Evening star., 1934-03-24
To the Editor of The Star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
The time has come for Washington
TO face squarely the question as to
whether or no it exists as an intelli-
gently cultured community with a
wish for progress in art. The imme-
diate call for proof is the National
Symphony Orchestra. Three years
ago an eagerly curious group of sup
porters put it on the map as a de-
Sirable element in the city's life, and
as the filling of a real need, both in
the character of Washington as a
Capital and as an educational ad-
vantage In the intervening period
great changes have occurred in the
whole country and we have become
accustomed to hearing such terms as
the redistribution of wealth." the
3O-hour week, what to do with our
leisure time.
To get to the main point at once.
using a borrowed phrase, If wealth is
to be redistributed there must be a
redistribution of responsibility for the
things that wealth has taken care of" l"
If communities feel this, their art gal
leries, libraries, music, hospitals and
other true benefactionS viii be safe;
otherwise not No one can blame the
very wealthy for no longer being will
ing to pledge enormous sums toward
the support of music and all art when
these patrons are no longer sure of the
terms at which these pledges may be
translatable. And blame" is the
wrong word to use in any case. How
ever, as an American, shall be etern-
ally grateful to such Americans as Col.
Higginson, Mr.. F1agler, Mr.. Freer, Mr..
Carnegie, Mr. Corcoran, Mr.. Phillips
and the many others whose names are
they put so much within our reach,
within our grasp. In many places and
cases that reach is still stretching, the
grasp still closing firmly.
Washington was made up out of the
heads of our fathers as Capital and
set down here on two slices of States.
1t didn't grow from roots. And some
times it bears diScouraging reSem-
blance to one of those forced Christ
mas or Easter plants that show up
bravely for o week. We are aWfully
used to that idea here, to revel in the
bloom while it lasts, and throw 1t out
in the trash heap when it droops.
So much so that if We are given a
real plant with roots we don't know
how to give it plain water and sum
shine. We are sophisticatically ac-
customed to hot houses and high
fertilizers and big blooms-enormous
gifts or nothing. What we need is a
little widespread responsibility Tor
everybody.
The public hears the orchestra
playing to large, enthusiastic houses,
and APPARENTLY thinks, That's that.
Now we have a symphony and every
body seems to like it. It's pleasant
to have the concerts; all we have to
do is to sit comfortably and have 1t
handed out to us; after all, We pay
for our tickets; even when we go TO
the Sunday concerts we pay for our
tickets, very cheaply, to be sure, but no
one can say we are not supporting
the orchestra: and We send our chill
dren to the children's concerts" Stop
and think; when you take a room In
a hospital, does that really pay for
YOUR expense to the institution?
When YOU go to the Corcoran on pay
day does it even make a splash to-
ward evening up the expense? Both
of these examples have tremendous
advantage over the music. because
they are concrete, and the music in
tangible. The orchestra is admittedly
philanthropic, non-prof1t
educational concert; so classed, tax
exempt, and contributions to 1t de-
ductible from income tax. But unless