The Arts by Hendrik Willem Van Loon

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LAST MINUTE NOTE- IMPORTANT- 

PLEASE BE SURE THAT THIS IS PRINTED

WHERE EVERY READER WILL SEE IT.

H. V. L.

   There is only one way to improve the taste of a nation. It cannot be done in a hurry and it cannot be done by force. It can only be accomplished by exposing the people patiently and systematically and continually to that which is truly "good"- to that which is truly "noble" in the sense that it deserves to be "known."

   But (you may object) who will take it upon himself to inform his fellow citizens what is really "good" and what is spurious, phoney, and ignoble?

   There again there are no hard and fast rules. I think however that it is safe to say that when a picture or a piece of music, a form of architecture, anything at all within the realm of the arts, has for the longest possible period of time enjoyed the esteem, the appreciation, and the love of all those who were most eminently fitted to judge of its intrinsic merit, that particular work of art will probably contain certain elements of perfection which entitle it to the decent respect of all mankind. 

   Not that, in the matter of taste, we can expect everybody to like something merely because we say so. That is impossible and furthermore is not necessary. On the other hand, a "decent respect" very often leads to a lasting affection and that, on the whole, is what I think we should do- try and persuade our children to make the good choice for themselves by exposing them just as much as possible to that which is a true product of divine inspiration and honest human craftsmanship.

   In the end, those able to see and look for themselves will then make the right decision, and because they will do so out of their own volition, it will be a lasting one.

   As for those who have neither eyes nor ears, well, they are just out of luck. But that is not our fault. It is their own misfortune. So let them be happy playing The Rosary on the bazooka. But please let them do it in a way that they shall not interfere with those among their neighbors who have chosen that moment to listen to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

From the back cover of The Arts by Hendrik Willem Van Loon, published 1937