The morning times., 1895-10-19
PLANTATION SCENES AGAIN
BLACK America" to Be Produced at
Convention Hall.
Three Hundred Darkies, Men and
Women, VIII Sting. Dance and
Do u Cake walk.

Nate Salsbury's "Black America" which
has created such a furor in New York, is
TO be seen at Convention Hall for one
week, commencing to- morrow night.
The Convention Hall is admirably adapted
for a big production of this kind, as there
are 400 people in the company and il VIII
take big stage to accommodate them.
BLACK America" was produced last
May i'll Brooklyn as an outdoor exhibition,
and made an Instantaneous hit After
playing in Brooklyn for ten weeks the
show was taken TO Boston, where the
New York success was more than dupli-
Gated Three weeks ago Mr. Salisbury
changed the exhibition into an indoor
one, and opened In the Madison Square
Garden. New York city. The engagement
at the Madison Square Garden ended last
night, and tue entire production Is 10 be
brought here exactly as IL was produced
IN New York. Mr. Salisbury moves his or
ganization by a special train OF his own.
All of the people eat and sleep in this train
1t is their home, and a far better one than
they were ever accustomed to before.
1t is a difficult matter 10 select a title
for an entertainment sufficiently descrip-
rive To convey al understanding OF It's
character. In tue selection of the title
BLACK America" Mr.. Salisbury had two
motives. first, to give the performance
an chronological value, and the next, to
have its application plain indicator oi
the nature and scope OF bis ideas. The
Wild West, of which Mr.. Salisbury is tie
half owner and manager, is reproduc-
tion of the frontier life OF America
BLACK America hears the same relation
10 the States that lie below Mason nd
l3txoT's line in tire history of the negro IN
America
With this end in view the Northern ne
gro has been rigidly excluded from The
ranks of the company. Every person en-
gagged was born and raised in the South.
and selected for his or her peculiar talents.
An rank of the social life Of the South
ern negro were invaded to secure the
strongest types of character that could be
found among them. As result a most
curious and interesting collection OF in
dividuality was secured after several
months of research and the expenditure
of u large SUBJ OF money In collecting the
people and arranging the entertainment
so that the best abilities OF all can be dis
played to the best advantage.
Ten years hence it win be impossible to
duplicate BLACK America" as 1t will bs
presented here. Not unlike the rapid dis
appearance of the Indian life is that Of
the negro life. The advancement of civ
ilizati and the assimilation of the races
is eradicating the negro of primitive times
The colored race of the Southern negro
is peculiar to itself. The dialect, charac
teristics and manner of living are as much
different from the people of the North
as the methods OF the Esquimau and the
South Sea Islander. To present every
phase of the race has been the aim OF
it has been fulfilled has already been
acknowledged by the entire press OF New
York. Brooklyn and Boston.
The New York critics went into ectacies
over the exhibition, and devoted columns
of space to IL. 1t is a very unusual thing
for an amusement company to receive edi-
torial comment as has BLACK America y
The New York Tribune, Mail and Express
and the Brooklyn Eagle, three OF the mos
conservative papers In the country, have
enthusiastically iDdorsed BLACK Amer
ica' through their editorial columns
The negro is a natural musician, and the
rendering of the old tuneful plantation
melodies by these 500 people is little
short of phenomenal. They sing without
an accompaniment OF any kind, and the
tone produced can only be compared to the
peals of a giant church organ.
There are many amusing features in the
show, prominent among which Is the ''ols
VirginDy" Cake Walk, portrayed by those
who know what il is TO walk for a cake
There is plenty OF dancing and hundred
OF other features which go toward making
.Black America" the wonderful success
it is.
Mr. Salisbury has had several very temp
ttup offers IN take the show to Europe
He has had an experience in the old world
having made a fortune out of the WIG
West over there, and is of the opinion thai
s'Black America" would make about az
much of nit as did the former. 1t is more
than likely. therefore that before many
months he win startle London with thu
mammoth colored produ ction. Londor
has never had anything of the kind, ant
it is the general expression among show
people that ''Black America" would be al
enormous success in the English meiropo
lis