46 THE SEVEN LAMPS OF ARCHITECTURE

§ 11. The other condition which we had to notice, was the value of the appearance of labour upon architecture. I have spoken of this before;* and it is, indeed, one of the most frequent sources of pleasure which belong to the art, always, however, within certain somewhat remarkable limits. For it does not at first appear easily to be explained why labour, as represented by materials of value, should, without sense of wrong or error, bear being wasted; while the waste of actual workmanship is always painful, so soon as it is apparent. But so it is, that, while precious materials may, with a certain profusion and negligence, be employed for the magnificence of what is seldom seen, the work of man cannot be carelessly and idly bestowed, without an immediate sense of wrong; as if the strength of the living creature were never intended by its Maker to be sacrificed in vain, though it is well for us sometimes to part with what we esteem precious of substance, as showing that in such service it becomes but dross and dust. And in the nice balance between the straitening of effort or enthusiasm on the one hand, and vainly casting it away upon the other, there are more questions than can be met by any but very just and watchful feeling. In general it is less the mere loss of labour that offends us, than the lack of judgment implied by such loss; so that if men confessedly work for work’s sake, ^† and it does not appear that they are ignorant where or how to make their labour tell, we shall not be grossly offended. On the contrary, we shall be pleased if the work be lost in carrying out a principle, or in avoiding a deception. It, indeed, is a law properly belonging to another part of our subject, but it may be allowably stated here, that, whenever, by the construction of a building, some parts of it are hidden from the eye which are the continuation of others

* Modern Painters, Part I. Sec. 1. Chap. 3. [Vol. III. p. 94 of this edition.]

† Obscurely expressed. I meant, if they worked to show their respect for what they are doing, and gladness in doing all they can-not in the idea of producing impossible effects, or impressing the spectator with a quantity of bad, when they can do nothing that’s good. “Sacrificed,” in the next sentence, would have been a better word than “lost.” [1880.]

[Version 0.04: March 2008]