The sun., 1916-11-26
ERICAS LOST CHANGE TO BE GREAT NEUTRAL LEADE]


No n could have underestimate
the real leeIns In the voice of the
great arcnitect as ne mourned thus
Tor his people. VINO ne felt had been
led INTO by the men whom
they mad trusted.
My countrymen nave flled me with
oismay. ne went on slowly. VIVA,
mas occurred TO US? Can one man
work this awful i'll with me? Have
we gone utterly aStray! Is real
Americanism deadT
among our opportunities was one
"hich might nave been sufficiently
realized by individuals as individual,
even tnousn our Government neg.
iected It's great chance.
why did not our scientists. our art.
ISIS ana our men OF learning eener.
ally raise their voices In association
when armed outrage was offered to
m learning OF the world and to It's
artI
Why did not our great religionis,.
ombine n speak with stridcnt
voices when Religion herself was
bound upon the stake and burned in
Belgium. the fagots for the fire made
up OF carved beams torn from the
worlds nos beautiful cathedral?
u nave a letters by the score
from the greatest artists. scientists
and literary men Of Europe asking
~~onderingly why their brethren in tina
neutral lands beyond the seas did no,
at least protest against the murder or
the arts which they espouse, the
sciences to which their lives are con.
secrated.
What an opportunity for n ersa,
neutral group Of men OF art and learn.
ing to TAX up the gauntlet whore m.
Huns had cast IL. I tool the ma,,,r
up and wrote home TO America.
But TO my letter to the prcsidcn,
and members OF the American Inst.
tute Of Art and Letters | have never
had an answer. Had its members risen
to the situation when / begged them
in December. 1914. they might have
done a mighty service In saving som.
Of the worlds greatest works Of yariors
arts which they. far more than other.
may he regarded as competent fully I,
appreciate n value. They did not
and the wonders have been wiped
away by vandals.
What the ruthless destruction OF
art value In Europe has been nunc pos.
sibly can estimate. Some Of il has
been unavoidahly incidental to war
fare. most OF 1t has been vandalism
pure and simple-terriblcness directed
against humanity's love OF beauty and
It's yearning for education in history
and art, crushed az needlcssly as the
torpedo which sank the Lusitania was
directed against the lives Of helpless
women and unconscious children. Mill.
tary advantage there has been no more
IN n thar In the other.
Much or the art wreckage ! per-
sonal'y nave eXamined-much OF all
this useless slaughter OF the beautiful.
! was the nrst neutral to be permitted
out or faris after the war began. and
the obJect or M journey was expert
investigation MADE at the request Of
the french Government. Of the muir
DER OF the wonderful Cathedral at
rheims.
why did not the art world Of
america protest at all this vandalism?
nave mad the h respect and re-
GARD Tor my Fellows among American
vi IN artistic fields. but why, As
neu'rais IN the political world. they
oiu MOI prove their right TO citizen
snip IN the world or art by making
some protest against all this assassina-
.'oh OF 'ne fatrimony which the past
had l"1t Tor the cultivation OF this and
N''"i"e he"r'"'i'hS' as " fortune goes