Section I. 
LITERATURE AND FINE ARTIS. 
President of the Section: Hon. J. W. Agnew, M.D., M.E.C. 
1.—ART IN DAILY LIFE. 
By Tuomas A. SIsLey. 
[ Adstract. | 
THE primary meaning of the word Art appears to be “ trained 
skill guided by intelligence ;” and it is also applied in a general 
sense to the various crafts which require trained skill, as well as 
to the results produced. Thus we speak of the art of the gold- 
smith or of the ironworker, of the art of painting, and of Japanese 
art. But the term has also acquired a special meaning, so that it 
is now commonly understood as referring to painting or sculpture, 
unless modifying words are used. Indeed, the notion is generally 
entertained in the present day that art has nothing to do with 
utility, being concerned only with embellishment. The phrase, 
“useful as well as ornamental,” shows the prevalence of this 
mischievous and quite erroneous idea. We hear also a good deal 
about art-furniture and art-fabrics—terms which imply the 
assumption that art is a thing to be super-added, and that we 
ought not to expect it,unless named in the specification. 
Now, it is my purpose to show, in the first place, that art not 
only can, but should be associated with utility—nay, more, that 
useful things will be all the more useful in proportion as they are 
truly artistic. The principle may be formulated in three canons, 
as follows :— 
1. The first artistic necessity is fitness. The beauty of an 
object will always depend on suitability to its right purpose or 
function. 
‘2. All ornament that interferes with fitness, or is inconsistent 
with it, is relatively bad, however beautiful in itself. 
3. Nothing, however beautiful, can be artistic unless when put 
to its right use amid its right surroundings. 
To which may be added the corollary that shams must always 
be wrong. 
It will, of course, be understood that I do not claim originality 
for the ideas involved in these three canons ; they are familiar to 
