Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-23

be content with the same proportion of
space granted to the artists of any other
nation Unless such elementary laws were
made and strictly adhered 90 there would
be no use in thinking about the matter As
TO the director II Is only necessary to say
that he should be of upright character.
wide experience and universal artistic
knowledge. He should be assisted. of
course by a committee OF selection COM
posed OF artists. connoisseurs and museum
keepers-not, as In England. a directorate
or lords, bankers and brokers Unless some
such course is carried out the gallery would
prove the prey OF every scheming artist
VINO could not Sell his pictures. IL would
become scandal. like the Chantrey be-
quest 10 which decrepit academicians look
as haven of refuge for their otherwise
unstable work The Chantrey beouest. as
administered by the Royal Academy. is the
greatest artistic scandal in England In
order to prevent such a depIorable state OF
atairs the same course should be followed
as In France. A supplementary gallery
modeied on the Luxembourg. should be
started for living artists. and, TO avoid the
corruption that has made the Chantrey coll
lection a laughing-stock, a uniform price
should be paid for works purchased This
is the French plan. The price barely COM
pensates the artist but he regards IL as an
honor to be represented in the national COL
lection OF living artists. II he is big
enough. IL his work is OF enough import
ahce. ne may. at times, stipulatc that It
snail eventually go TO the Louvre. But this
Is not the wisest policy. Other work
bought by the state Instead of being pro.
NOTED to the Louvre is sent at once to
provincial museums. and may never get
even to the Luxembourg. The American
Luxembourg. again like the French, should
not be confined to national artists b,It
should be open to the artists of the world
matters are delightfully."- ordered in
France that the two Paris salons more or
less subsidized by the nation. are state sup
ported affairs. and II is almost SOLELY from
them that pictures are bought for the Lux
embourg. though for the Louvre they are
purchased wherever they can be found. /"
Must Lead in All Things.
The details Of this magnificent undertake
ins however, must be left to the future
what We wish to emphasize is that this
republic can never live and wax great by
the bread OF commerce alone. The greatest
peoples OF history have been artistic as
well as martial peoples. Art is not a sign
or decay, but of strength. II there were no
artistic longings among Americans the PAL
aces or our well-to-do and rich people
would not be filed with the costliest works
or art to be had. II we are to retain our
place as the dominant nation OF the world
we must lead in all things. We must shine
IN the arts as well as lead in the trades.
we must encourage art as we have en-
couraged Industry. 1t must not be said
OF us that we have nothing of interest but
steer WORKS, stock yards, slaughter houses
and scenery
We should be glad if some congressman
from Iennessee-and more especially from
MemphiS-would take uD this suggestion
and frame a bill which would start the
movement for national art gallery; for
the man who does this will immort alize
himself and We should like to have this
immortal come from Tennessee.