THE NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE. No. 57.] OCTOBER 1, 1818. ON THE PATRONAGE OF THE FINE ARTS IN THIS COUNTRY. THE Historian who is employed in tracing the progress of a great nation, or in detailing the particulars of any distinguished reign, never fails to direct his attention to the state of literature and the arts, as forming the most decisive proofs of superior genius and taste, liberality and magnificence. Various circumstances may contribute to raise communities, as well as individuals into notice, giving them for a time a proud elevation over their contemporaries, but it is only science, and the pursuits which tend to improve the mind, by increasing the means of knowledge, that can be truly said to raise any people to that height of glory, which ensures the admiration of the existing age, and the gratitude of posterity. Vanity and superstition, have indeed, in many instances, given a strong impulse to the talents of men, and rendered them subservient to purposes far beneath their native dignity, and relative importance. But even in these cases, in which the objects have been despised, the performances, by their intrinsic merit, have secured a permanency of reputation, and immortalized the artist when the patron has been forgotten. The reason of this is obvious; for though the deeds of men may be illustrated by the pen of the writer and ingenuity of the painter, neither the powers of the one, nor the imagination of the other, can alter those principles by which the true value of all actions is to be estimated. Literature and the arts will always require public encouragement; but this, to be effectual for any beneficial purpose, must be worthy of the subjects on which the talents of men are employed, without any regard to personal gratification or private advantage: much less should patronage be thrown away with an imprudent generosity upon crude undertakings, which are always an impediment to works of utility, and an incalculable injury to the progress of learning. There must be a similarity of sentiment in those who encourage the laborious efforts of the mind, and those who are enabled by the aid of others to carry into effect designs NEW MONTHLY MAG.-No. 57. [VOL. X. which, without that aid, would have perished in embryo: while the former feel a pleasure in promoting the intellectual enjoyments of mankind, they will be careful to avoid laying any restraint upon powers, which to be useful, must possess the entire liberty of expatiating upon subjects best fitted to their genius;and the latter being thus free to pursue that course which nature prescribes, will indulge no other inclination than that of enlarging the sphere of knowledge, and of extending the glory of their profession for the general good. It is however to be regretted that patronage has been too often lavished upon designs of limited or equivocal utility, and in encouraging the application of talents to unworthy objects. But on the other hand, again, though a false taste and capricious fashion may have too frequently proved the means of imposing upon the public, and of misdirecting genius, it is no less to be resented, that persons of the first attainments should, through mercenary cupidity, have slackened in their exertions for farther improvement, from the desire to turn the distinction they have already gained to the most lucrative account; so that what ought to have stimulated them in the career of professional glory, has sunk them to practices alike degrading to their own character, and injurious to the arts which they profess. 1 That the latter performances of able men should fail to charm equally with those which gave the most flattering promise of unrivalled excellence, has been matter of common complaint at different periods; but the cause may be seen in the abuse of splendid ease and the pride of reputation to the enervation of the mental and moral powers. Patronage, therefore, seems not to be always so well calculated for the invigoration of the mind, and the advancement of science as many are apt to imagine, since experience shews, that where the stream of public or royal bounty flows most copiously, industry abates, instead of being quickened; and he that sat out with an earnest desire of perfection, stops short, and becomes indifferent to that which was once his VOL. X. 2 C 194 On the Patronage of the Fine Arts in this Country. ruling passion. Like the warrier who lost his strength by tasting the honey which he found in the forest, the artist, whose aim at first was solely fixed upon professional pre-eminence, slackens in his efforts when he perceives how easy it is to gain wealth, by the mere influence of a name. In this country the want of patronage cannot be justly alleged as having in any degree damped the energies of genius, or impeded the progress of science; for here literature and the arts have amply shared the benefits produced by the spirit of enterprize, under the protection of a mild and liberal government. Here genius may expatiate without fear, and exercise its faculties without constraint, assured that proper assistance will not be withheld from laudable efforts, and that, if merit in any instance fails of meeting with an adequate reward, the cause must be sought in the pride of talent, or the obscurity to which it shrinks through diffidence and indolence. But the great obstruction to the advancement of the Arts in this powerful empire hath been the credulity of the public in countenancing trifling performances, slightly conceived and hastily executed; whence men of acknowledged ability finding it more profitable to turn many things out of hand, than to labour assiduously upon a few, have too generally complied with a vitiated humour, and sacrificed the