The Washington critic., 1886-01-05

thnt thOsc whom II Is intended 10 htnt
fit do not want such o protection.
The absurdity Of the duty could moi
have been more clearly shown than Il
was short time ago, when o supposed
Murillo was assessed to pay large i'm
port duty. How, in the name Of com
mon sense, could assessments on the
work of q long since deal and gone
Murillo, afford any protection 10
American artistsY We might as well
levy direct duty upon the produc.
tions of Phidias or Michael Angelo
The only result that the 10 per cent
duty has accomplished is 10 put
practical stop TO importations,
The French, Italian aud other for
eign artists some time ago gave up all
hopes of selling anything to an Amcri.
can excepting to the late w. II. Van
dcrbilt. That gentleman had gathered
about him an extensive and very valu-
able collection of works of art. but
such was the length of his purse that
30 per cent. ad valorem duty had no
tcrrors for him. And another thing,
the appraising of the value of paint
ings has brought about some ludicrous
conclusions For instance, an ap.
praiscr in New York, who is not an old
master, valued $1,000 water.color Mt
$3.50, and another gave very mediocre
production which had cost the i'm.
porter in Paris $15 value of S37j
The duty on works of art must go.
The Critic, being artistic itself, is
competent to speak on this subject.
Like our fellow-artists in this country,
we would extend the hand of welcome
to our foreign brethren and without
fear of their competition.
THE Enoch Pratt Library in Balti.
more, which is a most munifcently
endowed institution, was formally
opened yesterday. 1t is free library,
and will be of great advantage to the
city. There is very fine public library
in Washington also, but tits practically
worthless to the majority of our citi-
Zens, because it is locked on Sundays
like an old Venetian prison. There are
hundreds of thousands of things to in
struct and entertain in the National
Museum and in the Smithsonian Insti-
tuition; but the people on the only day
that they have an opportunity to in
spect and study them are rigidly ex-
cludcd. The people would like to see
the beauties of the Botanical Gardens,
too, but when they could do so they
are ordered off the grass
THEY have some very hard-hearted
judges out West. One thing that a
man brought before a court for any Of
fense has a right to do, is to prove his
previous good character and demand
that such proof at least be regarded in
the nature of an eXtenuating circum-
stance. Such was not the good luck
of Edward Wiley, who was up before
Justice White in Chicago the other
day. Edward had been caught in the
very act of trying to break into bank.
He promptly hauled out his papers to
show his good character. They con.
sisted of his honorable discharge"
from Sing Sing Penitentiary. Not
withstanding all this, however, the
| justice punished Edward to the fullest
extent of the law.
THE Chicago Current says that "the
payment of Government money by the
Nation to the States for educational
| purposes would be an investment. The
money would not come back to this
generation, nor perhaps to the next;
but it would be better investment
than three billion dollars worth of
civil war at B per cent and 80 per cent
commission" There's an item that
Senator Blair should cut out and paste
in his scrap book. We believe the
statement of the Chicago paper to be
demonstrably correct, Notwithstanding
the objections that are urged against
the educational bill on constitutional,
sectional, sentimental and other
grounds.
THE ludicrous attempt of our es-
teemed contemporary, the Republican,
TO cast out drag-net in the hopes of
individualizing recent imbroglio in
naval society circles reported in
THE CRITIC, is in the same line rs its
late article assigning imaginary posi-.
tions to members of Congress ON the
silver question, and then modestly
suggesting that if any of them have
been placed in the wrong, that it would
be pleased to make proper corrections
1t is style of reporting made easy"
peculiar to our neighbor. Judging,
however, from the Republicans labored
editorial this morning, il is evident thai
our item was "loaded."
Mr.. BELMONT of New York is going
to introduce resolution that the House
appoint committee of nine to inquire
into the manner in which the Civil
Service law has been executed and &c
suggest such changes as may prove
beneficial. 1t strikes us that there Is q
sufficient number of committees al
ready attached to the question Of Civil
Service Reform to bemuddle it as much
as could be desired. We will support
Mr.. Belmont in his resolution, how
ever, on condition that Miss Gail Ham
ilton shall be chairman of the proposed
committee.
CONTRARY to general expectation the
announcement of the new House com
mittecs was not made today, Al
usual at about the eleventh hour tht
Speaker is confronted with number
of complicated and worrisome bitches