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I.]
Introductory.
7

bring you not to fall far short of the standard to which I think your taste should be raised. Further, even supposing my diagrams could be of such excellence as to be worthy of your admiration, the short space of time during which they could be exhibited to you would in that case be inadequate for your deriving equivalent instruction from an inspection of them. Again, it will be well rather, I consider, that your Professor should encourage you to seek out for yourselves in every direction illustrations of the subjects of his discourses. For such purposes it is rather in the Museums and great national depositories of works of Fine Art,—in the churches and country houses strewn broadcast over our land, that I would urge you to trace the abundant illustrations to be readily found therein, of application of the general principles I shall have the privilege of laying before you.

Should my expositions be correct, such studies on your part will only confirm you in what is good; while, if I should be led, as I may naturally be frequently, into error, it is by such studies that you may be best enabled to correct my inaccuracies and to supply my deficiencies.

In lieu of the exhibition to you of diagrams to illustrate the twelve Lectures already referred to, I shall hope to give you one extra or supplemental Lecture, in which I shall endeavour to call your attention specifically to the monuments of Art by which you are surrounded in this town; and to point out to you the local facilities for the study and practice of the Fine Arts, which may I hope be increased in value and importance as your demand for such facilities may become more and more urgent. One indeed of the most precious fruits that could result from Mr Slade's endowment of this Chair would be to stimulate those who may have it in their power to forward the good work, to so clear a recognition of what was, and ever will be, excellent in Art, and what was, and ever will be, bad in Art, as to ensure that, in all which may be done for the encouragement of any

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