Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-22
FINE ARTS COUNCIL
Its Appointment by the Presi.
dent Is Discussed.
THE DUTIES OF THE BODY
idea Not New, Having Been Dis.
cussed for Many Years.
WHAT IS EXPECTED OF IT
Considerations Which Induced the
American Institute Of Architects
to Discuss the Topic.
WHAT IS EXPECTED OF IT

1t takes ofttimes a bold thrust TO awak-
en- sleeping power Constant dripping
will undoubtedly in time wear away q
stone, but dynamite today Is thought
more effective for this purpose. When on
Wednesday the President appointed thirty
architects, painters, sculptors and land
scape gardeners to serve under the super
visiting architect Of the Treasury as a
fine arts council. and issued an order
which made 1t incumbent upon all heads
OF departments. bureaus, etc, not only
to seek but follow their advice in all mat
ters involving architectural or artistic
problems. he f1guratively fired a bomb
which set people not merely to talking
but thinking.
Neither fine arts council nor a. bureau
Of fine arts are new ideas: the President
did not originate them. They have been
brought forward and discussed from time
to time for many years until they seemed
to be doomed to become old stories and
be relegated to the category of obvious
n but ,S unnecessary blessings-henee the need
was inferred for fully fifty years in the
Smithsonian Institution: the Library Of
Congress slept for more than half a CEN
fury after its establishment, and the work
OF irrtsat ton. now being efrectually car
ried on in the western states by the gov
ernment was advocated and urged nearly
a century before 1t was begun. There
was. Perhaps, therefore, logical reason
for alarm,
Need of Council.
The need Of a national fine arts council
Is obvious. This Is g. day Of specialists
and specialization. In commerce, in
mercantile business. in the professions,
men trained in 1xed directions are chiefly
in demand. Even in factories certain
operatives do certain work. In illness
one calls upon a doctor, in legal per-
plex1ty upon a lawyer, in other instances
upon an engineer. q chemist, q bacteri-
olog1st. but strange as 1t may seem,
lecture, painting or sculpture one is salts
ned to depend upon ones own judgment
There Is undoubtedly prejudice against
expert opinion. AS the farmer who has
in the advice sent out from the Agri-
cultural Department. so the average lay
man thinks that the art which he is
acquainted with is good enough not only
for him, but for those who will come
after him-that experts are only those
with different. not better, opinions.
The whole trouble lies, however, in the
desire to have ones own way. for ex-
perts have. as rule, been called In to
protest against special unwise PROPOSE
tons. More than once in the past six
years appeal has been made to expert
commissions to sustain Individual judg-
ment in the face Of vigorous opposition.
Herein lies the sting Of the Presidents
recent order and the danger Of it's mis-
Interpretation. The functions of a ma
tfonal fine arts council such as the Presi-
dent has named are not to do police duty,
to obstruct progress or to curtaii indi-
vidUal power. but to furnish the best
specialized advice, to relieve responsible
ity and to insure success. Why, If good
stone Is obtainable, use that which is
mediocre? Why, II we can have the
benefit OF the best trained Judgment,
not make use of If?