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and the method of the communion of saints； is actually branded as sinful
among us because； wherever it arises； there is resistance to tyranny；
breaking of fetters； and the breath of freedom。 The attempt to suppress
art is not wholly successful： we might as well try to suppress oxygen。
But it is carried far enough to inflict on huge numbers of people a most
injurious art starvation； and to corrupt a great deal of the art that is
tolerated。 You will find in England plenty of rich families with little
more culture than their dogs and horses。 And you will find poor families；
cut off by poverty and town life from the contemplation of the beauty of
the earth； with its dresses of leaves； its scarves of cloud； and its contours
of hill and valley； who would positively be happier as hogs； so little have
they cultivated their humanity by the only effective instrument of culture：
art。 The dearth is artificially maintained even when there are the means
of satisfying it。 Story books are forbidden； picture post cards are
forbidden； theatres are forbidden； operas are forbidden； circuses are
forbidden； sweetmeats are forbidden； pretty colors are forbidden； all
exactly as vice is forbidden。 The Creator is explicitly prayed to； and
implicitly convicted of indecency every day。 An association of vice and
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sin with everything that is delightful and of goodness with everything that
is wretched and detestable is set up。 All the most perilous （and glorious）
appetites and propensities are at once inflamed by starvation and
uneducated by art。 All the wholesome conditions which art imposes on
appetite are waived： instead of cultivated men and women restrained by
a thousand delicacies； repelled by ugliness； chilled by vulgarity； horrified
by coarseness； deeply and sweetly moved by the graces that art has
revealed to them and nursed in them； we get indiscrimmate rapacity in
pursuit of pleasure and a parade of the grossest stimulations in catering for
it。 We have a continual clamor for goodness； beauty； virtue； and sanctity；
with such an appalling inability to recognize it or love it when it arrives
that it is more dangerous to be a great prophet or poet than to promote
twenty companies for swindling simple folk out of their savings。 Do not
for a moment suppose that uncultivated people are merely indifferent to
high and noble qualities。 They hate them malignantly。 At best； such
qualities are like rare and beautiful birds： when they appear the whole
country takes down its guns； but the birds receive the statuary tribute of
having their corpses stuffed。
And it really all comes from the habit of preventing children from
being troublesome。 You are so careful of your boy's morals； knowing
how troublesome they may be； that you keep him away from the Venus of
Milo only to find him in the arms of the scullery maid or someone much
worse。 You decide that the Hermes of Praxiteles and Wagner's Tristan
are not suited for young girls； and your daughter marries somebody
appallingly unlike either Hermes or Tristan solely to escape from your
parental protection。 You have not stifled a single passion nor averted a
single danger： you have depraved the passions by starving them； and
broken down all the defences which so effectively protect children brought
up in freedom。 You have men who imagine themselves to be ministers of
religion openly declaring that when they pass through the streets they have
to keep out in the wheeled traffic to avoid the temptations of the pavement。
You have them organizing hunts of the women who tempt thempoor
creatures whom no artist would touch without a shudderand wildly
clamoring for more clothes to disguise and conceal the body； and for the
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abolition of pictures； statues； theatres； and pretty colors。 And incredible
as it seems； these unhappy lunatics are left at large； unrebuked； even
admired and revered； whilst artists have to struggle for toleration。 To
them an undraped human body is the most monstrous； the most blighting；
the most obscene； the most unbearable spectacle in the universe。 To an
artist it is； at its best； the most admirable spectacle in nature； and； at its
average； an object of indifference。 If every rag of clothing miraculously
dropped from the inhabitants of London at noon tomorrow （say as a
preliminary to the Great Judgment）； the artistic people would not turn a
hair； but the artless people would go mad and call on the mountains to
hide them。 I submit that this indicates a thoroughly healthy state on the
part of the artists； and a thoroughly morbid one on the part of the artless。
And the healthy state is attainable in a cold country like ours only by
familiarity with the undraped figure acquired through pictures； statues； and
theatrical representations in which an illusion of natural clotheslessness is
produced and made poetic。
In short； we all grow up stupid and mad to just the extent to which we
have not been artistically educated； and the fact that this taint of stupidity
and madness has to be tolerated because it is general； and is even boasted
of as characteristically English； makes the situation all the worse。 It is
becoming exceedingly grave at present； because the last ray of art is being
cut off from our schools by the discontinuance of religious education。
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The Impossibility of Secular
Education
Now children must be taught some sort of religion。 Secular
education is an impossibility。 Secular education comes to this： that the
only reason for ceasing to do evil and learning to do well is that if