But The Existence Of A Cult Does

What Has Our Culture Lost In 1980 That The Avant-garde Had In 1890? Ebullience, Idealism, Confidence, The Belief That There Was Plenty Of Territory To Explore, And Above All The Sense That Art, In The Most Disinterested And Noble Way, Could Find The Necessary Metaphors By Which A Radically Changing Culture Could Be Explained To Its Inhabitants.

Fishing Largely Consists Of Not Catching Fish; Failure Is As Much A Part Of The Sport As Knee Injuries Are Of Football.

The Desire To Be Primitive Was Very Much A Function Of Fin-de-siècle Imperialism; It Appealed To Strong Egos And Domineering Minds.

On The Whole, Money Does Artists Much More Good Than Harm. The Idea That One Benefits From Cold Water, Crusts And Debt Collectors Is Now Almost Extinct, Like Belief In The Reformatory Power Of Flogging.

A Determined Soul Will Do More With A Rusty Monkey Wrench Than A Loafer Will Accomplish With All The Tools In A Machine Shop.