coming of this collection to Washington as of such importance 
that he wishes to inform himself. 
Senator Henderson explained the conditions somewhat 
1 * 
and mentioned his great interest in art subjects and the fact 
that as far bach as fifty-five years ago he had advocated 
before Congress the establishment of a national Gallery of Art. 
The President then ashed for the specific terms and 
in accordance with his request, I read the original letter 
from Mr. Freer and the second letter in response to the Sec¬ 
retary's letter requesting Mr. Freer to modify his conditions. 
The President, Justice Holmes and Mr. Fischer hept up a running 
comment during the reading, the President stating that this 
made him thinh the collection even more valuable than he had 
supposed. Mr. Fischer said of the Kakemonos, a single pair 
sometimes cost as much as $25,000. 
After these papers had been read. Senator Henderson 
ashed me to read the report of the Committee of the Regents 
which visited Detroit. When I came to the passage relating 
to the impressionist school, the President dissented and said 
that Whistler was not an impressionist and he did not thinh 
the other artists were; and Mr. Fischer, the art dealer, de¬ 
clared that Whistler was not an impressionist but was a 
positivist. Senator Henderson, however, stuck to his view. 
The President also criticized the expression about 
the ideals of Greece and Rome in the report, declaring that 
we had no pictures to speak of from Greece and Rome. 
