Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-17

secured to the people a gift of great
value. but also inspired an active and
widespread interest in the growth Of the
| National Gallery of Art. This Johnston
benefaction came at the opportune time
and was Immediately followed by gifts
of exceptional importance. foremost
among which are those of Charles l..
| F'reer and William T. Evans.
| Charles L. Freer's Gift.
| Although Mr.. Freer has decided his
!, splendid collections without reserve as
| his gift to the nation, the city of Wash
fngton is not to claim them for the pres
ent and must be content with the tenn
porary possession of selected objects to
be displayed in one Of the great halls Of
the new museum early in the coming sea-
son. glimpse may thus be had next
December. when the formal opening of
the museum will take place of the mar
velous art achievements of the orient-a
vast array of the choicest works of the
old masters Of China and Japan 1t is
expected that many important works of
/ Whistler and of other American artists
will also be in evidence on this occasion,
but the Peacock room.' of which We
| have heard so much, and the rich treas
urs of ancient handicraft associated with
II Will not come to the capital until the
! Freer building, the plans of wktch are
now under way, is completed. Since. how
/ ever, the generous donor is still devoting
his time and his resources to the work
of further enriching the gift, we may well
| be content.
MIR. Freer returned this week from sew
eral months in the east and while in
this city declared his intention of going
again next year to follow up some O..
the exceptional leads he has discovered
On account of Mr.. Freer's finds in China
/ the great museums of foreign countries
are now sending special agents and ex-
! petitions there.
i The knowledge that Washington is be-
| ginning its career an art center is in
deed gratifying, and it is due to Theodore
Roosevelt to say that it was largely
| through his timely aid and energetic rep
reservations that this result was made
| possible
Building for National Gallery.
THE Freer Gallery. associated as it is
with the Smithsonian Institution, neces-
sarily is an integral part of the National
Gallery. 1t is expected that the National
Gallery proper will have a home of it's
own at no distant day. The $50 or more
paintings now in hand make brave
| showing. but may not form body of art
material of sufficient magnitude to i'm
|
need of special building The hall nov.
| occupied as gallery in the new Museum
| OF Natural History is the hall of anthro-
nology which department should soon
claim 1t. 1t would seem to be part of
wisdom for our legislators to provide soon
for wing of new building as part of a
comprehensive plan for the housing of the
art treasures already acquired and those
nation.
1T is our hope and anticipation that the
new Museum of Natural History, lust
completed, may become the center of a.
splendid sp museum mus group, which shall rival
| those of the art centers of the old world
| When the triangular tract south of Penn
| sylvania avenue is finally secured by the
| government the two new buildines-the
rreer and the National Gallery-should
stand in the spaces bordering the Avenue
and fronting the north front of the Ma
| tional Museum. or be ranged along the
north margin of the Mall.
Progress in Accumulation.
That rapid progress In the accumula.
| ton of art works by the nation NAV
confidently be anticipated is indicated bv
the multiplication of art institutions in
the new world and by the art imnetus
now apparent all over the country. as
| manifested especially in the oreanlza-
ton of this. the American Federation of
| Arts. and not less emphatically by the
progress made In the Smithsonian Mu-
scum group in the last four Years In
this brief period collections of wide scone
and recognized excellence have accrued.
the money value of which. if NAV b.. ex
cused for referring to 1t. must be express
| ed, not In thousands but In millions of
| dollars.
Men and women of wealth ami Of
taste for the beautiful are collecting and
VIII continue In the enchanting work of
orb 4f
and women feel and will continue to feel
! that these precious herooms are NOT
filling their full purpose in the world
Whlie they remain available only to the
few. The thought that such things be
long &c all men, rather than to individ-
| uals, is natural one. Besides this. the
responsibility Of preserving and caring
for such treasures presently falls heaviiv
on the shoulders of the owner and he
seeks the means for their perpetuity
| This can be afforded only by those inst
tutions which have fireproof buildings
and financial resources that will insure
Perpetual custodianship absolutely es-
sential to the preservation of things per
ishable.
Donation by William T. Evans,
TT is confidently anticipated that the
generous impulses which have made the
present galleries of our countrywide Cor
coran, the Metropolitan, the Art Insti-
tute Of Chicago and others-the splendid
institutions that they are will still con-
tinue to inspire art collectors. Four
years ago William T. Evans brought to
the Smithsonian Institution a list of TWEEN
ty-fve paintings by American artists
which he wished to turn over to the in
FAINT gallery. The day following he an
nounced that 1t would be fifty. A few
months later the number became 100 and
now 1t is 100 painters that will be repre-
sented all Americans. Only Mr. Evans
can tell what tomorrow may bring forth
What the government may yet do for
art beyond assuming the responsibility on
behalf of the whole people OF caring for
the treasures Of art that accrue remains
to be seen. 1t may at least do as much
as the nations of the old world have done.
But whatever the nation may do 1
confidently believe that throughout the
centuries to come generous individuals
will repeatedly arise to place their &C
llrlaIlla ted treasI at the disnosal of