The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-11-27
AN ENEMY TO INDIANA AIT.

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Mr.. John Boyd Thacher. worlds fair
commissioner from New York and chair
man of the committee On premium
awards, has offered a gross affront to
Indiana art and artists.
A few weeks e the female members
of the<Indiana board of commissioners
issued a call for any and all women
native to the State who could ''scuip"
to come forward with specimens of their
work for exhibition at the fair. This.
at least, was the substance of their
call. If not the precise language.
At the time the Journal, which keeps
fairly well posted on the various phases
and developments of art in this State,
was of opinion that no Indiana women
were engaged in the sculpture business
and that the appeal would be barren of
results. but this, it appears. was a mis-
take. The fact is now disclosed that
the Indiana board has appointed a
woman to superintend the butter ex-
Ribit from this State, and that she in
tends to make that display in the form
of statues of men and women. and cows,
and yellow angels with filmy wings,
and, doubtless, q sprinkling of pigs in
compliment to a great Chicago industry.
And now comes Mr.. John Boyd
Thacher and offers violent opposition
to this plan. Ibid you ever hear of
anything quite SO silly?" he asks sheer
ingly, and declares that there is nc affin-
ity between butter and statuary. 1--WE
must suppress the butter sculptor" he
says: 81 am quite sure the work is not
artistic, and / have doubts whether it is
palatable. We want butter shown in
the Old-fashioned way-in rolls or from
those good old wooden molds."
This shows that Mr.. Thacher does not
grasp n of the most important princi-
pies on which the plan of the Columbian
exposition is based. namely, Its edu-
cative influence. Art got o great start
in his own city. New York. in 1876,
through the aid of the Philadelphia
centennial display. There were sporadic
statues in the metropolis previous to that
date. no doubt. but after it there
were statues galore. They were modelled
in mud. but because New York sculp-
tors lack originality or variety of plastic
material, or because Mr.. Thacher is ac-
quaintcd with but one method of art
work, is it any reason why bold and in
genious Hoosier artists should stick to
mud when they can have butter? Ger
tainly not. The New York commits
sioner betrays a provincial narrowness,
if not actual envy. of opulent Western
ideality and fertility of resource when
he attempts thus to hamper Hoosier
genius. Because he has always seen
butter in pats and rolls, he insists that
it must forever be in pats and
rolls. What sort of q spirit is
this for a Commissioners to cherishq
If Hoosier talent shows a disposition to
bud, what is Thacher that he should
nip it'll He should be progressive and
let it bloom into butter angels if it will.
At all events, unless he does SO. he is
likely to get himself into trouble with
the women of the Indiana board, who
are determined to bring out Hoosier
sculptresses and give them q chance. If
they cannot get the artistic dairy prod
ucts into the agricultural department
they will have them in the arb gallery.
and what will Thacher do thenf He
may sneer at butter statues, but he IN
not stay the progress of native Indiana
genius when it is backed by a delega-
ton of Indiana women and members Of
a board. Butter sculptors as one woman
refuse to be suppressed.