The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-08-07

Chicago. ILL.,. Apg. 5.-The extern
sion department Of the Chicago Art
Institute Is about to give the back
to the farm movement more sub
stantial support than al the ism
inc alarmists put together. And
how? Simply by making the farm
ers' daughters SO chic that the
hired man will never yearn for
Broadway.
Ross Crane, head Of the extern
sion department of the institute, is
about to start upon his yeArly pill
grimage of spreading art and cul-
ture in the rural districts, and this
time, in additionto his demonstra-
lions Of the home beautiful. he will
give the rural ladies . few point
ers on the woman beautiful. That
Is, he and Miss Evelyn Hansen,
dress demonstration at the Wiscon-
sin State Normal school, will give
q series Of talks illustrated by
dress exhibitions on living models,
in which they will endeavor to
teach their fair audiences how to
bring out their often only too latent
charms.
The extension department Of the
art institute Is really a very SER
ious and most praiseworthy organ
iation. Three years ago Mr.. Crane
evolved an idea which was so big
and so obvious that one wonders
why no one ever thought of it be-
fore. 1t was simply that since a
great part of the population of the
country was unable to visit the
few big art museums in the cities,
art should be taken to the people.
The result Of this happy thought
was the extension department of
the institute, the only thing of its
kind in the Country.
Takes Art on the Road.
Every year Mr.. Crane, with three
or four assistants and about ton
Of material. sallies forth to the
hinterlands Of culture and there
proceeds to make life more beau
tiful for the natives. 1t is fact
worthy Of note that these people
who have been geographically de-
prived Of beauty are more appreci-
alive Of good art when 1t is brought
to them than is many a superior
feeling metropolitan. They are so
enthusiastic about Mr.. Crane that
many towns have sent for him two
or three times. He has lectured
/, all the way from Texas to Winni-
peg. leaving trail of beauty in his
wake. Little Rock. Ark. and Fort
Wayne, Ind, have alike been bright
ened by his presence. His work
has become SO popular that he has
had to send out second group of
evangelists with Hunt Cook as the
leader and a duplicate ton of ma
terial.
This ton of material is probably
the reason for Mr.. Cranes great
success. With 1t he dramatizes his
talks on identifying the home. and
thus makes a much greater impress
sion upon his audience than If he
merely lectured. His equipment
consists Of about twenty good mod
ern paintings, the, three walls, fire.
place, doors and windows of a
model room. He puts this room
up on the platform of the auditor
iums where he is lecturing, and
proceeds to show the expectant
townsfolk and neighboring farmers
how to furnish it pleaSingly and
inexpensively.
When the curtain goes up the
room has nothing in it but a fire.
place and one picture. Using the
picture as a keynote for his color
scheme and the fireplace as his
center of interest, Mr.. Crane Gre
ates an artistic and homelike room
with materials and furniture Dor
rowed from the towns merchants.
Needless to say the merchants are
glad to lend.
A Boom for Local Trade.
Many an eager home-maker
rushes to their shops the next day
to buy rugs Of a less flamboyant
design, hangings that have some
remote relation to the color of the
walls, and chairs that seem to
have been made to sit upon rather
than to torture the eye. Thus we
see how beauty and commerce can
be made to go hand in hand, GER
tain lofty souls to the contrary.