The New York herald., 1921-05-29
John C. Johnson's VIII Upheld.

The Pennsylvania courts have up
held the provisions of the will of
the late JOHN G. JOHNSON of Phila-
delphia, the eminent lawyer and art
collector, under which the house In
which he made his home is to be-
come a museum in perpetuity. An
effort was made by city officials and
the executors and trustees of the
estate so to interpret the will as to
allow the sale Of the Johnson house
and the display Of the paintings in
the new Municipal Art Gallery.
The reasons urged for this are
many. The Johnson house is de-
clared to be inconveniently situated
for gallery purposes, and the neigh
borhood is said to be changing in a
way which will soon make the sur
roundings unsuitable. The building
itself is not fireproof, nor is it suffi-
ciently large to permit the proper
display OF the wealth of art works
there are said to be 1900 paintings
in the collection-Mr. JOHNSON col
lected. The present custodians Of
the paintings have kept them in stor-
age pending settlement of the dis
pute. A master appointed by the
court to conduct hearings recon-
mended that the collection be estab-
lished in the Municipal Art Gallery.
Judge JOHN MARSHALL GEsT Of the
Orphans Court has decided that the
noted attorney used the most specific
language to assure that his collection
would be maintained in his home,
and holds that he was certainly IA
miliar with all the objections and
risks"
A brief quotation from the will
drawn by the great lawyerxand no
man OF his generation stood higher
than JouN G.. JOHNSON at the bar
shows how much thought he gave to
the disposal OF his collection and
how thoroughly he understood the
dangers to which II would be ex-
posed in the building he designated
for it. In a codicil written IN April,
1917, five months before his death,
he provided:
II devise to the city OF Philadei-
phia, n IL accepts the beauest TO Il IN
my win and enters into the specified
contract, concerning my art objects
and my house and lot No 51o South
Broad street, with all the appurte-
nances, all the contents. saving
money. securities and objects OF per-
sonal use and ornaments All objects
OF household use and adornment shall
70 with the house. I wish IL to be
maintained as a museum-a public
nuseum--to stand pretty much as II
WIN be at my decease.
Il direct that 10 shall be forever
kept up and maintained as such mu-
scum IN which my art objects shall
b. exhibited
I This devise will save the need OF
\ the city contributing TO building an
\ art gallery unless tho house shall be
20 injured or destroyed as to require
repairing or rebuilding. In such event
the city's contract shall oblige It. Il
\ there be enough art objects left TO
make II worth while, to restore or TO
rebuild on the same site. SO far as
tho original directions about buiid-
ing IN my viii shall be reasonably
applicable they shall be followed
Tho art objects shall not be re-
moved for permanent exhibition to
any other place. unless some extraor-
binary situation shall arise making
IL exceedingly injudicious.
1T win be necessary to make some
regulations for such admission OF tho
public as will properly protect the
property. i direct that from time 20
time such regulations may be made
By the majority Of body TO consist
OF persons. viz. TIE then president Of
tho Academy Of Fine Arts, the prosi-
dent OF the Psnnsylyania Company