New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-10-01
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
IAN communications relative to matters in the District
sh uld e sent In by Monday evening of each week.
An Art Gallery and Museum. not
In the Guide Book.

OF the many narrow streets OF Philadelphia
that we were ushered into miniature mu-
scum and art gallery, the private collection
OF our old friend, Mr.. William II. Dorsey, of
that city. Our SURPRISE at what was in store
for us was so unexpected and complete, and
withal so pleasant, that we cannot resist the
temptation to give the readers of the Ma
TIoNAI. ERA an opportunity of realizing tho
same pleasure.
To the lover of art, the adnirer Of rare
curiosities, or the antiquarian, the collection
of Mr.. Dorsey would alike afford delight !;
the coins and minerals, the implements Of
warfare used by savage and barbarous ma
tons, the ancient mosaics, the fine engrav-
ings, the oil and water color paintings by
artists of established reputation, would repay
most critical examination.
Among the works Of art and literary Curl
osities may be found a marine scene, by
Hamilton; mosaic Of the British Houses Of
Parliament; painting on glass, represent
ing st. Peters, at Rome the hearth where
the witches met in Macbeth, by Boutelle
painting on a small piece OF newspaper
scarcely larger than an ordinary business
card, the painting done by palette-knives a
landscape on the Hudson, an oil painting on
canvas only an inch and half in diameter :;
Charlemagne, in basso relieve, Of Italian
marble Ancient Gems, a reprint of bound
collection Of fifty engravings, originally taken
from jewelry in the possession of an English
nobleman Of the last century; the works Of
ThOrwaldsden, the celebrated sculptor, a
volume in which the illustrations are repre-
scented by extra fine wood engravings, first
executed upon India-proof paper, and then
pasted to illustrate the text. There is a
volume illustrating the Raphael school Of
painting, containing, among other things, the
celebrated figure-heads of the various pas
sions, and well preserved copy of an Eng
fish translation of Sallust, published in 1909,
finds place in the collection piece of
stair taken from the house of Sully, the artist
also occupies a conspicuous place.
The collection of books and pamphlets,
published by, and concerning colored men
and women,-t music by colored COM
posers-the number Of steel and copper
plate engravings Of eminent negroes, and
photographs, autograph letters, autographs
and fac-similes Of men prominent in our
race is very extensive, interesting, and val
liable.
The works Of Ignatius Sancho, in two vol
umes, which are among the number, revive
tho lives and times when Anthony William
Anne, q native African, studied at the Uni
versities Of Witteinberg and Halle, and the
degree Of Council or of State was conferred
upon him by tie Court Of Berlin; of John
Ben Solomon, a aptive slave, who trans
lated Arabic, retg ned to Africa and became
iilustrious as a } lg; and of Jacobus E. j.
Capitien, also a tive African, and from the
University at Lcyden, became author of an
elegy in Latin o. dssertaton entitled De
|ocatiene Mne Cornn. "a politico theological
dissertation in the same language, and who
published quarto volume Of sermons IN
Dutch in l742. How rare, in collection, to
find such well-preserved steel engravings of
these eminent scholars Of the last CEN
fury!
The next curious volume upon which the
eye rested was an edition Of the poems of
Phllis Wheatley, the Agate edition, embel-
lished with handsome copper-plate engrav-
ing, and published in England in 1901. An
interesting feature about this volume was
the advertisement following the tille-page,
containing sketch of Phillis, while the list
of subscribers at the end of the volume re-
called many prominent philanthropists of the
day, and the few leading men of our race,
not among the least of whom may be classed
Revs. Absalom Jones and Richard Allen.
The Literature of Negroes, published also
in 1901, is very rare, valuable, and remark
able work in this collection. This work is
regarded as the very best authority extant
at that day, and it is doubted whether it has
since been surpassed. The author of this
work was Frenchnan, Gregoire, formerly
Bishop of Blois, member of the Conservative
Senate of the National Institute of the Royal
Society of Gottingen. Another book equally
noticeable, one entitled "Sketches of the
Higher Glasses of Colored Society in Phila-
delphia, published in 1871, by "A South
erner'" gives evidence of systematic efforts
then vigorously put forth for the elevation of
the race and Of the closely drawn lines be-
tween the different classes of society of that
day. If the example of such men as Casey,
Forten, Powers, and Matthews had been
followed the colored citizens of Philadelphia
would have been made by far better show
ing in all that pertains to the development
Of people than they now make. Scarcely
less valuable than the 'Literature Of Ne
groes" is the "Tribute for the Negro" a
work now out Of print and seldom seen save
in the possession of our old citizens who made
pretensions to literature twenty-five years
ago; or now and then at the secondhand book
stands Of our metropolitan cities. There are
very few Of the attendants at Birds Gram.
mar School Of Philadelphia who do not re-
member this book and the struggle to obtain
it on Fridays and to devour its contents.
Less pretentious works, as Motifs Sketches.
The Black Man, The Rising Son, Colored
Patriots of the Revolution, M. r. Delany's
Book, or The Negro Excelled by Few Euro
peans. More familiar ones as +. Douglass
Narrative and My Bondage and Freedom,
Uncle Toms Cabin, need only passing
notice. The pamphlets containing reports
Of several National and State Conventions