MUSICAL COMPOSITION

MELODIES AND VARIATIONS 73tell upon generations of men, and without it musicis a barren wilderness. It is only attainable by menof inventive power, who have worked steadily, withoutfaltering or taking their hand from the plough, tobring their workmanship to the greatest perfectionpossible. When an artist, who has made a design formosaic, proceeds to put his picture together, he mustmake his tesserae so even-edged as to fit easily toeach other; if the edges are rough and unfinished,he will not improve the effect of his design byhammering them together and chipping them; norcan he excuse such methods by pleading that themosaic picture is so far off that no one will seethe flaws. The flaws will let in the dust and damp,and the laziness of the inferior workmanship will beexposed by the great enemy of all charlatans, Time.