The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-01-21
PUPILS STUDY
CAPITOL MURALS
SCHOOL CHILDREN INTERESTED
IN CONTEMPORARY ART.
It Will Be Studied the Same as Master
pieces of Literature Grades
Will Begin Work Next Month, Exper-
iment at the Adams School Having
Proved Successful.

1t has been part Of the plan Of the
drawing department Of the Minneapolis
public schools to introduce the study Of
contemporary pictures into the drawing
course in the same way that master
pieces Of literature are studied in the
English classes: The strong interest in
the new capitol and the beautiful mural
decorations planned for it have fur
nlshed the starting point for the course
which is to begin next month in the
upper grades. g. -. [-..'"@. .--5..
The works for the capitol are not yet
completed and they cannot be studied
advantageously at, this time, but the
later study of the capitol by showing
the meaning and scope of mural decora-
tlon., The two most widely-known
m ara Il t delegations Rdston IN the country
the congressional library. The seventh
grade will take the Boston library for
the Holy Grail frieze and to Mr.. Abbey.
The eighth grade will have the congress
gl SO library, studying in detail ".The
Evolution of the Book' by John Alex
Experiment a Success.
An illustration of what can be done
thru this kind of picture study was
mencement Thursday, where the Adams
school class represented. the, drawing
department on the exercises by giving
an Illustrated paper on the congress,
sional library and "The Evolution of
the Book," which this class took up
experimentally. before the work was
whole class studied the material that
went into the paper, which was COM
piled by. Thora Lund and Nathan Riv-
kin, under direction of Miss Anna
Wright, teacher of A room.
The paper was read by Marion Wolk.
1t covered the history and description
OF the library, the mural decorations
IN general; a sketch, of John Alexan-
der.'s work and description of his
series of six paintings. The paper gave
particular attention to the work of Ell
mer E. Garnsey, who superintendent the
library decorations and supplied all of
the general scheme as we'll as some of
the mural paintings, in the same man
ner that he is now doing in the Mime
sofa capitol. Special attention was
called to. the important work in the
library Of Edwin H. Blashfeld, who il
also represented in the capitol.
Glass Visits Capitol.
| The Adams school class visited the
state capitol on Monday accompanied
BY D. F. Painter, principal, and Miss
bull ding by A. ". Thompson, deputy
state auditor, and to their great de.
light were presented to Governor John.
son. They had hoped to see Mr.. earn,
sey, but he was in New York. He sent
a letter to Miss Wright expressing his
regret that he should not be in ST.
Paul at the time of their inspection. In
this he gave an interesting expression
of his views of the mission of mural
art, saying:
! believe that the capitol will furnish
to both young and those who are "chil-
dren Of a larger growth lessons in both
patriotism and art, once it is complete
for many men and many minds have beer
busy for several years past in planning
building and decorating it, with the idea
always kept In mind that this is to be a
building in which shall be made manifest
the state" the visible casket in which
may be enshrined our ideals of living an6
accomplishment. honoring the past, ant
hoping for the future; and If this kind O.
lesson may be suggested to those who
visit the building, the thought and labor
Of the past years has been we'll expended
Il IF art is Of value it's value must be
apparent to the observer; but In art, az
in all other things, the point Of view anc
the teaching Of sound principles are neces
sary for just appreciation of the artist
aim; which I am sure you are giving tt
your pupils.
On Wednesday rehearsal Of the pa
per was given and the sixth, seventh
and eighth grade classes of the schoo
heard it in turn.