New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-03-09
TuECASTELLANI COLLECTION
AIrTTrp FROM CLARENCE COOK.

LETTER FROM tLAkENCf' t'oh.
MIR. PRIMES MOTIVES NOT Qurs1IoNfD-rHE fAi-
IhCIFs OF uorE-roR, Cr AGAINST Mr.. PRIME
As PORTRAIT PAINIER-"AND THRICE nE
SLEW TuE SLAIN mo DOGS OR rEDLERs AL
LowED'-wANr OF GENEROUS DEALiNG-soNE
PLAIN WORDS AND PIAIN FIGURES
To the Edifor OF Tke Tribune.
SIR: Mr. VIM c. Primes letter, published
In THE TRIBUNE of FEBRUARY 25 to mine OF the
week before (ebruary ~. starts of with misstae-
ment expressed in superluous terms did not charge
HIM, in that letter, with dishonest ana dlshohoraoe
motives eiiher OF these adeetyos necessarily imphes
the othe have at time, or in any place. eithef
with word or pen, charged him with snch MOVIES
Not only will not worsp such charge he ,ound III
my letter but it be read 1t will appear that no sueil
accusation is even implied. said that Mr. Prime ac'ed
"selfshy " and ignorauy" in the matter OF the pur
chase OF the Casteani collection. Dshonorable ana dis
honest are stronger terms than will apply to selfish
ness Ignorance these things are Tor the most part
only discredale grant they very diseredit-
able indeed a man OF Mr.. Primes position anu PRIV
tensions.
NO MOTIVES WHATEVER AsCElBED.
what Mr. Primes motives may have beei " never
thought 10 ask never knew" l was concerned only
with his acts said he acted selGshly Selfish means
thinking only Of ones selactng without reference 10
the good Of Others This seisruess Mr. Prime surely
showed. lie made up his mind very early, while inc
collection exhibition AT lHliuCIpHd' the' ITO
value was such and such. lie took pains TO inform
himself on the matter did not consult with Its owner
avoided seeing its owner until he had gone over the col
lection piece by piece. and, having done TINS, nc
then asked what valuation the owner lut upon H.
He might have Mr. Castcani the first day OF ms
visit and might have learned then and rs the rest OF us
did, what the price demanded But, 10, nc uI''
nothing Of the sort. lie md not even ioarn the price
from the owner himself, bui from chance acquaintance
I,o of the hotel where nc was
soppng That acquaintance myself, and. absirdly
enough Mr. Prime told me more than year afterwards.
on the occasion % my visit 10 hs house, that was INC
innocent causc Of his not getting The colccton Amazed
M the statement asked how thar could ~, when he re-
pied that had just that day made up bis mind that he
would give $50 coo for the cosecon. fully all II was
worth, when meeting me, lie learned what Castcllani
asked for IT, and disgustcd abandoned all idea Of ever
buying II himself need not say that this non SeqU
tar greatly relieved my mind!
Mr. Primes notion II values, rs established by him.
self on this OCCASION reminds Of story lately told in
the newspapers OF an old farmer who came To M Lyman
Trcmlinc and said he wanted that gCDtiemans profess
sional assistance two-perny quarrel with neigh
b0 The DISTINGUISHED lawyer ccuTtcOusy referred his
wouldbe client 10 one Of his young every way
competent to attend 10 his No." says the old
man, 'No. Mr.. Trcmanc, want you. I'm able 20 pay
for AMI III have yuu II II costs dollars - The
Oryteler adds that the old man LETT the Office sadder
hut n wiser man. Mr Primes unconsC iousncss seems
10 he even more amusing than the old farmer FOR he
could he expected to know anything about great
lawyers fees, while MI Prime collector OF pottery
and a writer the suiccought to have known better,
than by his avOwal he did, oi the value of the Cas-
teani collection There collector Of any rcpu-
taticn there not amateur much les connosseur,
either here Europe, VINO would not ray that Mr..
