Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-03-24
READERS VIEWPOINT
Letters to the Editor on Cur
: rent Topics
Art and the City

an, rditor Of tho EvsrfnD Public Ledger:
70 os,r'-It Wv ia certainly good news TO learn
ss some one has ham hsa ths gosnsons Se%Fsss , To-
break ' The Art Jury. the heirs of the
desp,.0, pr ,he architects on the Job Of build
DOM, new art gallery TO house the pic.
ing q The courts, and i know not
NOW sS,SIi many other intrigued and interested @ &
personth the johnson collection is to be
cam in the new city art gallery. Ger
pIasi,, ian extraordinary situation has
arisen end rba hogs sowsyer sssm al nksh she sS. Sa
yantsasso now made and In the making
iecuSSn eSn CITY should be dumped on the
ln "a, would be an even greater calamity
Guy oMyan,ity which the city should not
submit TO- ,.,,r.
which will attract students aha tha er.atsst
to to,,is,in r3 and financial benefit to the city;
aus,e us,,ery country but this knows. and
as-ta,n cities hero have positiye proof
.sst art pays; but these colleciions,
ubich after all are otten notnlnS ous an IN
40 @aoveeasintained aove at public expense and II
soeecanted. oe will not make an ART center.
',sa caref,,l selection and refusal can
~ ysyt That. and such functions the pIessnt
Philadelphia Art Jury ,s' ~ ~ aaxsrcisInS i
vote z,e,,,d ,s they dare to exercise Il. car,
nor Wou tbe time for that is not yet. sun
.sio wear there will be three vacsncies
on @ the jury, and II nrtSety WI, Sej OF oe'e tine
the duty and and the, tne otp1G tSsy are properly
Mayor " man who are capable of judg-
li, hneu .,,arta IN art and independent enough
,nnsinSae ns the works that may pe sugnn W
led to them and ;out,ag SoSTageSSSIs SsIns swainped
prssen,t ether cities have-by, eollectlons
---sss,,,orthv --ss OF being shown. But tnere
no. o.ntber matter. Mr., Mccain speaKs
~ Inc handsome monograph E Esun
ihe Fairmount. Park Art ;n Gorn M sven ace,
nave nO,,y ye of this. though have asked h,s
= aapgs Sps tha MAYOR 10 be allowed 70, OF
i,,or no,ro' the interior plans Of the gallery
M Johnsons will. quoted also py y,.bea
McfslIhId n fbssIId,ns s constructed in the best way
,a.s,bie 10 exhibit pictures" 50 90 we
pUSfsiUtW pos UWbv San we not then see the piaps
safrtbn interior, where the pictures ano
other collections OF art are 10 'e o's "
know nothing OF what has been done
80 ,hn hnoS araSitects at our gallery, but I
do know that there is not one single
decentiy designed. decently lighted art
gallery in the United States of Amer,
Ca; and either, then, the architec.s Oh OIL
our tSsv heM aSe AFRAID to show their plans.
A on the plans the whole future OF the
adequate display Of art in this city ,s. ds.
pends, we, as citizens, ana especlaily
the artists and architects Of the city,
fave a right to see them. and not 70
allow a building to be put up which
may be a thing. of beauty without and
a dreary, dismal sepulchre within.
viii you, sir, be good enough to pub
lIsh or cause to be shown. these In
terror plans, that we may be spared
the artiess catastrophe which has over
taken every American city which has
an art gallery?
Now; before a stone has been laid, and
while the plans can be changed. II nee
essary, is the time to do so-for the min
ute the galleries are started II Will be
too late. JOSEPH PENNELL
Philadelphia, March 23. ,..
C. l.. Borie. Jr. one OF the archi-
tects associated with Horace Trumbauer
and G. c. Zantzinger in drawing the
plans for the art museum, said today
Mr.. Pencil was mistaken in the sup
position that copies OF the plans cannot
be obtained. The plans, he said. have
been printed in newspapers and periodi-
calls on numerous occasions, and may be
obtained at his office.