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)

Birming/ the result of intelligent reasoning: what might be
ham School called political understandings opposed to art/
of Art, 1894* istic* I do not undervalue this side of things, & it is
indeed necessarythatthosewholive chieflybythe
eyes, should be able to use their intelligence also in
dealing with matters of Art; but, nevertheless, the
essential thing is that people generally should be
capable of receivingimpressions through the eyes,
&thisprocess shouldbeajoytothem,just as their
receiving impressions from their palates, or their
ears* This is, of course, only stating the obvious
fact, that the pleasure taken in Art is primarily
sensuous; an obvious fact, yet not so obvious but
that it is generally forgotten now/a/days*
Well, this being so, the necessity for using our
eyes, if we are to be artists, having been admitted,
the question comes, How are we to get people to
use their eyes, always keeping in mind the fact that
for some time after they have begun to do so they
will be a torment to themselves and their neigh/
hours? as I am*
That is the real question we have to consider this
evening* And I begin to answer it by saying that
we who have not lost the use of our eyes should
go on pestering the rest of the public until wehave
more or less convinced them that it would be a
good thing for them to recover the capacity of see/
mg, just as it would be a good thing to recover the
use of their legs if they were lame; and remember
that, as in the case of eyesight, the non/seeing ones
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