themselves to use theirs. The
modern author, who is, say, fifty years old, was born in an age of
"advanced civilisation," when the only method of expression for the
young was one--"pothooks and hangers." The child of ten years old, whose
eye was mentally forming pictures, taking in unconsciously the facts of
perspective and the like, had a pencil tied with string to his two first
fingers until he had mastered the ups and downs, crosses and dashes, of
modern handwriting, which has been accepted by the great, as well as the
little, ones of the earth, as the best medium of communication between
intelligent beings; and so, regardless of style, character, or
picturesqueness, he scribbles away! So much for our generally straggling
style of penmanship.

There is no doubt that the author of the future will have to come more
into personal contact with the artist than he has been in the habit of
doing, and that the distinction I referred to in the first chapter,
between illustrations which are to be (1) records of facts, and (2)
works of art, will have to be more clearly drawn.

Amongst the needs in the community of book producers is one that I only
touch upon because it affects the illustrator:--That there should be an
expert in every publishing house to determine (1) whether a drawing is
suitable for publication; and (2) by what means it should be reproduced.
The resources of an establishment will not always admit of such an
arrangement; but the editors and publishers who are informed on these
matters can easily be distinguished by the quality of their
publications. By the substitution of process blocks for wood engravings
in books, publishers are deprived to a great extent of the fostering
care of the master wood engraver, to which they have been accustomed.

Amongst the influences affecting the illustrator, none, I venture to
say, are more prejudicial than the acceptance by editors and publishers
of inartistic drawings.

It would be difficult, I think, to point to a period when so much bad
work was produced as at present. The causes have already been pointed
out, the beautiful processes for the reproduction of drawings are
scarcely understood by the majority of artists, publishers, authors, or
critics. It is the _misuse_ of the processes in these hurrying days,
which is dragging our national reputation in the mire and perplexing the
student.

The modern publisher, it may be said without offence, understands the
manufact