Evening star., 1896-02-22
A NATIONAL ART COMMISSION
Some Of the Main 0biec-s of the Public
Art League
Duties That Congress Owes the Com.
munfty-Servfces to the People
and the Cause OF Art.


is only the normal result of the growth Of
the American people IN true civilization.
For 1t Is an accepted principle that organic
cation Is the first step ia the development
or civil life, and every advancement In
true civil culture means the organization OF
some element or force that has hitherto
been allowed 10 run TO waste. Organization
is not the mere bringii g together of forces
OF a certain kind, but their intelligent direc-
ton. Ii is worH-out saying that the
American people have too much love :or
the mighty dollar TO devote any time or
money to art Hardly could anything be
more untrue or contrary TO existing facts!
The truth Of the matter Is that probably
no people have spent money laVishly
and SO unwisely and SO wastefully for art
as our gcneroGs-hearled and weil-Ineaning
American men of wealth and public lcg.s-
lators. The art poverty CT our people, and
especially OF our government has not been
in disposition nor in money, but IN culture
and in wise direction These deficiencies
i'll themselves are no disgrace TO a people
and to legislators occupied as ours havo
been during the past century with great
ma te.i2l concerns and the rough-hewinS OF
a nation out of the elemeats at hand. Tho
government has always been ready to vote
away millions for public buildings and to
appropriate thousands Tor the purchase of
a picture a statue, bat as for giving time
to the question of artistic merit in either
case, or attempting to pass Judgment OF
this kind, this .s just what our pubic men
have found themselves unable to do. The
main question has been the appropriation,
The cost; the kind of art thus put before
| the public eye for nerations TO come,
whether uae and pure and eevating, or
monstrous, or even lUdicrous, has not been
seriously considered SIMPLY because the
parties concerned did not know that his
was really matter OF Importance. Our
catalogues and guide books were careful to
give the cost Of statues and buildings; the
name OF the architect or sculptor was left
out as of no interest.
But things are different now. An Ameri-
Ia hanil hon 1-slgk
q new home In one of large cities,
whether east west would not think OF
regarding the house compete when the
walls were up and then employ dozen or
more different parties TO pile up the decora-
| tons and fUrn ture according TO the faNor-
| ite notions of each, or they might by elo-
qucnt pleading, prevail on the chief con-
| tractor TO give one or another something
to do. The Cwner being man of affairs
| is unable to attend TO so many details; or,
better still, while knowing that he wants
an elegant and artistic home and WILING TO
| spend laYishly for II, yet he knows equally
| wei his own inability to wisely direct the
| work and TO secure this result. According
ly he employs decorator and furnisher
OF established reputation, and instead OF
preten,ioUs monument L. his own crudeaesS
and cGr Get he has a home truly beautiful
| and refreshing In the artistic unity and COM
pleteness that perva des II everywhere. Ma
| tions. when advanced beyond the raw-ma-
| terial stage Of civilization. all exhibit the
same wisdom and prudence. for they flnd
| that undrecte1 ana unSystematized art
patronage 10y government is the most
| wastoful extravaganza possible, anc that
| the need of professional advice, and there
| foSe of well-qualifie1 art commission or
| Bureau Is one of the great demands OF
public economy. The financial evidences OF
| this wastefulness of ignorance, caused by
| allowing Dubli. legislators. as such, to pro-
nounce On things which should only be
6etern med by expert Judgment. are what
VIII first strike the public attention. we
re
| regard 10 the erection of government build
| in2s.
| 1t is being demonstrated beyond dispute
that vast numbers OF the buildings for
| which the government has been voting mill
| lions upon millions of the peoples money
| have been badly designed and was;efully
| constructed, owing to the prevalence OF
| political over artistic and professional con-
| troll in the conduct OF our public building.
| 1t is absurd to say that The reason why our
public buildings and monuments through
out the country are not as attractive in their
artistic beauty of form ard adornment as
these of other countries is because America
| is stingy in art matters. America Is never
Stingy. In art she has been Ike too-l1ViSh
parent: she has given, even TO squandering
| the public money, on things palmed of upon
her ignorance as desirable. when she was
too ignorant to refuse them and too proud to
| admit her ignorance. But the nation has
grown to a worther kind of pride. She
knows that in paying for the best the people
| deserve to have the best and that this can
| be secured only by employing the best judg-
| ment that of experts. in determining the
| kind of buildings and monuments to be
| erected for the people The idea that Sem
ator or Congressman. or head OF a depart
| nsent, is by virtue of his Office, a competent
| art critic, and, therefore qualified to de-
| terniine without advice the kind of art our
! people shall enjoy in their public buildings
! statues, coins. etc. is one worthy of the
| dark ages of the past. Every competent
| legislator knows ard Is glad to recognize the
| absolute necessity in these days of expert
In firagr
| great public trust. In the matter of art the
| old principle of nohlesse obige is one that
| will bear with especial force on the generous
| and frank instincts Of our American public
1 men. They have just too much respect for
| art TO pretend to be able to pass upon II
| when their judgment Is to affect their peo-
pie! They would leave it to those who know,
provided they can only be assured that the
judges are really qualified for their duties.
The object of the Public Art League in
| securing the appointment by the govern
ment of permanent fine art commission Of
| duly qualified judges. with duties similar to
| those of the commission of fine arts of The
French republic, ana of which have
precedents in this country in the fine arts
| commission Of Massachusetts, OF New ork
| city and Philadelphia, is simply to secure
Justice to all our people In having money
| which is employed in artistic direc tions eco
| nomically spent for good art, instead of
| being wasted for the bogus article. 1t rec
ognizes the fact that our public legislatures
| and executive chiefs are not eX-ofiicio the
| true eNpert Judges IL art matters, ana mat
| congressional enactments in art appropria-
tions are sure to he wasteful. and
| lawful if not guided by some well-accredited
professional counsel
The only feature of the movement now
| I'm hand which may seem open to objection
| is an implication 1t carries that Congress is
| only to be prevailed upon by persistent and
| long-continued effort to yield to this de-
| mand for a national commission of fire arts.
There would not seem to he any warrant In
| the past behavior of Congress for this pre-
| suppostion.
| In all matters of really grave importance
| connected with the moral and Intellectual
| advancement of the people Congress has
| come literally and manfally up to its duty
| when the demand has been intelligently
| and earnestly plt-witness the building OF
| the new Library of Congress. the passing
| Of the International copyright law, and,
| greatest of all, the reform in the method Of
| civil service app o'ntments. OF similar ma
| ture and similar importance is this matter
| of a pationsl art commission rs an avenue
| of pooular education. patriotism and high
| moral Influence. The people have right
| to demand Of the government that the
available public spaces and sites for monu-
| ments at the capital he not dealt out recle-
| lessly to the first conner, regardless of all
| the pressing demands hat the future may
| have when our hunders are too late TO
remedy: and they have n right to demand