Arizona republican., 1919-12-01
By FREDERIC J. HAsKlN


 The late Charles L. Freer, whose famous collection of American and Oriental art is soon to be housed in special million-dollar building here as a part of the National museum, was an art collector of unusual talent and enterprise, according to those who knew the man and are qualified to judge.
 The United States has produced many millionaire collectors of art, but most of these have had little in the way of equipment, except their wealth, for the task of making an art collec- tion. They have generally employed experts to do all of the searching and the purchasing, and it is a notorious fact that they have often been. im- posed upon.
 MT. Freer belonged to the much smaller class of collectors who really know their subjects and whose col lections express individuality He made his fortune as a manufacturer in Detroit. He was early attracted by Oriental art and Chinese and Jap anese paintings, potteries and other art objects make up a large part of his collection. He also collected the works of those American painters who, in his opinion, possessed the fine sense of color and line which char acterizes the best Oriental art Whis- tier is the most famous of the Amer jeans whose works he collected. The most interesting feature of his Whistler collection is the famous Peacock Room" This is an interior which was created by Whistler for the London residence of the late F. R. Leyhand. All of the decorations, and even the woodwork. were purchased by MT. Freer, so that the peacock room will be reproduced completely in the new building here.
 Mir. Freer had a passion for genu- mess, and 1t is said that there is probably not another collection any where which is so free from the spurious. Whenever he purchased a new object of any importance, he would keep it before him for months sometimes for years, and woould seek the opinions of all available experts as to whether it was what it had beer represented to be.
 MT. Freer made many expeditions 1T person in search of ancient Orienta works, and it Is said that his expert ences as a collector make a most in teresting and unusual story. He and another collector brought out a. col lection of ancient potteries which hat been discovered by some Arbas in tht Euphrates valley. The Turkish gov ernment was bitterly opposed to thu removal from the country of such an tiques, and how the thing was ac complished remains a mystery. It il | sesses some notes on his advenutre as collector, and it may be that 1; book on the subject will some day b. | published.
 MT. Freer's collection, which con tains nearly 5000 pieces, has alway been kept in his residence in Detroit i Students of oriental art were usuall able to obtain access to it, but it wa not available to the general public.
 Some years ago, Mir. Freer decide to present his collection to the peo pie of the United States in the car of the Smithsonian institution. Hi original plan was to give merely tn collections, and half a million dollar for the erection of the building. Thes plans expanded as his interest in tn enterprise grew. The building, whic is now almost complete, has cost $1 300,O00 and it is understood that hi bequest includes fund for the makin of additions to the collection.
 The building is said by experts be one of the finest for it's purpose the world The lighting and wa space are arranged to show the pic lures to the best possible advantag In heating and ventilation, the build ing is model MT. Freers colleetio includes a considerable library 0 the subject of Oriental art, and tn is also given a place in the buildin There are study rooms and lectul hall. While the exhibits will be rC tated, so that the public will not st the same objects all the time, all the collection will always be availab to students.
 Although the building is almost con plete, the collection will not be opt to the public for about year. A of the drawers, cases and other fu niture are being specially made, ar this will take some time, as will u arranging of the exhibits.
 The Freer collection is by far u most valuable of the several beques and gifts of pictures which have be- made to the United States governmer For the government buys no picture except the portraits of retired polit clans which adorn the walls of son of the. departments Whereas oth great nations have large and splend art galleries, the United States, befo the acquisition of the Freer collectio owned only a few hundred picture |..&..- n sl.Ir,