interests of that which ought to have occupied the first place in their thoughts, to the love of gain, while the rage for novelty gives them an opportunity of bettering their fortune at the expense of their judgment. This indiscretion, to call it no worse, may seem to confirm the rank of some sciolists, that the climate of England is unfavourable to the culture of the Arts; but if the abuse of talent be the indication of poverty of taste, those countries which make the greatest boast of refinement, must be content to share with us the censure of having perverted genius to unworthy purposes. It may, however, be safely affirmed, that this very evil is occasioned by that intense thirst for works of elegance, which is the surest sign of a general respect for Science, and affords a certain proof, that the public feeling only wants a proper direction, to render the state of the imitative Arts in this Kingdom equal to the earnest wishes of their most ardent admirers. The progress which has been already made, is a sufficient [Oct. 1, incitement to continued exertions for the attainment of a still greater elevation, and it furnishes full ground of confidence that the Arts need no other aid than a general spirit of emulation among artists themselves, to raise the British school, if not to an unrivalled height, yet at least to such a point as shall command the respect of those nations who have hitherto arrogated a superiority over the rest of the world. Without presuming to surpass the mighty masters of former days, thus much may be asserted, without fear of contradiction, that the progress of the Arts in this kingdom, during the present reign, has fully equalled, if not exceeded, what can be said of any other country within a similar portion of time. While, in fact, there has been a rapid decline in those states which were once schools to the rest of Europe; this island has not only fostered and expanded the powers of foreign artists, but given birth to genius of the first order, the productions of which have already acquired a classical dignity, and will be studied with profit by succeeding generations. Delicate and discriminating patronage, at the same time that it has prevented partial jealousies and invidious distinctions, has left men of ability to that free and laudable competition which becomes the independence of genius, and is the perpetual spring of great undertakings. The manner, therefore, in which the Arts have risen to their present state in this nation, is rather to be considered with feelings of proud satisfaction than with any emotion of concern; since it shows, that however slowly the ornamental branches of human science have extended among us, the luxuriancy of their present condition is not owing to any capricious management or forced direction, but to the free spirit of a liberal people, from whom works of merit have never failed of support. If public encouragement has sometimes fallen short of sanguine expectation, the fault will for the most part be found in the inadequacy of the attempt, the deficiency of the plan, or the insufficiency of the party by whom it was undertaken, to carry it into effect. When persons indulge a separate interest from that of the Art which they profess to esteem; or, when instead of exercising the same strict justice in regard to their own works, which they are apt to indulge in the examination of the productions of others; when, taking an undue advantage of public liberality, 1818.] Anecdotes of Eminent Persons-Mr. Edgeworth. they presume to think that meaner performances may pass, because few comparatively are enabled to judge them properly; and when, as the most disgraceful source of speculative projects, an inferior genius, accing in conjunction with a sordid spirit, obtrudes upon national credulity works of little value, there will be more reason to condemn the profuseness of generosity than to complain of the want of it.. But in truth, it would be no difficult matter to prove from the history of knowledge, since its great revival in the sixteenth century, that this country has rather exceeded, than fallen short in the extension of patronage. At two memorable and turbulent periods of our annals, the Arts experienced royal favour under circumstances that might seem most unpropitious to their progress; for at the commencement of the Reformation, and amidst the strife of polemics, Hans Holbein lived splendidly in the English court; and the same haughty monarch by whom he was entertained, used his utmost efforts to allure the illustrious Raffaelle into his kingdom. At a subsequent era, when a furious fanaticism had gendered an insatiable rage for innovation, the unhappy Charles consoled himself, under the vexations which he suffered from the republican party, in the works and conversation of Rubens and Vandyke. And in the eventful age towhich it has been our lot to belong, though the world has trembled from one hemisphere to the other by the repeated shocks of the most tremendous revolutions, the progress of learning, and the Arts continued here in one steady and even splendid course. Discoveries of the greatest value have emanated from our scientific institutions; while all descriptions of persons, without any other object than that of promoting the general welfare, have concurred in furthering designs calculated to invigorate mental energy and moral improvement. This is true patronage, and it may be mentioned without vanity, as the peculiar glory of our land, that no concern has been deemed worthy of national support which did not appear to have a universal tendency, or to be productive of benefit to the whole human race. The liberal Arts have been considered in their most honourable light, as connected with manners; and being thus regarded they have acquired a distinction which entitles them to the particular attention of the philanthropist and philosopher. 