The architecture of humanism; a study in the history of taste

72

THEARCHITECTURE

OF

HUMANISM

insist. Thatthe

architecturaljudgment

ismadein

unconsciousness of the Hterary

bias is

immaterial.

Aliterary

fashioniseasilyconceived

ofasan

absolute

truth, and the

unconsciousness of

a prejudice only

addstoitsforce.]

Forthepowerof

literatureextends

farbeyond

its consciousstudents

;

by aswift con-

tagion it determines, even

in illiterate minds, the

channelsoftheirthought,thescope

oftheirattention,

andthevaluestowhich

theywillrespond. Itleads

men to say, at a given epoch,

summarily

:

'

The

artificialortheformalislessworthythanthe

natural,'

withoutanynecessaryanalysisof

whattheseabstract

termsinvolve. Theiraestheticattentiontothe

con-

crete caseis obstructed bythe phrase; and archi-

tectureservesasa

mere

symboloftheidea.

• Butthis,thecentralpointoftheRomanticFallacy,

must be guarded from misunderstanding. The in-

fluence ofliteratureupon theartsofform existsat

alltimes,andis

often

beneficial.

Romanticismisa

permanentforceinthemind,tobeneithersegregated

norexpelled. Itisonlyinthe mannerofitsopera-

tionthatthefallacyoccurs.\ Thearts of formhave

theirnativestandards,their

appropriate

conventions

;

standards and conventions founded in experience,

andnecessarytorenderthemeffectiveinanyunder-

taking, howsoever inspired. When for any reason

tradition,whichisthe

vehicleofthosestandardsand

conventions, wavers or decays, then
the literary