Morris, William: An address delivered by William Morris at the distribution of prizes to students of the Birmingham Municipal School of Art on Feb. 21, 1894 (London, 1898)

which closely expressed their thoughts and their Birming/
lives, and of which beauty, almost, it seems to us, ham School
unsought for, was an essential part; while as far as of Art, 1894*
our own days go, it is, as I have said before, to non/
artistic England that some glimmerof insight in/
to the possible future of Art has come* In short, it
is no use going further afield than this country to
find the artists and craftsmen that we need: when
you find them you will undoubtedly find that they
have shortcomings which those of other countries
have not; but also they will have their own special
excellencies, which we had better make the most
of*
Now, further, I believe that the capacity for Art,
and the desire for it, are not yet extinct among us;
yet they are mostly dormant* People in general,
who do not earn their livelihood by using their
eyes, do not use them; which, of course, consider/
mg the state of the popular arts amongst us, saves
them a great deal of suffering, & probably length/
ens their lives* But I fearthat we cannot leave them
to their negative happiness: if we are to make any/
thing of Art, we must awaken in them that * divine
discontent* which is the mother of improvement
in mankind* I have already admitted, indeed, that
this awakening is beginning; but to me it seems
that it is only amongst a very few, and chiefly a/
mongst artists in the narrower sense of the word,
that this discontent is the result of the actual use of
the eyes* With the others of the discontented, it is
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