The Washington herald., 1915-03-13
HISTORY BUILDERS.
Men Who Are Competent Judges of
Written Expressly for The Washington HcraldJ
BY DIR. E. J. EDWARDS.


BY DIR. E. J. EDWARDS.
Three or four years before the
death of George l. Seney. the dis
tinguished philanthropist. he offered
at public sale the second of his col
lection of paintings His first collec-
ton, which had been assembled while
he was still comparatively young
man. was turned over to the Clearing
house Association of New York in
the hope that its sale would consider.
ably add to the assets of a bank OF
New York which Mr.. Seney'was presi-
dent and which had been suddenly
caught in the panic of 1854
After Mr.. Seney's obligations had all
been fully met, perhaps two or three
years after he delivered his first COL
lection OF pictures to the clearing
house committee of New York, he was
able to regain a considerable portion
of his lost fortune.
As soon as he was able TO do so.
he began a new collection OF paint
ings. visiting Europe. ignoring the
dealers. searching by himself here and
there and making collections based
upon his own Judgment. He was at
the same time extending his philaE-
thropies. perfecting the endowment OF
the great hospital in Brooklyn whit,
bore his name and also adding to h.I
earlier gifts to a woman's college
I sat with Mr.. Seney in the grear
hall where his second collection was
exhibited for two or three hours one
afternoon. He narrated to me many
anecdotes associated with one or an
other of the pictures which he bought
and he made this remarkable state
ment:
las soon as my possessions justi
fed it. | began second collection OF
paintings. | had two purposes in view.
One of them was the excitement
which was very healthful experience
which the study of pictures with in
tent TO learn whether they were
worth buying or not furnishes and
the other was a purely commercial
purpose. I was to get my pleasure and
recreation through the collection of
the pictures. Then when the collec
ton was sufficiently large l was to
make n commercial venture of it. 7
hoped to be able to sell the pictures
for enough to return me a good profit
on the investment. That is why these
pictures are now offered for sale"
Incidentally. il may be worth while
here to say that the collection was
sold at auction for an amount which
realized handsome profit of n good
many thousand dollars on Mr.. Seney's
investment l asked Mr.. Seney if he
had studied art, or IL he were self
taught. and in reply he made this I'M
expected statement:
II think that the best judges OF
paintings, at least the best among
Americans, are and have been men
who were entirely self-taught. who
trusted to their own judgment. who
made patient and thorough study OF
paintings and who were careful to
avoid the lingo of critics and those
who profess to be connoisseurs.
One of the best judges of pictures
in the United States is James G. Hill.
/ doubt if he can give a technical pro-
fessional reason for his approval of 4
picture. but he knows a good picture
and that is enough for him. All that
/ know of pictures l have learned by
careful study. / have Stunned the pic
ture shops. Mr.. Morgan cares less for
pictures than he does for some other
forms of art. but his appreciation OF
those forms which he does care for is
unsurpassed and when he is I'm the
presence of a real work of beauty he
seems to be carried away with it.
to speak. very much as those who are
appreciatiye of music sometimes are
when they hear the best music
John G. Johnson. OF Philadelphia, is
unsurpassed as judge of good paint
ings, yet I have understood that he
was entirely self-taught and is never
influenced by favorable criticism or
prejudiced by unfavorable comment.
Unless a man has an Unborn sense OF
beauty he can never become com
petent judge of pictures or other
works of art. but if he possesses this
sense he can by study. comparison and
in other ways perfect his judgment
and that is the reason why the best
judges of art in the United States are
men who have had no professional
training of that kind
Copyright. 1915. by E ]. Edwards. AL night,
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