The morning news., 1888-03-31
TELFAIR ACADEMY.
What One Who Loves Art Thinks
of it.

What One Who Loves Art Thinks
of it,.
Editor Morning NewS: Allow a lover of
art and architecture to express in your col
umns his impressions of the Telfair Acad-
emy and his views of the importance of it
to the city and people of Savannah.
Two or three years ago he saw the promis-
ing incipiency of the enterprise. now most
happily accomplished in the finished new
building, in the inauguration and opening
to the public of the Academy. Since then
more time away from than living at Sa-
vannah he has heard favorable reports of
the progress of the work; but the half had
not been told him he was vertably surprised
and wondered when he saw the interior con-
struction of the new building and the ad-
mirable arrangement of the works of art
which it contains. The upper and lower
halls or apartments of that building are
very beautiful and admirably adapted to
the purposes for which constructed. Not in
this country, no not in Europe, whore the
writer has seen tho most important gal
leries of paintings and of sculpture, and
several of them several times, has he seen
anything more admirable for construction
and arrangement Vastly greater and
more richly ornamented galleries certainly,
with vastly greater stores of art, may be
better adapted to exhibit them or with
better arrangement Of them.
And here let it be said that il is a marvel
that so much has been done with so little
means; so much of solid, substantial, taste
full and desirable work. With any amount
of money TO draw upon Mr.. Brandt could
scarcely have done more or better work of
construction on the limited scale allowed
him.
In all this, and in the best arrangement
of all at his command, which knowledge,
skill and good taste could devise, Mr..
Brandt has built up to an admirable degree
of perfection an institution of great inter
est now and of greater promise to Savan-
nah.
OF the several gentlemen who, with n
wise and laudable munifcence, have sub
scribed their thousands of dollars for build
ing great, sumptuous and attractive hotel
| with public spirit and with a view rather,
| it is presumed, of benefiting Savannah than
of gain not one has done so much-has any
| one, indeed done tithe of so much as
Mr.. Brandt, in his quiet way, and for may
| be the mere love of art, has done in his
building up of the Telfair Academy, which
| is already an attraction at Savannah which,
if less, is scarcely less, or at least not greatly
less, than its park, its squares, its mounu-
ments and its some now admirable pave
ments.
| And here let it be said that if any one
with means to do it, man or woman, would
| effectually add TO the attractions of Savan-
nah, let him or her supplement the Telfair
| with some one great, or better, with several
great works of art, with which, and with
| an attractive and comfortable hotel, the at
fractions of Savannah would far surpass
| those of any other Southern city. For what
| is il that attracts people mostly TO a cityl
A great hotel in Florida has awakened a
| lively interest throughout the country, not
| so much because it is the largest structure
of the kind as because it is ad-
mirable for its architecture and is
| beautifully adorned by art. And what
makes some of the cities of Europe, Flor
ence for example, and Paris, to be annually,
if not constantly, thronged with visitorss
| Is it, in the case of the most attractive city
in the world, the affording mere pleasure
seekers their qualification in the gay capi-
tal2 Is it not more, and is it not as much
as all else, architecture and art which at
tracts thither muItitudes Of people of means
| and culture 60 crafty rational curiosity
in the seeing what exquisite art and taste
has done and can do TO make a city attrac-
| tivel
If the people of Savannah will pursue
| the course lately auspiciously begun of max
| ing, by art and architecture, their city at
tractive, the prosperity of Savannah will
| be secured, In so lar as VlsltOfS ana tompor-
ary residents from other cities and sections
of country can secure it.
And what now finally should be more
particularly said to the people Of Savannah
| in reference TO the Telfair Academy? Have
| they had need TO be informed Of its merits
| and attractions in order to induce them to
visit it, as it appears that few comparative
| ly have, or at least that many have notl
| Presumably not. These should all now en-
deav0r TO see it, Let them not discourage
meritorious work by Indifference, and TO
their own loss. Every adult at least, not of
the poorest Of the poor, should visit it, and
not so much, for, far less indeed to aid it
by their small entrance fees, than TO enjoy
and 10 profit by what they will see; for its
improving, cultivating, refining effect.
| Such is now the merit of the TelfaiT. and
such its importance TO Savannah that it
should seem that from this time on most
SavanuahIans should need TO blush TO con-
fess that they have not seen it. Verify.