ROYAL ACADEMY BANQUET.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18410, 17 June 1925, Page 14

ROYAL ACADEMY BANQUET.

A NOTABLE GATHERING. AMUSING SPEECHES. (r&ox bra om coxszarosmsn.) LONDON, May 6. The Duke of York was the principal guest at the Royal Academy Banquet, which was held at Burlington House on Saturday evening. The president of the Royal Academy, Sir Prank Dicksee, was in the chair, and the guests included many of the most distinguished men of the day. The president, proposing the toast of the King, expressed deep thankfulness that his Majesty had been restored to health after his serious illness. IJ.l J . congratulated the Duke and Duchess of York on their most weleome homecoming and on the great success of their eventful journey. Referring to the cultured and kindly interest the Royal Family took in art, Sir Prank said it was a great benefit as well as a great privilege to go through an exhibition with the Queen. The lively interest taken and the understanding remarks made by her Majesty would form a liberal education to a paintor, perhaps too much absorbed in merely the paint and pattern of a picture, and thinking too little of the humanities. The Duke of York remarked that Sir Astou Webb's retirement had brought into the prominence which attaches to the occupant of this presidential chair, I Sir Prank Dicksee; "In the fact that l he has become president of this great institution lies the fulfilment of. the brilliant promise of his early career. If lias been given to few artists to paint 'the picture of the year' in their early twenties, but 'Harmony,' exhibited in 1877, undoubtedly gained this distinction, and it was bought with popular approval for the Chantrey collection. At twenty-seven Sir Frank Dicksee was elected an Associate, and he became an i Academician ten years later. With a j long history of virile and romantic work j behind the high reputation he holds, Sir Frank is a worthy successor to those famous nion who have preceded him. (Cheers.) s . ' "I feel I cannot conclude without referring to the sad loss we have suffered in the death of Mr Sargent. I offer to the Royal Academy, and, indeed, I must tender it also to the whole world of art, my, most sincere sympathy in the irreparable loss they j have sustained by tho passing of one of the foremost portrait painters' of our time."'' • Soldiers as Artists. • : The Earl of Cavan, Chief of tho Imperial Gcneraf Staff, responding lo the toast .of tlic~l.mperial Service, said, pi the lato Lord Rawlinson: '"Ho was,, if T may say so in a. gathering such as t-hisy no mean artist with pencil or brush. And this trait of Lord Rawlinson's sets mo dreaming, and wondering why, through so many ages, soldiers have always been looked upon as a species of barbarianj Why, for. so many ages, we have-been called rude-and uncouth, why. we have" been thought only-fit to kill or be killed, and why those in other walksvof life openly express a desire, to drree a little sense into .our stupid heads. .Even if there be just a little truth in this, I, would not have it so. Let us see how we can better fit' ourselves to take our placed in- a .peaceful •■. and : civilised community."

Imperial Air Transport. Sir<£3amucl Hoa re (Secretary of State for Air) was able to testify at first hand "to the, fine achievement of the Royal Arr Force in distant lands, for ■it was only.on.the previous night that the Secretary.' 6f Sistate l for the Colonics and "he returned from a journey in which, during the sp'sfce of tho Easter recess, 'they had travelled 3500: miles by air and visited from end to end the territories .that wo now adminis- | tercd from the "Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf.' As to Empire defence, they found Iraq controlled from the air by eight squadrons of the-Royal Air Force, and, in. spite "of its turbulent record for a thousand years, enjoying a ygrcater■'■'tranquillity than-it had experienced since-the clays of Haroun-al-Uaschid. '■''•'. ' ' "That two British Ministers hay© been able to make this journey, that they have been, able to study upon tho spot difficult problems of Imperial administration, that they have been able to find, as they hopej opportunities for the reduction of Imperial expenditure, is due to the' efficiency of the Royal Air Force. This spirit of keenness and enterprise .will drivo through the air a, new highway'iror the British Empire and make our journey of no account when Ministers and*traders and travellers will pass swiftly and easily as a matter of ordinary routine from one end of it to another and unite it by an aerial line of closer and quicker intercourse."; (Cheers.) *<'■.•■

'^Politicians— : Artists—lmpressionists. K Mr Baldwin saw many points' of resemblance between "your careers and ours." Neither artists nor politicians could by any figure of speech be Baid to , belong to organised labour. "If every artist in the country \ai\ down his brush to-night," proceeded Mr; Baldwin, "do you suppose a ripple would pass 1 oyer tho national life? If I laid down my brush to-night, are there one hundred and fifty men who would leap to take it up ?, (Laughter.) But thou, on the other handj you cannot be nationalised nor can we. (Eenewed laughter*) The difference is sometimes to your advantage, sometimes tho advantage rests with us. Take criticism. .-' We.; berth either suffer or enjoy, whichever be the right word, criticism. There, I\ ; think,. the advantage) is with us. ; We, if we think fit, can answer back. Canvases on'the walls have to take, this in. contemptuous silence. (Laughter.) .. -' .' '

"However, we politicians, artistically speaking, belong to one School, and we must of necessity be.all bf ; us impressionists. (Laughter and cheers.) Impressionists because we want to. catch tho public eyo, but we hope that we can meaning clear. (Eenewed laughter and cheers.) I also trust that people will not examine our workmanship too closely, lest they find defects in it which are not visible at a distance. ' There is one' thing where you have a great advantage, for when you have completed a piece of work and you do- not like it you can put your boot through it. (Laughter.) For us the boot is on the other leg. (Eenewed laughter;) ' I have noticed sometimes that advice is given to the artists of this country to make a clean sweep. of the Academy. It is always revolutionary people who think a clean sweep must result in something which would give keen satisfaction, but while during the last four years the Academy has remained without great change, we have', made a clean sweep of three Governments, and we have a fourth in, and yet people are not' satisfied. ' (Laughter.) So might there not be something to be said even for keeping an . Academy as for keeping a Government f The Elusive Ideal. "There is one thing that we have in common," Mr Baldwin concluded. ."No man in politics can ever hope to

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