The times., 1899-12-13
NEGRO EXHIBIT AT PARIS.
Special AGENT r. ). Galloway Talk,
Abnut Hts Mork

Exposition gives 70 The Times an inter-
view about his work in which he says
Less than thirty days ago I was ap-
pointed By Commissioner General Peek 70
prepare "a negro exhibit An exceedingly
limited space was set aside in the Govern
ment exhibit In sociology FOR this feature.
The space seems ridicul0usly small. and
yet in view OF the fart thar the Govern
ment has less than thousand square feet
in this building II Vas a LIBERAL provision
for which Director Rogers sacrificed otIcs
features. The building ia which this cS-
hibit is 70 be held will Be used FOR eoa-
crosses. and hence is the NEST favored
spot in the exposition group.
Since have been appointed I have trav-
eled about 25gO miles and have definitely
arranged for very creditable exhibits from
several educational institutions. sueh as
Howard University, in this city Hampton
Institute, in Virginia. Atlanta University.
in Georgia. Mr.. Booker Wasbingtoa's r.
dustriaI Institute In Alabama. and Fisk
University IN Tennessee. Each OF these in
stitutiOus viii take up q special phase Of
the educational work being done amOns
the cOlored people.
From Atlanta University. II Georgia.
arranged for an exhibit iu sociology %
cover thlrty-one display cards - b. =
inches. or a total display area o. 1926
square feet 4 class o. col0rad students.
under Prof. Dubois a ColOrsd graduate %
Harvard College. Wiu display ia artistic
coloring such sociological statistics ss negro
population az various periods. reiatiEs iu-
crease Of the twO races, distribution 81 re-
grOes. education and llliteracy. paupsrisra.
crime, ownership of homes. factory employ
ment etc This exhibit viii certainly re-
ceiye wide attention
The Tuskegee institute. in Alabama be-
ing the bsst-krown Industrial institution is
now preparing a series Of uniform sized
display boards 10 the surface Of which
small articles are attached which represent
the tweuty-eight shops and other industries
Of that institution BY an ingenious device
( in the use Of space a display surface %
2SS square feet will be used. have already
predicted a French prize for the agricultural
exhibit which that institution is preparing
Fisk University made famous all over
/ the world as the origin Of the iubuea
singers. viii furnish a cOmplete set o.
bound volumes Of written work Of the en-
tire institution, through which viii bs
scattered large numbers Of photographs,
making each volume an illustrated book
The Washington cOlOred public schools
are preparing. however. what VIII be the
most attractive feature OF all II is TO
be series OF modelled groups. with minia-
ture figures Of persons. school houses. and
surroundings. showing by three or four
groups, the evolution Of the negro school
house from the most primitive backwOods
hut 10 the finely appointed and cOmm0diOus
colored high school building in Wash
ington- As a dramatic tableau representa-
/ ton IN school equipment, I predict for it
great attention
There are more than a dozen other
phases of this exhibit already under way.
but one other in conclusion. Nearly fifty
colOred men have received medals Of nonor
in the United States Army and Navy
photographs Of these men. with the off,
I cial record Of the vaIorOus deed for which
the medal was granted will be displayed
The success Of the exhibit thus far Is
I due TO the warm encouragement Of Presi-
dent Mckinley and Commissioner General
I Peck. Although Mr. Peck received from
Congress nearly $500 900 less than his
schedule called for. and while there was
no provision in this schedule for this
/ negro exhibit. he has undertaken 10 pro-
vide from small contingent fund far this
new feature. The colOred people them
selves are attempting TO supplement- Mr..
Peck's generosity with their own means
and by various devices. with perhaps some
miracles we hope 10 pull through. aad full
/ MI the prediction OF Assistant Commits
sioner General Woodward given in q pub
lie interview in Paris and printed in his
country December ? It is as follows
There is much talk in Paris as 10 what
viii be the chief attraction OF the eXhibi-
tton. 1t VIII be the educational work that
( is being done for our negroes. I think this
exhibition viii show other nations that we
know how to solve the negro problem upon
intelligent. civilized lines. Some foreigners
think we have nothing for the negro but
the bludgCon and revolver. We shall con-
vince them otherwise.
There are three strong reasons for 4
negro exhibit at the Paris Exposition next
! year. The first reason is a general one and
| is found in the peculiar attitude IN which
Europe is nov situated. The 'Fash0da in
cident' and the present Boer war are only
the outcrOppings of a tremendous Eu-
ropeau invasion Of Africa. This Dark Goa
/ tiHent is no longer dark. as the most
gigantic efforts of capital are being direct
ed toward opening up the continent for ths
oyerplus population OF Europe. The mill
I lions of native Africans in the continent
VINO must in some way be assimiatst into
the body polite. viii more and more force
upon the statesmen OF Europe and Africa
( the same negro problem, which this cOUn-
I try has struggled with for three CentUria as.
/ Whatever faults may be charged TO tie
Z
I African descent in this country are civil
/ lied. christfauized, possessOrs Of vast edu-
cational privileges. and owners of perhaps a
/ half billion dollars worth of property
/ They are engaged in every industry and
pursuit common 90 white Americans, and
/ universally accredited with rapid progress.
! America can. therefore. furnish Europe
with such evidences OF the negUO's vaiue
! as Iaborer. a producer, and a citizen that
/ the statecraft of the Old World viii DO
| wiser in the shaping OF its African peiicies-
/ "A second reason for the exhibit lies II
/ the fact that much criticism Of the CIited
States is indulged in abroad on the ground
! that this country has assumed to annex
new territory largely populated with dark
/ races. when, il is charged. this nation pro-
1 scribes in every possible way the 10 e09.-
/ 600 of such people in its own borders, This
exhibit can show other nations the other
side Of the story and can furnish evidences
4 of marvellous progress Of the cOlOred ps0-
/ pie as an Offset 10 the charges af pro-
/ scription. While the United States must
plead guilty 10 horrible Iyuchings occas-
/ ionally and many forms Of prejudice. we
/ can more than balance these faults with
| the rapid Development in education and in
! dustry of 10 zoo eco of former slaves. who.
/ in the space Of Lhirty-five years. have pro-
/ duced an item Of 10000 teachers. to say
nothing Of a hundred other occupations re-
] quiring training.
I The right OF the colored people TO have
/ occasional opportunities 10 show in a dis
/ tinctive way the evidences of their pro-
/ gress. furnishes the third reason Tor sucn
an exhibit The average American citizen
/ never stops 10 consider that practically
! every cotton fabric he wears IS a product
/ of negro labor so far as the raw material