Evening star., 1926-09-26
AKELEY COLLECTS
AFRICAN EXHIBITS
Atmosphere of Dark Cont.
nent Sought for New York
Museum Group.

SPECIAL Dispatch TO The Star.
NEW YORK. September 25.--An
African conquest is under way.
Led by Carl Akeley, sculptor, tax
idermist and big game uunter. ~.
eXpeditionary force has invaded the
great mysterious continent armed
with palettf 8. .ht ushSS cameras and
the various materials used in the arts
Of taxidermy and sculpture.
Their purpose is not to impose
American ideas and ways upon Africa,
but TO capture what remains, Of the
wild beauty Of Africa and bring II to
New York for exhibition at the
American Museum of Natural His
tory.
1t is their hope that they may be
able to perpetuate in oils. wax and
mounted hides the Africa that is, so
that when the plow has replaced the
buffalo, and the rattle of the whitN
mans flivver has banished the tom
tom Of the savage. some Of the charm
Of the present may still live In her
metically sealed alleyways where 1t
may be viewed through large glass
windows by visitors to the museum s
African Hall.
African Hall Planned.
Thus. Europe may convert the
great continent into peaceful farm
colonies to feed the folk far TO the
north, and nations across the sea may
boast of the areas over which their
standards flutter in the tropical
breeze; but the real Africa--the Africa
Of the trumpeting bull elephant Of the
snorting rhinoceros-wil be ours.
The African Hall of the American
Museum of Natural History has not
been built. 1t has not even been
begun. Although q. mode Of 1t may
De seen at the museum to-day. it viii
De years before any one may see the
realization Of these plans: and while
II ts impossible TO tell how long 1t
will take TO complete the 40 animal
groups and the array Of brcnzas that
are to aCorn II. il Is a perfectly safe
guess that il will take cej.a.itelahil
longer than the World War; and that
the territory to he covered bv the
soldiers of science in this rev con
quest will be far greater than that
covered by any fighter il ;nat great
world conflict
Mr.. AkeleN. who conceived the idea
of African Hall. has said he wishes II
not only to preserve the heasts and
birds so representative of the con-
tinent, but he. desires each groi:p u
have a background representirg .6me
definite type of African scenerv s;tct,
as Mount kenya on the EQUa;u.. the
Pyramids, or the gorilla f0res.. OF
kivu. He desires the hail when COM
pleted TO give n comprehensive itiaa
Of the Africa he feels IS vanishing
before the inva sion OF the white man.
Some of the groups u vpp-a: j.
the hall already are completed. and
others are partially rorl:ial@l: hut
the Overwhelming ma iu1i:H nf the
groups have not even r.s~. hr@u1.
Eastman's Money Aids.
The immediate objective OF Mr..
Akeley's party is tie e.,hnring of
specimens. painting O. bdcAgruunds
and ARA angement OF utjer details ,or
FIVE of the large groups. The carry
ing out of this objective h.,s been
made possible through the generosity
Of George Eastman, millionaire cam
era manufacturer and philangh hropist,
and Daniel r. @Pomaroy Wall stree
banker and big game hunter. Mr.
Eastman and Mr.. Pon1sroy now are
hunting with a part; OF friends n
the same country in which Mr.
Akeley and his party are working
and killing some of the game that
are to he seen in the groups
In one Of his communities tons re-
Gsrdins the progress of his work, Mr..