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comforted, I do not mean that it is lulled by indolence nor deadened by dogmas; it is instead, I am glad to say, comforted by thoughts of tings already in progress and contemplation of others which seem possibly of acquisition. To make the definition more clear I must tell you that particularly during the year just closed, as you know, much of my thought and time was given to weeding out and improving on devising ways of bettering my collection. Various plans from time to time, came into my head and after remaining in for a while flew out again. One thought however, which really had its origin several years ago, when I was spending a day in the British Museum and for the first time had a view of really fine Egyptian art, [[?]] through a more or less careful analysis from time to time, last winter and summer, when busy with the weeding and comparing. For then, more than ever before, I had to consider the chronology of things already possessed. Formerly, and correctly, my question had been what were the aesthetic qualities of things already bought on under consideration for purchase, of course, always having in mind the very important consideration of harmony.

Well, the thought so often given, attention was should not articles of beauty and sympathy of early on earliest origin, especially in glazed stone or potter, be, if possible, added to my collection. I concluded it was important that they should & continued my buying of every fine specify of "Raeea" or Babylonian glazed ware that proved obtainable. Then came