HOUSE ARTS AND CRAFTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2736, 22 August 1906, Page 10

HOUSE ARTS AND CRAFTS.

LECTURE BY DR NISBET.

Ljaotiiring on "Home Arts and Craft-*" to tho Froebel Club on Thursday, 9(h. Dr Niabef proved .that Jus knowledge is almost •equal tx> his modejsty. It is genuinely lefreshing to find a .Christian minister so outspoken in his esthetic preferences, so earnest in hie loyalty to the sweet things of art. Dr Nisbet is, in short., a practical arts and craftsman. H-e knows of what he speaks. On Tbi'reda-y nighx Mr A. Wilson prseided, md there was a good attendance of membeis.

JJr Nisbet pointed out that it was truly extraordinary how many fomous scientists had taken up science in the first place as a recreation. There was Hugh Miller; there was Sir John Lubbock ; there were otheis — names easily mentioned and lxj ve red. But many, despising manual dexterity, would have it that reading was the best recreation of the intelligent. He did not agree with that, because he thought that to read to advantage one required to put his entire thought into the reading ; and therefore reading was not truly a recreative change for those who worked with their brains. No; — true recreation layin home arts and crafts. These arts and crafts had many things to recommend them. They were inexpensive, both as regarded to-Js and materials. Their principles could be learned in a very few lessons, further progress depending almost solely on personal taste and perseverance. Then, having once lea-rued the principles, the scope for the production of beautiful and u^oful articles was almost unlimited. In considering home arts and grafts the art of painting n«ca£sw liy stood first. But, considered as ona of the home arts and crafts, painting really went at once by ■the board, because painting, to be at all .satisfactory, should be done in daylight, tand if possible in the open air. 'He kn'iw of nothing eU« that gave one such a conception of the wonderful beauties of tho 'Colouring of Nature as to go out for the ■first time with a box of colours and a sketch book a»d try and copy something from Nature. They all had an idea that ■trees were- green .and the sky was blue ; but the moment they came face to face with Nature they found that if they tried to paint a tree with simple gteen, or a sky with plain .blue, ,they got \ery crude and uuconvjneing and goustie results indeed. After painting came drawing. Notwithstanding Ruskin's statement that anyone could learn to draw .who could learn to read and write, ho should not advise anyone to take up drawing unless he had some special aptitude for it. ("' I should dearly like these reporlere to be in another room," said Dr Nisbet, amid laughter.) It was much better io take up one of the other home arts and crafts. Those who had any idea of drawing would find a great deal of pleasure in taking up a section of work now very much neglected drawing in charcoal. The implements required for such work were very few ; the losults to be obtained were exceeding!'- ;<«x>d. But, in .preference to these, he projioscd to speak of the arts and crafts which, while requiring a certain amount of dexterity, did not come under the head of either painting or drawing. Wood-cai \ ing occupied the mo6t honourable position among the home arts and rrafts. In great English homes the famous wood-carvings were often as highly valued as any painting or statuary that those homes contained. One difficulty, however, lay in the fact that progress in wood-carvintr was necessarily very slow. Still, the intention was the main thing. He did not agree with those who condemned the tendency in some houses to decorated frying-pans and gilded rolling-pins as wall ornaments. He always welcomed anything that betokened a love of beauty and a desire to obtain it outside the ordinary implements and circumstances of the day. There were many home arts and crafts. There was leather work -very beautiful and interesting. There was bookbinding to which much attention was now being paid in the Home Country There was repousse work in metal. (There were some teache>« of this art in Dunedin, and they differed from teachers in some other departments in that they knew what they were teaching.) There was bent iron woik And, finally, there was pj rogravure. 01 "polcpiwork." This was one of the best home arts and crafts.

Here Dr Nisbet became entirely conversational and practical. He did in j>oker work a ior\ effecti\e and admirable copy of a Phil M.<v head. lie ga-.e all sort= of huit= and -ufrge-tion 1 ?. And so he fini'-h'Hl aJnurablv a talk admirably

helpful and suggestive throughout its length " Most so-called teachers," he oommontcd. as he made his copy, " moat socalled teacheis <!o not take the trouble >to teach -thie art of ryhogravure properly, j It is decorative. The subject must jnva-ri- i ably be treated <lecoratively. I have heard i the statement that -portraits and landscapes ! can be dene in poke* 1 work. But that is a misuse of the medium altogether. If you want to do poker work, stick .to decorative ■subjects." And, in closing, he made a definite suggestion. " I would like to see established in Dunedin a Home Arts and; Crafts Society. There was no society atpresent overtaking thi6 particular work. It would be a good thing for the community if such a society were going — a society that would encourage the practice of and help the teaching of these home arts and, orafte, and that would annually hold an exhibition of the work of the membersHe believed that in establishing such a society the Froebel Club would be true to its traditions, nnd would be the means of bringing happiness to many persons and i fami'ies in this community. All that is ] necessary i«, as Mr Gibbon has well put it, ; a heart to resolve, a head to contrive, -and j a hand to create. The power to create | things useful and beautiful is one of the j things that produce the greatest pleasure in ! life." I