The Washington herald., 1910-06-26
resident Taft Well Equipped for the Work

who earn princely incomes. are giving
their services free, devoting days OF their
time TO the nation for which they will
receive no immediate reward, and should
consider themselves fortunate If they
receive the slightest appreciation from
public to whom fault-fnding and
blame seem the only form of criticism
possible.
The question, however. with all those
who are interested in this commission is.
will It be allowed TO last until IL full
fills some of the duties imposed upon IL
Former President Rooseveit's council of
fine arts. for which he had named a num-
Der of artists. architects, and littera-
teurs. some thirty in all, of the most en-
lightened and talented men In the coun-
try. died before il was born, and the
former commission. OF which Mr.. Burn
ham was member. had only a brief
existence
The history Of all of these commits
sions. created 10 advise. regarding the
identifying and Improvement Of the
Capital-and there have been a number
since that first historical commission. the
members of which were David Stuart
Daniel Carroll, and Thomas Johnson
shows that they have either been ignored
among themselves. and all were short
lived, but still they worked while they
did last, all except one, at least, in
the right direction, and to them we owe
the beautiful Washington of to-day,
which is. We like 10 think. not so far
! away from the ambitious plan OF the
prophetic pEnfant, which was decried at
the time and has been decried since, as
too magnificent, but his prophecies have
been fulfilled. his extravaganza vindi-
Gated. and his plan adhered 10. and we
of to-day are devoutly thankful for the
characterization that prompted him 70
carry out his ideas In the very face
OF the orders OF his superiors
Praise Comes Too Late.
It would be well. indeed. If the dead
could come back again for the honor and
applause that they 50 fully earned and
which was denied to them in life. We
would Ike to encounter the misunder-
stood and unappreeiated MAJ. PEnfant,
as the late w. W. Corcoran remembered
him. "a rather seedy. stylish old man,
with long blue coat buttoned I'D on
his breast and a bell crowned hat. a
little moody and lonely, like one
wronged," but followed always by loyal
| friends, the most loyal and devoted :
little moody and lonely old man. car
have. a half dozen hunting dogs. we
would Ike TO encounter him that we
might offer him the homage and ad.
miration his contemporaries denied him
When the Capitol was finished, Con.
gress decided that Il must be decorated
and It proceeded to have Il decorated
under much the same system that was
employed in our own time in the Lib
rary OF Congress- that Is g quantity Of
artists were called In and told TO cover
the walls OF the new building in the
most approved style. In the case of thu
Capitol, this work was intrusted to for
eign artists, mostly Italians, who. being
given carte blanche, proceeded TO covei
| the walls and. being conscientious. they
endeavored to interpret the Yanke,
| ideals, which they did with inadequat,
/ understanding and infiorid style, a styI,
so ford and so famboyant that It ex
cited public criticism, and the large sums
these aliens were being paid from tn,
national treasury excited the cupidity
Of the pseudo American artists, who be
lieved in the shibboleth that passed with
many az that era, America for Amer
leans only
why" these self-styled artists de
manded to know. should we employ for
eign talent 70 dishgure our public build
/ ings with hideous frescoes, when Their,
are plenty of American artists who car
do them better?" The work OF thes,
conscientious Italians, who did the tasks