Primes valuation Of this collection OF pottery at $780,
coo Is damaging TO lis reputation man protesting 10
he skilled IN such matters.
Mr. Prime misrcprescnts, INTENTIONALLY TO doubt.
he msIcpresents the when he Gays ttat
one OF their placed the at oncthr the
price asked" think may say without fear Of con
tradic0n that there only two 81 the trustees, Mr.
Hoe and Mr. Avery, whose Judgment in the matter has
any value Mr. Prime has shown that his own has none.
and As shall show further on, DC openly confessed
much in the presence Of the trustees General Di Cos
n0la is not as | Informed, trustee. though Mr..
Prime calls him lie is the distinguished gentle
man, the Tstecs who has been giving Fix hours
"A day for weeks pat to whItl To charity 20
superfuois wel-donsi No; 10 the manifest boundeu
duty Of the trustees. 10 10 II that Mr. C.ieani-
property returned 10 them as they received ~ The
trustees are men Of business. nearly al! Of them aud
General III CcsnOla, being a Of leisure. las taken
the duty Of the trustees in part Oh their bands That is
all. Mr. Prime talks about tGis u 10 = virtue.
Wen hi Ccsnola Is not trustee, but n be were, Ger
tainy should add his Eamc 10 those ~ Mr. Hoe ard Mr.
Avery competent to judge Of the value Of this colec
ton. Now. when either of these gentlemen viii say In
print. over his own signature hat he believes the Cas-
tcau collection Of pottery To De WORTH ~ whole less
than $4,000, / VIII iclicvc-that he thinks 80. But
neither OF these gentlemen VIII DO anything OF the
sort.
thai charge % scshnos Understood 10 mean that
Primes opposition 10 the purchase of tie collection
for the due 10 disappointment, tecGuse
he could not Afford TO buy for himself" am sorry II
my Words read In any ght, can be made to bear such
meaning. There Was never any such stun IN my
thought. had never reason 10 doubt and do not
doubt, Mr. Primes assurance that when he heard The
price upon the collection by the owncr, he aban
doned then there and forever All idea Of purchasing
IT," also believed him when he told me, In his
house. that he considered the sum asked ridiculous and
that he would have nothing To DO with nskng people
give He did not tell me then did know mat be
had, lie say-, done al he could, with pen and per
SON. to induce people to buy the collection. have
his namc. nor could believe. after had heard bis
opinion Of Mr Casellaui and Of lis Demands That he
inconsistent rs To be writing articles directly
Trajectory OF what he Wa siylu III private.
MIR. PRIME As A PoRTRAIT-PAINTrR.
I have little 10 say In reply 10 Mr. Prime. COM
ments myself | am left in state OF mental coniu
sicn To my own identity, on laying down his let ter
little short OF that experienced by the old woman
whose petcoats were so unmanncry shortened by the
tramp OF the period" he cut her pctticoa all about
her knees" And the worst u.s. that " thu, be l. a.
still venture TO nope it be, have faithful dog at
home who will certify TO the fact Of his knowledge
I gentleman" and "a slandcrcr." am -
writer OF "A sensational and irrtated mood" and
"a contributor to art education, in which," Mr. Prime
says II acknowledge myself Mr. Cooks pupil" Il
should like to ask from what master Mr.. Prime gets that
beautiful English style that does HIM much honor
IlOpe he is not my pupil" IN that. Beside all this,
am II person OF "ofrOntory,' coupled with "arrant
stupdity," for whose " visible weakness" Mr.. Prime
has "gIcat pity | am ignorant and reckless adj
viser personally responsible for the fact that the houses
Of my coanrymen decorated with all of forged
porcelain pottery: but Mr. Prime dcsirca to treat
mo kindly" in view Of my peculiar temperament
His long and incoherent screed about writer's who
have fostcred in European dealers the notions
they are supposed 10 entertain Of our WEALTH,
our oagcrncss to buy works a art, and olIr
4 of IN II hc