Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-24

reference to the project in his last message,
the Parisians took its success for granted.
1t Is to be hoped that they will not be dis
appointed.
Want 0mcial Recognition.
The friends of the new Prix de Paris (the
American Institute) propose to approach
Congress through the President. l have
seen L memorial to President Mckinley.
signed by a list of names that would re-
joice the heart of any autograph collector.
a memorial that discloses to the view of
the most unseeing the strong faith OF these
French men of science, literature, govern
ment and the arts in the artistic good Will
of our own Congress and our President.
They think that the Prix de Paris is SO
near an official fact that the assurance OF
their interest in 1t will be enough to turn
tho scale and set both houses to voting 1t
directly. First comes the whole of the
French Academy, the Forty 1mmortals,
who, will appear, write better French
than English.
I'VE have the honor of submitting to the
President of the United States the follow
ing resolution from the Academic Fran
caise and members of the other classes of
the Institut de France and other distin-
guished organizations Of the arts and liter
allure OF France in support of the American
National Institute. Prix de Paris, who are
living testimonials of the good will and
welcome of France to the United States.''
Thus begins the memorial, a living testi-
Hionlal OF the danger of tranSiatfng French
to English literally. 1t ends:
Such sympathy and such testimonials
have never been given in such generous
measure TO q foreign institution in France:
and on the basis of such generosity of gifts
from the great republic of FRANCE we are
confident that Mr.. William Mckinley, to-
Eether with the proper authorities at Wash
ington, will not fail to give the full con-
sideration to the demand of our memorial
of the names that follow l can give only
few as samples: Brunetiere. Boissier (per-
petual secretary of the academy, De Here
dia. Andre Theuriet. the novelist: Henry
Houssaye. historian; Jules Lemaitre, the
Due de Broglie. Greard rector of the Uni
Eersity of Paris}: Count HoussonviHe, his
t0rian; Paul Deschanel, Sully-Prudhomme
Clairin, Coppee, the Ficomte de Vogue. AL
bert Sorel, Count de Nun, the painters Bon
nat, Carolus Durand Gerome. Benjamin
Constant and jules Breton, Jules Claretie
Rodin. the sculptor, and Lepine, project of
poiice-the latter, by the way. should be
thanked for recommending the building site.
Generous Givers.
The generosity of gifts rather ambigu-
ously mentioned refers not only to the gem
erous vote Of the building site by the Paris
municipality. but also to a series of re-
markable guarantees made by fifty or more
of the greatest painters. scuptors and writ
ers. and the promises of any number of
celebrated teachers. The latter have guar
anteed to teach, some for half price, some
for nothing. at the beginning. The guaran-
tees Of the painters and sculptors to con-
tribute works of art to the new institute.
either for Its decoration or for sale to raise
ii money. foot up into hundreds of thou
sands of francs, perhaps much more. The
venerable Puvis de Chavannes willed
painting to the institute before he died.
When men like Marchand. Tony Robert,
Fieury. Jules Lefebvre Mandrake. Walter
Gay, Raffaelli. Lee Robbins. Dstaille, Bon
nat, BENJAMIN Constant. Raphael Collin,
Carolus Durand. Rodin. Chartran, ]. P.
Laurens. Weeks, Brfdgeman and Julius
Stewart promise each a painting, "either to
be sold at a price agreed on by the painter
or to be kept as decoration of the insti-
tute." it means the aggregate of a great
deal of money promised.
All now depends on the action of Presi
dent Mckinley and Congress. Louis XIV
founded the Prix de Rome at Rome in the
seventeenth century. Shall 1t be to William
Mckinley, in the nineteenth century, that
the Prix de Paris is to owe its foundation?
STERLING HELLO.