The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-11-25


Art and ssForeign Trnsh.s
The public win heartily endorse the action
of the crowded meeting which was held on
Tuesday evening at the theatre of the Union
League Club on behalf of the establishment
ofa metropolitan art museum in the Park
This meeting was presided over by Mr..
Bryant, who alluded to the wonderful growth
OF New York and contrasted its lack of great
art museums with the abundance of such insti-
tutions In European cities not half so rich and
populous. Professor Comfort, of Princeton,
made an address, in which he showed how
much this country needs artists and what
superior artistic talent it can already boast Of
possessing. He also referred to the museums
OF the Old World, commenting on the fact that
most OF them had been originally built for
other than museum purposes, and urging the
Importance of adopting all modern improve
ments in constructing here a museum which
should externally be great work Of art,
although not necessarily of American archi-
lecture, and the interior arrangement Of
which should be made specially to subserve
the object of its erection, and nothing else.
His declaration that che knew of only
one place in this vicinity which was
suitable for museum, and that
place was the Park" was warmly and justly
applauded. 1t should be museum worthy of
our city, and should represent the history of
art in all ages and nations; ''Eor art" he said,
lis cosmopolitan, belonging to no country in
particular, and great artist is great man
and citizen of the world" He believed 1t
possible to organize such museum, and
knew that every great work in the world
could be reproduced so accurately-sta tues
in plaster of Paris; pictures, by skilful Anne
rican painters specially commissioned to copy
them in European galleries; drawings and en-
cravings, in photographs, and medallions and
coins, in casts-as to form collection that
would offer school for art students and rem
der inesimable service in educating and Gull
made by Mr.. Hunt, the architects Mr.. Steb-
bins, Mr.. Cole, of the Kensington Museum in
London; Rev. DR.. Thompson and Rev. DR..
Bellows in behalf of the projected museum of
art. Resolutions were adopted as an express
sion of the favorable opinion of the meeting,
and a committee Of fifty gentlemen, represent
ing the various organizations and individuals
directly or indirectly interested in the object,
was appointed to carry out the enterprise by
such means as they may deem expedent.
1t is to be hoped that ere long the efforts of
this committee, seconded by the liberality of
as@s -, T. A..
Park museum Of art-'sa repository of the
productions of artists of every class which shall
be in some measure worthy of this great metro
polls and the wide empire of which New York
is the commercial centre" In this connection
we may add that such museum will afford, in
addition to its other benefits, opportunities for
young artists to make themselves known by
the exhibition Of their works. About thirty
young artists met the other evening and organ
lied society called 'The New York Artists
Union, for mutual Improvement and the sup
preston of the trash annually sold in this city
as works of art" Anything like an attempt
to revive the crusade Of a few shnrt-sighted
and envious mediocrities and inferiorities, aca-
demical or otherwise, to prohibit the importa-
ton Of such excellent works of foreign art as
the most respectable Of our art dealers
supply in accordance with the elevated
standard of public taste, will prove as
Intellectual as 1t is foolishly opposed to
sound principles of political economy. The
best way to suppress foreign trash" will be
for our young artists to thoroughly prepare
themselves to represent as landscapsts the
Incompatible beauty and sublimity Of our
natural scenery, or, as figure painters, those
multitudinous varieties of American life which
hitherto have been almost completely undisco-
vered by so many who having eyes see not. If
American art be diligently improved to its
highest capability it will meet with and deserve
enthusiastic encouragement, and foreign
trash" will no longer find market on this
side of the Atlantic.