Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-06
His Excellency.
George Washington
Morgan Art Treasures Abroad.

morgan A1t treasures ABROAD.
It is unfortunate that the American
public cannot have the benefit of the re-
markable collection of works of art which
Mr.. Morgan has accumulated at the cost
of millions of dollars. They are exhibited
at the Kensington Museum. London. just
as his manuscripts are exhibited here.
and this courtesy to the British public
is very highly appreciated. But before
the American public can see them, Mr..
Morgan will be compelled to pay some
thing like half million dollars duty.
Our tariff law imposes a tax of q per
cent and even more upon some Of the
articles in his collection and naturally
Mr.. Morgan dislikes to submit to such
conditions. 1t is too much to expect
that the committee now at work on re-
vision of the tariff will put curios and
fine arts on the free list. The argument
against such legislation is that none but
rich men who can afford 10 pay the duty
import such things and that the wage
earners of the country will derive no
benefit This fallacy is contradicted by
the very exhibition which I have de-
scrihed at the library of Columbia Uni
versity.
Mr.. Morgan exhibits his manuscript
treasures free of charge and everybody
is permitted to see them. He does the
same with his art treasures in London.
where hundreds Of thousands of English
people including many Americans, inspect
lISHl every lHSSS COlIeCtlOES dES
not for sale: they are not acquired Ior
business purposes. and I suppose that at
some time or another they will be pre-
sented to the people of the city Of New
York under trust that will keep them
together for exhibition perpetually. Thus
the poor man and his children for genera
lions TO come will have just as much en-
jOyment from them as the rich; perhaps
not so much as Mr.. Morgan. for the right
of possession is satisfaction that can
not be overestimated, but he does not
have time to go to the Columbia Libra
ry. L do not suppose he was ever there
more than once or twice in his life while
many wage-earners, mechanics. laborers.
shopkeepers. clerks and especially stu
dents are there every day.
Wants Fine Arts on Free List.
It seems absurd that Congress should
take this attitude. but the average MEM
Der of the House Of Representatives is
afraid that # he votes to put fine arts
on the free list, the working people In his
district will oppose his reelection. 1t is
true that the labor unions do not advo-
cate the removal of the tariff on pictures
sculpture or even photographs or books.
They object to doing so on the ground
that it would be very much better to first
remove the duty on other articles which
are consumed to greater extent by the
working classes. But certainly no harm
would be done them or anybody else if
objects OF art and books were placed on
the free list.
That rare books and manuscripts are
good investment has been demonstrated
by the recent auction sale Of the library
of the late Henry W. Poor, which took
place in this city last week and brought
the highest prices ever received for books
in America. 1t attracted collectors from
all parts of the world, and the large num-
Der of bidders indicates that the army of
book collectors is rapidly increasing.
There were ten times as many bidders as
appeared at similar auctions ten and fif-
teen years ago. the bidding was much
more rapid and the bids were larger.
Big Prices for Books.
The total realized from the collection
was something over 5000, 900. which is the
highest price a library ever brought in
America. The sale of the Brinley library
in 1879 brought $172, 600; the Daily library
brought $166.OOO: the Brayton-Ives collec-
ton brought $4,000, and the S. L. NJ
Barlow sale brought $50 600. New rec
OrdS were made for almost every book of
Importance, and very few, if any, volumes
Of permanent value sod for the price
that Mr.. Poor paid for them. Penllal-
lows Indian Wars published in Boston
in 1925, and bea utifully bound, brought
$3.50 per volume which was the top price
A first edition of Paradise Lost" printed
in London in 1865 brought $40. A SINH
lar copy sold for 1925 volume two years
ago and the previous record for Indian
Wars" was $50 volume.
The rapidly increasing number Of col
lectors of rare books in this country and
in Europe, as we'll as the greater ability
of rich peop,e to indulge themselves in
such luxuries. has caused this extraor-
binary increase in values, and they are
more likely to advance than decline.