Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-04

1 or the Smithsonian institution now OeIOre
| Congress call for an appropriation of $780,
! 600 to remodel the upper story of the
| Smithsonian building and make a gallery
| 60 feet by 200 feet in size until new
| building can be erected. Plans for an In
| dependent gallery of noble proportions
| by Hornblower & Marshall Of this city.
| have been approved by the board of re-
gents and submitted to Congress.
Convention in May.
1t is proposed to call the convention
about the middle of May, when Washing
ton Is looking it's best, and when the
delegates from the numerous organiza-
| tions throughout the country can realize
fully what beautiful city the National
capital is becoming Included in the invi-
tations will be all the village Improvement
societies throughout the United States.
which have done and are still doing such
important work in identifying the nat
ural landscapes, in improving domestic
architecture, in promoting the public
health. providing good roads, clean
streets, pure water supplies, proper school
facilities. educating public sentiment and
developing civic pride. There are sew
ent states. and it is believed that their
members can be stimulated in faith and
in zeal by contact and by an interchange
of experiences and opinions.
NAOIc tIdu lIty CLUES nave IuuIlClpdi
art leagues or associations for the i'm
provement of appearances; for extending
their park systems, widening their streets,
securing better public buildings and bet
ter schoolhouses, and for general bet
terment Of artistic lines. They are
found at San Francisco. Denver. Seattle,
Duluth Kansas City. Los Angeles. New
Orleans, Cleveland Cincinnati. st. Louis,
Buffalo. Detroit. Baltimore, Dayton. To-
ledo. Galveston. Waco. Tex, and several
other western cities well in Neyu
England and the east. There Is a gen.
eral movement throughout the entire
country to secure an improvement in the
looks of things. both natural and arti-
hcial, and 1t is spreading rapidly. 1t is
believed that it may be promoted and
public sentiment developed in favor Of
its purposes by uniting the many local
organizations in a federation for mutual
encouragement and cooperation.
Widespread Interest in Art.
"The American Art Annual" published
every two years. is revelation to per-
sons who are not familiar with the art
interests and activities of this country. 1t
is book Of $50 pages, containing lists
of painters, sculptors, lecturers and writ
erS on arts, magazines, books and other
publications devoted exclusively to art
that are issued during the year; lists of
art exhibitions. art auctions. public mon
immediate value to those who are in
terested in American art
1t is surprising to learn from this di-
rectory that there are ODD schools and
public art galleries In 1852 different cities
and towns in the United States, and the
locations of many Of them are quite I'M
expected. 1t appears also that sixty
eight of these schools offer money prizes
to their pupils for meriterious works,
ranging from 500 to s., 600, the latter be-
ing offered for the best mural painting
by bequest of the late Mr.. Lazarus Of
Baltimore. 1t comes in the form of
travelling scholarship of three years in
Europe.
Seven million dollars was given last
year in the United States in the form
of endowments requests and other finan-
ctal contributions to the promotion of art
in the United States.
Work Of Women's Clubs.
A great deal is being done in the way
Of university extension work by the wom-
ems clubs. The Illinois State Federation
Of Women's Clubs. and that of Texas, for
several years have maintained circulating
exhibitions for the benefit of the people
in the smaller towns and villages. where
there are no galleries or schools. In
Texas the wOmen's clubs support a pro-
fessionaI lecturer, who travels from place
to place through the entire year. giving
Inc University OF the
State of New York maintains a travelling
art gallery and circulates 32,172 lantern
slides. with lanterns, for the exhibitions;
between 1000 and 5000 photograp hs and
more than 500 wall pictures among the
villages of that state. The Carnegie In
stitute at Pittsburg sent loan pictures as
far as Kansas, and other museums are
cooperating in the same way to spread
knowledge and appreciation of art in
the smaller towns and cities. The Car
negie library in the smaller towns is usu-
ally the center of intellectual life, and
usually contains a hall that can be used
for exhibition purposes. One of the OBJ
jects of the federation will be to encour-
age loans for exhibitions in such places.
There are fourishing art schools and
societies in many towns where they would
not naturally be expected. They are not
confined to New York, Chicago, St. Louis
and Boston, but some of the most -four
fishing are in Charleston, 8. c.: Column
bus, Ohio; Dallas, Tex; Decatur, ILL.,:
Fort Wayne, Ind; Topeka, Kan; Law
renee, Kan; Lincoln, Neb.: Manchester
N. H.; Minneapolis. Morgantown, w. Va;
Salem, Ore; Seattle, Wash, and Waco,
Tex.
The headquarters of the committee in
charge will be at the Smithsonian Insti-
tuition, and the movement will have the
cordial cooperation of President Roose-
welt, Vice President Fairbanks, Secretary
Root and other prominent officials of the
government.