The Washington herald., 1915-10-25

walk about among the buildings. courts
and galleries OF the great worlds fair
at San Francisco. Mr.. Barry Is Bos-
ton boy. with a record of precocious sue
cess in journalism here and in New York
City. in short-story writing, In literary
criticism and playwriting. This much II
is necessary to premise to forefend any
inference that his discussion Of the art
questions OF the exposition drops into the
dilute didacticism OF the inquiring Rollo's
dialogues with his instructive uncle. His
interlocutors In these walks and talks
land the author himself are too much
in the know" too up-to-date, for that
When he says. for instance. In the intro
ductory historical account of the exposi-
ton marvelously complete for so mar
velously condensed a story that there
has been among the sculptors employed
on the decoration of the grounds an al
most gratuitous use OF nudity" We may
take into account that this Is no unso-
phisticated. philistine or provincial judy
ment, but that OF a critic as much at
home on Broadway or Boston as in San
Francisco.
Is Not Mere Publicity.
The beauty Of Mr. Barrys wade mecum
Is that II is not mere publicity" nor a
mere guide-book. nor aimed primarily at
the booming OF the exposition: no drum
mer or barker would admit. as he does.
that there are many things to be criti-
cised. His companions are brilliant talk
ers and. besides being trained artists and
architects. these interlocutors, like MI.
Barry. approach their subject always
from the social philosophers viewpoint.
Most columns OF this kind" he writes OF
the Column of Progress had cele-
brated some great figure or historic feat.
usually related to war. But this column
stood for those sturdy virtues that were
developed, not through the hazards and
the excitements and fevers of conquest.
but through the persistent and homely
tests Of peace, through the cultivation OF
those qualities that laid the foundations
OF civilized living" The significance or
the location. the physical and topograph-
ical environment have their philosophy
and suggestion, according to M. Barry
and his friends. When ! mentioned that
there ought to be more boats out there
on the bay. a whole feet. and some OF
them with colored sails. to give mora
brightness, the architect shook his head:
The scene Is typically Californian. It
suggests great stretches OF vacant coun-
try here In this State. waiting for the
people to come from the overcrowded
East and Middle West and thrive on the
land"
With such company filling the role OF
guide philosopher and friend that
most colossal and exhausting of bores,
an international exposition, loses many
Of its terrors. One is really interested in
what these knowing and thoughtful and
always weIl-disposed persons have to say.
They are posted" they are American
and intelligent and democratic. and, best
Of all. what Rev. Charles Dole calls ''men
OF good Internationally because re-
necting the spirit OF their reporter.
From the Column OF Progress they
rneander over to the Marina" and the
seawall THE builders were wise to
leave this space open and keep It simple.
It's as IL they said: Ladies and gentle
men, We have done our best But here's
Mother Nature. She can do better" II
there have been doubts concerning this
or that feature of the design of the
walled City" this candid and courage
Gus critic Of the whole business has II
out with such moot points in fair and
square argument. Those who thought a
walled city might be monotonous had not
taken account. they found. of the splen-
did Oriental luxuriance of the great
gates. From these entrances. the splen-
didIy wrought courts. and the impressive
colonnades, solid rows of lofty columns
lead the visitors expectancy and mag
ination forward. From the hills looking
down on the bay the exposition began
to look somewhat huddled." But within
the walls, in spite of all the bizarre
there proved to be plenty OF
room, plain routes. and harmonious
atmosphere" Here the color was
great help. It made the exposition seem
all of piece.
Mr.. Barry's writing having been done
and published in San Francisco long be-
fore the distribution of the gold and silver
medals which have been rivailed only
by the Kaiser's iron crosses in mass OF
output, he can be held to no sort OF re-
for the jibes which the awards
have had thrown at them In the Ameri-
can art-world. Notwithstanding the I'M
foreseen crisis created by the war (and
how IL was surmounted his historical IN
production explains in detaiD on the open
ing day OF the Exposition, II was found
that the Palace of Fine Arts, far from
having too little material. had too much.
so that an annex had TO be added. fin
lshed in July.
Barry shows Moral Courage.
The moral courage Of Mr.. Bsrrys criti-
cism is PROMPTLY shown as he goes for
the great Tower Of Jewels" designed
by 1nOInaS ftasliIlsS as al E-NPSSi'ioh-
Al note" meant to be something new and
distinctiye-to be as characteristic Of the
show as Guerin's color-scheme. Now
there were critics who said that the col
bring was too pronounced. 1t reminded
hem OF the theater. Well, that was Just
what II ought to remind them OF. II
had life. gaiety. abandon At first
iuerin expected to use orange. blue and
yold, carefully avoiding white. He did
lvoid white: but he expanded his color
scheme and included brown, yellow and
rreen. But in that tower Hastings did
something out of harmony with the arch
lecture. something barbaric and crude.
The tower unquestionably provides
. strong accent II has already become
, dominating influence here. But it's an
influence that teaches people to feel and
o think in the wrong way. II encourages
liking for what I call messy art. in |
itead Of developing a taste for the SIM |
,licity that always characterizes the best |
lind of beauty. the kind that develops |
naturally out OF a central idea" So |
much for the great battle-horse OF the |
Exposition
"AlI things considered" says one Of
Mr.. Barry's critics the architects did |
an uncommonly fine job in making the |
courts run from the Esplanade," though
here have been critics who said that the |
entrance courts ought to have been
placed on the other side-that Is, that the !
exposition ought to have been turned |
-ound. But this would have been TO sac
-ifice the view OF the exposition from the