…it is a literal wrong or sin in any person to encumber us with inferior work. I have no patience with apologies made by young pseudo-poets, ‘that they believe there is some good in what they have written: that they hope to do better in time,’ etc. Some good! If there is not all good, there is no good. If they ever hope to do better, why do they trouble us now? Let them rather courageously burn all they have done, and wait for the better days…All inferior poetry is an injury to the good, inasmuch as it takes away the freshness of rhymes, blunders upon and gives a wretched commonality to good thoughts; and, in general, adds to the weight of human weariness in a most woeful and culpable manner. There are few thoughts likely to come across ordinary men, which have not already been expressed by greater men in the best possible way; and it is a wiser, more generous, more noble thing to remember and point out the perfect words, than to invent poorer ones (71).

This anti-hack manifesto, a litany of extreme aesthetic elitism, gives me such a warm feeling inside. Ruskin brilliantly applies his Toryism to the arts. Toryism argues the evils of democracy, the glories of Monarchy, and the necessary deferment in all matters to an elite few who can be trusted. Finding the few honest men, and putting them in power quickly are the two key occupations of government. As an old school Tory, Ruskin accepts Kings as God’s chosen instruments. As a corollary, Ruskin appoints Kings in the arts -- the natural, inevitable best who should inspire a crushing awe from all dabblers and dilettantes. If you aren’t one of the best, have the good sense to shut up and hope maybe you can recognize the best when it hits your dumbo ears. Until then, don’t force us into a sense of humor about the arts. Art is serious. Don’t “trouble” me with almost good work. Don’t dabble. Almost good equals worthless bad. Ruskin’s use of “sin” shows art elevated to religion. Inferiority is immoral. Hacks proceed despite knowledge of their inferiority because they lack respect for art. They lack a properly developed aesthetic conscience. All hacks stand up!