was originally full of hope, and even determination; shown in a manner
by their getting a Royal Charter--the only art society in London, I
believe, that has one.

"But by degrees it lapsed into a condition of incapacity--a sort of
secondary state,--do you see, till it acknowledged itself a species of
_creche_ for the Royal Academy. Certain it is that when I came into it
the prevalent feeling among all the men was that their best work
should go to 'another place.'

"I felt that this sense of inferiority was fatal to the well-being of
the place.

"For that reason I attempted to bring about a sense of _esprit de
corps_ and ambition, which culminated in what might be called
'my first offence'--by my proposition that members belonging to other
societies should hold no official position in ours. I wanted to make
it an art centre," continued Mr. Whistler, with a sudden vigour and an
earnestness for which the public would hardly give credit to this
Master of Badinage and Apostle of Persiflage; "they wanted it to
remain a shop, although I said to them, 'Gentlemen, don't you perceive
that as shopmen you have already failed, don't you see, eh?' But they
were under the impression that the sales decreased under my methods
and my _regime_, and ignored the fact that sales had declined all over
the country from all sorts of causes, commercial, and so on.

Their only chance lay in the art tone of the place, for the
old-fashioned pictures had ceased to become saleable wares--buyers
simply wouldn't buy them. But members' work I _couldn't_, by the
rules, eliminate--only the bad outsiders were choked off."

"Then how do you explain the bitterness of all the opposition?"

"A question of 'pull devil, pull baker,' and the devil has gone and
the bakers remain in Suffolk Street! Ha! ha! Here is a list of the
fiendish party who protested against the thrusting forth of their
president in such an unceremonious way:--

"Alfred Stevens, Theodore Roussel, Nelson Maclean, Macnab, Waldo
Story, A. Ludovici, jun., Sidney Starr, Francis James, W. A. Rixon,
Aubrey Hunt, Moffatt P. Lindner, E. G. Girardot, Ludby, Arthur Hill,
Llewellyn, W. Christian Symons, C. Wyllie, A. F. Grace, J. E. Grace,
J. D. Watson, Jacomb Hood, Thornley, J. J. Shannon, and Charles Keen.
Why, the very flower of the Society! and whom have they left--_bon
Dieu!_ whom have they left?"

"It was a hard fight then?"

"My dear sir, they brought up the maimed, the halt, the lame,