New-York tribune., 1912-01-14

The conquest OF bOhemla mas pesuh "''H
the first victory won in the opening OF the
Studio Club at no. 35 East 62d street. lor
young girls who come from afar TO STUDY
art in New York. The old bohemian lie
Is doomed, with its tales (Which the COM
Portable world found picturesque OF deter
mined little art students shivering IN nan
bedrooms, cooking over the gas Jet ana
braving long, homesick Sundays. and even
Christmases, when there was no money lot
railway fare home. or tales-harder for the
SNUG world to swallow, so it said a girl
had no business to leave home for a selfsh
career-of music students being forced 10
rent rooms over saloons, as these were the
only places where the noise was not an
objection. Thus has the world encouraged
the fine arts!
Well, better days are coming The neigh
bors of the Studio Club, for example are
so grow so in sympathy with the art of
music that they will open up their empty
rooms to students. bearing the noise"
cheerfully-nay, rather glad TO make this
little sacrifice for arts sake. So says Miss
\. Evelyn Newman. general secretary of
the club. who sees a vision Of mighty art
centre there on ed street. radiating rooms
TO rent for blocks around, attracting am
bilious girls from all over the country and
sending them forth again, enriched with
technical training and nobler ideals
Some of the poor little starved souls in
their hall bedrooms" she explained, did
succeed in their chosen careers, but think
how much finer the harvest would have
been IL they had been encouraged instead
of starved, Think how many Farrars and
Gadskis have been lost 10 art in the girls
who have ruined. their health or who have
gone wrong because no ono took any in
terest I'm them in their student days. The
talent which flowers in an atmosphere OF
high ideals is sure to be of greater good to
the world than the one that knew only
cheap and sordid things.
THE hest the city can offer is for our
girls. Women artists. musicians and au-
thors have promised to be big sisters to
Us and come and talk to us occasionally.
Nine. Homer, for instance, who is our near
neighbor will come as soon as she is able.
and Kate Douglas Wiggin has been here al
ready. Every Monday afternoon We have
tea, at which some fine man or woman
speaks, and at Sunday vespers Henry van
Dyke or somebody like that gives US a
word Of inspiration"
and really the noise" is not so bad either
As the visitor enters the warm, red-cush-
toned main hail, with its grand piano and
tea table. words of praise are cut short by
an eutburst Of song up above somewhere
fresh, happy voices of girls. practising a
duet In their room. Then come the rich,
thick tones of harp
The house baby" it is explained. She
is only fifteen years old, with lovely black
curls. and she comes all the way from
Ottawa"
Not all the Studio Club girls are musical,
however. There are sculptors, artists of
the pencil and brush, artists of the silver
tongue or of the light fantastic toe, and
&tists whose tool is the typewriter. en-
gagged as the circular says. in Journalism
and the other forms of literary art"
There are rooms for seventy-fve girls in
this new building. Not much of victory
over bohemianism, you say, when there
are 1900 girl art students in New York!
It's big beginning, however, and each one
of the seventy-five lucky girls is supposed
TO radiate some Of the good cheer of the
club to dozen Of her friends outside the
fold. Next year Miss Newman hopes 10
have one hundred more girls in rooms
near by, so that they can run In any time.
Maybe then there will be another new
building and-can't you see bohemia stink
ing away?
Above all the nice rooms and cOsey par
iors Of the home building there Is a most
wonderful roof-that is. Il is going TO be
wonderful in warm weather. There are
spaces for tennis and basketball. q pergola
where the tea table will stand in summer
time, conservatory which the painters
have already adopted for their very own.
because Of the good light. and last but
not least, for family OF seevnty-fve girls.
lots Of secluded corners where hair may be
dried In the sunshine OF a spare morning.
The dining room accommodates 1z5 SO
that nonresident members may drop in for
q meal now and then at one of the pretty
round tables, with their blue and white
china. The dining room and main hall can
he thrown together 10 make an auditorium
seating several hundred
Hospitality is the keynote OF the club |
administered for the most part by the girls |
themselves. for the authorities are Of a |