The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-07

Mrs. iavcmeyers spetrn was listened
TO with close attention. At times there
was laughter when Mrs Havemcyer told
OF some Of the sharp retorts of pegas
for which he was famous The speech
In part was as follows:
When an inferior officer receives an
order from q superior officer. II he is a
good soldier. he touches his cap and
obeys. ! have touched my cap and am
speaking TO YOU to-day.
TT seems to me that have always
known and admired the two painters
to whom | now call your attention. |
bought with my pin money the first
work OF Degas that came to America
II hangs upon the wall beside you, and
as a matter of curiosity may add that
paid the large sum of 500 francs for IT,.
a sum which materially reduced the
! balance Of my pin money and evidently
helped TO swell Degas's bank account,
for he graciouslN thanked Miss Cassatt.
who acted as our broker. saying he
/ sadly needed the money Alas poor
artists. They pour their lie blood into
the burrows that Others may reap the
harvest.
Miss Cassatt and have been life
~
ton and my guide I call her the
! fairy godmother OF my collection, for
the best things ! own have been bought
/ upon her judgment ana advice. y trip
TO Italy or one to Spain in those early
. days when travelling there meant dirt.
dust and discomfort was as nothing TO
! her IL there We're a good picture for Us
! at the end OF the journey. or even the
| scent Of a good one that could Ice fol
I lowed up with results.
II have to smile to-day as 7 think ~
| her many adventures In our behalf. II
! ever there was a true artist II j. Mary
4 Cassatt Always steering toward the
highest ideals lnldaunted and uufiinch-
I ing. her hand upon the tiller. she has
I kept true to her course through AL
! the storms of adverse criticism, of rail
/ lery and of discoura cement There are
I two ways for n painter, she has often
! said to me, the broad and easy oh
or the narrow and hard one
II must make two statements when
/ will probably cause surprise. Miss cas-
satt was no; a pupil OF Degas, nor did
ei.her OF them belong to that group
of painters known as the mpr"sson!sts
"Vnappreciated in that highly respect
/ abb. institution known as the Salon
they exhibited with the lmpressionst'
in their modest room on the boulevard
bu; Drgas and Miss Cassatt are not t.
he classified with Mauet. Monet, P!ssart
and the rest As for Miss Cassltt htinl
a pupu uf Degds, II j. not true, for sh'
did not even meet HIM until she nae
known his works and felt their influence
Tor several years,
after they met. some time later Ion.
wears of friendship ensued, OF mutua
criticism. and | must frankly add, %
! spicy estraugcments for DcgaS was al
, dicted 10 the habit of throwing Nerpa
vitriol AS the French call il. upon hi
friends, and Miss Cassatt would not have
been the daughter of the cossards If sh'
had not been equal TO pairying hi:
TRUSTS She could do without him, whil
he needed her honest criticism and he
generous admiration. nave peei
amused during the long years haN
known them at the little iuncheons
dinners planned by friends in order L
effect a pleasant reconciliation
"In certain of Degas's pictures on
can recognize Miss tassa't as sh
helped him out OF a difficulty ny posih'
for "A turn of the head or moNemeh
~ the hand. She can be easily seen II
one Of The Millners' series. Degas'
admiration for Miss Cassatt was un
lho,nded. but there was always a littl
dart in his remarks. i will not ADM
a woman can draw like that" he eN
claimed. as he stood before one or he
nlctures. And again he said of that pic
tnre of the boy standing by the mirror
which now hangs before YOU; tn
greatest picture Of the nineteenth cen
fury, and added sarcastically IT !
the little Jesus and his English nurse
II have not time to begin to tell 20
of the many incidents of bygone years
of Degas dinners and his beefsteak pies
of Miss Cassatt's evenings at nome
where so many interesting people hstene
10 her brilliant conversation nor or he
luncheons. where state and Church me
and II took Clemenceau to calm IN
resulting agitation, ! must hurry o
and say "A word or two about their ar
and I shall try to say 1t as simply a
possible a.,
Miss Cassatt has often said that I
make a great collection 1t is necessar
10 have the modern note. To be "A grea
n,inter YOU must be classic as we'll a
modern. Now, Degas was preeminentl
classicist, painting contemporaneou
subjects as the Greeks chlselled the his
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