The Savannah morning news., 1901-02-13
MUST HAVE MONEY
GEORGIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
GREATLY IN NEED OF FUNDS.
MANY MEANS SUGGESTED
TO REFILL THE DEPLETED TREAS.
URY OF THE SOCIETY.


PrOspects-DirectOr Brandt's Work
for the TeIfair MISUNDERSTANDING
Pictures Acknowledgment of the LII
brarian-Ways and Means Suggest
ed to Meet Expenses and Increase
SOciety's UsefuIness-Entire Board
of Officers Reelected.
The annual meeting of the Georgia His
torical Society was held at Hodgson Hall
last night. President George A. Mercer
and all of the old officers were elected
for another year by a unanimous vote.
The meeting was a comparatively large
one, there being some thirty-fve or forty
members of the society in attendance,
but it was still wofully small proper
ton of the 476 members on the rolls.
There was no lack of suggestions from
those present as 90 the means proper to
be adopted to relieve the necessities and
advance the usefulness of the society,
but there was such diversity of opinion
on this subject that it was deemed wise
to postpone action upon the principal
question until the next or March meet
ing.
AColuSAl ~hSiGtT SuDullllSu an lHteT-
esting report upon the condition of the
society and it's prospects, with special
reference to it's stewardship over the Tel
fair Academy of Arts and Sciences. He
said:
ION the 9Th day of January, 1900, The
position of our honored and lamented
president, Col. John Screven, was vacated
by his death. On the 18th of Febru-
/ aexr
chosed to occupy his place.
THE first bylaw of the society pro-
vides that the president, at the annual
| meeting, shall present a report reviewing
the work and progress of the society dur
ing the year past, and also setting forth
such changes and aims as the highest in
terests of the society demand
| AT the last annual meeting, Director
Carl L. Brandt renewed his liberal offer,
previously made to the society, to visit
Italy, Greece and Egypt, to paint in those
countries preliminary studies for five large
pictures of places where, the original
statues from which our plaster casts have
been reproduced, were either created, or
what is left to us found, the pictures to
be placed in the five panels, about sew
enteen feet long each, in the hall of stat
uary. Director Brandt added that these
panels were part of a scheme in the gen.
eral design of the hall for such decora-
tons and expressed the opinion that these
would produce an artistic background
and add greatly to the interest of the
sculptures. Director Brandt stated as the
only condition annexed to his offer the
reimbursement of his actual travelling ex-
penses necessary for such trip, and gen.
erously proposed to defer the payment
of these until the entire Indebtedness of
the academy to the estate of our late
president, Gen. Henry R. Jackson, had
been paid, Director Brandt announced that
his proffered trip would consume seven
or eight months of his time, which he
proposed to give freely, and renewed his
liberal offer while he had the strength and
energy to undertake so arduous and ex-
tended a tour.
director Brandt further offered in the
event of visit to Europe, to make use
of any opportunity which might present
itself for the purchase of suitable and
available works of art which the society
might desire to procure
AT the March meeting, 1900. the very
liberal offer of Director Brandt
upon the unanimous recommendation
of the Board of Managers. to
whom it had been duly referred, was
unanimously adopted by the society, the
expenses of travel being estimated not to
exceed $1,000, with the further provision
that said expenses should bear interest at
presentment of the same to the date of
payment.
AT the April $500 meeting of the So
ctety the following recommendation of the
board of managers was also unanimously
adopted: Director Carl L. Brandt hav-
ing proposed that while in Europe this
summer he would be willing to purchase
for the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sci
ences paintings of merit If such he could
obtain at a fair and reasonable price, and
advance the money therefor, to the ex-
tent OF $1,000, If the society would agree
to refund the amount advanced by him
at per cent. as and when it could do so,
after paying off the debt due the estate
of Gen Henry r. jackson, this board rec
ommends to the society the acceptance of
said proposition
"At the May meeting of the society
recommendation of the board of mana
gers, that the families of members be free
ly admitted to the art gallery on tickets
of members, was unanimously adopted
Upon the voucher of Supt. Otis Ashmore,
of the public schools, and corresponding
secretary of the society, children of the
High School classes were permitted to
visit the historical rooms as readers. Thus
another advance step was taken in ex-
tension of the privileges and influences of
our society, and an additional effort made
to increase a love for literature and art
in the community.
I'm August, 1900, Director Brandt sailed
for Europe in the prosecution Of his ar
tistic mission. On Aug. 81 he addressed
your president from Paris as follows: The
object of my visit to the Universal Expo-
sition held this year at Paris has been
accomplished. 1 have very carefully in
spected the exhibit of works of art there
at and am entirely satisfied that / leave
nothing behind me, when l start from here
tomorrow morning for Germany, that 1
could have purchased, in the way of paint
ings. which would have favorably COM
| pared with our collection in the Telfafr
| Academy There are, of course,
many important and splendid pictures,
particularly in the French section, but
they are loaned either by private indi-
viduals or from the different public art
institutions by the French and city gov
eminent, and, of course, not for sale. l
can conscientiously say did not see one
picture of the kind of subject which l
think will be most desirable for the best
interest, at the present time. of the Tel
fair Academy And Director Brandt adds
that he will fully explain his reasons for
this opinion to the Academy and the pub
lie of Savannah on his return. i go.
however, not entirely empty handed from
here. found a very beautiful vase es-
pecially selected by the direction of the
Royal Porcelain Mandatory for this