venings are
passed in the big living room of Colony Hall which is also the
library, or in the Regina Watson Studio which is near Colony Hall
and in the evening is used as a general music room, or in
leisurely walks to the village.

It should perhaps be added that daily life in the Colony is not
the cut and dried affair that this quick resume might seem to
imply. No one, of course, is required to stay in his studio all
day. No one is required to do anything. These artists are
independent men and women, not supervised students, and to all
intents they are as free as the wind. There are only two rules to
which every one must conform. One is that the studios, with the
one exception of the music-room, shall not be used at night. The
reason for this rule is the danger of fire. The other rule is that
no one shall visit another's studio without invitation. The purpose
of this rule is protection against unexpected interruptions. In all
other ways the colonist is free to do as he pleases--free except
for that irresistible compulsion to work which nobody who lives in
the Colony can escape. For, as Mr. Robinson says, the Colony is
"the worst loafing place in the world."

THE TRIUMPH OF EFFORT

A curious distrust of idealistic enterprises prevails in the
world even among people whose own life work is idealistic. This
distrust the MacDowell Colony has had to fight from the start. It
has had to prove that its ideals are practical. It has had to
demonstrate this to the very workers for whom it was founded and
who should from their own experience have clearly understood the
advantages it offers.

Gradually, in the face of discouraging skepticism and in spite of
inadequate equipment, it has won recognition and support. Its
triumph over initial obstacles is best illustrated by the extent
to which it has grown and by the number of earnest art workers
who have availed themselves of its opportunities.

Starting with MacDowell's home, his Log Cabin, and two hundred
acres of land, the Colony now has five hundred acres of land,
including three hundred and fifty acres of forest and a farm in
good cultivation, well equipped farm buildings, fifteen studios,
and five dwelling houses. There is also Colony Hall, a very large
barn which through the generosity of Mrs. Benjamin Prince is
being converted into a beautiful building. Colony Hall is the
social centre of the Colony. The John W. Alexander Memorial
Building, to be used for summer