New-York tribune., 1910-09-25
Anglo-American Memories
LKXXVT.
LANES MnrrLr wHlsrLEs-ANecoorgs. ESTIMATES. rs,su
Copyright, 1910, by George W. srarl.y.)

our expense. ! wish I could be amused
| again In the same way. But there was
ohiy one Whistler and there will never
be another. He was absolutely the same
man In adversely. of which he had bitter
experiences. and I'm prosperity. which
came TO him late and perhaps never with
full hands. Never was he more imperi-
Gus than when the world looked coldIy
on him; never more triumphant than in
defeat and neglect. If people tell you
that he was capricious. overbearing. self
= centred. vain. you need not pay too much
attention. Constancy and courage were
the foundation of his character
He came sometimes to a certain Lon
don club which was and is. rendezvous
for men who bring to il exceptional gifts
and who can talk. II it were permissi-
! BILE TO mention names many Of them
would be recognized in America as read
lily as here. But on the whole Whistler
had not his equal i'm this brilliant group
No other mind was so supple as his
none other had quite the same gift Of
| spontaneity; none moved so quickly;
! none had so singular an originality
retort came from him like flash of
| lightning: often a growl of thunder fol-
lowing. He liked applause and got it
In large measure. If it was denied him
he was content with his own approval.
Whistler's quarrel with the Royal
Academy was only one more illustration
of the unf1tness of that astonishing body
to be the guardian of British art and
artists. The only thing it guarded eff
fectually was Philistinism in art: duty
in which It had the help of other insti-
tutions less we'll known but powerful in
their way. 1t was not the Academy
which made known Whistler's genius to
the British public, nor any OF the other
art societies fourishing then and still in
this British capital But there came a
time when his fame could hardly much
longer be disputed. The Portrait of his
Mother hung in the Luxembourg. and the
Paris Salon had done him the justice
which Burlington House denied. Whis-
tier had long since left London for Paris.
The incident I am going to retell was
described in a letter to THE Times"
shortly after Whistler's death and then
named the Royal Academy as the body
which had sent the invitation. But the
Secretary Of the Royal Academy ex-
planned that there was no record of any
such invitation, and he was quite GER
tain none such had been sent. 1 must
therefore presume that 1t came from
some other English society, and I must
regret having wrongly attributed II to
the Royal Academy. and regret still more
that the Royal Academy is not entitled
to the credit.
/ got a letter from him dated Brus-
sells. which was a cry of victory. Read
the incIosed," he said AT last they
have owned UP. They acknowledge they
were wrong. they confess their sins. they
appeal for help The Enclosure was a
letter for the Secretary OF one Of these
art societies. with circular announcing
an exhibition Of pictures. and TO this, in
handsome terms. they asked Whistler to
contribute. You won't suppose for a
moment exclaimed whistler. that I
shall send them anything of mine Read
my letter to them" 1 read it with dis
may. It was In his most belligerent
Nt-iis q iClAcI VI iIouIS dIiO JeefS, 1eNli-
ing them for their old injustice, and
taunting them with their present futile
effort TO put themselves right. I thought
ii unhappy and i'll Judged. I wrote
Whistler begging him not to send IL.
They had offered him honorable amends
for the past To reject il with insult
would only be 10 put himself instead of
In hn
by telegraph so sorry you. too. have
gone over to the enemy" From that to
the day of his death 1 never again met
Whistler nor heard from him. The book
was closed. G. W. s.