seemtohavereachedacountrydevastatedbywarorpestilence。Itisreallysufferingonlyfromthefamily。WillanyonepretendthatEnglandhasnotthebestofthisstrikingdifference?Yetitissuchsenselessandunnaturalconventionsasthisthatmakeussoimpatientofwhatwecallfamilyfeeling。Evenapartfromitsinsufferablepretensions，thefamilyneedsheartydiscrediting；forthereishardlyanyvulnerablepartofitthatcouldnotbeamputatedwithadvantage。
ArtTeachingByartteachingIhastentosaythatIdonotmeangivingchildrenlessonsinfreehanddrawingandperspective。Iamsimplycallingattentiontothefactthatfineartistheonlyteacherexcepttorture。Ihavealreadypointedoutthatnobody，exceptunderthreatoftorture，canreadaschoolbook。Thereasonisthataschoolbookisnotaworkofart。Similarly，youcannotlistentoalessonorasermonunlesstheteacherorthepreacherisanartist。YoucannotreadtheBibleifyouhavenosenseofliteraryart。ThereasonwhythecontinentalEuropeanis，totheEnglishmanorAmerican，sosurprisinglyignorantoftheBible，isthattheauthorizedEnglishversionisagreatworkofliteraryart，andthecontinentalversionsarecomparativelyartless。
Toreadadullbook；tolistentoatediousplayorprosysermonorlecture；tostareatuninterestingpicturesoruglybuildings:nothing，shortofdisease，ismoredreadfulthanthis。Theviolencedonetooursoulsbyitleavesinjuriesandproducessubtlemaladieswhichhaveneverbeenproperlystudiedbypsycho-pathologists。Yetwearesoinuredtoitinschool，wherepracticallyalltheteachersareborestryingtodotheworkofartists，andallthebooksartless，thatweacquireatrulyfrightfulpowerofenduringboredom。Weevenacquirethenotionthatfineartislasciviousanddestructivetothecharacter。Inchurch，intheHouseofCommons，atpublicmeetings，wesitsolemnlylisteningtoboresandtwaddlersbecausefromthetimewecouldwalkorspeakwehavebeensnubbed，scolded，bullied，beatenandimprisoned
wheneverwedaredtoresentbeingboredortwaddledat，ortoexpressournaturalimpatienceandderisionofboresandtwaddlers。Andwhenamanariseswithasoulofsufficientnativestrengthtobreakthebondsofthisinculcatedreverenceandtoexposeandderideandtweakthenosesofourhumbugsandpanjandrums，likeVoltaireorDickens，weareshockedandscandalized，evenwhenwecannothelplaughing。Worse，wedreadandpersecutethosewhocanseeanddeclarethetruth，becausetheirsincerityandinsightreflectsonourdelusionandblindness。WearealllikeNellGwynne\'sfootman，whodefendedNell\'sreputationwithhisfists，notbecausehebelievedhertobewhathecalledanhonestwoman，butbecauseheobjectedtobescornedasthefootmanofonewhowasnobetterthansheshouldbe。
Thiswretchedpowerofallowingourselvestobeboredmayseemtogivethefineartsachancesometimes。PeoplewillsitthroughaperformanceofBeethoven\'sninthsymphonyorofWagner\'sRingjustastheywillsitthroughadullsermonorafrontbenchpoliticiansayingnothingfortwohourswhilsthisunfortunatecountryisperishingthroughthedelayofitsbusinessinParliament。Buttheirenduranceisverybadfortheninthsymphony，becausetheyneverhisswhenitismurdered。IhaveheardanItalianconductornolongerlivingtakethe_adagio_ofthatsymphonyatalively_allegretto_，slowingdownforthewarmermajorsectionsintothespeedandmanneroftheheroine\'sdeathsonginaVerdiopera；andthelisteners，farfromrelievingmyexcruciationbyrisingwithyellsoffuryandhurlingtheirprogramsandoperaglassesatthemiscreant，behavedjustastheydowhenRichterconductsit。Themassofimposturethatthrivesonthiscombinationofignorancewithdespairingenduranceisincalculable。Givenapublictrainedfromchildhoodtostandanythingtedious，andsosaturatedwithschooldisciplinethatevenwiththedoorsopenandnoschoolmasterstostopthemtheywillsittherehelplesslyuntiltheendoftheconcertoroperagivesthemleavetogohome；andyouwillhaveingreatcapitalshundredsofthousandsofpoundsspenteverynightintheseasononprofessedlyartisticentertainmentswhichhavenoothereffectonfineartthantoexacerbatethehatredinwhichitisalreadysecretlyheldinEngland。