New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-10-22

cided 10 celebrate the centennial anniversary OF that
Revolutionary date the 23d Of the present month
or from the 23d to the 26th The real origin OF the
institute must. however. be reckoned much further
back Richelieu its founder. 1t was in 1855
that he transformed private association OF poets
into public body. with royal charter. He called
ii the French Academy. Its first meeting was held
on July TO- 1881 Its object was the publication ana
preservation Of the French language and to that
end It pledged Itself to compose dictionary, a
treatise on rhetoric and a treatise poetry. That
dictionary was the TO which DR. Samuel Johnson
once alluded with sea- thing contempt on account OF
the slowness with which II was written lie re-
ferred however. not TO the original writing OF IT,
but to a revision. for the first complete edition came
out with reasonable promptness in 1894. and its
seventh edition appeared in 1878 Il be observed
that in its earlier years the Academy declined to
accept as members several eminent men, among
them La Bruyere. Boiieau and Moliere
Another learned body. called the Academy Of In
-scriptsons. founded by Louis XIV in 1865. It's
object merely to examine and classify that
monarch's collection OF poems, medals. etc. but 1t
afterward enlarged the scope Of its studies and
labors A third. the Royal Academy OF sciences
was founded by Colbert in 1866. The painter lie
Brun. under the patronage OF Mazarin' had already
organized an Academy OF Painting in l6E which
was chartered in 1865; and in 1864 Colbert enlarged
It into an Academy Of Painting and Sculpture In
1871 the Royal Academy Of Architecture was incor-
porated with H. and it placed on an equal foot
. ing with the others. These four bodies exerted
marked influence on French literature science and
art for many years. but all ruthlessly sup
pressed by the Revolutionary Convention In 1873
Two wears later the Directory thought better OF II.
and practically re-established them. on August y.
1895 II decreed the foundation OF the National In
sttute OF Science and Art. and on October p fol-
lowing declared that body TO belong TO the whole
Republic. and provided that a sum Of money should
be granted to 1t yearly out Of the public treasury
for he nj
Institute consisted OF three academies. or. as they
called classes, as follows: % Class OF pnyss-
cal and mathematical science, consisting Of sixty
members and sixty associate members; % class OF
moral and political science. with thrty-six meh-
bers and thirty-sx associate members and C) class
literature and the fine arts. with forty-eght mem
beers and forty-eight associate members.
The charter provided that twenty citizens should
be chosen each year. by competitive examination 10
travel for a term OF years for the purpose OF MAX
ing observations relating 10 agriculture. both IN
France and In foreign countries. Every year. also
six members OF the National Institute We're to be
selected for travel either together separately,
for the purpose OF investigating other branches OF
knowledge than agriculture. The Palais National.
at Rome, occupied by French students Of the fine
arts ordered 20 be preserved and used for that
purpose. as intended by Louis XIV and Colbert
The three sections Of painting sculpture and archi-
lecture Institutes class Of literature and fine
arts choose each year number OF stu
dents be sent to Rome at the public cost In
1893 eight professors Of music were appointed and
added 10 that class II also arranged that the
National Institute should distribute each year a
number Of prizes In 1893 the class OF moral and po-
ntical science abolished. In 1916 under Louis
XVIII the Institute was considerably remodelied
In fact the original four academies were re-estao-
lshed in the order OF their foundation beng called
respectively the French Academy, the Royal Acad-
envy OF Inscriptions and Bellies Lettres the Royal
Academy OF Sciences and the Royal Academy of
Fine Arts Finally. Louis Philippe In lS5Z' re-
established the Academy OF Moral and political
Sciences Thus the present Institute OF five acade-
mics was formed The academies have been called
successfully Royal Imperial and National, accord
ing to the various political changes In the govern
ment OF France but have always held their meet
ings regularly in the Palace OF the Institute. which
was originally the College Mazarin
The Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres
stu retains its ancient name. and a certain
tent the functions imposed upon II by Louis XIV.
II is called upon to assist the Government In pre-
paring inscriptions for coins medals and public
monuments and buildings. Apart from that how
ever II is really academy OF archaeology and
classical scholarship. The Academy Of Fine Arts
deserves grateful remembrance all over the world
for its fundamentally for establishing the famous
Ecoe des Beaux-Aris. The influence exerted by
that school not only in France. but in all Europe
and America. has been almost beyond calculation
The school had It's origin In the stormy days OF the
Revolution soon after the academies were sup
pressed by the Convention in 1893. public school
for painters and sculptors was opened In Paris II
was called the Eco,e des Arts, and was under the
direction OF certain members OF the old Academy
The study OF architecture vas also continued. IN
fashion hsf-public ana haifprlyate. under the d.
rection OF David Leroy A. l. l. Naudoytr anu H.
Y Ballard. who maintained their good WORK in'ii
islo. In the last-named year Louis XVIII granted
the old convent In the Rue Bonaparte Tor the pui-
pose Of a school o. fine arts and there tnrse years
later the Ecoe des BeauX-Arts began. under the
auspices OF the Academy, us great and benencent
career. II remained mere bureau or the academy
until aa. when Napoleon III separated 1t from Inc
Institute ard made it an Independent concern.
The five academies Of the institute are enurey
independent OF each other In work ani jurisdiction
They occupy however the same building and have
a great library In common. They nave also COM
mon treasury managed by committee OF ten,
two from each academy presided over by the Minis
ter OF Public Instruction Each Academy elects
its own membsrs by ballot. and they must be con-