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

THE ROMANTIC FALLACY

77

the mostgenuineemotionofourage. Theemotion

wasasuniversal

as itwas genuine.] A richharvest

ofinvention rewarded thisattentivehumilityinthe

empirical sciences; the generation was encouraged

byEmersonto'hitch itswaggontoastar'; thedis-

cipline ofNature,poeticallyinspiredand religiously

sanctioned, was pragmatically confirmed. Once

morein thechanges ofcivilisation,to

'

liveaccord-

ingtoNature

*

became

a

creed.

Butto liveaccordingto Naturemeans also,inci-

dentally,tobuildandtogardenaccordingtoNature.

And since the sublimity of Nature

—^its claim

to

worship

—

^layinitsaloofindifferencetomanandin

itsincalculablevariety,to

buildand garden accord-

ing to Nature meant, as

the progress of art soon

demonstrated, to have

a house and garden which

betrayed,sofaraspossible,

nohumanagencyatall

—

or, atleast, such humanagencyasmightbe

mani-

fested must be free

from one specifically human

quality

—

^the

'

self-contemplating

reason.' This,with

itsinsistence

onorder,symmetry,logic,

andpropor-

tion,stood,inthe

ethicsofNature,forthesupreme

idolatry.^

'

This

mayperhapsfurnishaphilosophic

basisfortheadviceonce

offeredbyaFrenchnobleman,when

consultedastothemostpro-

pitious

methodoflayingoutagarden

inthethennovelRomantic

Manner

:

'

Enivrezlejardinier

etsuivezdanssespas.'

The

'

self-

contemplatingreason,'

temporarilydethronedbythis expedient,is,

forRuskin,aconstantsourceof

politicaltyranny,architectural

pedantry

andspiritualpride.