Evening star., 1923-05-03
The North Window
BY LEILA MECHLIN

FIeer gallery gives timely interest
to the subject of collectors and COL
lecting. ;
The collector instinct is inherent
with men; ahe majority possess it.
In childhood we collect stamps and
stones. shells and butterflies; later
In life, If we have the leisure and
means to crafty our fancies. some
of us make collecting a hobby and
gather together many things of one
kind-pitchers and plates, coins and
prints, laces and embroideries, but,
even so. comparatively few get into
the ranks of the great collectors.
For in the first place it is an ex-
pensiye pastime and not many, even
among those who can afford 1t, have
the discrimination and the dogged
perseverance which are essential to
success.
Mrs. Henry o. Havemeyer of New
York. in a delightful article about
the late Charles l.. Freer. donor of
the Freer Museum, published in the
zine. says that the Freer collection
places the name of this collector
among those Of the Lord Elgins and
the Rouges and Champollions of the
world, and she is right. But how
few OF the visiting public who will
pour through these galleries next
week and for many weeks and years
to come will realize the enormous
amount of study, self-sacrifice and
labor that went into the assembling
of these collections?
x X X X
A glimpse of the difficulties con-
fronted ard overcome by Mr.. Freer
Is given in these personal recollec-
tions Of Mrs. Havemeyers. No less
than five journeys did Mr.. Freer
make to China, venturing. without
regard to danger, into the very heart
of the turbulent provinces, in order
to see the ancient capitals with rock
hewn temples and the hidden treas
ures "Wonderful." she says, ARE
the tales he told of those journeys
INTO the heart Of China! The records
OF Marco Polo, in the land of Kubla
Khan. would read like modern Iitera-
ture TO man who was seeking the
land OF Chou, the land of the EN-
peror WI, the kilns Of their ancient
pottericS and those wonderful speci-
mems of jade formed and carved
1000 years before the Christian era" F."
Mr Freer went into province after
province, up the Yellow river, into
places that were difficult and dan
gerous. making friends as he went,
learning fCorl those with whom he
came in contact. following the scent
OF real treasures. of which only
whispered accounts were to be heard
ana, when successful, getting them
at all costs. And this went on for
many years. long after the collection
was was originally decided to the nation.
That was in 1906 and Is referred to
by Mrs. Havemeyer as "the early
days" No wonder she characterize s
Charles l.. Freer as IAN intrepid dis
coyerer. sasacious collector and mu-
rificent donor,
*** =
But the JOY of collecting should not
be forgotten, the delight OF pursuing
great work of art to it's lair and
then making it ones own, taking il
TO ones home. living with Ii, rejoic-
ing in it, treasuring 1.-THE joy not
only of the discoverer but of one who
achieves. one who with the past per-
sonally forms close, intimate con-
tact. 1t is this joy which, like the
wili-o'-the- wisp. irresistibly leads on
the intrepid, incurable collector.
Some great collections have been
amassed TO a large extent through
the medium Of experts. but such col
names they bear in the rank with
such men as Charles L. Freer, for
though Mr.. Freer sought the advice
or experts to confirm his own judg-
ment, not one piece was added to his
collection that he himself did not
select and-pass upon as meritorious.
TO be sure. he was continuously
wedding out his collections, adding TO
and discarding from. keeping only
the best. Many. many times he was
how wise ne may be, is at times i'm
posed upon, but the wise collector is
sufficiently open-minded to accept
such happenings philosophically and
TO waste no tears over them. 1t is
a slippery, narrow path one has TO
own little circle and attempts build
ing a great collection for posterity.
What are some Of the great COL
lections formed by private individuals
in this country? One calls to mind
! Immediately the Heber Bishop jades
the Riggs armor, now in the Metro
po1itan Museum: the Morgan minia
lures, the Garrett prints-but why
catalogue them:-they are all well
known.
Sometimes a collector will follow
one line for a time, then weary and
disperse his collection and take UT
some other line: or. completing a
collection, will seek other worlds to
conquer" Mrs. Robert W. de Forest
the wife of the president Of the Met
ropolitan Museum, some years ago
assembled most interesting and ex-
cellent collection of Mexican majolica
which she presented to the Metro
politan Museum. For some years now
she has been collecting crosses. one
Of the best collections of which, by
the way, is here in Washington, as
sembled by a lady from the north
who is now residing in this city. and
who has. 1t is understood. promised
1t to the Washington Cathedral.
There is no reason why those of
moderate means should not indulge
in the pleasure of collecting. Etch-
lngs and other prints can be had for
exceedingly small sums. and. Ii wisely
selected. will greatly increase in
value. American pottery can: be had
today at small prices. and examples
of the several kilns are well, worth
preserving. A collector in New Eng
land has specialized on American
decorative arts Of the seventeenth and
early eighteenth century, and has
pose. into a veritable museum, but of
unique type. representing a home of
the period. There are many trails to
be followed, each with it's unexpected
turnings, and those who want diver
sion and recreation of not too siren
uous sort, but at the same time all
absorbing. cannot do better than to
follow one of these and join the ranks
of the collectors.
X y X
The writer had the great privilege
of seeing the Freer collection-that
part which was then assembled-in
"the beginning days" in Mr.. Freers