Evening star., 1925-11-08
Capital Sidelights

L
rious art, anthropological, geological.
chronological, archaeological. Industrial,
! historical specimens and memorabilia
may be said to have been started by
| the Columbian Institute for the Pro-
motion Of Arts and Sciences, a Wash
| ington learned society of 1916 to 1888,
| with John Quincy Adams and John G.
Calhoun among its early presidents.
| It's museum occupied a large room
In, the Capitol, and included articles of
natural history, antique art and
American history.
| Then followed, in 1S40. the National
| institution, with Joel X. Poinsett as
president, which had the use of the
| large upper hall in the Patent Office
| Building for its museum. Here were
| gathered extensive collections donated
| 10 the institution, including the mu-
| scum of the Columbian Institute and
| also large part Of the Government
| collections then in Washington. The
latter, however, in 1843 were placed
under the custodianship of the com
missioner of patents by the joint libra
ry committee of Congress. BY its act
| OF incorporation the collections of the
| National Institution were to become
| the property Of the Government when
Its charter terminated in 1862.
| Congress in lS48 created the Smith
| sonian Institution to carry out the
1
| son, an Englishman, who in 1926 be-
| queathed his fortune to the United
| States to found in the City OF Wash
| ington, under the name Of the
| Smithsonian Institution" an estab-
| lishment for the increase and diffu-
sion of knowledge among men" The
| institution, in cooperation with the
! Library or Congress, maintains a sci.
| entitic library of 1885, 900 volumes.
| BY the act Of Congress In 1S48 the
smithsonian Institution was made Gus
| todian OF art and natural history. I'M
| mediately the collection of natural his
| tory specimens through all Govern
ment agencies and surveying expedi-
tions to the then Far West was be-
| gun. Delay in completion of the
| Smithsonian Building retarded the ac-
| ceptance OF the Government collec-
tions in the Patent Office until 1858,
! and those which had belonged TO the
! National Institution were received in
! 1862. The older, or brick, Museum
| building was completed in 1881.
From the Centennial Exposition OF
1875 in Philadelphia the Smithsonian
obtained large part of the foreign
exhibits in the useful arts, as well
as many domestic eXhibits-amount-
ing in all to 100 carloads. These
were placed in the brick Museum
building upon its completion.
! Thirty years later the new granite
| Museum building was erected and in
this the Roosevelt collection was
| displayed.
Then an opportunity was given for
effective organization of the depart
ment Of fine arts. or National Gal
lery of Art, donations to which now
amount TO more than $10,000,000 in
value-with still other notable coll
lections awaiting the time when
adequate space can be had for prop
erly housing and displaying these
art treasures. The present quar-
ters of the National Gallery of Art,
In the granite museum building are
already not only overcrowded, but
important collections are still Grated
and stored in dark corridors and
| basement storerooms.
The most notable unit in the Gallery
or Art is the Freer collections of Ori-
entail and American art which are by
far the most important collections
| within their particular fields in exist.
ence and which are valued at several
million dollars. The F'reer collection
and the specially designed building
which 1t occupies, which cost $1,000. ;.
| 600, were the gift to the Government
| Of the late Charles L. Freer of De-
troit, Mich
After purchase of the George p.
Marsh collection of etchings, engrav-
| ings and books on art, the national
collection Jagged for three score wears.
until the beQuest of Harriet Lane
johnston, in 1906, which includes a
! number of portraits of British mas.
ters. Other important acquisitions
nave been the Ralph Cross johnson
collection of paintings by Italian.
! French. English, Flemish and Dutch
| masters, and the William T. Evans
collection of paintings by contemporary
american artists, now considered the
most complete and most important in
the world IN its particular field.
me late Senator Henry Cabot
Lodge, as member of the Board of
Regents OF the Smithsonian Institl1-
ton, thoroughly aware of this situ-
atlon, was fathering a bill for erec-
uon OF a new building in the Smith
slonian group. specially designed for
proper display of the Governments
art collection, when he died. Senator
keed Smoot of Utah, chairman of
the Senate committee on public
ouiidlhss ana grounds, is also well
aware of this need and Congress will
be appealed to at the incoming ses-
sion to appropriate funds for a per-
manent, adequate. properly desicned
nome Tor this great treasury Of art.
4 X 4
Old timers in Washington have been
teiiing interesting stories about the
famous boy" Congressman Of 40
years ago. George A. Post, since IA.
nous IN railroad circles, who died last
Week Post served in Congress In
los5-e5, when he was % years Of age.
Despite his youth, he won recognition
Tor his political ability from the Dem.
ocrats IN both wings of the Capitol.
When President Cleveland made
Senator l.. Q. c. Lamar of Mississippj
Secretary of the Interior, the latter
wanted to appoint Post as his assist.
ant. But Cleveland would not let
Lamar hire a great lawyer to prose
cute land fraud cases, saying that be.
cause of the scandal in the Republic.
an administration over hiring special
attorneys at a big price, Lamar must
get some lawyer in his department to
handle the land cases. This meant he
must get very able lawyer as his
assistant secretary.
Attorney General Garland then of.
fered young Post an appointment as
judge in a Western Territory, which
the youth promptly refused because
OF his high respect for the judiciary
and his feeling that he would be a
nisfit on the job. He said: III quit
politics, go home, practice law. possi.
bly,, or enter business, and see If /
cannot make career for myself in
which / shall not be dependent upon
patronage or pull"
He did succeed in this determine.
ton. He was president of the Rail-
way Business Association of the Unit
ed States from 1909 to 1918, and held
other important posts, including the
chairmanship of the American rail-
road appliance exhibition in connec-
ton with the international railroad
| in, 1Qn5 Iyo