Page 26

Tvstitutions: Mr. Dyce's Lecture on Ornament. 
with the administration of the School is 
quite opposed to the assertion that the 
Board is already so overcharged with 
business as to want a legal assistant. The 
Committee on Miscellaneous estimates last 
year were repeatedly told that the business, 
and especially the law business, of the Board 
of Trade was so great, &e. that a legal 
assistant was imperatively necessary. We 
may, therefore, assume that proper attend- 
ance to the School of Design from the 
officers of the Board of Trade themselves 
is out of the question, even if these func- 
tionaries knew exactly what was best to be 
taught to improve manufacturing design; 
which, it may he presumed, they do not. 
Neither president, nor vice-president, nor 
secretaries, can properly attend to the 
business; and it is quite inadmissible that 
the legal assistant, the necessity for whom 
to the Board of Trade was so anxiously 
defended before the Committee, can have 
time to attend to the details of the School, 
even in London, much less those of its 
branches in the country.  Then there is 
Mr. J. S. Lefevre, whose good-natured 
tact causes him to he made a sort of 
omnihus commissioner-Commissioner for 
managing Church Revenues in two ca- 
pacities, Commissioner for investigating 
the British Museum, Commissioner for 
settling the Scotch Annuity Tax, in short, 
Commissioner for every thing which needs 
to he coaxed into quietude,-in addition to 
being Clerk of the Parliament. If he has 
any leisure, he must want it for sleep, and 
cannot afford to give it to the School of 
Design. The three artists were on the old 
Council, and certainly did not succeed in 
keeping it right, as any one of them might 
have done among so many, if he had had 
the ability. Sir R. Westmacott is a practi- 
cal man, and a very distinguished sculptor, 
but in a style rather out of date. He is 
too venerable for active service. Mr. G. 
Richmond stands at the very head of gen- 
teel water-colour portrait painters, and that 
is all; and Mr. A. Poynter is better known 
as official referee of metropolitan buildings 
than for his works as an architect. It 
would be a cruelty indeed to place these 
artists in the midst of Alderman Copeland's 
Pottery at Stoke, or Messrs. Thomsons' 
Printing-works at Clitheroe, or the Coal- 
brookdale Iron-works, and desire them, 
not indeed to produce, but merely to lecture 
on the improvement of any ornamental 
design. We should almost expect they 
would think china was not pottery, and 
would hardly know whether metals were 
to be carved or chased! 
In short, it must be clear that the pre- 
sent management is no better in principle 
than the former, and that manufacturers 
must give up the hope of obtaining any 
good from the School whilst its directory 
remains such an unreality. How far this 
prophecy is justifiable, an examination of 
the deeds of this committee during its 
year's administration will shew. But this 
and other points we reserve. 
LECTURE ON ORNAMENT DELIVERED TO THE STUDENTS OF THE LONDON SCHOOL OF 
DESIGN. 
BY WILLIAM DYCE, R.A. 
[This Lecture was one of the admirable series of the head masters' lectures,
which 
were begun at the London School last year, and suddenly changed. It has never
been 
published, and we are sure that all students will be glad to have it thus
presented to 
them.-Bd. Journal of Design.] 
ALTHOUGH the remarks to which I re-      that, in this respect, a School
of Design 
quest the favour of your attention for a   differs materially from most other
schools, 
short time are addressed more particularly  in which the studies are of various
kinds. 
to those students who are about to enter   In such schools there is, for
the most part, 
the class committed to my care, yet as I   little relation between the branches
of 
sbhall have occasion to consider the whole  instruction which are successively
gone 
purpose of the School, and the manner in   through ; the only purpose common
to 
which that purpose is effected, I trust that  them being the general culture
and train- 
in the course of my observations some-     ing of the youthful mind. But
with us 
thing may he said which each of you will   in this School the case is widely
different. 
And, more or less, applicable to his own   We have, it is true, a variety
of studies; 
case.  The whole studies of the School,    some of which may be (as, in fact,
in other 
indeed, are so related to one another, and  schools they are), treated as
specific, insu- 
to their common object, that it is hardly  lated, and independent branches.
For ex- 
possible to refer to one section of them   ample, we have geometry to some
extent,and 
intelligibly, without taking into account,  perspective; we teach architecture,
paint- 
on the one hand, those that have preceded  ing, and sculpture; our studies
include, in 
or are to follow it, and on the other, the  a greater or less degree, botany,
chemistry, 
purpose which all of them have in view,    metallurgy, weaving, and printing;
but all 
It must always, I think, be remembered     these studies are subservient
to the object