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not only to himself, but to his fellows, to convert his looks intuitively into looks of gladness, his works into works of beauty.
This is only to be done by practically studying the Fine Arts after an earnest and systematic fashion. Do you only your best, and permit me to assure you that so long as I have the honour to occupy this Chair, such assistance as a Slade Professor may be enabled to give you shall never be wanting on my part.
Let me, before we separate upon this our first meeting, urge upon you as strongly as my poor words may suffice to do, that we should, and shall, but ill study human arts if we fail to be raised by such studies to stretch forward to a higher and more extended apprehension of the perfection of "Heavenly Beauty." All will no doubt be right with us, if we can but bring to our studies the fervour and humility of the true Poet, and devout Christian, the worshipper alike of Nature and of Art, the sweet-voiced Spenser, the spirit of whose most apt supplication in his Hymn to Heavenly Beauty, I cannot do better than commend for your admiration and adoption. Let each one of you, say with him—
From whom all gifts of wit and knowledge flow,
To shed into my breast some sparkling light
Of thine eternal truth; that I may show
Some little beams to mortal eyes below
Of that immortal beauty, there with thee,
Which in my weak distraughted mind I see.
That with the glory of so goodly sight
The hearts of men, which fondly here admire
Fair-seeming shews, and feed on vain delight,
Transported with celestial desire
Of those fair forms, may lift themselves up higher,
And learn to love with zealous humble duty,
Th' eternal fountain of that heavenly beauty."