Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text.Purchasers can download a * scanned copy of the original book(without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1956 edition. Excerpt: ...college president (his being very tiredwas no excuse) let's consider what would happen if Mr. Pearson hadhis way and the college president had refused to take the bargainin carpets of the 1890, commercial, pseudo-antique design, and ifother college presidents acted likewise, and if the public weresufficiently influenced by college art departments so that theyrefused to live in depraved houses, containing imitationChippendale furniture and "curtains with natu-uralistic flowermotifs typical of commercial design at its lowest level ofdecadence," and that consequently all the world's stock of oldcarpets, old curtains, chairs, tables, spoons, dishes, beds, books,lamps, toilet bowls, match boxes, trays, wash basins, screens,coffins and bow ties--unless approved by college artdepartments--were consigned to the rubbish pile. What would be theinevitable result? Only that there would be such a terrificshortage of these everyday utilities that it would be necessary toconscript all mankind (painters, composers, authors would have toabandon their regular professions) in order to correct thedeficiency, and the world would be back in the crudities of thedark ages. And when again the supply was normal, and everything wasdesigned in the particular mode that the college art departmentsspecified--and not resembling in the least the old "depravedstuff"--I am very certain (and I believe that you are also) thatthe college art departments would immediately come up with anotherformula of what was artistic--which could easily be a reversion tothe very mode previously condemned and now become attractive againas a result of abstention--thus starting the cycle over again andtaking us back once more into primitivism; and so on, until welearned...
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