195 It is true the moral effect of the Arts has not been quite so much attended to as the subject deserves; but to this at least Britain may safely lay claim, that here the Arts have not suffered the impure degradation which has too often disgraced them in other countries. ANECDOTES OF EMINENT PERSONS. No. 1. [As a number of curious facts relative to distinguished personages must have come to the knowledge of several of our readers, we beg to remind our friends that we shall be happy to receive, for this department of our magazine, all those whose authority can be vouched for.] MR. EDGEWORTH. IT is understood that the late Mr. Edgeworth left a manuscript behind him containing memoirs of his life, which his amiable and celebrated daughter, Miss Edgeworth, is now preparing for the press. We doubt whether such a document, and so produced, would be likely to contain those excentric traits of character which are peculiar to all individuals, but more particularly so to Mr. Edgeworth. A few anecdotes, therefore, derived from the most respectable authority, may not be displeasing to our readers. quainted with this gentleman, have Many persons, not intimately acimagined him a free-thinker in the most unqualified sense of the word; and have even gone so far as to assert that he denied altogether the existence of a future state. What his earlier tenets may have been we know not; but, undoubtedly, a few years before his death he declared himself quite of a contrary opinion, and held that the world would again be peopled with its former inhabitants, who were to repossess their own proper bodies, purified from earthly feelings; and live here in a state not liable to decay or death. Mr. Edgeworth was chiefly remarkable for an ingenious, rather than a solid turn of mind; for desultory and various, rather than systematic and profound information. His argumentative faculty was deficient; and when you expected to be answered with logic, you were rebutted with an anecdote. He had a sort of biographical history of himself, which he seldom failed to give every new acquaintance at the first introduction. It ran thus, you know the great Mr. Edgeworth, "Now, Sir, and you may possibly wish to know 196 Anecdotes of Eminent Persons-Miss Edgeworth. something of his birth, parentage, and education. I shall, first, give you my reasons for being an Englishman, and then for being an Irishman, and I shall leave you your choice to call me which you please. I was born in England, I married two English wives, I have several children who were born in England; and I have a small property in England. Now my reasons for being an Irishman. I married three Irish wives, I have a large estate in Ireland, I have number of Irish children--my progenitors were Irish, and I have lived most of my life in Ireland. Sir, I am a man who despise vulgar prejudice, for two of my wives are alive, and two, who are dead, were sisters." -- a Mr. Edgeworth was nearly related to the Abbé Edgeworth, that venerable Priest who attended Louis XVI. to the scaffold, and he was actually arrested in Paris, by Fouche, as a suspected character, in consequence of his affinity; though Mr. Edgeworth inclines to think it was on account of his having pursued a light-ancled nymph one evening home to her hotel, who proved to be under the august protection of the great police minister. Mr. E., we believe, was the first who introduced the telegraph into this country; at least, while in France, he improved its construction infinitely; so much so indeed, that he considered himself the original inventor of it. He certainly had a great mechanical turn, and his house at Edgeworth's Town was quite a curiosity; for, from the kitchen to the garret, wherever machinery could supply the place of hands, it was sure to be found. Several works published in Miss Edgeworth's name, were partly written by himself; but so far as we were able to ascertain, his contributions, did not form the most valuable portion. Indeed we have always considered his daughter, both a more masculine and more profound writer than himself. As a specimen of the eccentricity of his manners, we shall record a conversation which took place on his first introduction to the gentleman from whom we heard the anecdote. This person having called to visit the great man, and names being announced by a third party, Mr. Edgeworth instantly turned round to a lady who was present, and said, "My dear, Mr. E. was divorced by his guardian from his first wife whilst he was a minor. [Oct. 1, for what purpose have I those galloshes at the fire?" "To air," answered the lady. "But why to air," asked the ?" "For the purpose of wearing them," she replied. "But for what purpose to wear them?" "In order to visit that gentleman.” *There, Sir,” cried the, "ever while you live call witnesses to your conduct, instead of speaking on it yourself." Had I told you why these galloshes are at the fire, you might not have believed me. By the way, I wonder what is the derivation of the word galloshes?" The visitor seeing him so well inclined to sportiveness was willing to humour him, and said, "the word was probably derived from some one's having exclaimed as he was kicking them off after a walk, go, loose shoes." Mr. Edgeworth thought they might be "gala shoes," in King James's time, when the most extraordinary shoes were worn. In short, after a variety of Swiftian derivations, the dictionary was produced, and gallosha proved to be a Spanish word. MISS EDGEWORTH. It is a rule with Miss Edgeworth to write, without allowing pleasure or indolence to interrupt her, six pages a day; no wonder therefore her works are so voluminous, or