6 4 
KERAMIC STUDIO 
DESIGN FOR. TILE-CARAVEL (Treatment page i 
THE MISSION OF THE CRAFTS 
Charles F. Binns. 
IN view of the present revival of the Crafts the man in 
the street is asking "What is it for?" and the question 
is perfectly reasonable. It is probable, nay, certain, that 
a large number of those practicing crafts do not themselves 
know why. Begun perhaps as a fad or a fashion, perhaps 
for want of something to do, the fascination of the work 
has taken hold until "the joy of the working" is experienced 
and then, for that particular case, no reason is required. 
But this is far from being sufficient to point out the real 
mission of the crafts. To understand the purpose one 
must realize the need. 
The halcyon days of the crafts were in the time when 
every workman was an artist and every artist a workman, 
when gain was of less importance than quality and things 
were made to endure. The spirit of commercialism changed 
this and resulted in large production at low cost. This 
placed low priced wares at the command of the multitude 
and luxury, in the sense of the ownership of many things, 
rapidly increased. Consequently the value of workman- 
ship was lowered and the purchaser was satisfied with 
machine-made ornament. Naturally, then, excessive adorn- 
ment became the rule, and art was divorced from industry. 
These are obvious truths and the reiteration of them but 
paves the way to a consideration of important problems. 
The American character is in the formative stage. A 
few years ago this could not have been stated and would 
not have been published, for the American people thought 
that they as a nation were complete and fully developed. 
They filled the position of the freshman who, as college 
boys say, "knows not and knows not that he knows not." 
Within the last two or three years, however, a great change 
has been wrought. American practice and method, prin- 
ciple and expression have been criticised in the public press 
as never before. The exposures of financial methods and 
the revelations of Boss rule to which readers are treated 
ad nauseam have only recently become possible. The 
people have reached the sophomore stage of comprehension, 
for he "knows not and knows that he knows not." 
In the formation of national character the Crafts have 
a distinct mission to perform and this will be best under- 
stood by a consideration of the needs of the nation and 
how they may be met by the manipulative arts. 
The needs are two, sincerity and simplicity, terms 
which are capable of wide application. 
It may seem a bold thing to say that the American 
people are insincere and the word is meant not so much as 
a personal, individual trait but as a definition of the general 
trend of life. The common practice of living beyond one's 
means, the lavish use of veneer and imitation in the indus- 
trial arts, the general desire to be accepted at a fictitious 
valuation, these are indications of insincerity. Or if the 
