The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-05-19

Whether be likn tAe social ~
'polikicaL 46tmosphere at. his on
5oln11y - hot. he must 20 aheun1
n br1ee 10 - the work of ~
'Sf0at >oooe6Mpefaries and to ~
instructtou (fQm them. The yunSs
,vritsR can 1t least and in Americ.s
lbs1fieA must Of the books -.
tee49 0oagh American pruderv
ufll Neck his researches in soms
@ifecfjous- But there Is no colles.
t{6n q paintings In the Unissd
09tss Which win serve the Amor.
lon p9inter - the library Of cos.
Gees. Tor example. will serve The
writer and student The UntteS
atates government has one small
room In its national museum Ar
Voted to painting and little Of yalusr
y In Il. The Metropolitan Museum
q Art In New York. Mr.. Pennell
aays. ID . great historical coffee.
ton Of art, as q museum Is snn-
posed to be. but it does not omen Il.
doors 70 the contemporary AT a.
the world.
A. . result Of this situat,o,
nsither the great artists Of Euron"
NOR their pictures come to America
and the American painter n forosd
TO- 90 to Europe In search Of bo{h
Once there. he finds SO much morc
In the way OF instruction and IA.
preciation than he can find a.
home that he Is very apt to STAY.
A National Art Center. =
The remedy that Mr.. Penn.,i
proposes for this situation is the
Establishment of a national AZ.
partinent Of hne arts. It would mn
be IN innovation In governmental
method. America. he says. ia tia
only civilized country in the world
In which government does uothinr
to promote art.
He says further that the nuelen.
OF such . department exists in our
fine arts commission, a body which
has. done remarkably good work
with small powers and funds. mr.
Pennell would have this. body given
jurisdiction over a great American
gallery Of art in connection with
which would be conducted a govern.
ment school Of art. The most prom.
Using students in this school would
be sent u Europe to complete
their edacations and would then r..
pay the government by becoming
Instructors In the school for a per-
100 OF years. In this way American
talent would be developed. and
would be given inducements to stav
Ia America. Furthermore, the 81.
himdons and lectures in the cal.
lery would lay the foundations of A
sound artistic taste in America II
would be . great educational in
stitution for the general public Is
we'll as for the students of art
Above all, says Mr.. Pennell, this
gallery and art school would be A
great advertisement for the United
States in general, and for the capi-
tai city in particular. It would be
Tive" gallery, open to all the art
Of the world. Great European ar.
lists would come here to exhibit
and to sell their. pictures to rich
Americans. The whole art world
would flock to Washington at car
ain times, rs 1t now flocks to Lon
Ion and Paris. The world of intel
lect and taste would become aware
81 America Distinguished visitors.
With all that they bring in the way
Of wealth and opportunity, would
be attracted to the capital of the
United States. WASHINGTON might
Ehen begin to take its place among
The real capitals Of civilization,
which are world centers of intel,
|ectual and social life.
That such . center of intellectual
|pd social life is one thing this
country sadly lacks was pointed out
y John Galsworthy, the famous
British novelist who recently visit
ID America. 1t is interesting 10
1ote that, Just as Mr.. Pencil en-
>hasixes the need for making Wash.
ngton An art center, Mr., Gall.
worthy believes that 1t must be.
;ome the literary capital of Amer.
ca.
Il can conceive Of no possible
literary center for America, except
Warrington. he writes. ANY
,ther important town would b
eaiously renowned by all the other
important towns"
The same is true Of Washington
y An art center. The whole copn.
~ could take pride IN it.
Since George WSshington's time,
physically beautiful city has been
:reated here out of a mud fat.
serhaps the task Of the coming
generations IL to create an intel
ectuai capital for America out OF
IA Intellectual void.