In Morland the family talent ran high
but never rose to genius. His touch on the piano was perfect. He
scribbled poems in private. His achievements, however, in either music,
art, or poetry were insufficient to justify taking one of them for a
vocation.
"I'd rather make him a chimney-sweep!" declared Mr. Castleton eloquently.
"The public nowadays don't appreciate pictures! They'll look at them in
galleries, especially when the admission is free, but you can't get them
to buy. They hang their drawing-rooms with cheap prints instead of water-
colours, and go to the photographers instead of the portrait-painter. If
you can design something to advertise mustard or cocoa you may make a
little money, but not by pure art! It's as dead as the ancient Greeks.
This is a commercial age. Music's as bad. Your pianists are glad to take
posts to play at the cinemas! I wish Claudia success; but her training is
the business of the college, not mine, and _they'll_ have to bring
her out. I've nothing to do with it.
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