Studio: international art (24.1902)

The Horniman Free Museum

that no fewer than 90,383 persons visited the That is to say, the nympholepts of the old styles
collection in 1897. Meantime, gifts from the are afraid to achieve something fresh and great by
public, which were numerous, and acquisitions by making use of two processes equally common in
purchase were continually adding to the collec- external nature and the history of civilisation—
tion, till at last, the house, the stables and the the process of upheaval, and the process of de-
conservatory were filled. positing new things of growth upon an ancient
It was partly this fact, and partly a spirit of foundation. The present-day movement in design
thoroughness, that caused Mr. Horniman to build employs both processes, and because the process
the fine museum which he recently presented, of upheaval is neither a quiet nor a gentle instru-
together with the large recreation grounds, to the ment of progress, the nympholepts of the old
London County Council, as the representative of styles imagine that architecture and decoration
the London people. A more useful gift has will be ruined by its revolutionary thoroughness,
seldom been made to any city. It is useful to Hence their lamentations — and their splenetic
everyone in the southern suburbs, and it is useful misuse of the word "amateur." But the revolu-
also to the present-day English school of design, of tion of progress in the arts goes on all the same ;
applied and decorative art; for Mr. Horniman did and we may be equally sure that, in order to
not seek his architect from among the nympholepts progress, men must be pioneers, or else they
of the old styles, who are afraid to do in "the must follow with intelligence the lead of pioneers,
frozen music of architecture " what Wagner and daring much, daring always.

other modern composers have done with their art. It is chiefly for this reason that the building of

the Horniman Free Mu-
seum is worthy of atten-

,,- "V -3 tion here. Whether the

S >H architecture be liked or

___^—^. \. disliked—and it is certain

to have foes as well as
many friends—is a matter
of no greater consequence
than the conflict of

,/ / opinions raised by such a

* Vy; manner of writing as that

of Carlyle. The point of

f real concern to us all is

I rrWC"^ if™ , .Masaiifc ^is : that the architec-

HBiwamusratok^... *^®»^TTTt>; ' ture' whether liked or

^H^^^S^Ilil^5^*S®2ySlTi !\ disliked, is not in the

EsvS=~&? />.^^y^BMte-.'."..„ ,^flBHMHBHn. / -'tr.% ,-JJ least degree an imitation,

wj^x^ *J*Mm ;: ' niUmimmm\^ ;->± an echo of some old

master's merit. It stands
there at Forest Hill as a
new series of frank and
fearless thoughts expressed
and co-ordinated in stone.
Further, contrast the sim-
ple dignity of its strength
with the flat, thin-angular
pretensions of the Natural
History Museum at South
Kensington, and then ask
yourself which style of
•«?s3ssEr> architecture is more in

i keeping with the im-

mensity of London, the

INTERIOR OF THE HORNIMAN MUSEUM C. HARRISON TOWNSEND, ARCHITECT Empire - City. Even the

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