IDENTIFICATION OF THE ARTISAN AND AETIST. 329 



there is not one of them, so far as Ilcnoic, icJiich has made any collection or 

 museum that might train the young men tcho are educated there in a famil- 

 iarity icith art. I do not think auy college iu either of our universities, 

 Eton, or any of the schools, keeps before the eyes of its young- men exam- 

 ples of painting, sculpture, and of other arts of design, which might 

 accustom them during their early years to admire and appreciate art, 

 and thus to contribute afterward their influence to elevate its character. 

 At the same time, I must observe with sincere pleasure that this is not 

 the case with our Catholic colleges; that, poor and unendowed as they 

 are, there is not one of them w^hich has not striven, at the same time 

 while it has provided itself with a library, far beyond the proportion of 

 its means, if compared with what others have done, to provide also some 

 works of art, and keep them constantly before the students. At Stony- 

 hurst there are many beautiful things, carving, lapidary, silver-work, 

 and jewelry, especially for church purposes. Ushaw, or St. Cuthbert's 

 College, near Durham, is another instance; the walls there are covered 

 with paintings, many of excellent masters, and engravings o* great 

 beauty; there is a museum filled with specimens of art; the sacristy of the 

 chapel is growing with proofs of the encouragement given there to 

 modern artists, as well as with carefully-collected specimens of ancient 

 art. 



I may be allowed to revert also to the days which I spent iu St. Mary's 

 College, at Oscott. There, through the munificence of a departed noble- 

 man, and under the guidance of the refined taste of the greatest artist of 

 this day, because a practical disciple of all the arts — Mr. Pugin — there 

 was collected a museum which would have been worthy of a larger estab- 

 lishment ; beautiful specimens of carving, of enameling, and metal- work 

 of every sort, so valuable that persons were sent from the department of 

 practical art on purpose to make molds and copies of the specimens; and 

 almost all the cloisters were covered with paintings, some by very respect- 

 able artists, and others good copies. The students were thus brought 

 up in familiarity with choice objects of art, which has had an influence 

 npon their lives since, and induced them to patronize and encourage art. 

 That collection, moreover, was, in the most liberal way, thrown open to 

 every one who chose to come and visit us ; we never saw any feeling of 

 narrow partisanship or exclusiveness of religious distinction; the house 

 used to be visited every day by parties of people from the neighborhood; 

 and nothing gave me greater pleasure than to see the young men who 

 used to come there, and who were permitted to walk freely through the 

 house. There was, at no great distance, a very considerable establish- 

 ment for education, richly endowed, and having everything that could 

 encourage the study of literature ; but it did not possess, as it appeared, 

 a single object of artistic interest within its walls; and often did the 

 students of that establishment come up to St. Mary's and roam freely 

 through it, and receive every courtesy. And that was at a time when 

 Oscott was considered almost the cente'r of a strong proselytizing ten- 

 dency, and I know that personally I was much more engaged in contro- 



