"No, no, it 's no use; you don't understand
me! But I don't blame you. You can't!"
"You think it will help you, then?" said Rowland, wondering.
"I think that when you expect a man to produce beautiful and wonderful
works of art, you ought to allow him a certain freedom of action, you
ought to give him a long rope, you ought to let him follow his fancy and
look for his material wherever he thinks he may find it! A mother can't
nurse her child unless she follows a certain diet; an artist can't bring
his visions to maturity unless he has a certain experience. You
demand of us to be imaginative, and you deny us that which feeds the
imagination. In labor we must be as passionate as the inspired sibyl; in
life we must be mere machines. It won't do. When you have got an artist
to deal with, you must take him as he is, good and bad together. I don't
say they are pleasant fellows to know or easy fellows to live with; I
don't say they satisfy themselves any better than other people. I only
say that if you want them to produce, you must let them conceive. If
you want a bird to sing, you must not cover up its cage.
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