New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-03-02
i year were as follows:
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SUGGESTION FOR THE CENTENNIAL
STJIUER,


II has been suggested that the private art
galleries of New-York should be opened to the
public under certain restrictions, during the
continuance of the Centennial and there APP
pears to lis TO be much proprlcty IN the pro-
posal Very few visitors from remote States
will come to Philadelphia without extending
their trip to the metropolis, and foreigners
probably will draw their conclusions with re-
gard to the advance of the country quite as
much from what they may see OF the actual
condition of her capital city as from her ~
NAL display of manufactures and arts III the
Exposition. Intelligent Europeans will, In
fact, be quite as much interested to
discover something of our domestic life, to
compare the status of our well-bred, cul-
tured classes with those of a like grade
in other countries, and to test the extent and
hight of that culture, as to examine INTO our
material resources or mechanical achievements.
Nothing is more difficult for a stranger in any
country to acquire than just such knowledge,
and in the present instance there seems to be
danger that the social life of the country will
be almost wholly put ont of sight OF the VS.
itors to the Exposition. Philadelphia, for the
Summer, will be resolved into hotels and
lodging-houses the usual exodus OF her we'll
TODD citizens to the country Will be, we learn,
unusually large, as they naturally wish to eS-
cape the swarming crowds during the hot
season aud the increased cost of living. Ar
rangemen.s however, have been made by the
possessors of fine galleries of paintings i'll the
city for the free admission OF the public to
them.
Ii would be well if NewYork patrons OF the
arts would follow their example. In the first
pla e, our advance in aesthetic culture Is one
of the facts which should be set forth as an
important part of our history during the last
century. and the actual work of our painters
or sculptors, however highly we and they may
esteem it. does in no sense accurately represent
il. The age of comprehension OF any art
comes TO any people before that OF creation,
and il should be written down to our
credit not that our merchant princes
have had the money to buy any
pictures offered in the European markets, but
that they have so soon learned what to buy.
The American pursues his study of art under
signal disadvantages; except III three or four
large cities he has no chance of seeing paint
ings or statuary of any merit. Books or
natural intuition may give him perception
of form and color, but lie cannot understand
pictures without seeing pictures any more than
he can learn ont OF a book TO perform a cap
ital operation in surgery if he has never
disseoted the human body. He must
cross the ocean and expend large sum
for few weeks study of the work
Of the great masters Of architecture,
sculpture, and painting; work which is open
to every educated man and woman in Europe
from their childhood, and by which they UNI
consciously gain instruction daily. With these
drawbacks the American has no cause to be
ashamed of his progress in critical ability,
and certain collections in this city are very
fair illustrations of that ability.
1t would also be graceful and gracious act
of hospitality to open our private treasures of
art 10 the thousands of our countrymen who
will visit us this Summer, and who probably
have never before had an opportunity Of seeing
a really good picture. The true lover of art
could find no surer way Of raising the standard
of art over the whole country.