Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-29

Will be well and wisely expended is to be
earnestly hoped, but the task will not be
an easy one.
The National Sculpture Society. through
the generosity of its president ]. @. a.
Ward, and a lay member, I. w. Drum
mond. Is Offering two prizes. one OF 500
and the other of 500. for competition
in portraiture The larger prize Will be
awarded for work In the round, the smaller
for the best rendering in relief Works
submitted In the competition will be judged
In November by a jury composed of Angus
tus Saint Gaudens. Daniel C. French. a H.
MacNeil and the donors of the prizes. The
object Is To stimulate this branch of the
art OF sculpture which. seemingly has been
somewhat neglected In this country of late
years.
In art education an interesting expert
ment has been tried this year at the
Rochester Athenaeum. where the class in
applied design has been given an entire
room in new building to decorate and
furnish throughout The work is to be
finished by the close of the school year
and Will include mural decorations stained
glass, designed and executed. wrought
metal ware. furniture. draperies. pottery,
embroderfes and other details. The posi-
bility of thus practically developing their
own designs has created much enthusiasm
among the students
That within the last few years America
has advanced perceptibly in the knowledge
and appreciation of art is generally be-
iieved on this side OF the sea. and that this
progress Is being remarked abroad Is the
best confirmation of the faith. In this con-
nection the following paragraph from the
editorial section of the Burlington Maya
zine, one of the foremost English publica-
lions, is specially significant Urging the
necessity for a ministry of fine arts MIR
Holmes says: For years it has been the
fashion to smile at the American collector,
on the assumption that he could be salts
fed with any forgery that INSCRIPTIONS
dealer wished to plant upon him. Those
who made fortunes by such transactions in
London and Paris are beginning to find
their market gone. During the last few
years the Americans have set their hous+
IN order. Many collectors in tho United
States now possess expert knowledge al
most all now obtain good expert advice.
American public galleries equally
alert"
The same magazine publishes In its April
number an article by w. l.. Lathrop, the
painter. In support OF the authenticity OF
the much-discussed Velazquez. purchased
last fall by the Boston Museum. which
thrc gh scholarly argument and logical
reasoning ought to prove satisfactorily con-
vincing. If the painting Is not the work
of the master to whom il has been ascribed
1t Is at least equally worthy and therefore
from the art standpoint, should be counted
as no less valuable
While the art season is on the wane with
us 1t is but opening abroad. In England
and the continent this Is the time of
great exhibitions. In London the Royal
Societies of British Artists OF Miniature
Painters and British Water Colorists are
holding separate shows, and in the White
Chapel Gallery there is now on view a
notable collection Of British art of the
flfties. In Edinburgh and Glasgow the
Scottish artists are holding annual exhi-
billions. and in the galleries OF Liverpool,
Derby, Exeter and Leeds there are special
shows. Likewise the continent. In
Paris there are in progress the two salons;
at the National Galleries of Berlin there
IL the Mcneil memorial exhibition; in
Munich the secessionists are in full sway,
and at Antwerp there is a retrospective ex-
hibition of Legs and De Braeckeleer.
LEILA MECHLIN.