The record-union., 1899-03-19

cial art. In keeping with the bookcover
and the poster. it will Doubtless be no
less an essential of the publishers trade
than an. object of the collectors search
Tell the artist to sign his name"
wrote Edward MacDowell to a pub
Usher who recently submitted to him
the design for a cover to six Of his
sea- compositions. The request With
the composers f1attering eulogy of the
design was forwarded to the surprised
artist, who had stipulated when the
work was proposed that nothing on old
stereotyped conventional lines could be
expected. Unrestricted by publisher or
composer, Miss Lois Knight, one of the
foremost women engravers il her line
in America, set her wits to work, and
the result is the music cover which, in
the opinion of many artists, is a unique
and significant, departure that promises
to open up a new art industry.
In lieu of the familiar geo1netrical de-
signs or Specimen penmanship sheets
characteristic of the music publications
of the last quarter of q. century, Miss
Knight has made a border replete with
| ldenizens of the sea-star and jelly fish,
frogs, turtles, sTails and other mem
bers of the firny tribe of high and low
degree. Across nurky sky is a flight
of sea gulls, while a sea horse forms the
capital Ss'S'' TO the title, Sea Pieces.
| Old Neptune ssurges in the rear TO dash
up in the foreground, high and dry, the
composers name Instead of covering
the back of the cover with advertise
ments of compositions, there is, a sunset
scene at sea. Old Sol has sunk almost
beneath the horizon. and in his wake
is a ship IN full sail. while III the dying.
rays the title is indicated. In an ebb
of the waves in the foreground is the
composers name. fine Whole Of this
unique design is printed on sea green
paper in bronze INK. that suggests in
fperhaps, the first ambitious effort in
this country to give the keynote, asst
We're to the COMPOSERS theme.' Most
American publishers nave their covers
made in Germany. Leipsic is the great
lcenter. One house las been establish
led there for more than two centuries.
{! The Italian Government has for some
time been expending considerable funds
upon the exploration of the ancient
Etruscan cities. In a report, recently
submitted by Signor j. Falchi, the site
of the ancient Vetuionia has been locat-
ed, and parts of the old city wall ex-
posed so that an idea can. be formed of
the plan of a considerable portion of
the city. Very few articles of sdomes-
tic use have been found. but twelve
small figures of four-footed animals
We're unearthed,s each with a hole bored
through .itfrOm end to end, which leads
to the suppositinn that they were worn
as a necklace One of the best finds
is a teIracotta female head, Greek in
character The head is thrown back,
and the features have an expression of
dignity and scorn, which has led to
the supposition that it is Niobe.. 1t
has been placed in the Etruscan Muse
um at Florence
New York Post: Through the agency
of ahedival commission, consisting of
English and Egyptian experts, a sys-
tematic attempt has been made for the
last fifteen years to preserve from van
dalism and decay the Arab monuments.
| The last report issued shows a wide
| field of work Not only are mosques
being restored, but all the Saracenic
structures, from early Kuf1c tomb
stones at Aswan to seventeenth-century
| brick houses at Rosetta, are being
gradually cared for. This report shows
that in addition to the annual grant
made by the Government, the commits
sion have also had the spending of a
special sum of 10000 granted by the
Caisse de la Dette Publique They
| have thus been able to take in hand
the restoration of the fine old clustered
mosque El-Mardani; the. sepulchral
mosques of Barkut and Kait Bey in
the Eastern Cemetery or ''Tombs of the
J Caliphs." They have also devoted a