Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-12-27
rnE MAR,s LOSS TO ART

TIME recent air raids on Venice and
other art storehouses of Europe
have rightfully brought down on
the heads of those responsible for
these outrages the wrath of the civil
lied world. There can be no gain to
any of the belligerents by the destruc-
ton of any work of art, but the world
as whole is the loser thereby. 1t is
sheer wanton destruction to cast
bombs on picture and statuary GAL
leries or to lombard cathedrals, but
the damage to these, great as it has
been, will be small indeed beside the
sacrifice of artists, students and
teachers who, have laid down their
lives or will do so in the great war
now devastating Europe.
That loss will probably never be
regained, and even the lapse of time
will only partially repair the lasting
injury. 1t must not be forgotten that
the greatest men in art, the most
wonderful men in the countries of
Europe, were those who first, un-
selfishly and willingly, offered them
selves as sacrifices in the awful, un-
seemly struggle-a struggle the real
basis of which is clearly an exag-
gerated ego, a supremely selfish spirit,
which, when broadly viewed, is diff
cult to understand.
Not only will Europe suffer from
the unnecessary expenditure of valued
lives, but the loss of artists will be a
great blow to all of us in America. be-
cause of the large number of our best
teachers in art and in science who
are to-day in the thick of the awful
strife. Many of them have already
sacrificed their lives to their patriot
ism.
a forcible illustration of the
tremendous loss America may bear is
furnished by the well-known case of
Paul p. Cret, Master Architect, man
of great creative genius, broad learn
ing and understanding; with the
faculty of imparting his knowledge to
others, which he freely did with
splendid results not only to the stu
dents of architecture at the Univer-
sity of Pennsylvania, where he was
professor of design, but in extending
TO everyone helping hand, with gen.
erous encouragement and kindly criti-
cism accompanied by suggestions for
improvements and betterments in de-
sign. On the first day that war was
declared against his country Pro-
fessor Cret Joined his regiment and
entered the service shoulder TO
shoulder with the rank and file of
the army. This is but one of many
like losses America has suffered
temporarily; wars grim chance may
make them tragically permanent.
Europe, the school house of art, is
being rapidly shorn of it's teachers
and students, both of those who have
ness and those who are partially
ready to go on and aid civilization
by their culture and their highly
developed artistic sensibilties.
There will remain architectural
monuments of antiquity, of inesti-
mable value and all important as
models for the study and guidance of
architects yet 10 be born. but if, as
lit appears, no masters and teachers
will be left-only boys-who will
teach those boys and who will inspire
them? Therein will be found the
greatest loss to civilization, and the
advance of art in Europe will neces-
sarily stop for fifty years.
The history of the development of
arts and allied sciences in America
plainly shows that our advancement
commenced when we began to en-
courage our art students in their
migration to Europe for study. and
to attract Europe's teachers to our
schools and universities. The Won
derful strides we have since made will
be stopped. The hurry and hustle of
American life is not conducive to
finish ard polish in arts and sciences.
and for many years we have been