KERAMIC STUDIO 
103 
history (natural or unnatural) or systems of religion. His 
first thought concerning it was to decorate— his next thought 
was to decorate — and his last and every thought between was 
always TO DECORATE — to enrich his surfaces with forms sug- 
gesting natural facts but never with the decorative function 
sunk in the pictorial. And how fertile his invention — how 
quaint his conventionalization — how satisfying his adaptation ; 
here a spot where the eye wishes it. but can assign no canoni- 
cal reason for expecting it ; there a plain space or a soothing 
repeat or diaper where we long for a rest, but from our experi- 
ence with Renaissance things fear we are not going to get it, 
Good Chinese decoration has the great distinction that it 
always entertains and never irritates. We may believe all our 
days that our Chinese teapot is awfully queer and ugly, but 
we do enjoy living with it more and more to the end, and 
then bequeath it by name to our coziest friend. 
A little study of Chinese ornament will dispel any notion 
of inherent ugliness in the "apples" of almond-eyes, and 
reveal certain beauties resulting from their peculiar angle of 
vision. The exquisite delicacy of brush work, as well as the 
glories of color and enamel must be imagined in our hard pen- 
line illustrations, which further suffer from dissection, being 
cut from large compositions in order to study them without 
the distraction of well-known mandarins, dragons and other 
celestial personages. What delightful impossibility in the 
architecture ; and with what pleasing respectfulness the flow- 
ers and fruits all turn their fronts towards the spectator. Ob- 
serve the ornamental treatment of the detail of stonework from 
the bridge. Admire the sublime escape from geological clas- 
sification as well as gravitation on the part of the rocks. And 
do not forget to approve the biped arrangement by which the 
trees maintain their position on the decorative terra ftrma. 
As the opera is an ideal world apart from the actual, so the 
Chinese decorative landscape is an ideal creation, a dream- 
world, which is eminently proper. It matters not that we 
cannot botanize the vegetation, or that the buildings have no 
other side — fancy is free from the trammels of the sordid 
actual. Let enjoyment reign supreme over this porcelain 
dreamland. 
Less spiritual than the Japanese, the Chinese decorator 
seizes the richer elements of rounded curve and square angle, 
creating with them a complete scheme of suggestive forms, 
flexible to every requirement. No sacred mountain, no in- 
spired pantheism forever haunts his vision, just the luxurious 
application of form to space is his business. If the Japanese 
may be considered "the French of Asia" in subtlety of refine- 
ment and taste, the Chinese may be called the Asiatic Dutch, 
taking an honest and plodding delight in the fair outside of 
things. And if Japanese art may be credited with a certain 
feeling for beauty of line analagous to the Greek ideal, then 
Chinese art, its predecessor, may be compared in its spirit to 
that of Persia and Assyria in which the decorative element 
was dominant, and rather to the advantage of the Celestial, 
for the Assyrian degraded natural forms by reducing them to 
ornament, while the Chinese evolves his suggestions of nature 
by the play of a fertile fancy from purely decorative elements. 
NATIONAL LEAGUE OF MINERAL PAINTERS 
Members of the Council : 
It is with genuine pleasure that I see the summer vaca- 
tion drawing to its close. I sincerely hope that we return 
entering upon our work with renewed enthusiasm and strength- 
ened resolution to employ every opportunity for progress that 
the approaching century offers. That the Council has not 
yet learned its value to the League and the important place 
that it occupies on its staff of officers is evinced by the small 
number of plans and propositions presented to the Board of 
■Managers. And because of this, I am making direct appeal 
to you. 
We are entering upon a year that demands clearer con- 
cepts of our work than ever before ; a year, too, that demands 
a more serious artistic expression from those who represent 
the National League of Mineral Painters. Your heartiest co- 
operation is needed to successfully and artistically meet these 
demands, especially in our international exhibition. 
The League is what the individual clubs make it. It was 
created from them, and draws its life force from them; and 
the fact that each council member has a sixteenth controlling 
interest in the League, should bring to us her active support. 
Before the present issue of this magazine, the Council will 
have received the Course of Study for the year. At the last 
conference of delegates held in Chicago, careful attention was 
given to various lines of work for 1899-1900. Information 
elicited showed that only one-half of the clubs had been able 
to use the subjects for monthly competition according to printed 
program. Plans for a more universal use of Study Course 
were discussed. The proposition which seemed to meet with 
most favor from those present was, that each club should, in 
its local annual exhibition, make a special exhibit of work 
drawn from and executed in accordance with the League 
Course of Study ; and that the special exhibits of these clubs 
be made a feature of our next annual League exhibition. It 
was decided to make no change in the subjects for original 
treatment issued last year. 
The competitive designs for a government table service 
will be called for January 1st, 1900. The names of the judges 
will be published in the preceding November, together with 
needful instructions for submitting these designs, which must 
be done in water color, upon sheets not exceeding 14x16. 
Any part of a table service may be selected, but the decora- 
tion must be adapted for, and shown upon, the article chosen. 
With the decision of the judges will be published the condi. 
tions to be observed in applying the approved designs to the 
china, the subsequent display of the decorated pieces in com- 
parative annual exhibition, and their final disposition. The 
Board of Managers will be glad of assistance from every coun- 
cil member in making this effort a worthy and acceptable 
addition to the historical china of the Executive Mansion. 
By request of the Board, I have forwarded the new sched- 
ules of Circular Letters for each club enrolled August 15th. 
Considerable time has been expended in obtaining the exact 
"Roll of Clubs," as the vacation found us with application 
papers taken out, but not filed. To prepare sixteen schedules 
so that not one clash may occur, requires considerable time 
also. The successful carrying out of this entire scheme 
rests with the Council. If one club fails to follow its sched- 
ule at the time laid down, the chain is broken, and the whole 
a tangle ! The circular letter started last year with enthusi- 
asm, but was soon demoralized. Who and where mattered 
little : the wheels were blocked. The newly enrolled clubs 
