The Claim of Decorative Art by Walter Crane 1892

Page 71

Art and Labour While apparently

fostering art

caring only for luxury

it

and destroys it, degraded and despised

really blights

and labour

;

59

is

under the commercial ideal of heaping up possession of which is a citizen respected

riches, according to

!

I

have

been described

socialism."

I

as

a

do not know how

" person deeply tainted with such an impression originated,

But thought that I was entirely gone that way long ago whether socialists or not, I think we must all feel that man has as I

!

become what he

by the development of his social the race would have become extinct, and therefore it is

instincts, or is

reasonable

to look forward to the attainment of a higher and a juster and

more human I

social life.

believe that

we cannot

stand

still,

and

I

for one

do not

want to go back. Intensely interesting as the study of past ages may be, and many the lessons we may lay to heart from the past life still

and experience of humanity, the

more I

possibilities

of the future are

fascinating.

one

for

am

not

satisfied

democracy, which, indeed,

I

with our

present

commercial

believe to be but a stage of evolution

something more real and complete. The aspiration for a true aspiration, but it has yet liberty, equality, and fraternity is I cannot for the life of me see how you can have to be realised. into

political

freedom without economic freedom.

If there

is

monopoly

of land and the means of subsistence, there must be slavery in some form, as well as pauperism.

The

world, however, cannot be changed

cut-and-dried working model of a society.

I

am

by a ready-made, scheme for the regeneration of

not going to attempt the impertinence of offering


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