be given to the proper consideration of
every work sent in.

Where the women, in the rare event of their being equal to their brother
brushes, shall be elected into the magic circle.

Very few of the great public who find the splendid Tate Gallery "a thing
of beauty and a joy for ever," recollect the disgraceful treatment the
donor of it received at the hands of the Government and others. The way
in which Mr.--afterwards Sir--Henry Tate was "held up to derision and
contempt by a handful of irresponsible cranks" was a public scandal. Mr.
Tate, in consequence, temporarily withdrew his princely offer of
L150,000 to the nation. All his friends, and they were legion, deeply
sympathised with him. I, being one of the few who were asked by Mr. Tate
to meet at his house and consider the form of the "British Luxembourg"
before the offer was made public at all, took upon myself to write to
the _Times_ as follows:--

"Red-tapeism has triumphed, and all your art-loving readers are
disgusted, but not altogether surprised, to find this morning that
Mr. Henry Tate has retired from the scene with his princely offer
of L80,000 and his magnificent collection of pictures, which was to
form the nucleus of the proposed gallery of British art. It is a
bitter disappointment to the munificent Mr. Tate, and a warning to
others who, like him, come forward with their purse and their
pictures and offer them to an unartistic nation. It is bad enough
to find that a splendid gift like this cannot be accepted; but even
worse features in this lengthy controversy have been the gross
personal attacks and ungenerous insinuations made against the
would-be donor, which must be particularly hurtful to his modest
and unobtrusive nature, and I now write to suggest that all those
who sympathise with him (and surely their name is legion) should
show him some public mark of their appreciation. To the British
mind this at once suggests a banquet, and I would most willingly
undertake all the arrangements in connection with it if my present
state of health did not preclude my doing so; but, without a doubt,
among Mr. Tate's countless admirers there must be many eager to
adopt and carry out this suggestion."

Of course I was chaffed in the Press for so "characteristically, though
gravely," suggesting such a thing. My object in making the proposal was
misunderstood.