large/6138/signsofchange_1209_librivox_64kb_mp3/signsofchange_07_morris_64kb_1
large/6138/signsofchange_1209_librivox_64kb_mp3/signsofchange_07_morris_64kb
English
6138
These two cases are given simply because they have been fixed in my mind; they are but types of what is going on everywhere throughout civilization: the world is everywhere growing uglier and more commonplace, in spite of the conscious and very strenuous efforts of a small group of people towards the revival of art, which are so obviously out of joint with the tendency of the age that, while the uncultivated have not even heard of them, the mass of the cultivated look upon them as a joke, and even that they are now beginning to get tired of. THESE TWO CASES ARE GIVEN SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN FIXED IN MY MIND THEY ARE BUT TYPES OF WHAT IS GOING ON EVERYWHERE THROUGHOUT CIVILIZATION THE WORLD IS EVERYWHERE GROWING UGLIER AND MORE COMMONPLACE IN SPITE OF THE CONSCIOUS AND VERY STRENUOUS EFFORTS OF A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE TOWARDS THE REVIVAL OF ART WHICH ARE SO OBVIOUSLY OUT OF JOINT WITH THE TENDENCY OF THE AGE THAT WHILE THE UNCULTIVATED HAVE NOT EVEN HEARD OF THEM THE MASS OF THE CULTIVATED LOOK UPON THEM AS A JOKE AND EVEN THAT THEY ARE NOW BEGINNING TO GET TIRED OF
 or at first sight so mediæval as the Norman city, Oxford in those days still kept a great deal of its earlier loveliness: and the memory of its grey streets as they then were has been an abiding influence and pleasure in my life, and would be greater still if I could only forget what they are now—a matter of far more importance than the so-called learning of the place could have been to me in any case, but which, as it was, no one tried to teach me, and I did not try to learn. Since then the guardians of this beauty and romance so fertile of education, though professedly engaged in “the higher education” (as the futile system of compromises which they follow is nick-named), have ignored it utterly, have made its preservation give way to the pressure of commercial exigencies, and are determined apparently to destroy it altogether. There is another pleasure for the world gone down the wind; here, again, the beauty and romance have been uselessly, causelessly, most foolishly thrown away.  ASTOUNDING SO ROMANTIC OR AT FIRST SIGHT SO MADE EEVAL AS THE NORMAN CITY OXFORD IN THOSE DAYS STILL KEPT A GREAT DEAL OF ITS EARLIER LOVELINESS AND THE MEMORY OF ITS GREY STREETS AS THEY THEN WERE HAS BEEN AN ABIDING INFLUENCE AND PLEASURE IN MY LIFE AND WOULD BE GREATER STILL IF I COULD ONLY FORGET WHAT THEY ARE NOW A MATTER OF FAR MORE IMPORTANCE THAN THE SO CALLED LEARNING OF THE PLACE COULD HAVE BEEN TO ME IN ANY CASE BUT WHICH AS IT WAS NO ONE TRIED TO TEACH ME AND I DID NOT TRY TO LEARN SINCE THEN THE GUARDIANS OF THIS BEAUTY AND ROMANCE SO FERTILE OF EDUCATION THE PROFESSOR DAY ENGAGED IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION AS THE FUTILE SYSTEM OF COMPROMISES WHICH THEY FOLLOW IS NICKNAMED HAVE IGNORED IT UTTERLY HAVE MADE ITS PRESERVATION GIVE WAY TO THE PRESSURE OF COMMERCIAL EXIGENCIES AND ARE DETERMINED APPARENTLY TO DESTROY IT ALTOGETHER THERE IS ANOTHER PLEASURE FOR THE WORLD GONE DOWN THE WIND HERE AGAIN THE BEAUTY AND ROMANCE HAVE BEEN USELESSLY CAUSELESSLY MOST FOOLISHLY THROWN AWAY
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