educated in this particular; but do claim that a much larger number have been drawn to give time and study to this subject, and that the art schools of Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore, Chicago, St. Louis, and other portions of the country have been stimulated to achievements which are more than simply creditable. The influences which such institutions exert upon all the arts and manufactures of our country cannot be over-estimated; there is no rule by which it can be computed, and no basis upon which to form a rule. But that all the purposes of civilization, purity, and religion, or the opposite effects, can be greatly aided or retarded by the effects of art there is not the slightest room for doubt. Eloquence, high power of analysis, and gentle persuasiveness are equally potent with delineative art in portraying to the mind the truths and principles which build up and strengthen character, and advance man in the paths of progress and industry, or that weaken and precipitate him in the sea of debauchery and indolence. From the earliest times man has been enervated by such grossly sybaritic but artistically executed designs, so common upon the tiles taken from the ruins of Pompeii and other Italian cities; the luring songs of the siren have been effective in all ages; the downward path has at all times been easy to travel. To impede this and aid to combat it, art has also been employed in all its forms for good. Who can look upon the works of the gifted and chosen contained in Saint Peter's, Westminster Abbey, Canterbury, and other cathedrals and some of the priory churches of western Eu rope, and view their paintings and mosaics on dome, ceiling, or walls, tread their tiled pavements, formed in all kinds of beautiful figures, bordered with flowers and traceries of vines, fruits and geometrical forms, and then fail to feel the elevating influences of art? The effect of a harmonious design is similar to a sweet melody; it gently takes possession of us before being conscious that we have yielded to its influences. In one plate we show a few specimens of the Low tiles, some singly, and others arranged in friezes and panels; it is, of course, not possible to do full justice to these designs in so limited a space; but there is an easy grace and spontaneity about them which can hardly fail to afford pleasure. In other plates different designs for chimney-piece facings are shown, the names given to these facings being suggested by the salient feature of each design, "the bamboo," "the owl," and "Japanese quince," and the "lion," and "swag" ornament being the predominant features. There are peculiar attractions in decorative tiles; pave a hearth, face a chimney piece or jambs with them, then light a fire in the grate, and in the winter evenings enjoy the magical effects, the changing play of light and shadow, and the various portions of the designs relieve monotony, and exert a soothing influence upon all, and the chimney corner becomes a home school for refinement in thought, in feeling, and in expression. The success of Low's tiles has been steady, and at the same time rapid; for less than a year and one-half from |