422 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



[May 15, 1885. 



manufactures; and tlio Japanese rarely make two sides of any- 

 thing entirely symmetrical, except at most in the extreme outline. 

 Thus, in a cabinet he makes one door higher than the other, and in 

 these articles of taste every drawer is of different size, and every 

 surface of different ornament. Among the superior middle-class a 

 lady devotes great attention to the taste of her drawing-room, and 

 I think every one must admit the prevailing good taste in this. 

 And if we mark the instances of bad taste, it is generally from 

 stiffness — geometrical or symmetrical patterns of the carpet and 

 paper. Pictures placed in perfect order, commonly one large 

 picture and a pair each side at equal distance and height, table in 

 centre of room, sofa with a similar chair on each side, &c., whereas 

 great taste may be found where symmetry is strictly avoided. 

 Trom observation, I think certain conditions of good taste may be 

 defined. 1. An article should be adapted to the purpose it is 

 intended for. 2. Prevailing ornamental parts should refer to plea- 

 sant associations in nature — thus, the female figure in early woman- 

 hood, merry children, swans, deer, flowers, or combinations of 

 these, always placed in ]irofile, or partly so, not to appear of sym- 

 metrical outline unless there is great projection so as to obtain 

 oblique view. 3. Natural or semi-natural objects adapted to art 

 ingeniously. W. P. Stanlkv. 



"DE GUSTIBUS." 



[1709] — May I trouble you with a few comments on the instances 

 adduced by " An Old Draughtsman" in support of his theory con- 

 cerning the principles of taste (letter 1081) ? 



Pig. 1. This sketch is unsatisfactory owing to the, to say the 

 least of it, dispiriting association of ideas it calls forth. Fig. 2. 

 In all the great examples of the Ionic order the two volutes of the 

 capital are symmetrical ; therefore, as the eye will not approve of 

 tampering with old associations unless the necessity is manifest, the 

 form shown in the sketch is displeasing. Pig. 3. This raises a question 

 of taste wherein tlie tastes of many people of unquestionable taste 

 would certainly not coincide. Pig. 4. For very obvious constructional 

 reasons, it is preferable that the two sides of the nave of a church 

 should be symmetrical, but a comparatively trifling modification of 

 this sketch would turn it into a decent side aisle. Fig. 5. Although 

 this certainly appears a bad design for a bird, there are many most 

 magnificent works of art both in the precious metals and in clay 

 that are but modifications of this same type. Fig. 13. As stiff-leaved 

 foliage growing downwards is rather uncommon, the associations 

 physical as well as architectural are much against this design. 

 Pig. 7. If for some especial purpose a rudder at each end was 

 found desirable, the appearance of a vessel so built would not 

 necessarily be distasteful. As a matter of fact, many beautiful 

 little vessels, having no rudders at all, are alike at each end. 

 Pig. 8. Although in a large church the extremities are not usually 

 symmetrically dispi'sed, they are so in many other buildings 

 equally magnificent; and, even in the case of a church, you may 

 commonly be able to find a not ineft'ective point of view from 

 which the visible extremities appear fairly balanced. 



I have ventured to take separately each example submitted by 

 " An Old Draughtsman," and to view it from a rather different 

 standpoint. In doing so I find that these same examples do not 

 then support his theory. I believe that if ten, twenty, or a thou- 

 sand different persons each chose 'a position from which to consider 

 the lessons to be derived from these sketches, then ten, twentj', 

 or a thousand different theories on the principles of taste, would 

 infallibly be evolved. J. B. C. 



LETTERS RECEIVED AND SUORT ANSWERS. 



Thomas Ayers. It by no means follows that Dr. Lommcl ever 

 heard of your theory. There is nothing in the chapter to which 

 you refer which he may not have derived from Young, Herschel, 

 Scguin, Mayer, &c. Of course, there have been floods, local and 

 partial, at all periods of the earth's history, and of such as have 

 occurred since man's advent on earth tradition would naturally 

 hand down accounts, more or less exagger.ated, in every country in 

 which they had happened. Your watch-escapement invention only 

 affoi-ds another illustration of the " tulit alter honores" of Virgil. 

 — William Rice, E. Weight. Received. — E. P. is anxious that 

 Mr. Grant Allen should furnish an article on the formation of 

 branches, describing the part of the tree in which they have their 

 origin, how young shoots are formed on the hard bark of an old 

 tree-trunk, &c. — Dr. Lewins. You will see how, once for all, your 

 reiterated exposition of your theory has found a place in our 

 correspondence columns. — A. J. W. As you requested, I sent your 

 letter on to "F.R A.S.," who, in reply, says: " I myself ohservcil 

 the transit of Jupiter's Ilird Satellite on Saturday night, but did 

 not turn the telescope on to the planet until after ingress had 

 occurred, when the Satellite was invisible. I left the instrument 

 at 8b. 30m., returning to it at 9h. 35m., when the Satellite was 



plainly seen as a dark (though not black) spot, not quite half way 

 across on the Northern Equatorial belt, and jnst within its northern 

 edge. The dark marking on the Southern belt of which your 

 correspondent speaks was also very plainly visible. By lOh. 15m. 

 the Satellite had travelled past the Central Meridian of the planet, 

 and was by this time to nmch darker, that an inexperienced ob- 

 server might well have been excused for mistaking it for a shadow, 

 instead of a Satellite at all. I did not wait for the egress." The 

 instrument employed was a larger and more powerful one than 

 yours. The sequence of phenomena you observed is the usual one. 

