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TIME was, and not very long ago at that, when an argument for poetic thought in art would have been considered superfluous. Everyone was agreed that the higher aim of language was to convey an idea, a feeling, or an emotion. That the language should be beautiful in itself was an advantage, but there was never any doubt that the thought expressed was greater than the manner of its expression. To-day it would seem that we have changed all that. The moderns are insisting that language is language for its own sake, and art is art for art's sake. They are, to a certain extent, right in their contention; for there is great beauty in methods, materials and the general decorative appearance.[6] But perhaps they insist too much. We are not yet prepared to admit that because Tennyson's poetry sounds well, his thoughts have no value; nor, for all Tintoretto's fine form and color, can we believe his poetic imagination a wholly unnecessary factor in his art.
Footnote 6: