Evening star., 1924-03-27
The North Window
BY LEILA MECHLTN

4 pldHHcu II war ueCIoeu 10 lnSCTsoS on
two of the inner walls Lincoln's own
words-his Gettysburg speech and his
second inaugural. A very short time
| ago at the Library of Congress an in
teresting silent ceremony took place
| 1t marked the dedication of similar
| enshrinement of words; in this in
| stance the American Declaration of
| Independence and the Constitution of
| these United States For many years
| these invaluable documents were in
| the keeping of the Department of
State, the Declaration of Independ-
1 doors at the end of the departmental
library. They have lately been trans
ferred to the keeping of the Library
| of Congress, and beautiful and fit
ting shrine has been created for them.
This shrine is on the second floor
F., in the main hall over the main en-
trance, and resembles somewhat an
altar with a reredos. A window space
was closed to give ii position, and a
| fiat case designed to hold the historic
Declaration. The cases on either side,
| to right and left, close it in and hold
the Constitution. The design is not
elaborate, but is extraordinarily beau
tiful, most fitting and peculiarly suit
| ness about it, a solidarity and at the
same refinement which accord with
| the ideals of the early nation build
erS.
The designer of this shrine was
Francis Bacon, brother of Henry Ba-
con, the architect of the Lincoln Me-
; mortal. Francis Bacon also had ar
chitecturaI training, but his early
manhood was devoted to archeologi-
cal research. With c. Howard Walk
er, the well known Boston architect,
writer and lecturer, Edward Robin
son, now director of the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, and one other, he
went when quite a young man on an
archaeological exploring expedition in
Greece, and some extraordinary finds
| were made. Mr.. Walker and Mr.. Rob
inson came back to this country when
the original expedition was completed,
/, but Mr.. Bacon and the fourth comrade
stayed on, bought small sailing ves-
sci and went on memorable cruise
in Greek waters, a delightful account
of which he himself has written. Like
his brother, Francis Bacon possesses
extraordinarily fine taste, a nice sense
of proportion, keen appreciation of
the meaning and beauty OF line. The
beautiful stele which marks Brothers
Field, Cambridge, was designed by
him.
OF recent years Mr.. Bacon has given
his time and thought to the designing
and the production of furniture, fol-
lowing the steps of the great furni-
ture makers OF more than century
ago in Great Britain, and for that
matter of the great artists of the
past, who made no distinction be-
tween the decorative arts and the
arts called fine, realizing that the same
principles governed one and all. so
while other architects have designed
houses he has designed furniture to
go in the houses, and in this way, in
many instances. the standard of taste
in the American home through his in
strumentality has been raised. Bacon
furniture today is what Heppelwhite
| and Sheraton were in the days of
their makers.
ArtisticaIly il is interesting and
worthy of note to flnd this interrela-
tion of the arts and to know that we
have among us still one capable OF
designing a good chair and a noble
shrine, the one with no less serious
ness or artistic skill than the other
= X X 4
'Tt is a fact, not a theory, that men
are drawn to the beautiful. Their ap-
| probation of it is limited by their as
sociation with it." says a little pam
phIet recently issued by Harvard Uni
versity, adding: THE importance of
the fine arts in the life of nation is
abundantly testified to by historic fact.
But tnclr importance III. euuCdLioH,
particularly university education. has
never been sufficiently stressed" The
I title of this pamphlet, which has been
got out by the division of fine arts, is
''The Fine Arts in Laboratory" and
the laboratory referred to is none
other than the Fogg Art Museum.
This is a new name Tor an art
museum, but 1t is good one and II
means that students in this depart
ment of fine arts are given opportun-
x nlnE fNf
rst hand, not merely through what
| is called the literary method. This
method of instruction, as is truly
said, has been made possible because
| friends" The Fogg Museum has been
| upbuilt largely, if not entirely.
| through private beneticence And
| here is what Harvard University
| thinks those who make use of this
| laboratory gain: powers of appre-
! a realization that the value of art
| is in its appeal to emotions and its
power to satisfy certain definite
needs Of humanity ma ,9,s rather nihs .na than fo
| dilettantes." Particularly is the i'm
portance of training for museum
! directorships emphasized, for "the
| mur.eum official is the educator OF
Harvard apparently has noted signs
OF an increasing interest in the fine
| arts, not on the part of the few but
| the many-the public at large, and
| is attempting to meet this need as a
| servant of the nation, accepting the
| opportunities and endeavoring to dis
charge the obligations through widen
/ ing the field of experience of those
who seek knowledge and guidance.
Would that other universities would
| follow its example!
| The extent to which precious works
| of art have come into this country
| in recent years is strikingly evil
| denced by book on Roman and
Chase of Harvard and lately publish
/ ed. which takes the majority of its
! illustrative examples from works in
American collections.
= X
| More and more those who are en-
| deavoring to increase appreciation of
art and improve American standards
are turning hopefully to the young
with the conviction that seed sown
| in this soil brings the best results.
! There is a remarkable exhibition of
| drawings and paintings by Viennese
| school children being cirI Idlated at
this time in the larger cities of the
United States. It is the work of pu-
pills of Prof. Click, who is undoubt-
edly an inspired teacher. When asked
how he induced such results he is
! quoted as having said: "I don't do
| it. l take off the LID, and other art
masters clap the lid on-that is the
only difference" When his ques-
toner inquired if he did not show his
pupils some things. If he did not
point out errors and correct mis-
| takes, he is said to have whimsicaIiy
declared that to the contrary, he
liked the mistakes: that he liked the
long bodies and disproportions which
the children used. People should
draw as they feel he maintains, and
his theory is to get away from ma
ture. He has his pupils draw things
out of their heads-"everything they
feel, everything they imagine, every