The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-08
rHE METROPOLITAN .wrsgrM.

~ says IN rNert tnAt the city cOntTfbuter
this ysai t7nooso toward the maintenance
Of ths museum. No Increase has be.n
asked for IN 1911. though the expense oi
maintenance Is largely increased by the
opening to the publ ic ot two new exhibit
ton wings. The museum has respected
and approved the policy OF economy
adopted by the present city adrninistra.
ton. even though It puts greatly Increased
burdens on the msmbership Of the mu-
scum The actual expense of maintain
ing tho museum during 1911 will be over
sSSOS. The amount spent for increa =
ing the museums collect ions will he more
than ssOn.0S. Tn" city has never borne
any part 81 this. in which respect our
American museum policy differs radically
from that of European countries. All tn,
great museums of Europe are not only
maintained 10y public funds but receive
from public funds large grants for their
purposes.
What ~ IN" city getting for this s2O0. OOOs
Asks Mi. l>s Forest. II il getting the
~ eatast art museum II the western con-
tinent. the greatest opportunity for ed,i-
cation IN art and for the enjoyment Of art
which any American city has received
The Metropolitan Museum Of Art is the
youngest important museum in the
world. IL il only forty years old this
ysai. but IL ia already beginning to rank
with the greatest art museums 81 Europe
when ! say the city Ia getting this mu-
scum ! mean that the people OF the city
are getting it; you and l. the hun,biest
artisan who seeks inspiration for his
! craft, the youngest child II the public
schools who ia receptive 20 what he sees
IL you don't think that IL is the peoples
museum 60 there some Sunday after
noon, when its balls are frequently
crowded to the number 81 more than 10 600
during the Ave hours Of opening
What is the city receiving from pri-
vats gifts as its RESULT of its expenditure
OF seOO.noO a year toward maintenance?
First. over Si0o. oo0 moro o pay the balance
III the cost Of maintenance SECONDLY
moro than the city has cont ributed in any
year for the purchase II new works Of art.
Thirdly, more than the value Of works Of
art purchased in works Of art and other
gifts. Fourthly the services without cos,
OF board Of managers. which includes
some Of our most distin g,liahed artists
and abest business men. There il not a
corporation in the country which would
not gladly pay large salaries for this
service which the city gets for nothing
Take for illustration President J. Pierpont
Morgan. No one has been more generous
in his gifts TO the museum than Mr. Morgan,
hut the most important gift which he i.
making year in and year out il his own
matchless power Of direction. his own
Judgment on the varied questions ~
policy and administration. For Mr. MOI
gan - no mere titular president. he
- the real head Of tho institution. and ne
Is giving To At the same degree NJ pc, sonal
direction which he has given so srIcCaS--
fully tn business enterprises
Then Mr., De Forest pertinantIy de-
mands. Who benefits from III" Metro
politan Museum of Art? Mr. Morgan or
any of IL. other officers or trustees? Not
whit more than any one Of vou Mr.
Morgan cannot POSSESSES tn. art treasures
OF the art museum any more than you or
| can. He can look AT them. and 50 can
you ar !. He can study them. and so can
you and |. "" can buy photographs OF
them for use outsid" tho museum. and 81
can you NJ !. He has no power to take |
them away and hide them from the public
gaze. Neither have you or l. Every
man, woman and child in this great city.
which IA contributing only a small part IL
rho annual expenditure II our museum,
possosscs everything in il quito rs efYeo-
lively Tor ev"ry purpose OF Use or en- joy-
Inent AZ do any Of it's officer. or any Of
its trustees
Mr.. De Forest concludes with an array
of figures thar prove that the museum - |
appreciated. He thinks that within the |
present decade IN" Met ropolitan Museum
will have IN" largest annual number Of |
visitors of any museum IN the Enxlah !
speaking world In rsss 10 WAS fourth in !
IA" list in number 81 visitors In 1877 |
II was second In 1870 it- attendance. |
"a; al. exceeded the largest att.nsianc. !
~ any London museum IN 1917 MIR lie |
Forest mas no later fx,ir.s Of the London |
museums for purposes Of comparison
In addir ion to tn. splendid exhibition !
NJ rare rags now in progress Their. arc /
some acce--Iors nj great importance. NJ. I
Morgan has given TO the museum n monu. !
mental altar piece. the Assumption Of |
the virgin nv Benvsnu,o III Giovanni !
,it3s-i5is'. which was formerly IN the |
, hurch If tho Convent in Grancia Ma.
r.mma Toscans. province Of G-osseto. |
Mr. Bryson Burroughs. the curator Of
paintings. d~votes several pages u the
work Of this S,enes~ painter. a pupil n
Necrh,~'ta and n representative Sien~se
artist Of h's day. There are several works
by B~nvanutD in America Among these
are tn. large altar pi~c. Madonna and
Saints" IN IN. Fog Museum at Cambridge.
and in the farves collection az Nex Haven
a picture Of the Madonna and saints
\ charming little panel Of Love Bound
by the Maid.n-. by him or his son. is al.o
h> NJ,