The New York herald., 1921-03-13
PORTRAIT OF M2S. ToNkA l.
81 NtkoL ScHAT TENSTEiN
ON VIEW, ktNGORE GALLERlES

happens that I aave an unusual choice
almost an embdrras dc richeSse---of quo
tations left over for my Academy article
There are certain quotations. like that
from Lord Morleys "Noltaire," that are
appropriate enough for all Academy
exhibitions anywhere IN any country.
but the only fun in using quotations is
TO strike an Illuminating flash from
them as from some surprisingly orna-
mental jewel. ana the fun is all the
greater whom the jewel is found in un-
expected places
! get no flash. however, from Lord
Morley's trite truisms. | get much more
from Col Roosevelt'g usual lunch.
usual speech" and Henry James's simply
hush" and the pleasure. no doubt. is in
the discovery that two such unlikely in
dividuals hit the Academy of so neatly.
For both Col. Roosevelt and Henry
James were as dutiful as could be In
regard TO art and. as far as they went,
We're Academicians. This Is only an
other way OF saying that neither one
drew any deep sustenance from either
paintings o" sculpture. Both We're emf
nently uuacademic in their living. both
had "corldng good times" In different
ways, and neither expected from pictures
the stimulant that he obtained so
freely from real life. Few good Amer
leans do. 1t may be the fault OF the
pictures. l sometimes suspect so at
Academy exhibitions.
Although both the Roosevelt and
the James quotations say practically the
same thing, hesitated so long between
them that finally had to use both. The
Jamesian precept Is OF course much in
my own line l have often before this
so ba Dtft 10
difficulty in heading ones article with
such 2 text is that all the intellf-
gentsia would see at once that with
such a text no article is called for. One
would hush and that would be all there
would be 10 il. On the other hand. there
is very little use in considering the feel
ings of the intolligentsia on this occa-
sion. as the annual exhibition Of the
Academy is not thing they go in for to
a large extent.
There is, on the other hand, always tho
lady from Norwich. Conn. The lady
from Norwich, Conn, writes every year
to request that only mitigating things be
said of the Academy. The lady from
Norwich. Conn. wrote last year 70 say
that if the Academy We're going to the
bad she preferred not TO know IT, She
suggested that II praise could not be
given conscientiously 10 the pictures, then
anecdotes of the artists home lives would
be the thing. Fortunately. one is not
compelled this year TO fall back upon
anecdotes of the artists home lives. for,
without exaggeration, the lady from Nor
wich can be assured that the Academy
is certainly not going TO the bad. II is
not going anywhere 1t is standing still.
TO stand still is the height Of good
form in Norwich, as we'll as i'm Fifty
seventh street.
Even the prize winners are the usual"
prize-winners. as Col Roosevelt would
say. Perhaps Norwich Conn. would
relish a tiny scandal anent the prize
winners. That would be something to
talk about But there isn't ghost or
a scandal Every one is perfectly satis-
fled with the distribution. That the New
Hope school should be well represented
On both the list of prize winners and
the jury awards Is q mere coincidence
Indeed the New Hope jurymen showed
true Christian spirit In not giving the
Altman landscape prize to their Mr.
Scofield for the Winter Water Fan"
They must have been strongly tempted
suppose Il was the fact that AIR
Scofield for his winter Water Fan"
utInlFGu tilEI4s sNRk lildN SUN q AitltE
need deter Mr.. Spencer of New Hope
took the other Altman landscape prize
both this year and last.
From the point OF view Of Academi-
clans the success " the show Is this
water Fall" of MIR Scodeld's. This I
know. because heard Academicians say
80. / don't care for II mitch myself II
is mere bravura piece-an attempt TO
do . fandsrane In the feWcst Dospible
strokes or a hint OF a noble nature
back of the work or OF an appreciation
OF some rare mood IN landscape there
Is nothing. The attitude is that OF q
literal mind doing an obviously pretty
subject IN a dashlng manner But the
Academcians like &c very much. !
listened carefully to the converse ton OF
three y. MIS-. who were reporting upon
the exhibition. and ! listened entirely for
the sake Of the lady from Norwich.
Conn. and tile only picture thev sa.d
was good was this Of Schoaelds So
the lady from Norwich may consider