does much to modify even these.  What is crude, vulgar, inharmonious, in art and music to some people, arouses extreme aesthetic appreciation in others.  Literature that causes one person to throw the book down in disgust will give greatest enjoyment to another.  What is malice to one person is humorous to another.  What people enjoy and appreciate depends primarily on their experience for the development of these feelings, depends upon the laws of association, readiness, exercise, and effect.  To raise power of appreciation from low levels to high, from almost nothing to a controlling force, needs but the application of these laws.  But no one of them can be neglected with impunity.  It must be a gradual growth, beginning with tracks that are ready, because of the presence of certain instincts, and working on to others through the law of association.  To expect a child of seven to appreciate a steel engraving, or a piece of classic music, or moral qualities in another person is to violate the law of readiness.  To expect any one in adult life to enjoy music, or art, or nature, who has not had experience with each and enjoyed each continually as a child, is to violate the laws of exercise and effect.

Two or three suggestions as to aids in the application of these laws may be in place.  First, a wealth of images is an aid to appreciation.  Second, the absence for the time of the critical attitude.  Third, an encouragement of the passive contemplative attitude.  Fourth, the example of others.  Suggestion and association with other people who do appreciate and enjoy are among the best means of securing it.

The value of feelings of appreciation are threefold:  First, they serve as recreation.  It is in enjoyment of this kind that most of the leisure of civilized races is spent.  It serves on the mental level much the same purpose that play does, in fact, much of it is mental play of a kind.  Second, they are impersonal.  They are valuable in that they take us out of ourselves, away from self-interests, and therefore make for mental health and sanity as well as for a sympathetic character.  They are also a means of broadening one’s experience.  Third, they have a close relationship with ideals and therefore have an active bearing on conduct.  It is not necessarily true that one will tend in himself or in his surroundings to be like what he enjoys and appreciates, but the tendency will be strongly in that direction.  If an individual truly appreciates, enjoys, beautiful pictures, good music and books, he will be likely, so far as he can, to surround himself with them.  If he appreciates loyalty, openmindedness, tolerance, as he meets them in literature and history, he may become more so himself.  At least, the developing of appreciations is the first step towards conduct in those lines.  In order to insure the conduct, other means must be taken, but without the appreciation the conduct will be less sure.