The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-12-10
THE LECTURE SEASON.

HON. GEORGE BANCROFT ON THE CULTURE, THE sup
PORT, AND THE OBJECTS OF ART IN REPUBLIC.
The first Of the series Of Lectures before the New York
Historical Society delivered last evening in the
metropolitan Hail. by Hon. George Bancroft subject
The culture the support and the objects Of art in
republic The lecturer introduced by the Hon
Luther Bradh who stated that the object which the
cety had in view in getting up these lectures to
assist in raising fund for the erection OF fire proof
building their library, towards which they had
already collected q sum Of forty thousand dollar.
Mr. BANCROFT opened his lecture by stating that the
time he had spoken in this hall the occasion
OF the delivery Of funeral Grafton In honor OF the great
American novelist James Fenimore Cooper. They had
then pledged themselves to erect monument to his
memory but nothing had yet been done in fuAlment OF
that pledge The great who presided at that meet
ing Daniel Webster had since then also descended to
the tomb We have, he continued followed his funeral
pageant through the Streets but it is past-it almost
rapid in disappearing the flash Of light which beamed
from the FURNISHED arms borne by the brave men who
constituted the procesont has passed away almost
eety the echoes Of the funeral music which died
To him gave . funeral pageant not a
monument-New York has no monument The stranger
coming among must either infer that the city has
anecedens that ithss very memory. We write
everything about to-day" This busy, prosperous
opulent increasing city all Of to day" Its in
and proud is itself subject to arthmatica compla
ton; its present value Is estimated 1t is turned into
capital and that too becomes enjoyable to day.
funeral procession moving through streets is lugubr
bears about the ensgns Of only take them
away again from city 1t Is ephemera is almost
roint Of honor as empty as the urn which Was pa
raced in the funeral procession Yet great men have
been among u.s. They may demand that their memories
shall be revered that evidences OF respect for their
mory shall exist They call upon to consider Of the
public The culture the pt and the proper obects of
art in Iepublic-these are the points under which
shall beg leave to detan your for an hour Considering
the subject entirely em the point Of view
from which have opened it to you and stunning too
large generalization proceed to say that with respect
to the culture Of art t emneny fitted to the genius
of republic because art speaks to sentiment which Is
universally dused and speaks to that capacity which
all endowed With this faculty Il is the common eli, Of
the age True the beautiful may not always make itself
perceived; but it exists everywhere. It may be
be turned towards the pole And neverthe-
to every age and to every 1t belongs to human ma
tnre to man. and the last heart that beats shall In this
respect beat did the first Again the culture Of art
benefits = republic because the encouragement Of art
does not depend in any degree on social positiondos
not depend In any degree on possession The owner of
picture of fine piece of sculpture, is not for that
reason more likely TO enjoy it than another The
does Eot consume does not waste the work of
art 1t exists in its freshness sfter before and to It's
enjoy required that power which is not the gift Of
opulepce and not the gift of rank and position but the
power which nature only can give to com srehend and
reproduce the roble and exatng idea OF the artist him
self This must be done shall be lost in
and lower AIT partakes like religion OF the
With the skies while art embelli. hes ard adorns and
gorifes our existence earth If We do not cultivate
art, the public imagination will become mossgro wn-wil
become, as 1t were stiff and hard and though it had
been made OF wood The diffusion of the enjoyment Of
works of art constitutes part Of this progress D cvii
zstion which marks times The enjoyment Of is
OF copies by means Of moulds by thography by wood
cuts carried to such admirable perfection here in
our own city, by ergrasings fttel. the works
Of art, which, in the days Of DID, could have
been enjoyed only by those who had made .
EXISTED. now made, as 1t the common property
Of mankind. Do bat think for moment OF how many
1t complete history OF italian art in this sacred
department and under its influence is carried into the
rcmotes borders OF our land The beautiful pous
Of Bsphae smile on our wilderness The face OF his Ma
donna and Of the onges which he drew made to shed
uste the Iomotsst log cabin in the Western hem
sphere There smother point Of view in which the
suit Of art vindcses its claim to equality and is in
harmony with republican institutions The perfsctons
that capable Ct exiting grow up where will
rank wealth position desire have inue here
Nature calls for her darling where she will il she please
Vermont it may be in Cincinnati but wherever it Is she
In this respect makes her choice and tolerntes
tavortism but her own. Again it Is undoubted fact
and ii there any artists here they will join their
unite sufrsges in affirming that 1t is undoubted fact
that the artist prefers to toll people he had rather
copfor to this general instinc which makes itself per-
civsd in the people, than to that special particular and
smetimes false taste which belongs to the individual
The artist artskes in his of the highest degree Of
public spirit, and he Is never 20 happy when he deals
with forms Of taste, and invests his conceptions with
colcr with shape and feel he Ia doing Ii his
country and for mankind and not for sphere Of
domestic life These views all point to republics the
place the culture the art and one circu instance
tends TO confirm that view and 1t is that the hu
man mind to perform anything great, needs sympathy
he who will speak 10 public assembly must be
thatr
presence The artist who will lift his mind to greatness
of conception must be borne up and sustained and in
spired by the cultivated Imagination the combined
enthusiasm OF great and free people. (Applause.)
And we have great artists. 1t might be invidous to
Apgle out among those who present with but
will steak what universal testimony confirms At the
great exhibition Of all nations In London when from all
parts Of the cul yaed world all contributed their works
to challenge the admiration OF oil it Is an undoubed 1t
is admitted fact-it is fact in which there is
in the judgment of all who hsd the opportunity
to form judgment that in the art Of sculpture the
highest prize belonged to American (Applause) The
work Of Powers stood eminent and acknowledged
to stand the first in that vast collection And this
art the second part of topic this evening Congress-
so far as bnow-I hope am mistaken has as yet given
order to Powers New York far know. has yet
given none, and has .ufered the precedence to be
1t by glorious warm hearted chivalrous South
Caroline. (Appause) And yet whom else must art
look to for encouragement II not to this great city of New
York. this vast and mighty city which extends its arms
as it to the whole world allowing Ireland to enter
through It's eastern gate while its southern on
Cubs and the tropics New York is at metropolitan
and comoPolite For America IL is the eye OF the con
tnent Is the sensorium Of the country the world
Why do the historians tell Of the wandering of ntons
In times past 1t is nothing to the annual pilgrimage
which made through these States by emgrants from all
nations OF the old world There Is nation which has
not its representative among us-thsre Is not a
tion Cf which may not discern relics monuments and
memorials as we pass up and down broad and
beautiful streets-there Is not creed which has not
hre its professors there Is not class OF business
which is not carried here-there Is not manufac-
tuIe Of every day consumption, known in the world,
which Is not sure TO have - deposit, its magazine
in New York Let New York then welcome every
thing that can grace and ennobe fe let her welcome
art, let II rise to sentiment Of Its high vocaon-et
New York to be outdone by city like Antwerp
under whose municipal institution art thrives hap
PLY, that Reubens found himself happy only while at
home and could achieve his greatest only under
the municipal institutions Of his city Let York
vie with the republics offtay in which art took Its origin
In modern times New York not be outdone in by
Venice while che far surpasses Venice in numbers
In general culture and In opulence And you ask
acknowedginR that the view Is entirely Just and Joining