astly, a Spirit does actually exist
which teaches the ant her path, the bird her building, and men, in an
instinctive and marvellous way, whatever lovely arts and noble deeds are
possible to them. Without it you can do no good thing. To the grief of
it you can do many bad ones. In the possession of it is your peace and
your power.

And there is a fourth thing, of which we already know too much. There is
an evil spirit whose dominion is in blindness and in cowardice, as the
dominion of the Spirit of wisdom is in clear sight and in courage.

And this blind and cowardly spirit is for ever telling you that evil
things are pardonable, and you shall not die for them, and that good
things are impossible, and you need not live for them; and that gospel
of his is now the loudest that is preached in your Saxon tongue. You
will find some day, to your cost, if you believe the first part of it,
that it is not true; but you may never, if you believe the second part
of it, find, to your gain, that also, untrue; and therefore I pray you
with all earnestness to prove, and know within your hearts, that all
things lovely and righteous are possible for those who believe in their
possibility, and who determine that, for their part, they will make
every day's work contribute to them. Let every dawn of morning be to you
as the beginning of life, and every setting sun be to you as its
close:--then let every one of these short lives leave its sure record of
some kindly thing done for others--some goodly strength or knowledge
gained for yourselves; so, from day to day, and strength to strength,
you shall build up indeed, by Art, by Thought, and by Just Will, an
Ecclesia of England, of which it shall not be said, "See what manner of
stones are here," but, "See what manner of men."

LECTURE V

LINE

126. You will, I doubt not, willingly permit me to begin your lessons in
real practice of art in the words of the greatest of English painters:
one also, than whom there is indeed no greater, among those of any
nation, or any time,--our own gentle Reynolds.

He says in his first discourse:--"The Directors" (of the Academy) "ought
more particularly to watch over the genius of those students, who being
more advanced, are arrived at that critical period of study, on the nice
management of which their future turn of taste depends. At that age it
is natural for them to be more captivated with what is brilliant, than
with what is solid, and to