The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-04-12
The metropolitan Museum Of Art.

cannot We! see the United States of Europe
The Metropolitan Museum Of Art.
Governor Hoffman has approved the act,
recently passed by the New York Legislature,
authorizing the Board CT Commissioners of the
Department of Public Parks in the city of New
| York ito contract, erect and maintain, In and
upon that portion Of the Central Park formerly
known as Manhattan square, Or any other
public park square or place in said city,
suitable fireproof building, for the purpose of
establishing therein, under suitable rules and
regulations 10 be prescribed by the said Board
from time to time Museum and Gallery of
Art, and also suitable iireproof building for
Museum of Natural History, at an aggre-
gate cost not exceeding a sum Of which the
annual interest, at the rate Of interest at which
flnd or stock shall be Issued, is thirty five
thousand dollars for each of said buildings"
and adding that lit shall be the duty Of and
lawful for tho Comptroller of the city of New
York to create and issue, in the manner in this
act provided, such additional amounts of
public fund or stock to be dcnominated the
Mus Gums of Art and Natural History Stock
as shall be necessary to provide the money
required for erecting said buildings, to an
amount not exceeding the aforesaid limita-
tons"
This generous legislative action, and its APP
prevail by the Governor, have naturally i'm
parted an additional stimuli, to the subscrip-
tons toward a quarter million fund for
Metropolitan Art Museum. In an address to
the people Of New York the officers of the
Museum declare that their wish has always
been the funding OF considerable sum-aay
million Of dollars-which would give an an
nusl income sufficient to provide for proper
care Of the building and collections and TO
add to the collections continually. They pro-
pose, however, to begin with subscription
the minimum OF which is set at two hundred
and fifty thousand dollars. 1t is gratifying to
know that more than half this amount has
already been subscribed by one hundred and
twenty-seven liberal friends of art. Doubt
less the entire sum will soon be made up. In
this connection it may be well to mention that
the annual meeting Of the society, incorpo-
rated April II, 1870, under the title of ''Thc
Metropolitan Museum of Art" will take place
on May 8, when new members can be elected,
and that those who subscribe now will have
a better chance Of being elected, the number
Of members being limited by the constitution
to two hundred and fifty.
| An important point in the interesting ad-
| dress of the officers OF the Museum Is their
announcement that it is intended to hold, in o
part of the building as soon rs it can be got
ready for use, loan exhibition of works OF
art of all classes, but chiefly or wholly Of
! works Of historical value, representing rather
the progress in art throughout past time than
merely contemporary schools. II is the we'll
founded belief OF the officers that the aggregate
possessions of New York and vicinity, in the
way Of works Of fine art, are much greater
than cursory observation reveals They very
properly say that the whole country could be
drawn upon to furnish such an exhibition !;
aud while it could not have the rounded
completeness of the great loan collections
, held by the authorities Of the South
Kensington Museum in London and by the
Union Centrale in Paris, it may yet
he made exceedingly instructive and
valuable. The officers say, moreover,
that in the Museum building a loan exhibition
can be held under more favorable auspices
than in any o.ber place, and the benefit result
ing from it will be proportionally greater.
"Tbe exhibition, once opened, need not come
to an end as long as vacant places made by the
| withdrawal of loans can be worthlv fillad bv
| new loans. Soms works Of art will be left by
| their owners for short and some for a
longer time; let perfectly 6roproof and we'll
| guarded building offer itself, and valuable
works Of art belonging to persons travelling,
| and the like, would find their natural place Of
storage and safety in Its galleries. A painting
is less liable to injury in open gallery, where
it will be cared for, than in shut up house or
safe deposit company's vault. In short, let
the loan collection be once we'll organized, and
in one form or another it may we'll be perma-
nent." II would unqucstionably form an attrac-
| tive feature of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
which, we may hope, will ere long be added to
| the noble institutions Of New York.
l
A SIGN THAT SUMNER Is CoMrSe--in the
! little trip Of General Grant and family to
| Mount Vernon and the tomb OF Washington
yesterday.
TIE SOUTHERN DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.