Evening star., 1926-05-31
NATIONAL GALLERY
URGED BY WOMEN
Strong Plea Made at Conven.
ton for Place to Show
Country's Art.
BY CORINNE FRAZIER.
STAFF Correspondept OF The Star.

ATLANTIC CITY, May 31.-A
strong plea for the establishment oi
q national art gallery in Washing
ton was made by Mrs. Rose Y. S
Berry. chairman of the arts division
Of the General Federation of Women
Clubs. in her report before the general
session of the biennial convention.
Asserting that the first grea. effort
Of the arts division in serving its
country for the past four years has
been play for a national gallery al
the Capital. Mrs. Berry said: The
United States Is the only nation OF
any Importance in the world which
has no national gallery. 1t is the
only nation on the face of the earth
that has never considered it's artists
an asset and art as worthy Of saving"
For two years we have worked.
begging for $10.00o.00o appropriation
for building to be known as the
national gallery of art in Washington,
y. c. II was not included, to our
pendous building plan. the first since
1918.
Delay Is Serious.
To estimate the seriousness Of this
delay would be impossible. For
nearly 20 years the United States
received hundreds of thousands Of
dollars in gifts Of priceless paintings
by the old masters. and Of pictures
by living men. Those that may be
seen in Washington are hanging on
temporary screens, miserably lighted
and badly shown. Others are hang
t~r in hill nd
others utterly inaccessible to the pub
lie in the manner of their storage.
These gifts have been passed upon by
men Of great ability. The Nation has
not accepted castoffs. seconds or
thirds: 1t has accepted the very best
but it has played bad host. 1t has
been ungracious to the donor. Year
sfter year 1t cheats itself Of the
privilege of exhibiting these.
This is an offense which is hard to
explain from a public like that OF
America. but it is a small offense COM
pared to the fact that the United
States has never in any way. by d.
rectly concerted effort. undertaken
to preserve for itself its own art. In
this the art division OF the General
Federal ton of Women's Clubs Is lead
ing a Nationwide campaign. earnestly
urging the cooperation of each State
10 persuade our United States Repre-
sentatives and Senators to erect a
building which would enable us to be
a gracious hostess to the gifts which
have been presented. and enable us
further to begin this national collec-
tion which would be to the honor of
the American artists and to the glory
Of the American public"
Many Help Campaign.
In forwarding this campaign. Mrs.
Berry declared, the art division has
undertaken through women to place
the problem Of American art and the
American artists before the America n
public. Many prominent woman
artists. according to the chairman.
have offered such gifts in support OF
the movement as have never before
heen offered for such a thing. Mrs.
Archer Huntington. nee Anna Won
Hyatt, has donated her superb Diana,
in bronze; Edith Barrett Parsons gave
one Of her laughing fountains: Har-
riet Bingham Miller, Grace Talbot
Harriet Frismuth and a score of
others each have donated a bronze
trophy in the interest of American art
and the National Gallery Of Art in
Washington.
Princess IantacuZene. prominent IN
both literary and social circles Of
Washington. who was scheduled to
speak this afternoon before the Gen.
eral Federation convention upon ma
tionalism and internationalism. will
he prevented from appearing because
of illness. Her place will be taken
on the program by Paul Harvey.
lecturer and former editor of the In
ternational Interpreter.
Mrs. Harriet Hawley Locher. one
OF the Washington delegates to the
biennial. spoke Yesterday afternoon
before the motion picture committee
OF the federation department of ap-
piled education.