New-York tribune., 1901-12-08
PICTURES IN THE SCHOOLS
FOR THE MOST PART PAINFULLY LACK.
ING IN NEW-YORK-HOPES OF BET
TERMENT UNDER THE NEW
ADMINISTRATION

1t Is a painful thought to New-Yorkers that they
are behind other cities in certain respects this
Is the case. and the city which has in regard TO
one thing more than any other beaten New-York is
chicago The point in which the Windy City rises
above NewYork is that of pictures in the schools.
1t does not affect the destinies of either city, but
teachers consider it OF H;tIe Importance. New
York public schools of the elementary grades have
no mural decoration speak OF. and certainly no
pictures of Importance The high schools have
specimens of Greek, Roman and Egyptian art, but
stop at that The old masters. indeed. the
younger ones. not yet a part of the school
system
An exhibition has been held ror the last week in
the museum of Teachers College. under the direc-
tion of Oscar l.. Woerner. Publishers of pictures
all over the world have sent specimens of their
work, suitable for hanging the walls OF the
schools The exhibition naturally includes vast
number of subjects ranging from TIE work OF BOT
ticelH and the early Italians 20 that OF the modern
Frenchmen The purpose of the exhibition is to
show the available material and TO suggest the
proper grouping of subjects. Statuary is not for
gotten. Some remarkable photographs. life size
and suitable for the walls Of rather narrow cor
IS natural there is exhibition OF cheap but for
the price excellent reproductions that may be used
simply framed for the child to carry home
the walls of its elementary schools should be slight
ly modified by noting that a dozen or so pIetQEes pe
and amusement OF the younger children ms
ures such as Bought6n's Return of the May
flower and Pilgrim Exiles." Landseer's "Impu-
dent Puppy" "FOrester's Family. Wild Cattiel
and Deer L Chillngham.'' Rosa BOnheurs Brit
tany Sheep" WatSOn's Scotch Cattle. Alma Tade-
mas Reading from Homer" G. Y Turner's
-'Courtship of Miles Standish and the like Not all
of them great pictures out they interest Young
children. HOweyer nothing is dOEe in this city 70
the attention of the older students 70 the work
of the great masters
In Chicago the walls of the schooIrOorns are lined
with good reproductions of famous pictures Every
ing exhibitions of pictures and charging cent or
so for admission, spending the proceeds in buying
pictures This is not allowed in New-York- No
further away than Mount Vernon, however, the
School Board has ordered good photographs OK
masterpieces to be placed in the schools
II is expected that under the coming adntnfStra-
tion something will be done toward curivat1ng the
artistic sense OF the school children Such work mas
been of the greatest interest in social settlements OF
all kinds and has invariably with success Even
the dull imagination is pleased. and the keen one
receives source of enjoyment beyond oeIis1.
like COrOt'S Spring, which has no story
% tell. shows but indiStinctly human Hgure and
lacks detail of kind. would not De tnouSnr
likely to appeal the residents Of the poorer parts
of the city yet settlement worker says tnat IL
is by far the best loved of all the many hanging IN
her DarIOr-
Some time ago a writer in Boston paper re-
corded the remark made by policeman VINO was
Boston. Ali sighed this good citizen gazing
about him 1T wasn't by looking at this sort or
thing that the citizens of Athens came TO lead the
woridr' Which characteristically BOs-ontan re-
mark has moral sufficiently obvious in this con-