 The llird and lA'th Satellites ordinarily enter on to Jupiter's 

 limb as tiny bright discs, disappear, save in the very largest instru- 

 ments, for a longer or shorter interval, and then reappear when well 

 on to Jupiter's disc, as dark or even black spots; the phenomena re- 

 curring in reverse order, at egress. It was the departure from this all 

 but invariable apparition which conferred such interest on the obser- 

 vation of Dr. Spitta, kindly communicated iu Letter 1687 (p. 378) 

 by Captain Noble. — W. Just so, but you see that " Holmdale " 

 does not possess a telescope mounted at all in the fashion necessary 

 to determine the meridian by an observation of Polaris. Imprimis 

 it must have a truly vertical motion in altitude ; next a system 

 of cross wires to dehne the line of coUimation ; and, lastly, means 

 of illuminating those wires. Of course, by " noon " is meant 

 apparent noon, or the instant of the sun's transit over the meridian, 

 and not meaji. noon at all. No reference to a clock is needed in the 

 method recommended for " Holmdale's " adoption. As for the 

 difficulty of describing circles ronnd a given point on a flat board, 

 sticking a knitting-needle into their common centre, and levelling 

 the board, a piair of compasses and a carpenter's square and 

 level are all the apparatus needed. By the bye, what yon say 

 about the shadow of the top of the needle suggests to me to 

 add that a piece of card at the top of the needle with 

 a pin-hole in it would give a better-defined point on the 

 circumference of either of the circles. Now for your improved 

 method. Let "Holmdale" provide himself with a telescope, fitted 

 as I have described above, and then (to copy your directions), "On 

 the 19th inst. the Pole Star will be exactly north from Cheltenham 

 at 9h. 25m. 10s. p.m. (or at 21h. 25m. 10s., if you prefer it so), 

 Greenwich time. Get it into the centre of the field of your tele- 

 scope." Noting particularly that, to attain anything approach- 

 ing accuracy, this centre must, as I have said above, be defined 

 by cross wires, you should have gone on to add that " Holm- 

 dale" must lower the telescope (in a truly vertical line) 

 until some terrestrinl object is on the intersection of the 

 wires, and that then a line drawn from such point to the point 

 on which a plumb-line dependent from the optical centre of the 

 telescope falls will be the meridian. The ease and simplicity of 

 your method will commend itself at once to an observer possessing 

 no apparatus whatever! It is fully evident that your theoretical 

 knowledge of astronomy considerably exceeds your practical 

 acquaintance with it. — An Ally of " K.n'owledge." By means of 

 an alcoholometer— a weighted glass bulb with a graduated 

 stem, which, upon immersion in a mixture of alcohol and 

 water, shows thn percentage of the former by volume at once 

 by inspection. — P. W. Rudler. Received with thanks. — John 

 Reed suggests that a scale should have been appended to 

 the plan of the Inventions Exhibition, on p. 373. Possibly the 

 writer of the article which it illustrates may be able to supply this. 

 — T. C. I will have some inquiry made, but it must be borne in 

 mind that the mere appearance of an advertisement in the columns 

 devoted to that purpose can, in no way whatever, be held as afford- 

 ing any guarantee of its bonajidcs. It is a purely business matter, 

 entirely distinct from the literary portion of the paper itself 

 proper, and with which the conductor has nothing whatever to do. 

 Do you suppose that the Editor of the Timea pledges himself to the 

 truth of the cures alleged to be effected by quack medicines 

 advertised on the outside sheet of his paper ? — Senex asks for some 

 lighter and more portable instrument than the usual heavy hand- 

 lens to aid him in reading. Will anj' correspondent kindly say 

 where such a contrivance can be procured '^ — W.^lter P. Poing- 

 iiESTKE. Many thanks, but I have an inexorable rule not to admit 

 poetry, either light or serious. Why not try one of the comic 

 papers with yours ; it is sufficiently clever. — Hallyakds. Your 

 estimate of Mi.^s Naden's ability, high as it is, is none too high. 

 The MSS. returned much too long; nor is the form in which they 

 are cast suitable for insertion. Condensation, and not diffusion, is 

 what is needed in the correspondence columns here. I also return 

 your letter on a remarkable phenomenon. To admit that would be 

 to open a floodgate of the mostunj)rofitable possible discussion. Are 

 you thoroughly sure that Maskelyne was not quietly " humbugging " 

 that interviewer? — James Gillespie. You must really forgive me 

 if I say that your hypothesis (or, as you call it, theory) is down- 

 right hopeless, irredeemable nonsense. Wrong even in yonr 

 elementary facts, you are, if possible, more so in your inferences. 



