ival of the arts
and crafts without having a very definite idea of the original
processes which are being restored to popular favour. William Morris
himself, although a great modern spirit, and reformer, felt the
necessity of a basis of historic knowledge in all workers. "I do
not think," he says, "that any man but one of the highest genius
could do anything in these days without much study of ancient art,
and even he would be much hindered if he lacked it." It is but
turning to the original sources, then, to examine the progress
of mediaeval artistic crafts, and those sources are usually to be
found preserved for our edification in enormous volumes of plates,
inaccessible to most readers, and seldom with the kind of information
which the average person would enjoy. There are very few books
dealing with the arts and crafts of the olden time, which are adapted
to inform those who have no intention of practising such arts,
and yet who wish to understand and appreciate the examples which
they see in numerous museums or exhibitions, and in travelling
abroad. There are many of the arts and crafts which come under
the daily observation of the tourist, which make no impression
upon him and have no message for him, simply because he has never
considered the subject of their origin and construction. After
one has once studied the subject of historic carving, metal work,
embroidery, tapestry, or illumination, one can never fail to look
upon these things with intelligent interest and vastly increased
pleasure.

Until the middle of the nineteenth century art had been regarded
as a luxury for the rich dilettante,--the people heard little of
it, and thought less. The utensils and furniture of the middle class
were fashioned only with a view to utility; there was a popular belief
that beautiful things were expensive, and the thrifty housekeeper who
had no money to put into bric-a-brac never thought of such things as
an artistic lamp shade or a well-coloured sofa cushion. Decorative
art is well defined by Mr. Russell Sturgis: "Fine art applied to the
making beautiful or interesting that which is made for utilitarian
purposes."

Many people have an impression that the more ornate an article
is, the more work has been lavished upon it. There never was a
more erroneous idea. The diligent polish in order to secure nice
plain surfaces, or the neat fitting of parts together, is infinitely
more difficult than adding a florid casting to co