Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-18
THE OWNERSHIP OF ANTIQUES.

A rather novel question with regard to
the combination ofartistic with international
ethics, is presented in England BY the as
sertion that it is the duty of England to
send back to Athens the Elgin Marbles.
This is the view taken by Mr.. Frederic
Harrison in an article published in the
Nineteenth Century, on the ground that
those priceless artistic treasures Of the
British Museum rightfully belong to
Greece. The fact that the antique center
of classic art is becoming school of modern
sculpture, which depends for its models
upon plaster copies of the glories of the
Parthenon, awakens sympathy in behalf of
the renaissance of Greek art. But Mr..
Harrison's argument that England really
has no right to Keep these statues, and his
hope that Mr.. Gladstone will crown his
career by restoring them to Greece, raises q
question as to actual title that is novel, to
say the least.
The question gains Importance from the
fact that if the principle asserted here is
correct, it affects far more than England.
There is probably no important collection of
antiques in the whole world which, If these
principles were put into force, would not
lose more or less Of its treasures. For,
whatsoever may be said of the rightfulness
of Lord Elgin's acquisition of the sculptures
of Acropolis, there is no doubt that the
means taken to contribute to other great
galleries were less scrupulous. If the prin-
ciple is true, the works of art with which
Napoleon adorned the Louvre, as the spoil
Of Italian conquest, must be sent back to
Italy; which might perhaps console the lat
ter country for the loss of the Venus di
Medici and other sculptures taken from
Greece in the dark ages with less title than
the Elgin Marbles. More manifest than
either restitution will be the duty of London,
Paris, Berlin and New York to send back
the obelisks that have been transferred to
them from Egypt. If any mummies or the
antiques found with them are owned by
museums in this country or Europe, they
must be given up. All the antiques found
by delivers among the ruins of ancient cities,
from Layard to Di Cesnola-if Di Cesnola
actually found any antIques-must be
restored to the places where they
were disinterred, and if any remains
of Aztec workmanship are extant their
present possessers must ship them at once to
Mexico. In short, the principle asserted
with regard to the Elgin Marbles, would, if
generally recognized, cause spoliation of
the museums and galleries of the present
civilized world, exactly equal to the spolia-
ton of centuries which placed the treasures
of centuries where they are.
Clearly, the fact that all civilization
would have to unite in this restitution to the
ruins of elastic grandeur does not disprove
the principle. But is the principle correct
that, first, an original fault or injustice in
the acquisition of property makes it wrong
for those who succeed to the ownership after
generations of peaceful and undisputed
possession to retain it7 If so there is no
honest title to any property in this country,
all of which was obtained from its
original owners by a combination of force and
fraud. Second, as more closely bearing on
the manner in which these artistic treasures
were acquired, is there any better title to
property than is obtained by those who dig
out from the rubbish and ruins of centuries
something of great value and utilize it,
either in the material or aesthetic way.
This is what Lord Elgin did in the case of
the statuary which he found in the ruins Of
the Acropolis, and what other explorers of
ancient ruins have done after him. In Lord
Elgin's case. despite Byron's savage epi-
gram, "Quod non fecerunt Gothi, hoe fecer-
unit Scott" the title is additionally vindi.
Gated by the fact that if the statues had
been left where they were some. il not all of
them, would have been destroyed in the
revolution by which Greece cast off the
yoke of Turkey. There may be question
as to the right of Paris to retain the paint
ings of the Louvre taken from Italy by
force of arms, or of New York to hold on to
the obelisk; but the title to the Elgin Mar
bles rests on practically the same basis as
that of the man who finds metal in the
mines, digs it out and makes it Unavailable for
public use. We do not think that the gal
leries of civilization will be called upon to
give up their antiques as matter of con-
science, for some ages to come.