But if you propose (with the writer) that Fine Art shall regard the general happiness of man, but addressing those attributes which are peculiarly human, by exciting the activity of his rational and benevolent powers (and the writer would add, man’s religious aspirations, but omits it as sufficiently evolvable from the proposition, and since some well-willing men cannot at present recognize man as a religious animal), then the subject of Fine Art should be drawn from objects which address and excite the activity of man’s rational and benevolent powers, such as:—­acts of justice—­of mercy—­good government—­order—­acts of intellect—­men obviously speaking or thinking abstract thoughts, as evinced by one speaking to another, and looking at, or indicating, a flower, or a picture, or a star, or by looking on the wall while speaking—­or, if the scene be from a good play, or story, or another beneficent work, then not only of men in abstract thought or meditation, but, it may be, in simple conversation, or in passion—­or a simple representation of a person in a play or story, as of Jacques, Ferdinand, or Cordelia; or, in real life, portraits of those who are honestly beautiful; or expressive of innocence, happiness, benevolence, or intellectuality, but not of gluttony, wantonness, anger, hatred, or malevolence, unless in some cases of justifiable satire—­of histrionic or historic portraiture—­landscape—­natural phenomena—­animals, not indiscriminately—­in some cases, grand or beautiful buildings, even without figures—­any scene on sea or land which induces reflection—­all subjects from such parts of history as are morally or intellectually instructive or attractive—­and therefore pageants—­battles—­and even executions—­all forms of thought and poetry, however wild, if consistent with rational benevolence—­all scenes serious or comic, domestic or historical—­all religious subjects proposing good that will not shock any reasonable number of reasonable men—­all subjects that leave the artist wiser and happier—­and none which intrinsically act otherwise—­to sum all, every thing or incident in nature which excites, or may be made to excite, the mind and the heart of man as a mentally intelligent, not as a brute animal, is a subject for Fine Art, at all times, in all places, and in all ages.  But as all these subjects in nature affect our hearts or our understanding in proportion to the heart and understanding we have to apprehend and to love them, those will excite us most intensely which we know most of and love most.  But as we may learn to know them all and to love them all, and what is dark to-day may be luminous to-morrow, and things, dumb to-day, to-morrow grow voiceful, and the strange voice of to-day be plain and reproach us to-morrow; who shall adventure to say that this or that is the highest?  And if it appear that all these subjects in nature may affect us with equal intensity, and that the artist’s representations affect as the subjects affect, then it follows, with all these subjects, Fine Art may affect us equally; but the subjects may all be high; therefore, all Fine Art may be High Art.