rather it would be surprising they are not more so, were it not that when her book is finished, she exerts a severe and remorseless judgment in pruning its redundancies. Yet we do not think she has always effected this difficult task happily. "Patronage," and a few of her other novels might be considerably reduced in weight, without suffering any diminution of value. She has always too, a tablet at hand, ready to note down any expression occurring in conversation, which she might imagine likely to assist her literary labours. We cannot help thinking this an injudicious practice; since many, who in the "feast of reason and the flow of soul" might utter happy apothegms, and give loose to a luxuriant imagination, would feel a disagreeable restraint, and repress their powers, fearful of saying something not sufficiently fine for the press: or else in attempting to talk too well, degenerate into pedantry, and affectation. Miss Edgeworth, however, is far from being pedantic or affected herself. On the contrary, if fault must be found with her deportment and conversation, we would say, that both bear an appearance of simplicity, and even triviality; which savours too much of an artificial endeavour at avoiding the author. Nothing 1818. J Original Letter of Bishop Warburton, however can possibly be more amiable than her manners, and nothing more delightful than her conversation, as she conveys information without appearing to instruct, and possesses the happy faculty of pleasing others by eliciting from them those observations, and those talents, which by the assistance of her tablets she knows so well how to apply. Her conversational wit is not brilliant, but it is playful and engaging. One of the best sallies which we have heard recorded of her, was on her pressing a young and diffident lady to sing. "Well," said the latter at last, "I will sing, on condition that you first pay me a compliment, one that the company shall decide to be witty." "Surely," said Miss E., "you are not so determined against singing, as to make my being witty a previous stipulation?-surely you will surrender without that article?" "No," rejoined the lady, "I am positive." "That is impossible," observed Miss E., "for we all know that you are superlative !" CURRAN, With the single exception of Sheridan, perhaps, no man of modern times said so many witty things as Curran. A great number of these have already found their way to the press; but those we now offer, if we mistake not, have hitherto been reserved, virum volitare per aru! The following is rather an instance of his ready eloquence than his wit. At the assizes of Cork, Curran had just entered upon his case, and given the jury a statement of facts. He then, with his usual impressiveness and pathos, appealed to their feelings, and was concluding the whole with this sentence, "Thus gentlemen, I trust I have made the innocence of that persecuted - man as clear to you as"-At that instant the sun, which had hitherto been overclouded, shot its rays into the Courthouse;" as clear to you," continued he, "as yonder sun-beam, which now bursts in amongst us, and supplies me with its splendid illustration! This effusion, we ourselves heard, and its local aptness, together with the happiness of the language in which it was clothed, produced an effect which has seldom been -equalled; and can scarcely be conceived by those who were not present. One evening, after dinner, the bar risters in circuit, were criticising each other's style of eloquence. Lord Clare, who was then a judge, made some reRarks on Curran, to whom he bore no good will; and afterwards requested 197 him to return the compliment. Why, in consequence of your Lordship's extreme quickness and discernment," said Carran, in perceiving what we lawyers are about to state, you are apt to interrupt our pleadings, and conclude our arguments for us. It sometimes happens, however, that you do not draw those deductions for us, which we should have drawn ourselves." His Lordship rebutted this assertion, and averred that he never attempted such an interruption, till he understood plainly the drift of their reasoning, and then he stated it himself in order to save the time of the court., Curran dropped the subject, and turned to a friend who sat near him. A most dreadful circumstance occurred the other day," said he," I had a pig that I wished to make bacon of, so sent for the butcher: he came and brought with him a most beautiful little boy, his son. The pig was laid down in the yard: the butcher lifted his axe for the blow, the poor little boy ran forward,”—“good God!" exclaimed Lord Clare, "and he killed his son!" "No my Lord," answered Curran drily, "he killed the pig!" 66 I have the favour of your's without date. I have not seen the pamphlet you mention written against my JuLIAN, nor shall I ever read a line of it. Every clergyman, not to say every believer, is equally concerned with me about the truth of that miracle. It is the common cause in which, I have performed my share. Besides I have been long in a humour to abjure all controversy. Whatever. I shall write hereafter will be delivered freely, explained as clearly, and enforced as strongly as I am able. If any one can overthrow it, he hath my leave: and if any one will support it, he hath my thanks; but to trouble myselfe further about the matter, is more, I think than I owe to the public; is more, I am sure, than I owe either to truth or myselfe. AMELIA, in my opinion, is neither equal to TOM JONES, nor to Jos. ANDREWS; but is much better than any thing, in this sort of writing, from any other of our countrymen. The ESSAY ON SPIRIT is written by Clayton, Bishop of Clogher.* In an * It was the production of a young clergyman in Ireland, who was afraid to publish |
