Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-06-27
Whole Number 1877

ought to be now. 1t is astrong Dig
nifed and legitimate name and if it Is
too late for its adoption, the more's
the pity. But this has nothing to
do with the matter on which we
started, except that it is a libel on
good TASTE, and offends the aesthetic
element in us all.
If New York is to be worthiIv
great, she must be something more
than commercial city. The collos-
sal fortunes which have been ac-
quired here must fndainYestment at
last in something better than ware
houses ana lots, and something bet
ter than railroads running to the
moon. If we look across the water
we shall find more than one, or two,
or three cities, much smaller than
New York, which are objects of
greater interest to the world than
our great metropolis. Nothing gives
Munich its charm as resort except
its repositories and schools of art.
1t is the home of thousand artists,
constantly. The works of a Schwan-
thaler, Piloy, and Kaulbach are
there. The city is crowded with
magnificent bronzes, all of which are
made there. Its galleries Of pictures,
ancient and modern, attract the
world. The little town of Dresden
owes all its prominence to It's picture
gallery, which holds the master
piece of Raphael Hundreds of
thousands of men and women, from
all parts of the world, have visited
Dresden, for the sole purpose ofsee-
ing It's treasures of art with the Sis
tine Madonna as their leading at.
traction. Florence is another home
of art, with its Ufizi and Pitt gal
leries. Take away from Florence
its wonderful collection of pictures
and statuary, and its principal charm
will be gone. To a considerable ex-
tent the same is true of Rome. As
the home Of the Pope, and the sight
OF the ruins of an old civilization,
Rome would be interesting to multi
tudes, without doubt, but the price
less treasures of art that arecontained
in its churches and palaces give to it
its crowning attraction, and make
it the leading "Mecca of the mind"
If we go to the larger cities Of Eu-
rope, and search ont the leading at
fractions, they are always the objects
and collections of art. In London
the National Gallery and the art
department of the South Kensing-
ton Museum, with the minor CALLER
les of the great metropolis, are al
ways the leading points of interest
to visitors in the city. Paris with
out the louvre, would not be Paris at
all. And now what haye we as New
Workers to show to those who visit
us? What have we to attract the
whole country and to make New
York worth visiting? We have q
fine park for ourselves, but for those
who live in the country, what spec
cial attraction have a few acres of
grass, with rocks, trees and roads
thrown in? 1t is only better kept
patch of kind of scenery with which
they are all familiar, and Of which
they have become tired by long IA
miliarity. They look at the people,
the public buildings, they attend
concerts, they go to the theatre and
the opera. the Colosseum and Bar.
NUNS Hippodrome. They succeed
in being amused in a certain way,
but they go home uninstrueted. The
whole impression left upon their
mind is light. They find the city
absorbed in its trade and speeula-
ton, full of vulgar display of wealth
and devoted TO drying and light
They get no uplift BY
or through US; they do not carry
away a good impression of Us; they
are not benefited.
Where are our artists? They are
scattered all over Europe. Their
homes are in Paris, Munich Flor
enee Dresden, and Rome. Why is
our animal exhibition so small? A
little pamphlet, about as thick as
tract, sufiees for the
catalogue, and a few Little chambers
1t the Academy of Design have wall
room enough for all the pictures
that are worthy; and many of these
are painted abroad. There are no
for study here; and
when a painter has seen one or two
private galleries, he has seen all that
amounts to anything. What we need
is q great gallery. We need 1t for
We need it for home ed
pcation. for the cultivation of public
taste and refinement. We need it
IS diversion from frivolous pur-
suits and from no pursuits at ALL
We need it as a permanent attrac-
ion to the whole country, If those
Who have superabundant wealth
would not unite aud give us gal
cry worth ten millions, it would do
nore for New York, socially, NOR
lly, and financially, than similar
would give US in any
,ther way. 1t would attract and
asten here the art students of aeon
inent. 1t would fill New York with
-isitors from every part of the coun-
ry. 1t would give us something TO
,e proud of, that would not behttle
s. ftwould elevate rich and poor
like. It would stimulate and de-
-elop genius. 1t would greatly
.bange for the better the tone of so
.iety, and powerfully modify the
.ountry. It would build up 10
Americs a school of art that would
,e worthy of the republic, a39 com
nand the respect o. the woria. y
ronld cnlfivate a taste for pictures
hot wonld keep au artist busy and
'rosnerous % The good it would do
w York and the country cannot
,e measured
'' New York abounds in charities
nd churches. The poor and the
ick are bomtifully provided for by
tate and city aid, and voluntary
Millions of dollars IN
ested'in churches nearly every year.
treat cathedrals and temples are 60
40 mn all about us, and still they
AZ Of more. although the sitting
6 bDt faw ofthe churches already
bNe ~" :, NTsllsnpa