The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-16
THENEGROAT NASHVILLE
REMARKABLE PROOF OF THE PRO-
GREss OF THE COLORED RACE.
A Tasteful Building Containing a
CreditabIe Educational, INDUS
trial and Art Exhibit.
Snringfeld Republican.

| Many of us recall a depressing picture IN
! our historical textbooks of certain natives
| of Britain who taken to Rome 10
! show what manner of people lived In the
| distant province conquered by the Roman
| arms, whose fair compilations caused the
| optimistic Pope, Gregory, to say they were
not Angles" but angels" This was
when our ancestors painted their bodies
| blue, first cousin to tattooing, and wore
! skins for clothing. 1t Is 1900 years from
that day to the matchless exhibition of
skill and wealth and power that dazzled
the eyes of the whole world in England
! two weeks ago, and in studying the adj
vances made by the race whose bodies ma
ture has painted black, in the three dec
AIDES since they have been free men, one
could not escape the reflection that a peo-
pie who have in that time been made
capable of producing the truly wonderful
| exhibition in the negro building have
| boundless possibilities.
1t was wise in the directors of the fair
to give them whole ungruding chance to
show their capabilities, in granting them
one of the most attractive sites on the
grounds, and giving them the ample sum OF
SIS, 900 with which to buiid. AS the building
needed not to be as large as the trans
portation or the agricultural, there was
| more money that could be given UP for
purely esthetic features, and the result Is
a beautifully decorated example of renais-
sance architecture externally, while inter
nally it's well-lighted alcoves are perfectly
adapted to showing the work of the colored
people. The ground floor has exhibits from
the colleges-Tennessee Central, Fisk,
Tuskegee and Tougaloo Universities, Lin
coin Institute, the Roger Williams Universe
| Ill
Ala. and the schools in various places that
are under the care of the American Mis-
sionary Association, beside space and facil-
tiles for accommodating audiences that
from time to time will enjoy the concerts
given by the Fisk jubilee singers and mu-
sicians. On a broad gallery forming a sec
ond floor are as many as fifty different
EXHIBITS, that are mainly from Tennessee
| itself, but also from other places as wide
| apart as st. Paul, Mimi. and New York
| city, while a contribution to the art gal
| lery on the third floor comes all the way
| from California. The front of the gallery
| is decorated in way to shame some of
| our northern professions, who often spoil
| good interiors with miles Of struggling and
meaningless cheese-cloth, hiding good arch-
| lecture in the name of decoration. Such
| arrangements seem cheap and poor after
seeing such magnificent and significant
| display that made by Trinity Church in
| New YORK lately where every trophy
| formed of medalions and banners told that
| SOn0DOuY ndQ uOn6 something worthy OF
| commemoration. In the negro building are
| trophy-like dispositions of hunting and col
| Ored cloth and dates that may we'll be les
| sons to us, and In combining coors the
Knoxville pavilion shows a most attrac-
| tive mingling of white lemon yellow and
| royal purple radiating from center to cir
| conference with a plated curtain around
| the outside of the entire floor space that
| is very complete and pleasing. That these
| people know whom to honor is shown by
| the selection of portraits for the dominant
eXtremitieS of their buildng-Fred Doug
| lass and Phillis Wheatley at one end and
Abraham Lincoln and Mrs Stowe at the
| other.
GROWTH OF THIRTY YEARS.
Not long since we encountered a newspa-
per correspondents sheer at the small re-
suits of the efforts put forth by the various
| agencies that are striving to educate and
elevate the negro. He should come into
| this building, and remember that the first
| attempts to teach the men who had been
| liberated from the control of men who had
| guided their actions and done their think
| ing for them were made only thirty years
| ago. AS one enters the building he en-
counters the exhibition of the work done by
| the schools under the patronage of the
! freedmen 9 Aid Southern Educational So
| clety. They are the Clafin, Clark and
| Wiley Schools the New Orleans universe
| ties, the George r: Smith and Central Ten
nes5ee College. This last, one of the
| most prosperous and useful of the colored
| colleges. found it's first home in a factory
| that had been used for making Confederate
| guns. In the first unreasoning rush Of as
| pirations that came with freedom the ne
| groes were firmly possessed with the belief
| that the distinction that conferred power
| on the white man was education, and, con-
| sequently, grandparents and grandchildren
were found side by side. striving to gain
book learning. Time taught them that the
book learning, to be of much use, must be-
gin long before the dawn of gray hairs, and
also that their people needed TO learn a
vast number of things that not he
found in books.
AS the Central College of Tennessee is
under the care of the Methodist denomina-
ton, which SO largely predominates in the
South and West we have not heard as
much of it in New England as we have of
Fisk, Tuskegee and Tougaloo, but its ex-
hibit shows on what broad and practical
lines it is working. 1t has fitted up a re-
ception room, where there is a register FOR
the alumni that will visit the fair and 1t is
a marvel of delicate coloring and dainty
trimming, for it should be noted that as
soon the African begins to rise in the
scale of education he discards the colors
that we commonly call "niggery." The mat
ting the floor of his room is pale blue
and white, the woodwork is painted In
shades of blue and Immaculate draperies
of white muslin, with RULED borders of the
latest style, tied with pale blue satin rib
bons, complete cool-looking, restful place.
At the right is . large space devoted to
paintings in water coiors. pastel and oils.
done by the pupils of the college. The lit
erary department has work ranging from
very simple exercises in grammar and
mathematics up TO very complicated, crit
ical studies in Latin and Greek, but in the
science department not only is shown what
has been done. but the professor has ex-
hibts in bacteriology that show the work
ings OF the infinitesimal creatures that
build US up and that destroy us
one person. in commenting on the whole
negro department. said: u thought they
would show something distinctively African,
but they have everything copied after us"
What has the negro ever seen to copy from
but tho WORKS of the white man? and if he
can do as well as we, what more is to be
asked for him? Still, each of the colleges
has its chronological collection of native
African instruments and curlos the chief
use OF which must be in reminding these
advanced students of the pit whence they
have been digged.' This college estab-
lished its medical branch. Meharry Col
| lege. in 1875 now thoroughly equipped with
every modern appliance, and from II two
thirds of all the colored physicians now in
the South have gone forth. This college
has dental and pharmaceutical depart
ments and corresponding displays. 1t also
las departments of law, theology. stenog-
raphy and typewritng, industry. music art
and African training, Ito create and foster
a missionary spirit. disseminate Informal
ton respecting Africa, and tit yoang men