International studio (49.1913)

The Arts and Crafts Society s Exhibition

National Competitions should be discontinued
brought forth a manifesto in its favour from the
head masters of schools all over the country, and in
the face of this opposition the proposal was dropped,
but, as it appears, only for a time. The National
Competition is now threatened again, although, as
Mr. Walter Crane urged recently in a letter to “ The
Times,” it is difficult to see how a fairer system
could be devised for obtaining a competent
artistic judgment upon the work of the numerous
schools throughout the country.
In the National Competition, as it has been


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carried on hitherto, the great majority of our
art schools and classes send their best work to
South Kensington where it is examined by the
ablest judges in the various departments of art
and art industries whose services can be obtained
by the Board of Education. The studies and
examples of craftsmanship to which awards are
made are exhibited publicly ; masters and pupils
come from far and near to see and compare the
efforts of the rival schools, and the prizes offered,
though of small intrinsic wrorth, are of great value
as incentives. Our art schools are supported by
the State principally for the encouragment of the
applied arts, and in the application of art to
industry a continuous advance has been seen in


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the Competition exhibitions of the past twenty
years. The National Art Competition in its
present form works for the best interests of all the


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BY GORDON M. FORSYTH FOR THE PILKINGTON
TILE AND POTTERY CO.