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Washington IIERAXD November 5, 1915 
Freer Collection Will Bring 
• v. , i 
Greater Art Memorials Here 
Chairman Moore, of Art Commission, Thinks Detroit Man’s 
Gift of Paintings and Building Will Open 
Way for Others. 
Although the coming ol: Charles D., 
Freer’s $6,000,000 art collection, to Wash- 
I ing'ton is a great thing for ihis country, 
according to Charles Moore, chairman of 
the Federal Fine Arts Commission, an l 
even greater thing will be its influence i 
upon others who, desiring to establish 
memorials in the next few years, will 
turn their attention to the nation’s capi¬ 
tal. This, in his opinion, is more im- 
j portant than securing of the great Wid¬ 
ens!? collection now in Philadelphia. 
“There will be thousands of men in this 
country who will want to build monu¬ 
ments,’’ said he last night, “and like 
the memorial to Senator McMillan, which 
the people of Michigan put here as the 
most fitting place, so others will come as 
a result of the influence of this Freer 
gift.” 1 
Will Endow Certain. Chairs. 
The Freer gift is the greatest one ever! 
made the government of the, United? 
States, according to Mr. Moore. And the f 
extent 'of it has not yet been reached. [• 
In addition to ‘ a million-dollar building ■ 
to house it, the exact site for which has 
recently been selected, Mr. Freer con- 
templates endowing certain chairs and 
i researches in connection with it. _ I 
I The site will be between the Smith- 
j sonian Building and the Agricultural De¬ 
partment, on a Une with the Agricul¬ 
ture Building. Mr. Moore, who for seven 
years conducted the negotiations for Mr. 
Freer, says that it will be one of the 
most charming, if not the most chaim- 
ing, building in Washington. “It will be 
not like the Pan-American Building, 
said he, “but with the same feeling so 
far as gardening and landscape are con- 
('6ril6cl * * 
Charles A. Platt, of New York City, 
distinguished architect and landscape 
gardener, has proceeded far along with 
his plans. The date when the plans will 
be accepted and the building started will 
probably be determined Monday when 
Mr, Moore meets Mr. Freer in New York. 
Charles D. Freer is one of the few 
art collectors, iter haps the only one, 
who is also an expert on the subject 
of art. He is recognized as an au¬ 
thority the world over on etchings, 
and it was this interest which brought 
him in touch with James McNeal 
Whistler during the latter’s lifetime, 
and which led to Whistler’s leaving 
the largest part of his work in Mr. 
Freer’s hands. 
The fact that Washington was se¬ 
lected for the Freer collection was due 
to Whistler, primarily. He it was who 
requested that, if possible, his pic¬ 
tures be placed here. 
In addition to being the greatest 
collection of Whistler, the Freer col¬ 
lection is also the rarest selection of 
Chinese and Japanese art in the 
world. Mr. Freer now has at work 
in his house in Detroit the most 
skilled Chinese and Japanese experts 
he could find. They are engaged in 
cataloguing the entire Oriental col¬ 
lection. 
But Mr. Freer is not an art col¬ 
lector and expert alone. 1-Ie had 
charge of organizing the American 
Car and Foundry Company. Building 
freight cars has been his business and 
is the source of his fortune. 
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