66 
RERAMIC STUDIO 
LEAGUE 
NOTES 
It is to be expected that the notes for 
this month will contain a full account of the 
annual meeting and election. Instead of 
telling you of the business transacted I would much prefer to 
use this space to tell you of the Buffalo Society of Mineral 
Painters and the charming courtesies and hospitalities ex- 
tended to the few that were gathered together in the name of 
the League. To begin at the beginning, May 30th we 
undertook to locate the Manufacturers' Building, but not 
having a boat at our command we made slow headway. At 
last we floated in to what we were told was the Central Court, 
and we believe the statement. It certainly was the center of 
activity. All around were scores of workmen sawing, ham- 
mering and filing. We seated ourselves upon boxes and 
boards and surveyed the confusion. By degrees we evolved 
out of it all the case of china belonging to the Chicago 
Ceramic Association, another of the New York Society of 
Keramic Art, and one belonging to Marshal Fry, also Miss 
Montfort, in a moist, uncomfortable background of china, 
cases, denim, boards and things, and as we listened to the 
queries of the Fair's bedraggled visitors and to Miss M.'s 
patient explanations of who, which and what we were, we 
registered vows and impressions which we believed no sun, 
however beautiful, nor Exposition, however dry, could cause 
us to alter. 
The morning of the 31st we were ushered into the 
Woman's Administration Building. Enough cannot be said 
of the beauty and great, good taste displayed in all the ap- 
pointments of this delightful building. It was here our little 
party of delegates were met by the Buffalo Society of Mineral 
Painters, and from that hour on we were cared for and assisted 
in the happiest possible manner. They caused us to forget 
our disappointments over the mass of telegrams and letters of 
regret from absent delegates. They listened to the Triennial 
Reports and withdrew, as we afterward learned, to plan for 
the success of our programme. The handful of delegates 
were somewhat depressed with the responsibility of carrying 
forward the election of officers. Time was needed to fully 
ascertain the exact amount of power vested in the delegates 
present and to arrange for a stronger list of nominations, as 
many of the nominees had declined to run for office. Ac- 
cordingly the meeting was adjourned to assemble at a date 
not later than June 5th, to cast the ballots for the next 
triennial executive. 
Saturday, June 1st, in the chambers of the Buffalo His- 
torical Society Mr. W. A. King addressed the League visitors 
and the Buffalo Society of Mineral Painters. His paper, 
which was full of choice selections from classical writers and 
out of the way verses by modern authors, would make a 
charming, illustrated book for lovers of pottery and porcelain. 
While Mr. King claims only a collector's interest in ceramic 
art, his efforts to bring to the front the ceramic art products 
of this country and to place them on a better footing in the 
Pan-American Exposition than they have hitherto occupied 
are well known to those who follow movements in the pot- 
tery world. 
Professor C. F. Binns gave a practical talk upon clays, 
kilns and glazes. He prefaced his analytical lecture with 
forceful remarks, tending to help the student to decide which 
he would go in for, money or reputation. In showing us how 
few the chances were for acquiring both, he drew stirring 
pictures from the life of his father which made us feel that 
the splendid record which this grand man has left was the 
result of deliberate choice between money and reputation. 
A delightful luncheon had been arranged for by the Buffalo 
ladies in one of the many pleasant rooms of the Library 
Building, and here we exchanged glimpses of sympathetic 
pursuits and thoughts and mentally calculated the chances for 
New York's falling off the map and leaving us free to become 
loyal Buffalonians. 
June 3d W. J. Holland, LL. D., Director of Carnegie 
Institute, came to us. His paper on " Primitive Pottery" 
will, I think, be found in another column of this number of the 
Studio. He brought with him valuable specimens of his- 
toric and pre-historic vessels and objects which served to 
illustrate his lecture. Dr. Holland was followed by Mrs. S. S. 
Frackelton, who pictured in a bright and entertaining manner 
the evolution of the American woman china painter. Her 
paper was brought to a good climax by a serious consideration 
of the value of organized effort for accomplishing truer and 
stronger things in mineral painting. At noon Mrs. Filkins 
made up a party of eight to meet Dr. Holland at luncheon. 
Best of all the memories of that pleasant hour is the brief 
outline which Dr. Holland gave of the prospects for future 
ceramic education in the Carnegie Institute, and the encour- 
agement and hope which he held out to us. 
In the evening we were entertained in the chambers of 
the Historical Society. At this reception, Reginald Cox, R. A., 
president of the Society of Buffalo artists talked in a fascinat- 
ing manner for about thirty minutes. I could tell you what 
he said, but it would convey no idea of the effect upon his 
hearers. His attitude and intonation told us more than his 
words, of the broad fellowship and ready sympathy which he 
wished to extend to the mineral painters. In a fantastic 
fashion he showed to us that he was " one of us,", and 
described with fine humor his first painting, — a plaque. It 
was his first order and with the proceeds he said he bought 
his first box of oil colors. He talked with feeling of John 
La Farge and gave us the history of the glorious stained glass 
windows by La Farge, which are in Trinity Church, on Dela- 
ware avenue. We accepted his advice to see them and were 
amply repaid. The future possibilities for the mineral paint- 
ers of Buffalo assumed envious proportions as we listened to 
Mr. Cox's rare invitation to them to join his fraternity, the 
Buffalo Society of Artists. 
But this was only one feature of the evening's programme. 
Mr. Day carried the audience out of all remembrance of the 
weeks of rain and discomfort, by his perfect rendering of J. 
Whitcomb Riley's " Day in June." It could not have had a 
better interpreter. From that hour Buffalo skies commenced 
to smile, and June lived up to the reputation Mr. Day so con- 
vincingly fastened upon her. Then there was " Little Albert," 
another of Mr. Day's impersonations. Before you close up 
this column I want to tell you about the violin solo and the 
sweet voiced singers, and the "something more" which we 
enjoyed after the program closed. 
June 4th we obtained special service for our mail but did 
not receive Mr. Barber's paper in time for the morning pro- 
gram. Miss Montfort spoke to the assembly on preparation 
for exhibiting in expositions and gave many practical hints 
and helps for co-operative work. 
Mr. Fry's paper read by Mrs. Filkins was listened to with 
appreciation, and at the conclusion of the program we met at 
a delightful luncheon given by Mrs. Reichert at her studio 
home. 
At 4 o'clock the delegates met in the Wisconsin Building 
on the Exposition Grounds. A fresh inspection of the mail 
gave no new instructions from the Rolls of Clubs. Learning: 
