Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-12-19
GERMAN PILLAGE
OFLTLLE MUSEUM
Before Teutons Removed Val
liable Art Collections Mu-
scum Had Been Struck

the Germans to the museum at Lille
is the subject of an article in
L'Homme Libre. II it is true. the
writer says, that the monuments of
Bruges are intact and that the Ger
mans have not carried off the Van
Dycks and the Davids from the Hos
rital st. Jean. or the communal fnu-
scum, which have been preserved In
cellar for four years. the muse ums
at Lille, Douai, Cambrai and no doubt
at Nalenciennes have undoubtedly
been pillaged from top to bottom.
The museum at Lille was. VI. Pierard
asserts, the premier museum of
France after the Louvre. 1t possessed
some hundreds of old pictures, among
them some by Rubens and Van Dyck,
Flemish and German pTimitives.
Dutch works of the Eighteenth CEN
tury and Ghirlandalos, Botticellis.
LargillieTes, Watteaus and Goyas.
The special pride of the museum was.
however. the Vicar room. containing
a collection OF 500 drawings by mas
ters with which the chevalier Vicar
had endowed his native town. No
table among this valuable collection
were some of Raphaels studies for
the school at Athens" "Parnassus"
and other pictures, architectural
sketches by Michael Angelo, carica-
Il res by Leonardo da Viuci and the
first sketch for the Massacre of the
Innoeents" by Poussin. None of these
remain in Lille. NJ. Pierard declares.
for the Germans have taken them all
away.
The keeper of the museum, Mr..
Theodor, struggled for four years
INte,,,fph tannpifN Mr.
Plerard asserts against the removals
which took place, and in spite of
the affronts he had to put up with
he was always at his post. Like a
true citizen of Lille he gave proof of
civic courage which cannot be too
highly praised. When in 1914 Lille
was subjected to an intense bonn
bardment the museum was struck by
75 shells. which fortunately only
damaged the building and did no
harm to it's precious contents. Dur
ing this bombardment NJ. Theodor.
with the help of his assistants, put
scme of the most valuable contents
Of the museum in place of safety in
the cellars.
When certain of the distinguished
Germans who visited the museum
saw the havoc wrought by the bonn
bardment they imagined it to be the
work Of English aviators and often
said: you see, they call us bar
barians-what must be said about
your English friends?' NJ. Theodor
used to let them reach that point and
then, very politely, set them right
by saying: Il beg your pardon. This
damage was done in october, 1914,
by the German shells" This reply
was made to Prince. Maximilian OF
Baden, who thought it wise to change
the conversation.
The first picture carried away by
the Germans was one brought to
France from Germany in Napoleonic
times; this went in November 1914.
Some German soldiers forced case
and took out two coins but these
they had to restore. 1t was only in
1917 that the Germans began to take
the pictures and drawings away
Wholesale. Their pretext was that
they wanted to put them into place
Of safety out of reach of the Eng
lish bambs and shells, but that this
was not the case was shown b! the
fact that they took 4S7 objects
art during last September when they
were themselves oreparing to leave
Lille UCIlIlI Ely. L lAG ISiipNaA SA elAS
srks of art was supervised by spe
cial art officers attached to the army.
VI. Pierard describes some of the pro-
.eeedings of these officers who kept a
very close watch on NJ. Theodor.
Their great anxiety was to know
how they would be received by the
learned world after the war, and NJ
Theodor did not spare them, but told
them they would not be able to do
without the Louvre and the Brit
ish." He finishes his article by re-
counting the story of the waxen head.
the most celebrated thing in the mu-
scum. It dates from the time OF the
FIorentine renaissance and is a rela-
tion of the Flora" bust over which
DR.. Bode made himself such laugh
ing stock. AS soon as they arrived
in Lille the Germans asked for her.
NJ. Theodor had hidden her in the
cellars with great care, and when
the Germans discovered her at last,
he contrived to substitute cast for
the original and 1T is this cast which
they have taken away with them.
Russia is estimated to have more
than 100000 acres of land which
would produce cotton if irrigated.