The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-09-02
ART OF FIFTY YEARS
AGO IN ST. LOUIS.

! One OF the Art Commissioners 70 the
rs;---st,cA a handsome man. too-oe-
cJares :nat al. Americans are saVases'
that all ta.s Western country IL paroar-
GUS ana ttat rs sector seems 10 De ths
mace y-re-. to worst type OF barbarfans
consr. Ss-s
"A y.3r.an came TO me-" he SAID IN
rr.at exc!te.-er,. pointed TO one OF our
hest water co'crs. and ASKED IS IL made
of portage rtaia:s:- sea. such people!
| VIII that lie s.-5..sS MS TzIstache SO
vigorously tha, :: seemed as IL he would
pull 81 ou; b. the roots.
| "Wou." you ak was {; made of post
age stamps sayISe.'' Re shouted. four
fishing Lis arms as z Yrcp@T!ng foE
bout.
In this period Of uHaG'4a!eG art display
IA St Ioa;s. and Ia y-eT ~ ;;e terribi"
Indictment thus fou.d aGai-st US. H.
faded. stained and ce.fricatcd Dimphie,
NAV be Of some irtereet Hov this al
most rriIdewed doc4:acEt found tie ~"
f. not exactly clear. I4ko o.i t1pers +
general /, simply bcsSed u n the mos.
unexpected kind o: W. Pamphlets
have a habit OF sticking ti.e-n.eives into
/ some crack or cf hiding r1d-r book
| whence wears after. and wren you ar
| looking for son1cthinf. else. they seem II
l jump out from Their retreats. string Up
a IRENE EGOCs cloud OF Dust Ire reason
] probably Is that pam y:.!e:s realize that
| nobody VIII read ;hcm -shel they are
new that the pGblic has ste'ied It's heart
against thcn. 50 wlen old and seedy
they feel that they haze chance AMI
/ become very insistent. Perhaps they arc
animated By the gh"7ts g: the inslo.ious
| Millions who we're theiF authcrs.
| Wei. this pamphlet appeared upon ths
scene at this late date in quite such
manner. positively demanding that IT'S
I title at least should lie read "A Guide
| to the Sculpture. Paintings. ard Other
/ objects Of Art IN the Hall OF ,k.e st. Louis
Mercantile Library association. Dece:n-
Der. 1s5..''
savages. Ell. And we had sculpture.
paintings and other objects OF art atty
years ago. And it appears. also. from this
showing. that. exclusive Of ;he sculpture
the paintings and the other objects We
had library And II & further demon
stratet-siEce this bit Of Htursturs had IT,
birth from these presses-that ct that
early date We DID a little printing. crea- .
ted an original literature: that this very
newspaper. The St Louis Repubiic-TS
Missouri Republican ;hen-was noA
ishins Ike a greeH-bay tree. Savazes. an
barbarianss Jet We pOs.esssd these posi-
tive traces Of an incip.ent civilization at
q time when Europe vas plunged deep in
igEorance-of tho United States
Now TO cite the length and breadth Of
our culture exhibited by the pamphlet.
which is a sorr OF catalogue. and which
Is To have hearing now II 70 noyer had
one before.
We read: In the ant.-room o. tho
library. the chief object OF curiosity IS
sculptured SLAP OF marble. near eight feet
eusrr .s.I -%-.a srrb ~tts ~ ~
saw from the interior wall OF one % ths
excavated chambers OF a palace OF MINI
rod. a supposed suburb Of Nineyeh, tho
original seat OF the earliest Of empire, that
OF Nimrod or the AssyTian.
Ia short. OFF art treasures IN date begin
with the TcmOtesl times Of which
history takes cosnizance. Il seems that
even then brother OK one OK our citizens.
Nr. {. ". Marsh. vas a missionary near
Nineveh. ana that his brother procured
and sent the slab 10 us. across the desert
b. way OF Aleppo to BAyrout and thence
by si.ip 10 Boston free OF duty"
Next tire niliewed pamphlet favors Us
with long descriptions OF a sculp,ured
Beatrice Cenci'' and 'Eone" done by u
Miss Hosmer. Miss Hos:ner. a culpcress
OF marked ability. may be said to havs
been discovered BY st. Louisans: which
really IS pretty good for 'barbarians'' %
n" second generation removed
Then the diiapidated parnphle: deciarelY
there was Verhoegen-s Daniel webster,
Hfe-size. American marble and with q
"Jove-lixe'' brow. And next a Bust of
Columbus. Italian marble. half-colossai,J
hair redundant ard curling. slightly
parted on the brow. beneath his cap, tuse
as in Millions description OF tho manly
beauty OF Adams head Next "A cast
from HQTIipr'S ~ hfp~
And besides SO much Of sculpture the
pamphlet generously adds that there were
TWO other marble blsts"
Proceeding. we find that art Of other
kinds had received recognition IN this
barbarous land. No 9. "A small medal
lion OF the size since Sir Godfrey Knel-
iers time. kit-cat: head. in compost
ton. OF Mr.. Paschan. the esteemed EDITOR
in-chief OF the Republican Newspaper"
Among the pictures are reported a life
size portrait OF William Clark. tho ex-
rorer: a hfe-size Cupid ard Psyche by
Gerard. an excellent copy OF the .'Cruchs
Cassie by G-euze: and "A young mother
pressing TO her heart q boy Of OF
years old"
OF Nos. u and IS. the stained pamphlet
recites:
These. we need scarcely say. are the
heads Of the most illust-ious couple that
ever lived For they are Stuarts por-
iraiture OF George and Martha Washing
ton
In addition. mention Is made Of a por-
Trait OF One-time Senator from Missouri.
Doctor Lewis F. Linn. head Of Robert
Burns. by Carl Winner: a Ife-size por-
rait OF Thomas II Benton: Il portrait Of
Henry ID. Bacon a former president OF
he Library association: large sea
lleCa hy np Lob -
pamphlet sagely remarks that the cos
umes are scanty and evidently Creek:
The Burial of Atala' by Girodet.
slaudc Lorraine landscape: Winter
Piece" Cattle Piece and a suit Of
Milan plate armor OF about the year 1850
q q 90 800 >>>>U
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO !:
TO-DAY IN ST. LOUIS. I: