New-York tribune., 1878-01-07
THE LOAN EXHIBITION.
A scunoI. N0r AlERELY A CoLLECTION.

To IN Z razor OF IHe ITlOHHc.
SIR: An article by Mr.. Clarence Cook appeared In
Your paper on the 18th of December, headed the
loan Exhibition" and it met with good deal OF
attention The writer of the article is rightly re-
garled as having the genuine interest of national
culture at heart but the leading idea Of his article
seems to me open TO a structure, which gratitude to
those who had the inception and the carrying out OF
the Loan Exhibition" leads me to notice. Mr
Cook says after speaking of the crowded state OF
the rooms from too great number OF articles IN
Them: "The second obvious criticism on
the collection is more important. 1t is that
the educational aim of such a collection has
been too much, nay, altogether subordinated
10 mere display" Swedenborg in one of his most
subtle analyses, says that in the making OF n gar
dcn the first existence is the archiypal idea OF the
Carien IN the mind, and that without picture,
more or less complete OF what result Is desired the
garden would never be. Next in order, says the
Swedish seer, the gardener gets together his toos,
his seeds and plants. and having TILED the gfouhu
and done his sowing, lie has brought his natural
causes to bear for the production of his result, and
lastly, as IN effect the combination of weather and
tillage produce the garden or less completely
Ike The pictured desire that first existed III his mind
as its creating cause.
Nj Cook having lived for long time in an at
mosphere of art through books and his social eny-
rou,nent can probably scarcely conceive the partial
know ledge that exists among the mass OF our poiu-
laton in regard to matters of art-and more partlc-
ulary of art as applied 10 manufacture. Taking his
own illustration of lace, do not believe there l. one
in a hundred of our population who knows how
beautiful fabric il is. or, in fact who has ever seen
4 beautiful piece of lace 20 notice it, 80 OF satin'
cm5rodercs and othcr Tissues. People generally
have seen plies of them in the shops. so full
of ,lovV stuff and rubbish but they know
nothing Of tts effects, ETC., which constitute Their
iifhcst aud most ultimate value In such cases aS
these mention beauty seem, to me their reason
forh,ng. Lace is never at It's proper point ol VIE"
al il arpcaIs as an ornament for lovely Wohlah'
ami The l,ecy foam. delicate as cobwcb, ought not
20 be valued ~ q curiosity, but %, real enhance
mont t. 2 beautiful throat or arm. II the human
combination cannot bc generally seen by people at
large the next best thing IS TO have the chance TO
oI,.r,e ornament, and tissues with their ciiecl
heightened hy objects a. lovely as themselves aud
this lrhrltfn e>thctc condition seems To me OF the
~, Importance in cultiyatng 5hc taste OF the aver
age American.
The Loan Exhibition ia not a museum. nor a
strictly educational collection Of articles. but II h''
tbe first princpic in of education for IT. c'thct;c
lc.ufy must bc q picture in the mind oi every one
who ,,c, it, and Ia many cases, VIII bear fruit IKE
Irnbore's FRS, Cause of the Archityp "ai-
den" have seen many line collections Ia different
uart> af Europe. much larger than this One, II oo-
icrts ot beautiful manufacture, but l remember
uoue m which lace seemed 80 beautiful,
iars so repctc vita social and historical
associations and painted hu"s OF sai'n' hos~'
gold aud enamel 80 rare. Mr. Ia Fargo aHd
,r. Tiffany VINO p.oi-aLly have much taste IN ar
rurucut Of artl.u' stuH* "7 any, u. '".- on WI
rttt ~ L. .
