Evening star., 1941-07-20
AMONG THE STAMP COLLECTORS
News of the Paelc World Its Interests and Peope-Revew of
the Stamp Press-List of Local Meetings
Bv James Waldo FapceH.

Should the Government of the
United States include a Depart
ment of Art headed by Secretary
of Art?
That question is raised by Paul
r. Berdanier in the Stamp Specialist
Orange Book. recently published by
Harry L. Lindquist. 2 West Forty
sixth street, New York City.
BY way of explanation of the pur-
pose of the proposed innovation, the
sponsor. says: 1T Cthe new depart
ment) would function wherever art
and the Government meet" and
would help the development Of an
American art"
But Government interference with
srt has not been conducive of
worthy achievement in the past
Official" art, even under the liberal
New Deal, is reactionary. Designers
who are politically approved COM
monty have gotten the commissions
without regard to any other con-
sideration. In the period which be-
gan March 4, 1888, numerous Fed
eral buildings and many other pub
lie structures have been filled with
paintings and works of sculpture
which might as we'll have been
created in Soviet Russia or in Nazl
Germany. Examples of these horrors
may be viewed in the Post Office
Department and the Department of
Justice buildings. The best of them
are ugly; the worst degenerate.
Similar observations were made
long ago when the earliest of Boil
shevik compositions emerged from
Moscow. In them the seeds of
anarchy were discovered not later
than 1919. But the Roosevelt ad-
ministration consistently has been
Influenced by the Communist pat
tern. If the President were to be
called upon to appoint Secretary
of Art his choice almost surely
would be person sympathetic with
the hideous modernism which has
marred Government taste" during
the past eight years.
1t is doubtful if an american"
art would be desirable under even
constructive conditions. Perhaps
there is no such thing as national
beauty" or a national truth" The
most convincing writer's prefer those
qualities which are universal and
timelesS.
Certainly the stamp collectors Of
the United States ought not to ap-
prove Mr.. Berdanier's Well-inten-
toned but ill-advised proposal to
add to the powers of the Federal
Government in season when, ac-
cording to traditional principles, it
already has more than is good for
either itself or the people.
Senator James M. Mead of New
York, speaking before the Collectors
Club of Washington, Thomson
School, Tuesday evening, revived the
story of the proposal to purchase
"the rarest stamp in the world" for
the Smithsonian Institution, but,
unfortunately, confused the facts
in the matter.
The plan originally was submitted
TO the American Philatelic Congress
at Cleveland in December, 1886. by
Gerard Ten Eyck Beeckman, well
known in local stamp circles. Ma
tion-wide publicity followed, and
representatives of the Collectors
Club then. but not until then. ap-
preached the Smithsonian authori-
ties.
Corresponding covering the whole
affair is available for the use of
philatelic historians of the future.
Cecil Betron Is the author Of an
article on History in Miniature"
printed in the rotogravure section
of the Detroit News for June %.
The illustrations are enlarged repro
ductions of seven United States
commemorative, including: &C. Co.
lumbia Exposition, 1893: &c, James
town. 1907; &c, Pilgrim tercentenarv,
1920; SC, Norse-American, 1925: &c,
Washington at Valley Forge. 1923:
Sc. Constitution Sesquicentennial,
1887: Sc, sesquicentennial of first
Inauguration OF Washington, 1899.
Linn's Weekly Stamp News re-
marks: "Philately can watch with
mixed feelings any aerial lombard
ment OF Moscow E. If Nazi bomb
should make a direct hit on Russias
one and only dealer, the govern
ment bureau all Russian dealer
dom will have been annihilated."
Among the artists who presumed
10 csricature the famous Mulready
envelope of 1340 was William Make
peace Thackeray, author Of VANITY
Fair"
Fifteen sacks of mail have been
recovered from the wreck of the
Russian steamer VatslaW Vorovski
at the mouth of the Columbia River.
Salvaged letters are to be forwarded
by the Seattle post office.
The postage stamps of the Sudan
now are being printed in India.
Margaret Kernodle. writing for
the Associated Press Feature Serv-
ice. says: Here are some tips for
amateurs exploring the contents of
old attics:
Look through old papers, even
the envelopes with no stamps on
them.
Leave the stamps the way you
find them when you send them to
a dealer. This is important be-
cause it helps to prove their au-
thenticity and prevents damage to
STAMPS AND COINS.