memorials, designs for tombstones, town- 

 plantiing, public parks, laying out of gardens, street hoardings; 

 advertisements, street signs, and art movements in our own and 

 other countries. It must be remembered that — 



"Art is not a matter of picture exhibitions, or a few statues 



dumped down in our towns, but Art is all worthy work — gardening, 



boot-making, building, and sometimes, perhaps, picture painting. 



too." 



It is not merely a question of poetry and painting, but of shops, 

 factories, house-keeping, town-building, etc. The delight in 

 beauty comes as a reward of right work. It is the craftsman who 

 "maintains the fabric of the world," so it is to the benefit and 

 welfare of any community to help and maintain such a class in 

 every possible form. 



"So is every artificer and workmaster that passeth his time 

 by night as by day: they that cut gravings of signets, and his 

 diligence is to make great variety, he will set his heart to pre- 

 serve likeness in his portraiture, and will be wakeful to finish 

 his work. So is the smith sitting by the anvil and considering 

 the unwrought iron: the vapour of the fire will waste his flesh, 

 and in the heat of the furnace will he wrestle with his work : 

 the noise of the hammer will be ever in his ear, and his eyes are 

 upon the pattern of the vessel ; he will set his heart upon per- 

 fecting his works, and he will be wakeful to adorn them perfectly. 



