The Indianapolis times., 1931-01-23
Art Leaders
.GiUe VeWS
on Education

dorado Taft, sculptor, and DR..
John Erskine, author and musician,
pleaded for increased art appreci-
alton in American colleges at the
annual dinner of the American As
ISOLATION of Colleges Thursday
night at the Claypool III
Taft expressed his Greed" "We
live in a world of beauty that most
of us are missing. Heirs of the
ages, we are unappreciative of our
heritage, which is dying for lack
of sympathy and understanding.
The average man is led to ma
ture through art. Here is the
service Of the teacher-to point
out"
Sees Museum Need
Taft outlined his dream Of a
museum for American children that
will show the continuity of civiliza-
ton through the ages. 1t woulc
give the child the feeling Of prog
ress in the sequence of centuries
TTancepts would mark the great
periods.
He spoke of the tragedy Of not
believing in progress, which he de-
fined as the record of past achieve
ments. Achievements he defined
as memorials of great emotions men
have felt. And, he said, all passes
Art alone remains"
DR.. Erskine, the musician, dis
cussed the Importance of music in
the cirriculurn.
The university tradition has been
altogether science, whether of re-
ligion, medicine, law or nature. The
only vestige of the arts is the
complaint that the young people
fail to excel in the subjects we have
refused to teach them
Urges Music Credits
According to DR.. Erskine, the be-
ginning is wrong. In the kinder
garten and primary grades children
are started with elementary training
in the arts, which is continued would
produce an elite group when time
came for university training Little
attempt is made to instruct col
lege students in the subtler arts OF
life, or performance in relation tc
society, he said.
To manufacturers of musical in
struments DR.. Erskin attributes the
development of orchestras and
choral groups in colleges during the
last ten years.
He decried the system of giving
credit for knowledge and little ac-
tual performance, and urged that
colleges make place in the cur
riculun for daily music practice
with credit, expressing the wish
that some day music would be in
troduced into college programs OF,
an equality with other subjects.
University Choir Sings
The De Paw university choir
sang during the evening.
Dean Luther P. Eisenhart Of
Princeton university presided.
Mrs. Robert l.. Kelly was chair
man of the committee on social
functions of the association in
charge of the banquet. Other men,
bers of the committee are:
Mesdames Robert j. Alley, Butler uni
versity; G. Bromley Oman. De Pauw uni
versity; William c. Dennis. Earlham coll
lege; Earl E. Harper, Evansville college;
Homer P. Rainey, Franklin college; A. H.
Woodwork. Hanover college; I. j. Good.
Indiana Central college; Otho Winger,
Manchester college; j. C. Todd, Bloom
ington; H. o. Pritchard and H. H. Har-
mon, Indianapolis; Dean Agnes E. Wells.
Indiana university, and Miss Marian Nc
Candless. st. Mary's of Notre Dame.
With Dean Eisenhart at the
speakers table were:
Dr.. Kathryn McHale, executive and
educational secretary Of the American
Association of University Women; Presi-
dent Lucia r. Briggs of Milwaukee-Doun-
er college; DR.. Taft, DR.. Erskine, DR..
Robert L. Kelly. Professor H. w. Tyler,
general secretary of the American Asso-
citation of University Presidents Dr..
John McCracken. assistant director Of
/ the American Council on Education; Rob-
ct NJ. Lester, assistant to the president
OF the Carnegie Corporation; DR.. David
H. Stevens, General Education board; DR..
Stephen P. Duggan, director of the Insti-
tute of International Education; DR.. Wal
ton C. John of the United States Office OF
Education; President Donald J. Cowling.
Carleton college; President Frederick c.
Ferry. Hamilton college; President Guy E.
Snavely. Birmingham-S Southern college;
President A. Lawrence Lowe. Harvard uni
versity; Archie M. Palmer and E. B. viii
son. president Of the Social Science Re-
search council.