New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-02-07
THE PROPOSED ART MUSEUM FOR BOSTON,.
REMARKS OF RALPH WALDO EMERSON, L. T.
HALE, AND OTHERS.

REMARKS OF RALPH WALDO EMERSON, 4. h |
HALE, AND OTHERS.
Certain eminent citizens of Boston have long |
advocated the establishing OF all Art Institute OF Repos
tory in Boston, similar in design and purpose TO the Ar
Museum in contemplation for New-York The earnest
efforts OF the leading literary men OF Boston nave
aroused general interest in the project and the first
stems have been taken 10 put the work in notion It's
estimated that the enterprise will require al least
81 OOOO-sl3OOOO Of which has already been contributed
by public spirited citizens The primary purpose a1ter
the erection OF suitable building ~ TO gather Az IRE
works OF art and about Boston, and place them IN he
Museum, and add such other WORKS as from Lio W o
may be secured In furtherance on me PuIpSe' rd S
thIisiastic meeting held in Music Hall on rP1ay
last, and the subject was hlly discussed by hi.pn
Waldo Emerson, Edward f. Hale, ana others equaiJ
Mr. Emerson after dwelling at considerable length on
the Of art in education and cult9rt ssd Inc
and variety the exhibition. The coors OF the canvas
please us the marble imposes cannot tell II
work he GOOD or not But long afterward the truly
noble forms reappear TO the lnaSnaIlOn, nu VIZ ne
ror are forgotten other nations have had keenef per
ception of beauty than We and is said that we are
always importing works of art at great COST, When We
ought rather to create. do not think therc !. Wtnsei
from any excess Of art and learning brought lno
country of such exuberant native strength as our:
remember well when the first casts OF tne reT a sl,
arrived in this oountry-the gifts OF Angusns Lnof 4,
the Boston Athenaeum in h on y6sre
Apollo the EaocoOn, the Medici Venus, the Torso
which are sti the ornaments of that house There was
not then "a much travelling TO Italy as now ana Inese
commute their refining force And they preserve all
their power to-day exertng secret lhiuenee on =, e S
bias and faculty. | confess j once UoughL that ou.
t natiyc bit ony contagon OF foreign taste. But
il has fortune III late years 10 see so huy eA
ampIes OF really native talent in different branches OF
a4 esnecisy Of portrait sculpture. that must at
least suspend our Judgment until We nave seen tne ma
tire results OF men and women VINO nave aTeauS
achieved a certain success school of art recommends
itself to our common sense. IL Is politlcai anu
private economy wen a delight 1t costs no more
money to build beautiful house than an ugly one OF the
same fze and material Indeed It costs much less Ior
fie right blipg spares by better though, mue OF Ine
cost If the foolish wrong building. one. by more
Thought puts the supports Wine they snOiu Dr, uu
they endure; wastes inch OF room, IOitsSe5 ~,
bad ventaton &C. aud provides agais, tgeut lie ne
other needs endless repairs for want OF thought ~ w
wOOen linen, sllkcn iaDl1cs Nh,n ouI uty-gvyoi!s
merchants import from Europe understand owe ucIr
preference those We make ourselves solely 10 design
to the taste and genius Ot thelf uesIgheIs Ho ~ te
material and the amount OF our importation Is immense.
Mr. Hale spoke last and II avoiding the aspects OF Che
subject discussed by the gentlemen VINO piecfucu nun,
confined himself 10 the vast service OF such an lnsI
tion as school for art education. There are, SAID hr
Hale two systems OF education IN he Wotd rom iIe
the American people have made their choice: and he;
that as God made this world M fixed upon it, lands aud
its certain physical laws by when his people are
In an time 10 be governed, ana when thy are nor 70
.cD over and that these physical laws are l" drec tne
training the habits, the manners the customs inc PIE
i'm word the history Of all Gods children everywhere
on this system il follows that Greece 10 pc
the land OF sculpture that In England men are 10 MAKE
cations and wo0lens WELL that in Ireland they are to
make good linens that in the southern part OF the Untd
states they 10 raise cotton, and In Brazil they are 10
find diamonds and from Africa and California they are
10 send gold and there writers, economists ana pom
tcans To-day who tell you that II IS wrong 10 aempt 10
break these great natural laws which the God OF this
world imposed on IL when he made H. Under thdt system,
what should be the natural product Of Boston, 10 when
ali our attention should I've directedl BY what natural
law is Boston cOnr0ledf The cary settlers put
in upou record that reason why they were
glad that they had located here was that they
found plentiful supply Of Holsters IN the nay,
under Copp's Hill. This seemed to Indicate the
natural law this locality defined by the theories OF
Adam smith But what if i happened that some OF the
ing lobsers Surprising that the boy as lie goes from
dan 10 day to tie tshing-grOund is irresisbly com
peed by the instincts of his nature 10 stop by the way
to mold the plastic clay 10y the roadside the lace
and features OF his mother or his sister, Or II the niue
grl shall manifest among the dscOrdant sounds OF the
market Of shwyes, the voice OF Jenny Linz or KlStOHf
No matter what artistic talents or what natural unntneS
obstercatching his children might possess tney could
never indulge them. They must ne Dahlshtd from
community that live and move and have their being
I'm the gathering of 'hese Holsters and these goldfish
And here tonight really 70 answer the ques-
flor whether when my friend Mr. Brooks passes through
Sautation-aey Frendst-cOurt, and hears there the
snund of voice of little girl sounding clearly and
shall not have II In his power 10 say that her training IN
the eXaccst theories Of art shall be on the nOOS or II
he shall fluid brother modelling bit OF clay, or drawing
with bit of chalk upon the wall, whether for that boy
all the rencments OF art shall be possible or shau DC
jealousy excluded.
and for that matter in the lack Of institutions Of the
posed character the whole country, Mr. Hale told the
story OF three lads who had been sent to various schools
i'm this country for instruction but who had in each
proved stupid and intracabe. and were rom each IN
succession returned to the hands of their parents IL
was finally determined that they should go TO the school
OF Technology and 10 become technOOglSs whatever
they Vht prove be. The experiment success,
in the department of drawing they at once took the
first rank and the art productions 81 one OF them IN TINS
line the speaker had selected the best he had ever
and he thought that whoever twenty years hence
should speak similar occasion to the present, might
aude either of these young men as among the dscOY
cred geniuses OF America
---------~-------