THE FACT OF BEAUTY . 281 



soon to close the door on inquiry into the evolution of aBsthetic 

 emotion. 



We have to remember also that from time to time value 

 has been given to the beautiful by linking it to love. Shapes, 

 patterns, colours, lights, fragrance, movements, perhaps orig- 

 inating for constitutional reasons, as decorative exuberances 

 arise even in complete darkness, come to be seized upon by 

 selection and brought into the service of preferential mating. 

 To this difficult subject we shall return in Chapter XIV. 

 We simply refer to it now because it suggests one of the 

 ways in which interest in the beautiful might have been cul- 

 tivated historically in pre-human days. 



Another point worthy perhaps of consideration is that 

 aesthetic emotion is its own evolutionary reward, since the 

 feeling has a quite noteworthy unifying value in the develop- 

 ment of personality, and in its communicability has been, 

 especially in music, an important socialising factor. This 

 idea has been elaborated in the work of Guyau — that enthu- 

 siastic evolutionist philosopher — who recognised the impor- 

 tance of the Beautiful and of Art in adding social sympathy 

 to social synergy. A common admiration and delight helps 

 to produce a community of feeling and sentiment. 



To speak of the evolutionary value of being pleased with 

 beautiful things does not involve the heresy of suggesting 

 that we like beautiful things because of an ulterior reward. 

 The delight is its own reward. But there is no real difficulty 

 here, for an activity, like play, which is exercised for its 

 own sake, may none the less have survival value. Beyond 

 and deeper than this utilitarian interpretation, however, 

 there is the idea — difficult, we confess, to state — that just 

 as a beautiful organic ornament seems often of no use to 

 its possessor, but is an expression of a harmonious life, so 



