The morning call., 1892-09-30
THE sEAKLEs MANSION.

The rumors respecting the Searles man.
sion are now set at rest by the authoritative
statement that Mr.. Searles has not given the
building to the Art Association or to the
city or TO the university or to any one else,
but that he has it in contemplation to be-
stow it in some way on some organization
which will use 1t for art purposes on this
coast. Inquiry has ruled out OF the list of
possible benefeiaries both the Art Assocla-
tion and the city. The former has no means
TO meet the annual taxes on the building,
the latter could not be trusted. No decent
citizen could contemplate without a shudder
the prospect Of placing the home of art in
the hands OF Buckley and Reiney, or Grim
Minis. Kelly and De Young. The university
remained, and as that institution could own
the building without being liable to pay
taxes on it. rs, moreover, art education is
strictly in the line OF its province, it seems
probable. at the present moment that the
ostentatious building which Mark Hopkins
erected to bear witness to his wealth will
fall into the hands of the regents of the
university.
The State and the coast are to be congrat-
ulated oD the windfall which art is probably
to receive. But it is we'll that the event
ouUulU DG III ali us dSptClS
An art building will not do much for art
unless there are objects of art under its
roof Now, as a matter of fact, as far as is
known, the building which seems likely to
pass into the possession of the regents will
not contain picture or a statue or even a
piece of faience when they get it. 1t will be
to art what the observatory at Mount Ham
ilton would be to science if it had no tele-
scope. 1t would seem that the regents
should beStow some thought on the ques-
tion how the SearieS Art Building could be
made to serve the cause Of art by furnishing
students with models to copy. 1t would
not be a very expensive undertaking to
stock it in a modest way. For 100000 a
very far beginning of a collection Of modern
pictures and statues could be acquired. a
thousand dollars will buy fine picture at
the Paris salon, and every now and tnen,
when a rich man dies and his gallery is dis
peIsed, good CanvaseS may be picked MP
cheap. 1t would seem that q combination
Of art-lCyers might be found with capital
enough to lay the foundation Of an art gal
leTy. The announcement that such an or
ganiZation was In existence would be appro-
pirate in connection with the official state
ment that the building had passed into the
hands Of The university.
Again, the Searles mansion is wooden
structure with much gingerbread ornamen-
tatiOn and architectural fligree work 1t
viii require considerable alteration before
its labyrinthine recesses are provided with
light enough TO enable students to work or
visitors TO see pictures to advantage. Sky
lights can Of course be cut through the roof
at suitable points and the suns rays sd-
mi ted into the obscure chambers. But
this will cost money. and 1t will be well 10
reckon on the outlay. Finally. the edifce.
heing of wood, is liable to burn, and such
buildings, when they do burn, are generally
q total loss. OF course the university can
insure its property. But if it comes to con-
tain a large collection OF pictures and
objects Of statuary it might be difficult TO
replace them for any sum Of money if they
were destroyed. Well-chosen paintings
advance in value year by year. Many a
canvas for which the author was glad to
get $1,000 is now worth twenty and thirty
times that sum. Almost all the great
pictuTe-galeries of the world are housed in
buildings which. if not freproof, are very
nearly so. 1t is felt that the destruction of
works of art which are really priceless
would be irFeparable.
The regents of the university, in accept
ing MI SeaTles' gift, will Of course re-
member that they are acting not for day.
but for all time. II an art-gallery is started
under its roof it viii presently become the
fashion for rich men to add a choice work
Of art whenever they have idle money to
spare. In this way, in course OF time, the
gallery NAV come to contain a collection of
paintings and statues which il would be
d fficult to appraise In money. 1t would be
sad to think Of such a gallery being de-
stroyed by fire. We take 1t for granted,
however, that the property should be ac-
cepted and improved. It is probable that
ways will be found to turn the property to
better use than is at first apparent.