Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-08-23

Toledo. Ohio, which recently paid
$4,000 for one painting by Blakelock, is
building a gallery that is attracting at
tention all over the world. A recent is
sue of The Christian Science Monitor
has this story about it:
THE plant of the Toledo Museum OF
Art is worth about 100000. This is an
accomplishment of 10 years, starting
from nothing. Which proves that an art
museum organized with the object of
serving the community in which 1T is
placed can be made a success
This is the way George w. Stevens,
director of the Toledo Museum OF Art,
summarizes his achievement.
The museum started from nothing, as
Mr.. Stevens says. That is, it was
started with the intention OF growing
into a real art museum, but after a few
months was in very great danger OF
becoming defunct. Then some of the
men who We're interested in the project
rf securing TO: the city an institution
which should bring to its citizens AN
appreciation of the finer things in their
ousy lives, came to Mr.. Stevens n
asked him why some competent man
could not be secured TO carry orward
the museum.
h resul of this mans enthusiasm
and application, and also his Wife's, for
Mrs. Stevens took up her share of the
burdens along with her husband, is now
apparent in an institution unparalleled
among the art museums OF America in
.he service in it's own particular field
Il renders the community.
Our museum does much for citizens
in general" MIR. Stevens said. Many
clubs, classes, lectures, concerts and
Dther activities are onducte for the
benefit of adults. The adult is not. how
over. the plastic material from which
to best mould a new civic spirit. There
lore, we turned to the children. Child
zen nave "a kcenar 9nnroCiatiOn for the
beauty and good tina the grown
people. So 1t was comparatively easy
to form in the children an appreciation
Tor the beauty we were accommodating
in the museum.
We are nov working with the second
generation of children and the position
that the ar. museum has reached in
the life of Toledo proves that we started
right. OF the children who are attracted
to the museum through the entertain
ments we offer. about SO per cent stay
OF their own accord to see the art
treasures.
Our methods of attracting the chill
dren to the museum ave covered near
ly every sort OF activity that children
engage in. Our object was to become
the center for as many different lines OF
ACTIVITY as possible. In a way we are
able to supplement the work OF the
schools, continuing in the play time OF
the children what the schools a be-
gun in the working hours. For instance,
we use motion pictures to get the chill
dren to the museum and we give a pro-
gram of several reels that are genu-
inely interesting, but they are all what
are called educational films and the
children profit while enjoying them.
ION Sunday afternoon we have a pro-
a of music. after which we show the
motion pictures. This proved SO attrac-
tive that we could not accommodate all
the children who came and SO we had
to institute a Saturday afternoon enter
tainment. We have a children's play
room in hich the play that Is carried
on is work. and consists Of modelling
and drawing. We have q storytelling
hour in which one object in the mu-
scum is brought out Inc made attrac-
tive and interesting to the children
through stories about 1t. We have a
collectors league. which Is carried on
for the benefit of the children who col
lect anything, whether buttons. stamps
or Japanese prints. Exchanges are made
and information is gained at these