260 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



October, 1905 



Civic Betterment 



The Business Aspect 



lEW forms of artistic endeavor offer such 

 definite financial returns as that phase of 

 public art which is termed civic betterment. 

 All art has a commercial aspect, since it can 

 not thrive unless it is supported, and it will 

 iT^fgss^e^^Nj no t ) [ n a general way, be supported unless 

 those who put their money into it derive a personal satisfac- 

 tion of ownership, and very possibly, and quite rightly, look 

 to a reimbursement for their expenditure, if not for an actual 

 profit. The records of modern art sales at home and abroad 

 demonstrate very clearly that good art of every kind is a safe 

 and profitable form of investment, a result true alike of 

 sculpture and painting, engraving and etching, metal-work 

 and enamel, pottery and porcelain, and so on through the 

 whole gamut of artistic endeavor. 



The collecting of objects of art can not, however, be 

 legitimately undertaken for commercial gains alone. The 

 true end of art is to give pleasure and delight, and the per- 

 son who views it wholly as a financial speculation derives no 

 personal satisfaction from it of any kind. Moreover, such 

 gains are personal private gains of no public importance. 

 But civic betterment stands in a wholly different class. Civic 

 art is public art; it is seen and appreciated by every one. 

 Its ownership by a community means collective ownership 

 by the whole people; it is art which is not intended to delight 

 a few, but to appeal to the many. These are self-evident 

 facts that require no elaboration. 



The commercial aspect of such art is, therefore, very 

 great, and its value as a commercial investment has been 

 shown over and over again. This result is much more 

 broadly admitted in continental Europe than it is in America. 

 A good deal of effort toward civic betterment has been put 



forth in America in the last few years, but it has not yet 

 reached a point at which we can feel any great satisfaction 

 in it. Much of this work has been done on too small a 

 scale to yield appreciable results, and most of it, except in 

 the way of parks, has been planned and executed in a hap- 

 hazard manner that makes but slight impression. 



It is futile to forecast the future, but the possibility of 

 transforming any American city into a great work of art 

 such as Paris is, and such as Berlin, Vienna and Budapest 

 are in part, seems slight enough. Washington, indeed, we 

 have, and it is more than likely that the capital of this coun- 

 try will, in the years to come, be developed into one of the 

 handsomest and most charming of cities. Even London, 

 with its long-time adherence to monotony, has felt the force 

 of general improvement, and very costly works in that direc- 

 tion have been under way for several years past. 



This means that the commercial aspect of public art has 

 received substantial recognition. Of the attractions of Paris 

 there is scarce a limit, but over and above its manifold pleas- 

 ures is the fitness of the setting, the beautiful streets, the fine 

 parks, the many statues and fountains, the splendid buildings, 

 public and private. All these form a part of the materials 

 of civic betterment, illustrated and exemplified in Paris in 

 the finest modern way. The French unquestionably take a 

 keen personal delight in all this splendor. Paris is Paris 

 to them not only because it is the capital of their country, but 

 because it is so fine and beautiful. And they will tell you, 

 quite calmly, that all this wealth of public art brings many 

 tourists to their country, each laden with a bag of treasure 

 which it is the patriotic duty of every Frenchman to deplete. 

 It is a superb example of the commercial value of civic 

 betterment. 



The International Congress of Public Art 



There is no surer indication of popular success in Europe 

 than the holding of a " Congress." Some of these gather- 

 ings, which are exclusively concerned with a single general 

 topic, have been holding yearly sessions for a half century 

 or more. Just as soon as any subject develops sufficient 

 interest, seems, in fact, to have " arrived," it becomes the 

 topic of an annual gathering, sometimes of the citizens of 

 one country, sometimes of the citizens of several, in which 

 case it assumes the importance of an international under- 

 taking. A local congress on public art would, therefore, be 

 a very sure indication of local interest; an international con- 

 gress would be eloquent testimony to broader interest; and 

 the permanency of the movement, the reality of the effort, 

 would be indicated very surely by the frequency with which 

 such gatherings were held. 



The holding of an international exhibition at Liege dur- 

 ing the present summer offered a fitting place for the holding 

 of the Third International Congress of Public Art, which 

 was held in that city between September 15 and 21, under 

 the patronage of the Belgian government. The honorary 

 presidents were chiefly cabinet ministers, and while styled 

 international, the officers and speakers were chiefly citizens 

 of Belgium. 



The congress was divided into five sections for conve- 

 niences of discussion, comprising schools, academies and 

 schools of industrial arts, museums and expositions; the 

 theater; dramatic and lyric art, and aspects and administra- 

 tion of public property. A very long list of papers was read, 



and the discussions were participated in by a number of 

 speakers. 



The organization of this congress was arranged in the 

 admirable manner that long experience has given the French 

 in such affairs. The officers of the general and local govern- 

 ment were early interested in the affair; large local and gen- 

 eral committees were organized, almost every one within 

 reach being approached and their interest secured; an attract- 

 ive programme of topics, quite general in its plan, was 

 drawn up and widely circulated, and general participation in 

 the debates solicited; a set fee, moderate in amount, was 

 fixed for participation in the congress, and a printed copy 

 of the proceedings was offered to members at a reduced price. 

 In addition there was the distinction that comes from associa- 

 tion with such a gathering and the opportunity it afforded for 

 meeting many men of eminence. 



All of these things appeal very strongly to the European 

 of artistic, literary, scientific interests, and such gatherings 

 are always well attended because the railroad and hotel 

 charges on the continent are cheap and the distances to be 

 traveled are comparatively small. Every country of Europe 

 has also many citizens which are interested in just such 

 gatherings as the recent one at Liege. Such affairs are, 

 therefore, not only better managed abroad than in America, 

 but the conditions necessary to success are much more 

 abundant. 



The meeting at Liege was notable for the large number 

 of public officials that took part in it. 



