168 



THE POPULAR EDUCATOR. 



be prepared by some process to receive the full impression of 

 everything connected with the object as it stands, or under any 

 condition in which it may be placed, and to recognise details 

 and peculiarities which, without a previous preparation, we 

 should inevitably pass over, totally ignorant of their existence. 



it comes to our rescue when doubts arise, all of which can be 

 satisfactorily disposed of by a knowledge of perspective. With- 

 out this knowledge, how very discouraging it is when wo at- 

 tempt to draw some large buildings, or a number of them 

 together, to find that we have no principles to guide us, hoping 



We maintain that a little scientific education reveals facts which 

 would otherwise be lost upon us. Consequently, we assert that 

 the surest and shortest way to " educate the eye " is to educate 

 the understanding, and one of the most effectual means for 

 accomplishing this is the study of geometrical perspective. 

 Experience in this branch of science strengthens our judgment 

 with regard to the true positions of lines, and, more than that, 



the drawing may be right in the end, but labouring all the 

 while in the greatest uncertainty, and dreading, at the same 

 time, that should our work come under the inspection of an 

 educated artist, he may detect many faults that might easily 

 have been avoided if we had previously studied the grammar of 

 the art. We do not say this to discourage, quite the reverse ; 

 we wish to prove the necessity of the course of study we recom- 



