Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1914-03-11


and foster the destruction and robbery
Of holy things"
The havoc and destruction referred 10
j. specified n follows:
"In the revolutionary intcrrcganum be-
tween the winter Of 1911 l. and the sum.
mer Of 1912. sculptures and other an
tiqucS native 10 China underwent DIES
truction on a large scale by foreign and
native vandalS il the interest Of for
eign dealers and museums.
In 1919 there was a general division
among museums Of the world including
al least two American museums. Of sew
cral hundred causes of sculptural frag
ments broken from their settings by one
and the same DOdy of vandaiS. TINS evil
has grown up % suddcnly-it has come
about since l90>-that foreign peoples
and foreign government have not apprc-
hcndcd il. M one j. aware Of IL except
the museums involved. their agents and
Intermediates and the alarmed Chinese.
In a statement made 10 the Associated
Press. the secretary of the ASiatic In
%stitutc saws:
"All signs seem to Indicate that dep
relations have commenced upon the ar
chaclogical and art wealth Of China. 10
An extent even greater than the vandal
ism with which Europe visited the art
and beauty Of the shores ~ the Mcditcr
ranran. The market for Chinese antiqui
lies. particularly sculptures. came with
the close IF the iuSsp-JapaneSe war.
hut no nation bears the stigma Of being
chief vandal in China. The market i an
International one. and has been develop
"a udcr japanese and European direc
tinn with Paris n headquarters. 80 well
has the markc been worked nv the deal
crS that the increase in prices of Chinese
sculpture in the past five or six wears
has the market been worked by the deal
ample. one piece of sculpturcd North
Wei times oh century A. D.-c>timatcl
To have cost Si00 in China. after passing
through only two or three hands. H. held
by a dealer at ~lI.0n0. One American mu-
scum has ten stone beads broken from
statues III the interior az China All
are acquiring. similar fragments. Col
large museums Of the world have. or
lcctorS and museums in America are
sending special Representatives 10 China
with large SUM of money to buy. Similar
expeditions are setting forth from Eu-
rope.
Realizing the menace 10 the >culp
lures of China the ASiatic institute il
40 cooperating with the China Monuments
S%nrictv of Picking. whose committee j.
composed of the foreign ministers II PEEK
ing of Great Britain. America. France
and Japan men who see the situation
close ~ hand and are aroused by IT,"
cone remedy which the Institute pro
posed in H. appeal H. the return To China
hy al responsible governments and inSti
%tutionS. az stolen Chinese antiquities III
accordance with 2 precedent If the
French government and of the SmithSon-
ian In,ti:Htiun which IN past wears set
an rNlmp'c I'm returning to China arch
acloairll and historical ohpcctS Of which
Shr had been robbed. and which had come
into it> possession.
The Institute proposes also. the stop
ping ~ further indiS"riminating pur
chasing especially NJ broken sculptures
I'm IL appeal for the CO operation II Ii
hrarir>. museums. scientific snriciic> AMI
collectors. il SAYS th1i the vandalism has
reached the magnitude Of y great crime.
and >hould arouse International oppo>i-
tion.
ln niliNfi lNil uf>iFtN Y hlNt : an
'iuuiticS saws the appeal. "'c"'
break down Chinese society. Ii %cripplcs
research and education. and rctarlS
progress. American influences have
shaped the Chinc.c revolution AMI are
working for the conservation of life 4
China. t. American institutions ~ civ
ilizatinu IL given the chief uppnrtunitv
II combating in China destructive &C
~tivitic> ~ western origin. Tpon these
Tests the chief rr>non> ihilitv ~ using
hose means av.ilable 10 Friendly nco-
plcS for promoting the welfare Of chi
vr>c society.
The ASiatic Institute further cmpha
sizes the feet that "thi, plnnderinc of
china ~ u peculiar crime since il will
mplctr F%urnnetn civilizations >pnila
atinu ~ the whole chain 80 ancient civ
ilizatinn> and will DESTROY hone ~ 4 con
>cinu>nc>> in western civilization of such
evil"