New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-05
LONDON NOTES.
THE COLLAPSE OF THE GROSvEE0R On.
LERY-DRAINAGE AND LONDON
ti, 6MELLE-MR. GLADSTONE
~ AND MR.. LECKY.,

fe.i 6MEIsLS-MR. GLADSTONE
AND Mr.. LEcKY..
49, London. October 3s
Sir Coutts Lindsay announces o6lclslIy sts4
after the present there will be no more exhibitions
Of pictures in the Grosyenor Gallery In othes
words, the Grosvcnor Gallery. - the world hAs
known it, ceases to exist II passes Into ths
possession Of heterogeneous club called TIE
Grosyenor Club, not TO be confounded with The
Gallery Club, which heretofore has met In W
Grosvenor Gallery, and Is now f0r the prssoso
homeless and houseIcss Perhaps Mr.. Comyns CuJ
will open the New Gallery to this wandaR.
The Grosvenor may be said to have done iNwsek
10 was at first very Important work; did nssA
for British Art. II Mr.. Whistler Will allow mebA
phrase to be used much. also for the Rsyxl
Academy. which seemed some twelve or tIrtees
Years ago very much In danger OF gong to sleep,
and even now il somnolent.
The new men had chance in the Grosyeuor
Gallery which they never had in the Academy.
and have not now The difference was thia.
In the Academy they were tolerated; in Tie
Crosycnor they were welcomed. II may he satd
that Sir Coutts Lindsay's scheme first took shape
because of the indiherence-it often amounted =
hostirity-which the authorities of Burlington
House showed to young artists; or to all young
artists who did not follow hnmby In the footsteps
Of the old. There was great difference between
being slzied at the Academy and Hospitality enter
tanned at the Grosvenor. Sir Coutts dsavowed
all enmity, and even rivalry. What he and his
advisers wanted was to do for art what tho
Academy refused TO do. From the art point Of
view he succeeded, but he now tells US that DO
has not succeeded financially, and must turn his
property to other uses. az
Yet the Academy Is prosperous-more than
prosperous. The great galleries Of Burlington
House are thronged from May to August, and the
number Of good shillings paid to see bad pictures
though not accurately known, Is known TO b
enormous. or course there were good pictures a.
we'll. 1t is. however, supposed to be the pad
pictures which draw. The British public is ipt
to be educated in dozen years or 80 out OF -
hearty liking for what is vulgar or commonplace
or plausible in art, nor out Of It's doclle respees
for names to which the initials r. A. are appended.
So the many-headed multitude went on cro"din8
into the official precincts Of the Muse. and came
in lesser number to that more modest home Of
art which had no sanction from Crown or Pariia-
ment.
Meantime, however. the Grosvenor itself ne
came more or less PhiIistine, and there occurred
three years ago that secession Of MeSsrs. Comyns
Carr and Halle which brought into existence tle
New Gallery. The Academy, therefore, has still
a rival and stimulus. Mr.. Carr and Mr.. Halo
are entitled to O full share Of credit for what was
done by the Grosvenor. They are entitled 10 says
moreover that when they left it, for reasons sum-
cient to them, the decay Of the gallery began :
believe IL is true also, that the New Is prosper
GUS institution pays its way and something more!
II has Mr.. Alma Tadema and Mr.. Burne Jones ana
Mr.. Watts and many another painter Of rehowS
who once were pillars Of the Grosvenor, put WIZ
drew their support for the same reasons WHICH ieu
Mr.. Halle and Mr. Carr to withdraw theirs. i's
exhibitions have character and quality ana now
city You will see on these walls some singular
efforts by artists who appear to be aiming In the
wrong direction; few or none OF those smooIn in'
antilles by men of no aim at all-eXcept TO sell tneic
nroductions-wbich cucumber 81 much Of the wal
snace az Burlington House. IL you care for the
conventional. for what is stereotyped and hum
drum. YOU will 20 to the Academy IL novelty
interest you the aspirations of youth, the splrie
of protest, the search for the right thing even
though it be not always found, you VIII 90 70 inc
New Gallery. =.
There ought to be, one would think. room ~
this huae London for three yearly exholt!ohs OF
pictures. Paris is not half as large as London]
vet the number of pictures hung in the Salon 10
Paris is three times as great as In the ACADEMY
in London Neither the Grosvenor ner the New
Gallery ever cared for a very numerous display
Choiceness rather than multitude was tneir RUS
Here again they renounce opportunities OF prone
Tho respectable British public likes rs moneys
worth generally rather more line nther OF
family who has to decide between conflicting
claims reflects that if he goes to Plccadihy ne may
maze Oh four or five times as many works OF whae
t.oa ri %
Regent Street. And as this Is an age WHEN every
thing ia counted and nothing is weighed, who
shall blame him?
This mornings news that Lady Jersey is down
with typhoid fever is enough to make one despair
of sanitary science. The fever was caught al
palmoral and Balmoral is the residence Of the
Queen and II the Queen cannot have good drain
oge who can? Yet / suspect the truth that
many Of the more splendid houses in EngIafd are
in the worst sanitary condition. The ylnoio
fever Of the Prince of Wales had It's Origin ~
Sandringham. Lady Rosebery's dates l,oni 'at
meny Park, with private water supply uu mA
what were believed 20 be the most i"'ora4s
conditions Now it appears that one OF the sp' -.
was polluted by works in connectioh ~'n , ~
Forth Bridge The late Mr.. Easse' ci'n 'a'
cineer and sanitary authority OF the nrS' 49,
once told me that he was called In I" 49,
rcsnectirg one of the newest and costlest houses
in Iondon. built by one of the most eminent hrui'
in the world. He found the basement Hooded Win
sewage, and the main drain-pipe connecting WIZ"
the sewer laid on level. And upon his po'ns
ino out to the eminent builder that water coula
not be expected to flow freely on level; ne war
scotfed at as a theorist Mr.. Ritchie, Preslden'
of the Local Government Board, told the Com
pany of Plumbers that II they wouia CONC ~
his room in the House Of Commons 'ney "'1'N
be driven out by the smells in five seconds
There is. il may be said. kind Of axiom thas
M yreat uublic building is properly drained. Az
least one of the newest and most splendid ~
London was long known as fever-trap' Inc
Board Of Works could not be got to care Ihey
uoIsoned q certain number Of officials every
wear. but there were always those ready 10 'aNs
the same risk Quite lately the public has healo
something Of the insanitary state Of London inca
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