The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1890-04-25
pkACIiCAL SIZE OF FREE ART.


The principal reason given for main
tanning tho present tariff upon works Of
art is contained in the statement that re-
ducing tho number Of foreign pictures
imported will increase the probability Of
sales Of American pictures, and that the
great number OF French works in tho
market pushes out the American. Now,
this is one Of those half truths seemingly
plausible. but easily anHworcd if consid.
cred.
10 begin with. works Of art appeal to
the ,cstlctic sense. tho educated taste and
intellect; they are not. in the ordinary,
material sense, necessary. Ei%nincntly
necessary TO any complete or over mod
eratcly advanced civilization, they vet
are not essential to life; they are not
good to cat OF to wear, and they would
be expensive ns fuel.
Consequently, we cannot legislate the
pictures Of any especial nationality into
the market. by putting un cxorbitant
duty upon foreign brendstufrs, textiles,
leather, you might in any civilized
country force native bread, clothes,
shoes, upon Tic most enthusiastic advo-
cate Of foreign manufactures, because
fool and wearing apparel must be had.
1NtttbiS NiN IiblaC HWY SCtLIch CIlul
question: it is not left to taste. But let
K DO n foreign painter, Y an American
plintcr, A. b, G, d, etc. picture buyers.
I'hoy admire the works of X and want
them: you put upon them SO high Il duty
that a, Is. G., D cannot afford them. viii
they go and buy Y's pictures? MOI ut
all: they do not require them. They will
say, 1--WE will wait n while till wo c.n
afford to pay tho premium on Ks pic
lures" Meanwhile, us far rs a, Is, q, D
arc concerned, the market lics idle until
eventually the foreign seller profits by q
still higher price.
Again, by u commercial law, sales Of
pictures breed other sales. Perhaps tho
question may be raised. ''Then would not
multiplied sales Of foreign works of art
increase the passion for foreign pictures
alone, to the prejudice of native ones2"
This Is unlikely; picture buying is largely
n fashion. There arc true lovers of art
who appreciate as we'll rs admire, buy
ing the best, because they know tho best
and it gives them most pleasure. 1t is
such buyers who make tho continued
creation Of good nrt possible; but the
mass buy because it is tho fashion, A
purchasing III of KS pictures because
l}, g md y have them, and he wishes to
be correct as n collector.
Fashion is, in part at lcast, n fictitious
thing, and by keeping up the duty on
foreign pictures wo deliberately increase
this fashion by enhancing their prestige.
a very simple illustration may be use
fui; go into II liattcr's and price two ar
ticles. They look equally good, but are
N ,.l.oI 60 o,f1 Si0 XNl>y l., ,,,> ,o.
expensive than the othcr2 tho buyer
asks, and is answered that 1t is n foreign
hat. Immediately, and without realizing
that tho duty is quite enough to make
the difference, he Begins 10 examine tho
hat to lind out why it is tho better. 10
feels us if it must have some hidden in
triisic value, because it costs morc. Tho
fashion for buying French pictures has
it's excellent origin in tho fact that the
splendid contcmporaneous french school
has produced most of tho great modern
masters. But fashion naturally cxag-
Iet0tas and scas Eool only in rs own
particular direction, and wc aid it by
kcn.lQ}s thegdlny up.
ial;G ol Che handicap and sou IN.
lNtucp#t he prestige cf nt,tive work, ara
p.ca.!S4 ~ .!o!AO Al What IL .iccla mere
than anything else. Abroad its excel
lcncc is handsomely recognized. Tho
foreign artist can live and produce more
clicaply than tho American. but works
of art cannot be treated upon tho basis
Of simple manufactures - tho greater
must include the less. and the general
prestige and furthcrance of native art is
far more important than any considcra-
ton Of the proportionatc scale Of daily
expenses in Europe and America.
The second reason given for Keeping
up q duty Is that otherwise cheap rub
bish would flood our market. This is
easily answered: first, no real artist
o "etcs with rubbish, and secondly, no
dutyswill keep out cheap rubbish. Such
wo K can float any duty, except an ALSO
lutcly prohibitive ono, and n prohibitivo
duty canno he legislated because. in jus.
tice, no ono can draw the line between
pictures which shall be admitted or OK
cludcd. 1t is probable that for some time
after the abolition Of tariff OH works of
art great numbers of foreign pictures
will be imported, including many bad
ones; but rubbish, floated III, will t.. ID it's
level. The strength of the purchaser Of
foreign pictures is in his buying good
ones; his weakness is in buying bad
ones. Tho more bad ones are bought tho
sooner will mere average foreign works
depreciatc, the sooner will tho buyer
weed out his collection, and the good
American and good foreign pictures
meet upon q omlno ground of sensible
commercial appreciation.
Zoln's Programme.
The Paris correspondent Of The Dag
blad Of Tho Hague states that Emile
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