Japanese　artist　may　have　intended　human　beauty　where　we　do　not
  recognise　it。　　But　if　it　is　not　easy　to　recognise；　it　is　certainly
  not　difficult　to　guess　at。　　And；　accordingly；　you　are　generally
  aware　that　the　separate　beauty　of　the　race；　and　its　separate
  dignity；　even　…　to　be　very　generous　…　has　been　admired　by　the
  Japanese　artist；　and　is　represented　here　and　there　occasionally；　in
  the　figure　of　warrior　or　mousme。　　But　even　with　this　exception　the
  habit　of　Japanese　figure…drawing　is　evidently　grotesque；　derisive；
  and　crooked。　　It　is　curious　to　observe　that　the　search　for　slight
  deformity　is　so　constant　as　to　make　use；　for　its　purposes；　not　of
  action　only；　but　of　perspective　foreshortening。　　With　us　it　is　to
  the　youngest　child　only　that　there　would　appear　to　be　mirth　in　the
  drawing　of　a　man　who；　stooping　violently　forward；　would　seem　to　have
  his　head　〃beneath　his　shoulders。〃　　The　European　child　would　not　see
  fun　in　the　living　man　so　presented；　but　…　unused　to　the　same　effect
  〃in　the　flat〃　…　he　thinks　it　prodigiously　humorous　in　a　drawing。
  But　so　only　when　he　is　quite　young。　　The　Japanese　keeps；　apparently；
  his　sense　of　this　kind　of　humour。　　It　amuses　him；　but　not　perhaps
  altogether　as　it　amuses　the　child；　that　the　foreshortened　figure
  should；　in　drawing　and　to　the　unpractised　eye；　seem　distorted　and
  dislocated；　the　simple　Oriental　appears　to　find　more　derision　in　it
  than　the　simple　child。　　The　distortion　is　not　without　a　suggestion
  of　ignominy。　　And；　moreover；　the　Japanese　shows　derision；　but　not
  precisely　scorn。　　He　does　not　hold　himself　superior　to　his　hideous
  models。　　He　makes　free　with　them　on　equal　terms。　　He　is　familiar
  with　them。
  And　if　this　is　the　conviction　gathered　from　ordinary　drawings；　no
  need　to　insist　upon　the　ignoble　character　of　those　that　are
  intentional　caricatures。
  Perhaps　the　time　has　hardly　come　for　writing　anew　the　praises　of
  symmetry。　　The　world　knows　too　much　of　the　abuse　of　Greek
  decoration；　and　would　be　glad　to　forget　it；　with　the　intention　of
  learning　that　art　afresh　in　a　future　age　and　of　seeing　it　then　anew。
  But　whatever　may　be　the　phases　of　the　arts；　there　is　the　abiding
  principle　of　symmetry　in　the　body　of　man；　that　goes　erect；　like　an
  upright　soul。　　Its　balance　is　equal。　　Exterior　human　symmetry　is
  surely　a　curious　physiological　fact　where　there　is　no　symmetry
  interiorly。　　For　the　centres　of　life　and　movement　within　the　body
  are　placed　with　Oriental　inequality。　　Man　is　Greek　without　and
  Japanese　within。　　But　the　absolute　symmetry　of　the　skeleton　and　of
  the　beauty　and　life　that　cover　it　is　accurately　a　principle。　　It
  controls；　but　not　tyrannously；　all　the　life　of　human　action。
  Attitude　and　motion　disturb　perpetually；　with　infinite　incidents　…
  inequalities　of　work；　war；　and　pastime；　inequalities　of　sleep　…　the
  symmetry　of　man。　　Only　in　death　and　〃at　attention〃　is　that　symmetry
  complete　in　attitude。　　Nevertheless；　it　rules　the　dance　and　the
  battle；　and　its　rhythm　is　not　to　be　destroyed。　　All　the　more　because
  this　hand　holds　the　goad　and　that　the　harrow；　this　the　shield　and
  that　the　sword；　because　this　hand　rocks　the　cradle　and　that　caresses
  the　unequal　heads　of　children；　is　this　rhythm　the　law；　and　grace　and
  strength　are　inflections　thereof。　　All　human　movement　is　a　variation
  upon　symmetry；　and　without　symmetry　it　would　not　be　variation；　it
  would　be　lawless；　fortuitous；　and　as　dull　and　broadcast　as　lawless
  art。　　The　order　of　inflection　that　is　not　infraction　has　been
  explained　in　a　most　authoritative　sentence　of　criticism　of
  literature；　a　sentence　that　should　save　the　world　the　trouble　of
  some　of　its　futile；　violent；　and　weak　experiments：　〃Law；　the
  rectitude　of　humanity；〃　says　Mr　Coventry　Patmore；　〃should　be　the
  poet's　only　subject；　as；　from　time　immemorial；　it　has　been　the
  subject　of　true　art；　though　many　a　true　artist　has　done　the　Muse's
  will　and　knew　it　not。　　As　all　the　music　of　verse　arises；　not　from
  infraction　but　from　inflection　of　the　law　of　the　set　metre；　so　the
  greatest　poets　have　been　those　the　MODULUS　of　whose　verse　has　been
  most　variously　and　delicately　inflected；　in　correspondence　with
  feelings　and　passions　which　are　the　inflections　of　moral　law　in
  their　theme。　　Law　puts　a　strain　upon　feeling；　and　feeling　responds
  with　a　strain　upon　law。　　Furthermore；　Aristotle　says　that　the
  quality　of　poetic　language　is　a　continual　SLIGHT　novelty。　　In　the
  highest　poetry；　like　that　of　Milton；　these　three　modes　of
