In America every important public collection of art objects is regarded as a part of the educational system; and this view has been both qualified and explained in the following terms: "The main preceptor must always be one's own eye, and the way to cultivate its powers must always be to use them. This means that, as conditions are in our country to day, almost all valid training in the appreciation of art must be gained in the public museum or gallery. And it follows that in all possible ways the museum, the gallery, should itself facilitate, stimulate, and guide the self-education of the people." And fortunately it is permissible to add that the more progressive galleries or museums of art °are working out schemes of various kinds for the definite instruction of the public. Study-rooms devoted to one branch of art or another, handbooks and special treatises, illustrated lectures delivered in .the museum or elsewhere, tours of the galleries under guid ance, loan collections sent to various parts of the city — these are some of the methods that they adopt, always with the conviction that true teaching means advising the eye how to educate itself and therefore always with the aid of the museum collections. It is our mu themselves that have started this novel work," which has already been endorsed and facilitated by schools and colleges and by National, State, and municipal authorities, and is winning the support of many others who care for education and who care for art. Consult Wilcox, M., in The International Studio, July 1917, p. xxii, and Van Rensselaer, M. G., Ibid, p. 2; also Jackson, M. T., The Museum' (Lon don 1917).
ART, Metropolitan Museum of, New York city, one of the famous art institutions of the world, situated in Central Park, on the east side, and extending between 80th and 85th streets on Fifth avenue, in grounds covering 18/2 acres. The first portion of the building facing south in Central Park, was opened in March 1880, and with subsequent additions, south (1888), north (1894), the ornate east ex tensions on Fifth avenue designed by Richard Morris Hunt, opened in 1902 and 1908, and further extensions provided for, represent an outlay of about $20,000,000, which was author ized in various appropriations by the State legislature. Among the priceless treasures of the museum, which include the munificent Morgan, Vanderbilt, Wolfe, Altman, Hearn and Marquand bequests, are the varied collections of paintings of Dutch, Flemish, Italian, French, English and American schools; collections of sculpture and architecture, ancient and modern, including Greek and Roman marbles and bronzes, modern French, American and other statuary; casts and replicas of famous pieces, etc.; Assyrian, Babylonian, Egyptian, Phoenic
ian, Cypriote and Etruscan antiquities — the Cesnola collection of Cyprian antiquities ac quired in 1870 for $60,000, the Babylonian cylinders, Egyptian mummies and cases, and an Etruscan bronze chariot of the 6th century z.c., being unrivalled in the world. Decorative arts are also exhaustively represented and comprise the Dino and Ellis and the Riggs collections of medieval arms and armor; the Avery collection of spoons; the Lazarus collection of fans; col lections of laces, European textile fabrics; European ceramics, including the Le Breton collection of French faience; the Crosby-Brown collection of musical instruments; woodwork and furniture including the Hoentschel collec tion of 18th century French decorative arts; collection of ormolu; Heber-Bishop collection of jade; Germanic and Merovingian antiquities; and collections of wood-work, metal-work, cera mics and textiles, representative of China, Japan, Persia and Asia Minor. Special atten tion is also given to American decorative arts. The inception of the museum dates from 1869 and meeting at which a committee com posed of members of the National Academy of Designs and generous art patrons, organized to raise an endowment of $250,000 and outlined the plan which received a charter of incorpora tion 13 April 1870. The corporation now num bers over 3,100 fellows and members rated ac cording to the amount of their annual con tributions. A board of trustees elected from the fellows governs the museum, which is ad ministered by a director and regular staff. While the ground and buildings are public prop erty, the additions to the museum and cost of administration (in a recent year over $461,500) with the exception of the city's annual contri bution of $200,000, are covered by gifts and an endowment created by rich benefactions. Among the chief benefactors of the museum have been its presidents, John Taylor Johnson, Henry Marquand and J. Pierpont Morgan; Miss Catharine Lorillard Wolfe who besides her collection of paintings donated $200,000; Jacob H. Rogers (1901), $6,000,000; John S. Kennedy (1909), $2,500,000; Francis L. Leland (1912), $1,000,000; Frederick T. Hewitt, $1, 600,000 and Mrs. Morris K. Jesup (1915), $200,000 with a collection of paintings. The directors of the museum have been Gen. L. P. di Cesnola (1879-1904) ; Sir Caspar Purdon Clarke (1905-10) and Edward Robinson (1910—). Mr. Robert W. De Forest was elected president after Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan's death in 1913. The total attendance of visitors to the museum during 1915 was 913,320.