.oy,,.rr. of !hc ari.c,- ia the Loan Exhibition ~
ullg every aliiC," 10 ciiit every otHci one Il
.rLa,ti. G,s ,rt,-a,. think they have auari uu'
rii -ct How tSqui,tr dn those Ian J"7 appear HIlu
tii.ir b1ci -.ru.Iir- Of puNcfihc ~Ai'h Nlt n"N
much more lu,,y docs th' mo- 20. p'lit ol tn-
lee l,,. look ,1iirntd aud cLti,hcucI Dl the uush!
huos "a Vclye, winch relieve A.
is, >nnmcf at an exhibition of fine lace at south
Kcu4iugiou, where mulutudcs oi cob"cp tissues
were strrt.he i'm meaningless frame bacA-to-bacA
iu q long linc iu one of thc rooms oi the Museum
coi,ldu but thini, as contemplated hoN en-
trely they lacked the general interest that vou!d be
i,ir due >c,u or the per1us pi the Ducn, ,-c- ard
Cogut,s.cs whose NAMES were alta he'd o. thcm.
very intelligent man recently sad 90 mc thar I"g pu-
pose, col p',a.l,c. museums were nothing except 90,
they preserved ,bc Treasure, they contained. Every
oue must feel tli- vino compare. thr dcHrlt cN-
cr,ucci 4s he looks az the painting. 10 th' pgcll
pallcc at Venice, or ee- Oh" portraits pa the palaces
of Genoa. Ir both these c9-,.-4ud they s,e loa
.,I.-,lc rooms atc filed with ;hr p.ot4i.5 which
...r. mad, for th,u. piu...,s, Uc N1ftp aui
p...uoh. painted Iy NanJyc, iooh down
..nf ,i tl,.r frames ul,n th'ir f"-trr'f,
and portraits o. D"-. .iii ans on tac wai ~ th"
chamber, where tuflr Voices were once hr'td.
lir-,. 60 ur thr irH. t'ual.'u~ ~. No Is 90
ait jn c1 -. ui.dr.. and iu th. s-N tA~ LuIu tNu-
i inl apucII. perfect lG lt- Way cine iig-ttrr
allow. j. j.. iolnrl %. lovely t1Iug- winch Iclpi,
d q .af ~ b
...s-0i .ig Psi, many ip-k ur.r to examine tAc
Suits o.. o.. wcal,I au0 tAr taa,' oi tic favored
ownag think ih!s j. tAo ih'i "nd pest step 90 .hr
education 81 t., people IA tue Wa, "a afil~Ir taste,
.rI f..i f,,l .u.,ur interest ~ It Itu.t thtu,Nl
necessary steps IuGs, io.ior. Ai"r tiry have seen
AID learned boss belu,nul these things slu h..
a uIl bc well to t,a,H titlu - classify ana
arrange.
Mr. Cool. ~ lcs ono other remark that seem, ,orlc-
~hit unjust. lie say To iuy thinking. this e.
hibition add just onc more labyrinth t. those IN
which the % OF or ait student, are wandering
about aimlcss and hopc,s,.' Ny experience j. pre-
oseiy the reverse. On a recent visit, ! iouud The
teacher ami several of the pupils Ofonc of tic largest
designing classes in America. going contcnt,ily
about catalogue in hand from one case that con-
taiu-d some special lace TO another, comparing Il fine
barb aud H. pattern with lace noncc and 4 collar
of the saiAe sort. Thcy knew what they were look
ing ior and they found il easily and the same fact
Inoticed IA regard 10 some Easteyn cmbloiderics
whose pcculiaiitc were being studied These pco-
plr irc Tor their special objects, and they were not
confused ia the labyrinth The mas, of the pro-
pie, however, do no; care much hut ! think the
best way 10 lead them to do - 40 let them how
lovely a curtain with Persian motive for its pat
tern can look. even II il is made tins country,
whom hanging at the side Oi portiore or bcd-quIlt
from Caro- or A.gleTs. do not wish to set my views
III antagOusm To- those Of 30 useful and refined Il
ri ir ~ &c. c. but ~ justice 10 persons who are
hop!ng % gam benefit hcm TINS unique collro-
ton in NcV-1 Ork, ANA 10 tbc cnlg rncd aud gcil-
cYou OutribGtols to this enterprise feel bound To
state what perhaps may bc cUusldered fair view
of another ,idc Of abe question 10y one IL practical
relations to many students OF design.
In tlisrepy 10 Mr. Cook, have left entirely ont OF