Evening star., 1924-04-24
The North Window
BY LEILA MECHLIN

maze tnat the great standard OIL
Company has determined to abandon
billboard advertising and will join
with the belligerent forces who are
insisting that the highways of the
country be rid of these disfigurements
forever. Was it the National Com
mittee for the Restriction of Bill
board Advertising that brought about
this result or the Women's Clubs or
the American Federation of Arts, all
of which organizations have been
active in the meritorious cause, or
was it public opinion that has been
awakened and has expressed itself
in opposition to this intrenchment
on private rights, the right of the
individual to an enjoyment Of nature
unspoiled by the greed Of man.
Not only the Standard Oil Company
but eighteen other great corporations
that have employed country bill
Doards Tor advertising purposes have
joined the ranks of those who would
now protect the country from such
misuse. In response to a. definite in
quiry some of these firms have de-
clared that their action is taken for
purely business reasons, country bill
cards having been found an unprofit-
able form of advertising because of
their multiplicity, or possibly the
housewives boycott. Also, and this is
som mething that has not been men
TONED or considered, the heads of
great corporations are men in most
instances who have the means to ac-
qulre works of art, and in not a
feW instances are numbered among
the patrons of art in America How
ABSURD how utterly untenable was
their position
But, whatever the cause, the result
is happy. Country billboards. no mat
ter how .cleverly designed or artis-
ticaliy posted. injure the Landscape
ana deprive the people of one of the
greatest assets of pleasure and rec
reatIon. That it is the artists and the
art lovers of the country that We're
first to recognize this fact and have
been foremost in urging it upon the
advertisers and the public goes to
show the value of such as citizens
Returned travellers from abroad re-
port all OF the countries in Europe
financially in a bad way In Great
Britain. as every one knows, the
taxes are almost unbearablv heavy.
unemployment has reached the high
water mark, yet, with a courage and
foresight which are amazing, prep
arations have been going on for the
past year for great exposition TO
be held this coming summer at Wem-
bley, near London, wherein all mem
bers of Britain's colonial family will
be represented; another great white
city Is at this very moment being
completed. And SO fine is the spirit
OF the britlsh artIsts-painters sculp-
Tors, writers and craftsmen-that, in
the face of world perplexities a group
mas come together and created for the
exposition an amazing dolls house. to
De presented to her majesty Queen
Mary as an appreciation of her work
on behalf of women and children. II
is a immature palace. More than COO
artlsts have contributed The design
was made by Sir Edward Lutyens
orpen has painted miniature portraits
OF the King and queen for it: A. l.
Mummings, the well known painter of
sporting scenes, has done a portrait
of the Prince of Wales; the siiyer is
by British craftsmen of note: Rarria
mas contributed an original autobiog-
raphy; kipling has illustrated a sec
ton of his poems with original draw
lhsS: the books are bound by distin-
guIShed binders, and so it goes To
some this may seem the Height ~
folly, but ii is the kind of folly where
IN one nnds an element of the diyine @
that kind of which Erasmus wrote in
praise.
+
There is close connection betweer
art and literature, closer, perbans
than many are aware. Durine- ,be
last twelve months or more there has
been a revival of interest in the
Brontes, those three interesting Gle.
ters whose writings were so pon1,la,
nlty or sixty years ago. The Brontes
I!ved. 1t will be remembered. or
utnering Helghts, which dreary
writings
Percy Smith, the British etcher
whose Dance of Death" series i.
owned by the Library of Congress:
and other national print collections
has long been an admirer of Emil,
Bronte and has now brought out z
series of etchings showing various
views of Wuthering Heights-homely
and dreary enough, to be sure. but
with the bigness, the breadth and the
solemnity of the place.
1t is rather an amazing thing thai
a little line can interpret so vividly
the bigness of nature, the austerit!
of life bound by physical conditions
But Percy Smith is a strong etcher
a man of original gift, of distinct
personality.
1t is often asked why people Shoulo
buy pictures when they can see then
in exhibitions and when there are
so many other things that are at
tractive and pleasure giving. The
more pleasure in them than in any
thing else.
This was exempIified recently by q
workingman who visited an exhibi-
ton at the Chicago Art Institute and
one of the works shown. The price
was S175 and he dismissed the pos
sibility because of his limited means
But the picture. proved haunting. ano
he so greatly coveted its possession
that he returned and asked II ne
might be allowed to pay ten dollars
down and certain amount, each
week until the total amount was
paid, the institute retaining the PIC
ture until then, and Stanoins sponsor
to the artist forthe purchase. I'd
man was one of those who reallzed
the pleasure to be found in a real
work of art. 1t is such who make the
best, the truest art patrons.
One of the principal art galleries
in New York, that of the Painters
and Sculptors' Association, has adopt
ed as its slogan art Education by
ownership" and is doing all it can to
induce the sales of works of art by
American artists as a means where
by may be created an art-loving
American public. And what could be
better? Can one possibly know the
real pleasure to be found in a work
of art until one has such work
to live with? This pleasure is not one,
Furthermore, merely for the wealthy.
Beautiful etchings can be had for
from SIS to $50 by some of the fore
most etchers of today. Water colors
of extraordinary merit and pleasure
able quality can be purchased for
from s25 to $50, and oil paintings are
sold at some of the great galleries in
New York for no more than $3.50. And