222 TEXTILK AKT IN KELATION TO FORM AND OKNAMENT. 



miic'li of tlie segregating and aggregating forces or tendencies belongs 

 to the techniqixe of the art and how mucli to the direct esthetic super- 

 vision of the luiiii,-ni ji-cnt. quostinns as to idodi^'raphic influence being 

 for the present <iiiiitttM|. This is a (lifliciilt pnilileiu to deal with, and 

 I sliall not attempt more here than tn point out the apparent teach- 

 ings of the examples studied. 



The desires of the mind constitute tlie motive power, tlie force that 

 gives rise to all progress in art; the ajjpreciatiou of beauty and the 

 desire to increase it are the cause of all progress in purely decorative 

 elaboration. It appears, however, that there is in the mind no pre- 

 conceived idea of what that elaboration should be. The mind is a 

 growing thing and is led forward along the pathways laid out by 

 environment. Seeking in art gratification of an esthetic kind it 

 follows the lead of technique along the channels opened by such of 

 the useftil arts as offer suggestions of embellishment. The results 

 reached vary with the arts and are imijortant in ])t()|Mirti()n to the 

 facilities furnished by the arts. As I have already amidy shown, 

 the textile art possesses vast advantages over all othei' arts in this 

 respect, as it is first in the field, of widest application, full of sugges- 

 tions of embellishment, and inexorably fixed in its methods of expres- 

 sion. The mind in its primitive, mobile condition is as clay in the 

 grasp of techniqtie. 



A close analysis of the forces and the influences inherent in the 

 art will be instructive. For the sake of simplicity I exclude from 

 consideration all but purely mechanical or non-ideographic elements. 

 It will be observed that order, uniformity, symmetry, are among 

 til 3 first lessons of the textile art. From the very beginning the 

 workman finds it necessary to direct his attention to these consider- 

 ations in the preparation of his material as well as in the building of 

 his iitensils. If parts em^jloyed in construction are multiple they must 

 be uniform, and to reach definite results (presupposing always a de- 

 mand for such results), either in form or ornament, there must be a 

 constant counting of numbers and adjusting to spaces. The most 

 fundamental and constant elements embodied in textile art and avail- 

 able foftl xpressionof embellislimciit are the miniiti' steps of the 



intersections or liindings; the most necessary and constant eondjina- 

 tion of these elements is in continuous lines or in rows of isolated 

 figures; the most necessary and constant directions for these combi- 

 nations are with the web and I In' woof, oi' with llieir eomplenn^idaries, 

 the diagonals. If lar-e .neas ai'e coveriMl ci'i-tain se|)aiatioH or aggre- 

 gation of the elements intcj larger units is calhMl tor. as otherwise 

 absolute sameness woidd result. Such separation or aggregation 

 conforms to the construction lines of the fabric, as any other arrange- 

 ment would be unnatural and difficult of accomplishment. When 

 the elements or units combine in continuous zones, bands, or rays 

 they are placed side by side in simjsle juxtaposition or are united 



