Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-04-24

| The League for the Decoration of
| the Washington Public Schools re-
Gently held its twelfth annual meet
ing. In the twelve years every one
of the ninety white schools and three
| fourths of the forty-five colored
schools has been visited by the chair
: man of the decoration committee and
gifts have been made to seventy white
! schools and six colored schools. Fifty
, two years.
! Some of the schools already pos
1 sessed pictures and decorations. In
some the walls are in bad condition
and the spaces unsuitable for the dis
play of paintings. But many have
been greatly improved in appearance
through the fundamentally of that
organization.
The actual purchases of the league
have been limited by the lack OF
/ available funds and for this reason
the work would have been seriously
handicapped but for the generosity of
individuals. In the last three years
Mrs r. \. Delano has given to the
league forty pictures.
Two years ago. through the cour-
tesy of the Library of Congress. the
original plaster models of the figures
on the stairway of the library by
Philip Martini were given to the
league. These were restored and
have been placed i'll the jefferson
school as frieze back of the stage.
To them have been added two large
Della Robbia Singing boys" as a gift
I'd the league through Mrs. Parker
from the Woodward estate. There is
still space to be filled and the pupils
of the Jefferson School are raising
money to buy an appropriate picture
to complete the scheme.
The league has had valuable CO.
operation from the municipal archi-
tect and the school authorities. and
in many instances when the schools
were redecorated. or new schools
built. this has resulted in a vast i'm
proVement in aspect.
-Four large Colored photographs
have been hung in the Americaniza-
ton schools, and when the pupils in
that school were recently given the
word attractive" to put in sentence
one of the men, a Greek. wrote The
pictures make the room very attrac-
tive"
This is primarily the object of the
league. to create an environment
which will tend not merely to pleas
ure. but to cultivation, to a sensitive
ness TO the influence of beauty, to
an intimacy. as it were. with art and
artists.
The work has been conducted along
practical lines under the direction of
James Rush Marshall. the well known
local architect. who for number of
years has been the president. with
the able assistance of Miss Grace
Lincoln Temple. an accomplished in
terror decorator who has been chair
man of the decoration committee. and
has lately succeeded to the presi-
dency, with the assistance of Mrs.
F.. A. Delano. Mrs. Charles w. Rich
ardson. Morris l.. Leisenring. Louis A.
Simon. both architects. and Miss Myra
A. Hendley, the secretary.
90 When it is considered that the
membership dues constituting the
sole funds of the organization are but
81 year. and that during the war
no effort was made to increase MEM
bership. the record of accomplish
ment is remarkable. but the posi-
bi1ities of this organization are ex-
ceedingly large and its mission eX-
tremely important. If. in America.
we are to become an art-loving peo-
pie. it must be through cultivation of
taste among the children.
Recognizing this fact and the value
of art to the individual as we'll as
the state. strong organizations of a
similar character but much broader
scope have been organized both in
New York city and in Chicago.
The membership in New York is in
the thousands and the work done
there includes not merely decorating
the schools. but bringing the school
children in contact with art through