| Show MORGAN IZING ART an official recently resigned hie petition in the metropolitan art museum of new york assigning as a reason ignat a well known high financier was organizing that institution he was neither wise in his own generation nor considerate of the real interests of art granted that this particular financier may exerie in some directions a dangerous danz erous power by virtue of hl financial control granted also that commercialism and some forms of art do not harmonize well and granted further that this particular financier has a grasping ambition aud is reaching out in his artistic acquisition to the exclusion of others still there does not seem to be a logical basis for this officials complaint mr morgan is not operating in art for tho benefit of his banking house nor in the interests of a syndicate he is not undertaking to finance art for profit he is not seeking control of an art trust or cornering the art products of this or any other country with the view of levying exorbitant tolls upon the people who may have art needs it would be impossible for him to do that because there is not at present nor is there any prospect in the future that here will be any considerable demand for these art products especially tor those with which mr morgan concerns himself A corner in high art would he no more dangerous than a corner in coronet s the vast majority of people care nota whit tor tapestries or balc a brac of century old dynasties and would probably not take it to heart if mr morgan should secure possession of the entire worlds stock on the other hand they would feel incensed if mr morgan should seek to do with butter eggs grain or meats what he is doing will pictures statuary vases and rugs there is another and an important side to this matter it is just such men as mr morgan whom art greatly needs it 13 just his kind of commercialism which makes for the growth and prosperity of the higher art and what helps the higher art is likely to help the lower art also it ought to have been apparent long ago to the metropolitan museum official that art cannot long exist without assistance from the most source call it capital or call it mammon it is because of the aid extended by commercialism mercial ism that the metropolitan museum flourishes and this I 1 truo of every other museum and gallery in the country it Is owing to wealthy men who have something of the art spirit aste or pride that the museums succeed and are kept going this much is due to the wings of finance and when any of them decide to put their surplus money not entirely with ata ates or yachts or diamonds but with objects of art it should not be charged against them that their commercialism is lowering or debasing art whatever criticism may be made of mr morgans purely commercial p financial operations no reasonable objection can bs mado to his artistic operations I 1 would be better for art and if there thousands of morgans there would be more great pictures and fewer pot boilers boi lere |
