The Washington times., 1938-01-14
Snub to Art on 'Hill
Stirs Mural Painter
BesSenler BenlOGnS
House BLOU at
Finer Things

NAO~s .
Into The Times office stamped
an excited artist. He was sore
through and through. He was
sore because the House Appro-
priations Committee yesterday
erased from the. Treasury Post
office appropriations bill all sums
expected to be used for murals
and artistic decorations OF the
new Government Printing Ottlce
annex.
He was Auriel Bessemer, ma
tionally known mural painter,
who gets as high as $4,000 Just
for having an idea for a wall
painting, and who has done
murals in the American Museum
of Natural History, New York.
the Roerich Museum, and the
post office at Winsboro, S. c.,
not to mention the Lee House in
Washington.
SCORES OFFICIALS
Pointing an accusing finger at
everything in general, Mr.. Bes-
semer opined:
That's what comes Of ex-
pecting any appreciation from
the unprogressive, unimaglna-
tive type of mind that has no
realization of the significant
things in life. That's betrayal
OF public responsibility for
which posterity will never for
give them! They are only in
terested in budgets-money-a
mess of pottage!"
Recalling that the murals had
been something of a headache to
Postmaster General Farley and
Secretary of Agriculture Wallace
in their respective bailiwic!ks, an
effort was made to get their opin-
ion on the matter of a strictly
no-mural printing office.
AMBROSE COMMENTS
However, Harold F.. Ambrose, of
the Post office Department, de-
clared violently that the Post Of
flee diSclaimed with a capital D
any such frippery. fol-de-rols and
doo-dads as murals. He walled:
I'VE had absolutely nothing
whatever to do with 1t! 1t was
the Ire asury Department!
That's who it was! We woke
up one morning and came down
here and there was a-what do
you call it?-yes. a mural! Then
we woke up another morning
and there was another OF 'em!
It got so our employees were too
color-blind to tell the difference
between a red and green stamp!
Some of 'em began having trou-
BILE with the traffic lights! But
of course now they're used to
'em and hardly anybody shies at
'em any more. Except hear
there is some talk of painting
out the message part-that one
| about the Puerto RicanS. I
don't read EsquimeauX myself!
But whatever you Say-remem-
ber we had nothing to do with
it,"
AGRICULTURE, TOO
At the Agriculture Department,
nobody recalled having seen any
murals, until it was remembered
that one of the walls had paint
ing on it. But then. it was also
remembered, vehemently, IN a
this was not attributable to any
part of the present Administra-
ton, since it bore a placard point
ing out that Mr.. Hoover's admin
istration had also had it's moment
of artistic enthusiasm.
AT the Treasury Department,
Ed Rowan, in charge of the arts.
was a little icy toward the Post
Offices attitude. He said:
I'VE have expended appro-
priations for this type of decora-
ton in many public buildings
particularly post Offices
throughout the country-and in
every instance there has been
nothing but satisfaction with
the work. In fact, in 95 per cent
of the instances, the postmasters
themselves have been enthusi-
astie supporters of mural decora-
ton. Moreover, the public re-
action, except for a few disSil-
lent newspaper men (and if
that means what this reporter
thinks it does, Mr.. Rowan is
private enemy No. ID who have
seen fit to make most unfor-
tunate to-do about it, has been
highly favorable"
But-there will be no muralS or
such in the new Government Print
ing Office Annex if the House ap-
propriations committee has its
way.