ities in motion purely artistic dawn upon us with
ever-increasing light. And as in music it is the sonata, the waltz, or
the nocturne we must feel, not the mechanical process of our own
performance,--so in moving, it is the beautiful, natural harmonies of
the muscles, from the big rhythms to all the smaller ones, that we must
feel and make others feel, and not the mere mechanical grace of our
bodies; and we can move a sonata from the first to the last, changing
the time and holding the theme so that the soul will be touched through
the eye, as it is through the ear now in music. But, according to the
present state of the human body, more than one generation will pass
before we reach, or know the beginning of, the highest artistic power
of motion. If art is Nature illuminated, one must have some slight
appreciation and experience of Nature before attempting her
illumination.

The set of motions mentioned can be only very inadequately described in
print. But although they are graceful, because they are natural, the
first idea in practising them is that they are a means to an end, not
an end in themselves. For in the big and little rhythms and the
springing motions, in practising them over and over again we are
establishing the habit of natural motion, and will carry it more and
more into everything we do.

If the work of the brain in muscular exercise were reduced to its
minimum, the consequent benefit from all exercise would greatly
increase.

A new movement can be learned with facility in proportion to the power
for dropping at the time all impressions of previous movements. In
training to take every motion easily, after a time the brain-work is
relieved, for we move with ease,--that is, with a natural co-ordination
of muscles, automatically,--in every known motion; and we lessen very
greatly the mental strain, in learning a new movement, by gaining the
power to relax entirely at first, and then, out of a free body, choose
the muscles needed, and so avoid the nervous strain of useless muscular
experiment.

So far as the mere muscular movement goes, the sensation is that of
being well oiled. As for instance, in a natural walk, where the
swinging muscles and the standing muscles act and rest in alternate
rhythmic action, the chest is held high, the side muscles free to move
in, harmony with the legs, and all the spring in the body brought into
play through inclining slightly forward and pushing with the ball of
the