Evening star., 1924-01-17
The North Window
by LEILA MECHLIy

The occasion OF the recent Bal
Boheme held by the Arts Club of
this city brings. to mind the fact
that artists, better perhaps than any
other class Of people, know how to
play and play beautifully. !, It was
the great artists Of the Renais-
sance who planned the marvellous
festivals OF which accurate account
Is given in the pages OF history.
For the carnivals planned and
given by Beatrice d'Este, duchess
of Bari and later of Milan, Leonardo
da Vinci and Bramanti were called
In as chief aides, and these great
masters OF painting and architec-
ture found 1t not beneath their dig
nifty to lend their talents to the
purpose of frolio and pageantry-
joyous merry-making.
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The Architectural League Of New
York once a9year at the time OF tho
openifg of its annual exhibition has
a party. and this party is invariably
OF a unique and artistic character.
Tho members Of the Ieague-archi-
tssts, scuiptors. painters and
lily into the undertaking and spare
no pains to make the entertainment
OF the most attractive and ar
tistic sort. The rooms in which the
entertainment Is held are some
times entirely transformed by what
would seem to the. laymen a most
elaborate process. One year a great
gallery was converted into garden
with a. mirror-poo1 in the center and
ttnklin9 water running from a
fountain There were plants and
trees : and much foliage. gravel
heaven which, with artificial light
Ing. all produced an essentially out
door effect
Another time the. gallery was con-
verted into. an arena wherein was
staged with comic seriousness q
schoolroom elephant, made up for
the occasion: but the toreadors and
others were in gorgeous costume and
the whole was put through with
much skill Of acting and merrimcnt
ON the part of the audience
At one of these entertainments the
dinosaur was introduced through the
medium of 4 sketch movie--a mar
Velous beast who, re-awaking in the
present age. conducted himself with
great distinction.
In these amateur performances the
gift OF the artist and his skill in the
arrangement OF color, his knowledge
or composition, his appreciation Of
qualities OF light and ability to han
Ole lighting effects. all contribute to
a happy result, and very reasonably
so, for the talent which for the mo-
ment Is available Is OF the highest
orosr and far above that which COM
merce ordinarily thinks,it can afford
70 command. In the gay days Of the
french court, again, It was the artists,
t.,
who made the revels brilliantly sue
cessful.
Last May when the American In
stitute OF Architects held It's annual
convention in this city and awarded
its gold medal to Henry Bacon In
recognition Of his great work, the
Lincoln Memorial, a pageant was
ohftects with notable success.
The architects and representatives
or the allied arts gathered at the
east end OF the rejecting basin short
~ after darkness had closed in. A
barge such as Maxfield Parrish might
tons, was a1oat on the basin and
with bulging sail conveyed officers
OF the institute and their honored
guest, the n1edalist, the length of the
pool. Passing up either side the
groups with their banners seemed
eventually likewise to have alighted
from the barge, and as they passed
forward and took their place on the
steps OF tho memorial. lights were
thrown across the. groups. which
brought out the colors OF the gowns
worn, for every one was in simple
costume, and the .sorseousness OF the
banners, composing a scene which
those who saw will never foract--a
scene which might we'll have be-
longed to Italy in the golden days
of the renaissance
Play OF this sort refresies the
spirit and renews the youth of art.
1t also affords opportunity for ex-
preston of art along different lines.
1t IS folly of the kind which the
solemn Erasmus praised without
stint, and recommended most heart
lily as good for the soul as we'll. as
the body.
not costly AFFAIRS, for artists more
than others. have the gift OF making
something from nothing.
So valuable Is this sort OF revelry
belieyed by those who have the edu.
cation OF the present youthful gen.
Grafton at heart that the University
of Pennsylvania regularly, under the
direction of it's department of fine
arts, puts on some such entertainment
every year or two.
This last spring, in April. paE-
cant was staged in the great draft
ing room of the university--a huge
hall--which took the: form Of Span
tsh revel In honor OF the return of
Columbus to the court Of Ferdinand
and Isabella ALI of the students of
architecture and the department of
fine arts participated. Great care was
taken to see, that the costumes were
well studied and authentic Of the
period. The invitation which was
sent out was in the form OF a map,
reproducing an old manuscript Of the
time, the work of a student.
Prof. Cret, the distinguished arehi-
tect, and his wife, assumed the char
acters OF Ferdinand and Isabella and
were brought in in 8 very handsome
ly decorated litter. At one end Of the
hall was Columbus ship. Shortly aft
er the arrival of the royal pair he,
too, was borne through the public
Of stalwart Spaniards. Following the
ceremony there was dancing. and the
whole presented a picturesque, color-
ful scene.
X x
The recent voting contest at the
Corcoran Gallery Of Art for the most
popular picture shown in its current
exhibition Of cotemperary American
art brings to mind the following quo
tation from Robert Louis Stevenson:
ITO know what you prefer, said Ste
venson, instead Of humb1y saying
amen to what the world tells you you
ought to prefet, is to have kept your
soul alive"
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Attention was called In an editorial