The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-10-22

Eastern or Austraiasian. which Europe
soon OF late b. going to sthe. are very
7 fine IN their way. Take Tor example Toe
many pavilions devoted 90 the dineren'
countries and departments making up
what Is known a. French fndo-chiu D
l Laos, Tonkin. AMMAN. CambodEe Here
We have set before us the artistic prod
I uce Of races which would b. counted SEMI
I savage hy the normal man. ana this
I artistic product r. so rich. SO beautiful.
30 fantastic. wrought with such ekill AMI
! grace ana sense 81 color. with s1cn power
/ OF line and design. that one might not I'M
/ reasonably AK whether all our art has
I anything 20 show Of equal value. The
1 Buddhist Faeoda OF Cambodge repro
duced stone hy stone aud line by line
/ from the relics % the almost forgotten
I khmer tribe. b. q marvel OF richness AMI
magnificent beauty.
Its approach Is superb By lofty
higat ~ stone stairs whose curving bal
u=trade o. decorated in every inch with
fantastic scroll work and mnutely carved
representations Of beasts birds. flowers
human beings gods and go.idesses one
reaches toreafhiess. BY tho way. o
splendid broad piazza guarded all round
[ by inuumeuble RrotC-que figures Of
strange neurological creatures. Upon
Che piazza elevated 20 flr above che icvel
81 the SON o. becomes o holy place open
the great gates Of the temple Here iu
reality would b. only the sacred shTines
aHd the affairs Of the great god
Huddha. For exposition purposes
they have filled Il with speci-
mems Of wood carvings. silk weav-
ing broldery and lacqeur work wei
worth minute description " there were
time % linger on them. From this temple
proper Leads another great stairctse a.
rich a. the outer one with curious caTv-
inGs on every inch 81 81 surface This
leads 10 broad Ewirls down. down. into
deep pit. the dark holy Of holies. whose
roof is covered VITA colossal faces Of
quiet solemn deities. hewn In the stone.
roughly one would cay n e we're not for
the wonderful expression 10 their great
eyes on the walls all around are super
human faces. grotesqae animals, mystic
symbols. and occasionally fneiy wrought
scenes from the Khmer mythology the
whole behowered bescrolled. infinitely en-
riched by tho cunning patient art al
the carver II Is strange impression that
one gets down here. In the dark place
whefe forgotten gods gaze az one from
strangely carven walls one feels very
li'te tn the midst q these huge emblems
OF passed religious mysteries
All this g. reconstructed from the Indo-
China % Old. In the days when certain
Hindoos Of the north were driven over the
mountains and founded the new race.
abou, the time when Solomon was sitting
on the Jewish throne They ruied there
until about the time when the Greeks rose
20 the fun perfection OF their artistic Pc
riod. then they began 10 fail as a ruling
race. decay set In and has been going on
ever since. But even to-day the Indo-
Chinese that one sees In scores about their
exposition are a fne type. IL is curious
90 see them. clearly marked the blend OF
the two races Hindoo plus Chinese. clean
limhed, sturdy. sinewy compact like the
little fierce Hill men that have so long
troubled the English. with Chinese cheeks
ana eyes almost as obiique as those %
the Celestialf but very frank and pleas
ant. All around the temple are repro
auctions Of their houses and shops ele-
gantly designed with curvinE decorated
roofs and propped always on high pillars
on the ground Here they sell an kinds
Of things. sweetmeats. tea. toys ana lac
quered cabinets. Marvellous carvers OF
wood and stone nre they sim these
sturdy little brown folk who are so lnEel-
lgent and attractive. II looks as n one
day ana before long. they would b. very
effective rivals of the Japanese 20 whom
by the way. they seem mentally u not
| iaclaiiy akin.
Ftne Specimens Of Humanity
OF al the other peoples whose work ard
ways and homelauds are 80 admiral lv
Illustrated n this fascinating end
OF the exposition IA would obviously be
quite impossible to write al length. The
semi-savages % Dahomey the clever
perhaps somewhat semitic craftsmen and
vendors from Tunlsie the superb mig
gers from the Soudan and the Congo
ana Madagascar, all these have countless
points OF interest. and or an q them one
could talk for hours from the material
Afforded by an afternoons stroll among
their pavillions and villages and meeting
places.
Just one or two observations canno,
refrain from making Seeing The quite
extraordinary artistic skill 50 often dis
played by the blacks whore work is eN-
hibited. AMI seeing the splendid stalworf
types Of negro we have almost exclusive
~ here their frank. sunny. goad-natured
faces (oftcn with features perfectly reg
uar ana handsome. though crai hl4ckl
one asks himself with astonishment where
on earth our slave hunting ancestors got
tho African live stock that prcductel The
common or garden American "co1n g"
Tha, the American negro has often many
COOL points. that sometimes he Is qui .
intcllirent-lookinr. that occasionally even
he Is handsome al that Is very true.
but take him Tor al IN an. In the bulk
n him. h. Is quite remarkably inferior
TO almost every single hack brother ~
him that we see here IN Paris Aud II
Is quite certain that he has none o. the
artistic Gift that nearly al OF IN Sc in
ported French subjects display
Even the garments these people have
designed Tor themselves are IDEAL No
Byzantine Emperor was ever so surerhly
clad az are these African savages; IN COS
tune they have not merely a love a
color. but they have a most delicate sense
Of the combinations II color Their robes
are gorgeous always. but gaudy never
They walk like kings In more than KING
~ garments; and We civilized. artistlcaliv
| cultivated whites are mean un1 elrdid
by the side OF them. II is certain thai
We VIII never consent 10 40 10 tho saw
age and learn TO ciothe ourselves bui Il
| Is equally certain that We ought o.. W.
| may perhaps arrive one day nt Worklns
| IN ivory and rich woods ana IN LACQUER
I as well AZ the natives OF MadaFascar o.
| iudo-China. but IL Is quite certain trai
/ to-day We cannot. We think 100 highlv
/ Of our civilization. not rccognizing ma
/ in certain ways ana things Il Is inferior
| to that of distant brethren. u in oihor
/ ways IL g. immeasurably more pcrfsci.
/ II Is one Of the merits Of this colonial ex.
position that u shows. and with admir-
/ able and most fascinating circumstance.
l that In Jar ends OF the earth without ask
| ing our counsel or our leave black men
/ and yellow men and bronze me have At.
/ tanned 20 wonderful skill IN beautiful at
] and crafts making the sum total n tho