Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1914-01-16

house in the western world. If
Ill it were not such an orderly es-
adjustment it might be com
pared to an Aladdin's cave, magnified
thousand times. for on its walls, in
its cabinets and in its fireproof, bur
glar-proof storage vaults are art OBJ
Iects worth S150,000.000, exclusive of
its financial resources of upward of
sl0,000,000. 1t holds individual works
&c art that are the finest things of
their kind In the world; it has collec-
tons that have no peers in the great
galleries Of Europe. 1t is only AZ
years since 1t was organized. and in
that half the span OF its honorary
presidents life 1t has grown from an
Idea to the greatest marvel in the his
tory of art museums in the world
And it never has been able TO exhibit
anything like all the art objects in it's
possession.
Long Called an Art Pirate.
1t is only for the reason that it IS
such polite institution that one re-
trains from calling the museum a kind
OF gorgeous pirates lair, filled with
such treasures, magnified thousand
fold, as the Kids and Morgans of the
Spanish Main were wont to gather In
as loot from the galleons and cities
they sacked
Indeed, ever since the Metropolitan
museum trustees made their second
purchase of a collection as a whole in
1872, when they took the Cesnola
antiques away from the British mu-
scum. our greatest art institution has
been looked upon in Europe as an art
pirate ranging the seas of that partic-
ular world and picking up every avail
able treasure that showed it's sail
above the horizon. What Disraeli
could not induce the British nation
to do--to keep the Colonna Madonna
through its purchase. Pierpont
Morgan was able to accomplish and
bring it to New York. The museum,
however, is the most honest pirates
lair that ever was.
When the museum was first organ
lied, in 1871, the officers and trus-
tees started out to raise s250.000, and
the first collection they bought was
one of IT'S paintings of European
schools, for which they paid $116,-
1927 At the present time there are
TWO single objects Ia the museum that
cost 100000 each, and the institu-
ton has only recently been presented
with the Benjamin Altman collection
OF p paintings that are valued at
$4,000, 900.
That comparison serves to indicate
the spirit with which the museum is
regarded nowadays as compared 10
the era of its beginning, when it's first
important acquisition--tbe Cesnola
collection OF Cypriote antiques caus-
ed the most acrimonious art battle
that this country ever has known, and
when the museum seemed to have
more enemies than friends. Now ii
seems to have nothing but friends.
whose liberality surpasses that of any
OF the great prodigals OF history or
fiction.
The leader OF these friends of the
museum is the late j. Pierpont Nor
gan, who still lives within the walls
Of the building in spirit and whose
benefactions in the forms of gifts,
loans and influence are as vital today
as they were before his death There
IS scarcely gallery In the whole OF
the manychambered structure that
does not bear evidence Of his gen
FROSTY and his catholicity of taste.
From the entrance hall with is
Don Quixote tapestries that are reput.
ed to have cost the late inancier
$4,000. through the classical. Egyp-
tan. Decorative Art, Painting and