After enlarging upon the advan-
tages of association and co-operation, and having enumer-
ated the classes of objects to be produced by the Firm, the
letter ends with the subjoined concise paragraph, the
sentiment of which is worthy to serve as a text for those
who preach the gospel of household art:
                         "It is only requisite to state
further that work of all the above classes will be estimated
for, and executed in a business-like manner; and it is
believed that good decoration involving rather the luxury
of taste than the luxury of costliness will be found much
less expensive than is generally supposed."
                          This last statement was abund-
antly proven by the accomplishments of the Morris
Firm, or rather by those of Morris himself, who wrought
a silent revolution in the most necessary arts and crafts,
and whose influence having beautified the English
middle-class home, gradually involved the New World in
the movement toward true aestheticism.
                         If we follow the history of the
Firm, we find that, at the beginning of the year 1862,
the organization was in full working order. A further
call was at that time made of nineteen pounds sterling
(one share representing each member); thus raising the
paid-in capital to one hundred forty pounds, which was
never increased till the dissolution of the firm in 1874. A
few hundred pounds of further capital was supplied by
loans, which bore, or were supposed to bear, interest at
five per cent.; these loans coming from Morris himself,
or from his mother. Work done for the firm by any
member was credited to his account at fixed rates, and
paid, like other debts; while Morris, as general manager,
received a salary of one hundred fifty pounds.
                          After the manner of all artistic
enterprises, the Firm passed through many crises and led
for several years a true Bohemian existence. Production
was necessarily slow, as it was the result of experiment


28


WILLIAM MORRIS