Daily camera., 1900-04-04
PROOFS OF PROGRESS
4 assrs Exhibit to Bs4a Feature Il
the Paris E1pesition.
essei Aren't Appointed ~ AAuAaa-
sstratien to Secure PreDsr nep-
ssssntstien Of Ansrssaa
lnstitutions.

fointeo 10 arrange negro exhibit a
the Paris exposition, gives to the SUI
the following account of his work:
have arranged for very creditabl,
EXHIBITS from several educational in
stitutions. such as Howard universit,
IN this city, Hampton institute in Vir
glnla, Atlanta university in Georgia
Booker 7. Washington's industrial in
stltute in Alabama, and Fisk universit,
IN Tennessee. Each of these institu
tions will take up special phase of the
educational work being done among
the colored people.
From Atlanta university arranged
for an exhibit in sociology to cover 81
display cards, % by % inches, or a total
display area of 1926 square feet. A elias,
of colored students under Prof. Du
Bois. colored graduate of Harvard
will display in artistic coloring such
sociological statistics as negro popula.
tion at various periods, relative in.
crease OF two races, distribution of ne.
groes, education and illiteracy, pauper.
ism, crime. ownership of homes, fac.
tory employment. etc. This exhibit
will certainly receive wide attention.
The Tnskegee institute in Alabama
being the best known industrial insti.
tion, is now preparing a series of uni.
form sized display boards, to the sur
faces OF which small articles are at
tached which represent the % shops
and other industries of the institution
By an ingenious device in the use of
space, a display surface of 2ss square
feet will be made. have already pre-
dicted French prize for the agricul-
tural exhibit which that institution is
preparing.
1.-The Washington colored public
schools are preparing what will be the
most attractive feature of all. 1t is to
be series Of modelled groups with
miniature figures of persons, school
houses and surroundings, showing by
three or four groups the evolution of
the negro school from the primitive
backwoods hut to the finely appointed
and commodious colored high shool
building in Washington. AS a repre-
sentation in school equipment, l pre-
dict for it great attention.
'"rhere are more than a dozen other
phases Of this exhibit already under
way, but one other in conclusion:
Nearly so colored men have received
medals of honor in the United States
army and navy. Photographs of these
men with the official record of the val
orous deed for which the medal was
granted will be displayed.
There are three strong reasons for a
negro exhibit at the Paris exposition.
The first reason is a general one, and
is found in the peculiar attitude in
which Europe is now situated. The
Fashoda incident and the present Boer
war areonly the outcroppings of tre-
mendous European invasion of Africa.
This dark continent is no longer dark,
as the most gigantic efforts of capital
are being directed toward opening up
the continent for the surplus popula-
ton of Europe. The millions of native
Africans in the continent, who must in
some way be assimilated into the body
polite, will more and more force upon
the statesmen Of Europe and Africa the
same negro problem, which this coun-
try has struggled with for three CEN
turies. Whatever faults may be
charged to the people of the United
States, the people of African descent in
this country are civilized, Christian
ized, possessors Of vast educational
privileges and owners of perhaps half
billion dollars worth of property.
They are engaged in every industry and
pursuit common to white Americans,
and universally accredited with rapid
progress. America can, therefore, fur
nish Europe with such evidence Of the
negro's value as laborer, producer
and citizen that the statecraft of the
Did world will be wiser in the shaDing
Of it's African politics.
' "A second reason for the exhibit lies
in the fact that much criticism of the
United States is INDUCED in abroad on
the ground that this country has as
sumed to annex new territory largely
populated with dark races, when, it is
charged, this nation proscribes in every
possible way the 100000 of such peo-
pie within it's own borders. This ex
kibit can show other nations the other
side to the story, and can furnish evil
dences of marvellous progress of the
colored people, as an offset to the
charges of prescription. While the
United States must plead guilty to hor-
rible lynchings occasionally and many
forms of prejudice, we can more than
balance these faults with the rapid de-
velopment in education and industry
of 100000 Of ex-Slaves, who in the
space of IS years have produced an item
of 10000 teachers, to say nothing of a
hundred other occupations requiring
training.
1.-THE right of the colored people to
have occasional opportunities to show
in a distinctive way the evidences Of
their progress furnishes the third rea-
son for such an exhibit. The average
American citizen never stops to con
slider that practically every cotton
fabric he wears is q product of negro
labor so far as the rau material il com