that the eye is bound to follow and admire them to the exclusion 

 of anything hung upon them ; and that, while there is not a 

 painting in the world that would not suffer partial eclipse from 

 the restlessness of the elaborate wall pattern behind it, the rhythm 

 of the flowing and continuous design of the paper is itself disturbed 

 and broken up, by the introduction of the picture. 



It must, therefore, be conceded by even his greatest admirers, 

 that Morris's theory and practice in wall decorations were inimical 

 rather than helpful, to what is generally known as high art and 

 it is not altogether surprising that his wall-papers, beautiful as 

 they are, have more or less gone out of fashion. 



Though not its founder, Morris was a distinguished member of 

 the " Art Workers' Guild," which now, after many years of vivid 

 life, during which it has counted in its ranks numerous artists and 

 handicraftsmen of note, is as much alive as ever. 



In natural sequence to this there followed " The Arts and 

 Crafts Exhibition Society," which Morris did not found, but which 

 he soon actively supported. Space does not admit, nor does, 

 properly speaking, the scope of this book allow me to more than 

 briefly mention these, and other developments of ideas connected 

 with the improvements of art, and of the condition of the workman, 

 which, as a matter of fact, had originated years before with Ruskin, 

 as Morris, whose admiration for the great teacher and author, was 

 sincere and deep, would have gladly acknowledged. 



About 1890 the Kelmscott Press started working on the Upper 

 Mall in a cottage contiguous to Kelmscott House. To revive the let- 

 tering of the best periods, e.g., the perfected Roman type as seen in 

 the admirable work of the Venetian printers of the fifteenth century, 

 seemed to him as worthy of vast expenditure of time and labour 

 as was anything else he had taken up and carried to perfection. 

 He was tremendously excited about it ; the designing and cutting 

 of the letters, the quality of the specially-made paper, all absorbed 

 his attention. He himself went down to Little Chart, near Ashford, 

 with Mr. Emery Walker, to superintend the making of the paper, 

 and characteristically took off his coat and tried to make a sheet 

 with his own hands, and at the second attempt he succeeded in 

 doing very creditably what it is usually supposed must take a 

 man several months to master. 



About this time Morris, disapproving of the anarchist tendencies 



290 