  inflection；　metrical；　linguistical；　and　moral；　all　chime　together　in
  praise　of　the　truer　order　of　life。〃
  And　like　that　order　is　the　order　of　the　figure　of　man；　an　order　most
  beautiful　and　most　secure　when　it　is　put　to　the　proof。　　That
  perpetual　proof　by　perpetual　inflection　is　the　very　condition　of
  life。　　Symmetry　is　a　profound；　if　disregarded　because　perpetually
  inflected；　condition　of　human　life。
  The　nimble　art　of　Japan　is　unessential；　it　may　come　and　go；　may
  settle　or　be　fanned　away。　　It　has　life　and　it　is　not　without　law；　it
  has　an　obvious　life；　and　a　less　obvious　law。　　But　with　Greece　abides
  the　obvious　law　and　the　less　obvious　life：　symmetry　as　apparent　as
  the　symmetry　of　the　form　of　man；　and　life　occult　like　his　unequal
  heart。　　And　this　seems　to　be　the　nobler　and　the　more　perdurable
  relation。
  THE　ILLUSION　OF　HISTORIC　TIME
  He　who　has　survived　his　childhood　intelligently　must　become
  conscious　of　something　more　than　a　change　in　his　sense　of　the
  present　and　in　his　apprehension　of　the　future。　　He　must　be　aware　of
  no　less　a　thing　than　the　destruction　of　the　past。　　Its　events　and
  empires　stand　where　they　did；　and　the　mere　relation　of　time　is　as　it
  was。　　But　that　which　has　fallen　together；　has　fallen　in；　has　fallen
  close；　and　lies　in　a　little　heap；　is　the　past　itself　…　time　…　the
  fact　of　antiquity。
  He　has　grown　into　a　smaller　world　as　he　has　grown　older。　　There　are
  no　more　extremities。　　Recorded　time　has　no　more　terrors。　　The　unit
  of　measure　which　he　holds　in　his　hand　has　become　in　his　eyes　a　thing
  of　paltry　length。　　The　discovery　draws　in　the　annals　of　mankind。　　He
  had　thought　them　to　be　wide。
  For　a　man　has　nothing　whereby　to　order　and　place　the　floods；　the
  states；　the　conquests；　and　the　temples　of　the　past；　except　only　the
  measure　which　he　holds。　　Call　that　measure　a　space　of　ten　years。
  His　first　ten　years　had　given　him　the　illusion　of　a　most　august
  scale　and　measure。　　It　was　then　that　he　conceived　Antiquity。　　But
  now！　　Is　it　to　a　decade　of　ten　such　little　years　as　these　now　in　his
  hand　…　ten　of　his　mature　years　…　that　men　give　the　dignity　of　a
  century？　　They　call　it　an　age；　but　what　if　life　shows　now　so　small
  that　the　word　age　has　lost　its　gravity？
  In　fact；　when　a　child　begins　to　know　that　there　is　a　past；　he　has　a
  most　noble　rod　to　measure　it　by　…　he　has　his　own　ten　years。　　He
  attributes　an　overwhelming　majesty　to　all　recorded　time。　　He　confers
  distance。　　He；　and　he　alone；　bestows　mystery。　　Remoteness　is　his。
  He　creates　more　than　mortal　centuries。　　He　sends　armies　fighting
  into　the　extremities　of　the　past。　　He　assigns　the　Parthenon　to　a
  hill　of　ages；　and　the　temples　of　Upper　Egypt　to　sidereal　time。
  If　there　were　no　child；　there　would　be　nothing　old。　　He；　having
  conceived　old　time；　communicates　a　remembrance　at　least　of　the
  mystery　to　the　mind　of　the　man。　　The　man　perceives　at　last　all　the
  illusion；　but　he　cannot　forget　what　was　his　conviction　when　he　was　a
  child。　　He　had　once　a　persuasion　of　Antiquity。　　And　this　is　not　for
  nothing。　　The　enormous　undeception　that　comes　upon　him　still　leaves
  spaces　in　his　mind。
  But　the　undeception　is　rude　work。　　The　man　receives　successive
  shocks。　　It　is　as　though　one　strained　level　eyes　towards　the
  horizon；　and　then　were　bidden　to　shorten　his　sight　and　to　close　his
  search　within　a　poor　half　acre　before　his　face。　　Now；　it　is　that　he
  suddenly　perceives　the　hitherto　remote；　remote　youth　of　his　own
  parents　to　have　been　something　familiarly　near；　so　measured　by　his
  new　standard；　again；　it　is　the　coming　of　Attila　that　is　displaced。
  Those　ten　last　years　of　his　have　corrected　the　world。　　There　needs
  no　other　rod　than　that　ten　years'　rod　to　chastise　all　the
  imaginations　of　the　spirit　of　man。　　It　makes　history　skip。
  To　have　lived　through　any　appreciable　part　of　any　century　is　to　hold
  thenceforth　a　mere　century　cheap　enough。　　But；　it　may　be　said；　the
  mystery　of　change　remains。　　Nay；　it　does　not。　　Change　that　trudges
  through　our　own　world　…　our　contemporary　world　…　is　not　very
  mysterious。　　We　perceive　its　pace；　it　is　a　jog…trot。　　Even　so；　we
  now　consider；　jolted　the　changes　of　the　past；　with　the　same　hurry。
  The　man；　therefore；　who　has　intelligently　ceased　to　be　a　child　scans
  through　a　shortened　avenue　the　reaches　of　the　past。　　He　marvels　that
  he　was　so　deceived。　　For　it　was　a　very　deception。　　If　the　Argonauts；
  for　instance；　had　been　children；　it　would　have　been　well　enough　for
  the　child　to　measure　their