202 ESSAYS IN PHILOSOPHY 



and the proper form of religion and morality is 

 exhortation and command ; but that of art is simply 

 the directest embodiment of its theme as the theme 

 itself requires. Assured that the theme is compati- 

 ble with the ideal nature of art, the artist knows 

 that it will justify itself and work its own work, if it 

 can only find expression in its natural embodiment. 



The theme and its right embodiment stand to him 

 as their own end ; his sole business is to give them 

 free being. He has faith in his art, faith in the 

 substance of his theme, and faith in the power of 

 its own self-determined form to make its worth and 

 meaning clear. It stands in need of no assistance 

 from the explanation that belongs to science, or the 

 exhortation that belongs to religion. Nor has it 

 any need or intention to instruct for instruction's 

 sake, or to exhort for the sake of edification. It has 

 what we may dare to call a higher aim. It will 

 render its theme as the theme is, sure that the 

 inward worth which makes the thing of beauty a joy 

 forever will shine by its own light, and that instruc- 

 tion and edification will take care of themselves. 

 So far as the artist entertains any other motive than 

 the exactly fit expression of his fit theme, so far will 

 he surely fall short of his artist's aim ; for the pres- 

 ence of the foreign motive, however moral or judi- 

 cious it may be, will certainly distract his attention 

 from the essential demands of his theme, and mem- 



