Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-10-11
NOW MY IDEA IS THIS!
Daily Talks With Thinking Phiadephians Subjects They
KnoU Best

its docks and piers That widening, of
delaware avenue alone ought to be heraldcd
throughout the country.
People 60 to cities which are famous for
great avenues, such aS Paris with her
Champs Eysccs and Vienna with her Ring
Strassc. These two are examples of the
fact that il is such improvements that at
tract visitors: not sewage systems. sewage
disposal plants or transit lines. People do
not come to my house TO see the kitchen
stove or the water pipes. BY the same token.
people go to the cities 10 see great examples
OF art: rs Mr., John McFnddCn remarked to
me. The Whole of the south of Italy before
the war was sustained by its art
'Fhiladclphia possesses in its public and
private collections the nucleus of the
greatest art center in the United States, and
one or the three or four greatest in the
world To put it in n commercial way, it
mas wlthln It's reach the possibility of Great
ing the greatest commercial asset in the way
OF art OF any city in tie country. The loca-
non OF IN" Art Museum here can quite liter
any, ana even StatiStiCally, be demonstrated
to be the finest location in any great city of
the world excepting only Athens.
Philadelphia already owns one very
great collection. 1t can never be duplicated
for the simple reason that in most cases
there ar" no duplicates. refer to the
Johnson collection. TIL" city also owns the
two exquisite collections of William Elkius
and Georgr W. Elkins. In addition. there
are the WiIStarll collection. which is be-
coming, NOR" and moro famous throughout
America. and the really notable historical
collection in Independence Hall.
Academy's Collection Notable
"ln addition. of course. we have the
greatest cole c'tion of Gilbert StuartS in
existence, owned by the Academy Of the Fine
Arts, and in the Acadrmy we have nm in
Stitution which will always be to the art
interests OF the nitrd States what indie
pcndcncp Hall is to the nation. 1t is not
only the oldest art institution in the
country; it is the greatest.
'Every one knows of the superb Wdener
collections which | udvrpdly put in the
plural because even II Mr.. Widener had no
paintings, he would still have four great
collections III tapestries, porcelains, marbles
and prints.
Then there is the collection Of DR. G.
Barnes, of Merton, which is very lannon's
abroad, but not adequately known in Phla-
4ciphi9; Ah"thrr collection is that Of Mr.
John Braun also Of Mcrion which IL in
the making but which is ALREADY cnuoI tn
all but one or two Of the collections in Cbi.
cago \ third collection at Merton is tbat
in the family of the late Mr.. Frank Tbom.
son; former president Of the Pennsylvania
Railroad. ""'"
'"rhc collection of English paintings Of
.', ''S"'' n'' .i" 'hlN nineteenth
turtles owned by Mr.. McFaddcn is ono of tho
IovclicSt collections ! have ever soon omd
tn" collection of Mr. John ID. McIlhcnrV ",
one that collectors all over the TnitoG
states are anxious to SOC. 1t is dificujt to
know when the decoration of n hons ho "
comes collection, but | have Lcrn j., -
number of houses in Phiadrlphia whnre tnn
o"ner appeared to regard many rcmork,hio
paintings as merely proper cUuiDmrnt T", w
home but which in cities like Boston or -
Chicago ARE regarded as notable rmiIo"'
tionS. ''''-
"Thc late Mrs. a. J. Cassatt bod urn,
b"r Of beautiful examples of the Narhi.',I,, r.'I
school. Mr.. McVitty's house nt "' T,mnn Rm,,I
Mawr, Mr., G. G.. IIariSon's, DR. cSh nrSh
Woodward's. Mr. Mchcson's anL 'VHtEe HIE'
Alexander Simpson, houses are nh W. W,
ampleS of really notable collections - va.
Mr.. John +. Lewis has two colIcctionY ",', t,'
OF prints in his town house. and ono of r,,i "n'
traits in his country house " P'f
III Philadelphia were not phil,doI,l,
1t would have advertised the grrotost Pmiu ,,l
street in the world. ] refer to tLo r. art
street clubs, the Plastic, Sketch Mon;1!lac I!lac
Franklin Inn and others. ''''lolah'
"With such collections as thovo 90 !,
Art Club, the American philosonhir S"i the
the Pennsylvania Historical Societv' 'o'n.tN'
such active organizations as | bnTo' WIN WIN
toned, together with the Art NIim,,h- im,rh-
the School Of Design for Women on tbo b,'"mre, m',
arts side, and the forty eight orgaui1ot ii ,'il'
of comprehensive park system | Snh''tis '"ns
that 1t Is obvious that, with it's onnor,U,,.'
ties, Philadelphia can make itself for ~,
time the great art center OF America W. u,h;ah az,
means greater commercial ceQter as we'll"