Art for all by Miss Vida Lahey

\\'hen one thinks of the i m m e n s e change that w a s brought about in Europe b y the introduction of the printing press, which m a d e the art of literature a heritage of the c o m m o n people instead of a preserve for the wealthy a n d learned, w e m a y well pause with a w e at the thought that w e are n o w possibly on the threshold of the slime i m m e n s e change with regard to the other arts. Through gramc,phone records a n d b y m e a n s of the radio everyone m a y n o w havc the opportunity of listening to the great masters of music a n d t o the best of m o d e r n w o r k : a n d for t h e first t i m e in history the s a m e dissemination is possible t o pictorial art, t h r o u g h p h o t o - graphic reproductions a n d t h e still m o r e m a r v e l l o u s colour repro- ductions. T h e masterpieces of painting are n o w n o longer confined to the great art galleries of the w o r l d o r the h o m e s of the rich, b u t n o w m a y b e e n j o y e d a n y w h e r e b y all w h o h a v e h a d s o m e preliminary art a w a k e n i n g w h i c h , if c o m m e n c e d in infancy in t h e schools, s h o u l d attain its m a x i m u m d e v e l o p m e n t . T o conchide, m a y I quote Herbert R e a d in " Art a n d Society - : " W e live in an age of transition, iii which a whole w a y of life ancl thought is breaking d o w n never to recover, a n d if civilisation is to continue w e have to discover a n e w w a y of life. " \ V e m i g h t at least try the e x p e r i m e n t of eclitcating the instincts instead of suppressing t h e m ; for t h e cost of a failure conk] n o t e x c e e d w h a t the w o r M h a s alreadv enchired a n d is still enduring. E 366%