New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-05-20
ART UNION WOULD FAIL"
Artists Call 1t Impractical Column
bia rs. Sentiment.

Although the council OF the National Academy NJ
Design has just authorized President Dielman 10
execute the proposed agreement with President
Butler 10 transfer the schools of the academy 70
Columbia University, the vigorous minority has not
given up hope OF defeating the scheme
George r. BaTse, 5r National Academician said
yesterday:
, am iasa9st the meEspg OF the schools of
artistic reasons. Neither a building nor any
a Se money VII take the place of that which
prestige, sentiment honor her schools have pos
sessed through many years of labor on The mari Of
men Of note IN the art world and the results Of those
Columbia would gain hugely by such an arrange
n1ent the academy schools would soon lose their
ing htn eSSu 1oF the proposed scheme but failure
Sentiment IS as necessary in an art school as the
building itself, and more so If there are artists to
be formed there That sentiment cannot ba bought
Dent traction and affection for the very building
use eng rs . Sssoclauons Columbia can neEar, TO
artisucaiiy successful-no more than believe any
not possess the artistic atmosphere or surround
ings ana s Ihls proposed merger means the burial
was chance Of the academy schools having new
budirS. should still be in favor of preserving the
schools as they are and increasing their artistic
efficiency not their size.
Regarding the controversy over the plan of Pres
Ident Butler to transfer the schools of the National
Academy Of Design TO Columbia University the fol-
lowing letler mas been received here from Frank
Waller, an artist and amateur who was the first
president Of the Art Students League. 1t says in
part:
Somewhere about 1855. as now try to recall 1t.
nom Chancellor MccTackeg Of can the he
University, with an intimaton that the New-Yor1
Of fine arts attached to it. and the suggestion was
ma i+b 81 II 1er6aIs oi9 eg a1 eIIS
70 both The anxiety I had carried for many
years OF the future Of the league and the certainty
Of support which would follow its union with a
solid institution like the New-York University
troubles we had had would be over once and for
all and our standards Of admission and instTlc-
EOn. which Were necessarily variable and often
low, as We needed money. would be raised, and
SIDE OF study as Differentiated from the practical
studio work and complementary TO it, whicl had
be the leader in work and thought in New-York.
called on Mir. McCTacken more than once and
I also had many consultations on the subject with
The late Henry G. MarGuand. The several steps
leading 10 the conclusion that such union would
not be advisable are unnecessary to repeat here
but this was to me important as it Is now In the
Be very careful SO to guard its autonomy that the
artists practising their art shan at all times be
working majority TO control the schools whore the
practical part Of the artists-the studio practice
The artistict sense is necessarily very sensitive
and at first frequently may be in a formative state
and liable 10 be distracted or confused because of Its
sensitiveness There are, of course, also students
with robust sensitveness as well as with deli
cate sensiuveness; but those viii always take care
Of themselves, and for the moment VIII not CON
dents must be so educated that they do not lose
any time the spirit motive which first induced
o sI boGg Of the artists themseves will be
much liable to know the course to be pursued
than body which has the theory Of art or the his
tory Of its guide.
OF course, any system is likely TO kill or crush
certain proportion Of students. but under the guild
ence Of artists the number viii be much less than
under the guidance of the laity. feel sure have
eeen students who had clearly disposition for
artistic expression in painting switched off by the
study of certain details until their minds were no
longer concentrated upon putting their God given
message TO the world and charging II at every OPP
portunity, but were actually lost in the intellectual
requirements under which they had been placed by
~FaFTr y O.
lost by much study Of the purposes of eX-
preston and the theory philosophy of The
counsels Of the intellectual Institutional faculty
will be valuable, but system Of studio work, which
IS guarded, guided By that faculty, will tend to
nut the practice In a groove which can only be
neutralized by the artists themselves. Even th2F
have to lift II sometimes out Of the groove by q
sort OF revolution, which would be much longer de-
layed and more dangerous II hampered by the gov
eminent OF the Intellectual faculty OF college
majority Of the laity.