The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1938-05-27
THE ESTABLISHMENT
OF NEGRO MUSEUM At
HOWARD UNIVERSITY


called the "Capstone of Negro
Education. Located at the Ma
tional capital, it is the largest,
most comprehensive and ambi-
tious Institution in the country
devoted to the higher education
of the Negro race. In curri-
culum, faculty, equipment and
facilities, it easily takes first
rank among all institutions of
the country of like character,
type and purpose.
This national Negro Univer-
sity is now completing library
building on the basis of a govern
ment appropriation, at a cost of
over a million dollars, which is
to be dedicated during the COM
ing commencement week. This
building will afford ample space
and facilities for installing a
Negro Museum containing liter
airy, sociological, scientific sta
fiscal, and historical data bear
ing on the contact of the African
with the European in the West
ern World, during the past four
hundred years. Herein lies a
practically untouched field of
research into race relations and
adjustments under circumstance
es and conditions, which have
at no time or place ever been
adequately studied. Such an
undertaking should challenge the
liveliest interest and enthusiasm
of research scholarship without
regard to the race or color of the
inquirer.
The government at great ex-
pense has established and main
tains Burau of Indian Ethno-
logy in connection with the
Smithsonian Institute, VIII ic h
contains all classes of material
bearing upon the civilization and
culture of the red aborigines of
this continent. But nowhere has
there been a serious undertaking
to establish a similar collection
of works bearing upon the strug-
giles and strivings of the Negro
race in contact with European
standards and modes of life.
A number of works bearing
upon the Negro question have
attracted the curiosity and in
terest of students of social sub
jecs. Individual collectors in
this and other countries have
devoted much attention to COL
Letting works by Negro authors.
Mr.. Spingarn has made perhaps
the most complete collection, of
several thousand titles in
English n d foreign languages,
which undoubtedly constitutes
the most ambitious and COM
plete effort yet made in this
particular feature of race litera-
ture.
Mr.. Arthur Schomberg, an
Afro-Spaniard, accumulated a
notable collection in this field,
which was purchased by the
Board of Education of New York
City and installed as part of the
Library system with the collect
or in charge as curator. Such in
dividual collections C an hardly
survive the lifetime interest and
enthusiasm of the collector UNI
less they are ultimately sold or
donated to some permanent
institution, especially devoted
to this purpose. Several Negro
institutions have made COM
mendable efforts to collect works
by and about the Negro, but
none have sufficient resources,
staff or equipment to cover the
field adequately. These scatter
ed efforts nepdlessly multiply
expense by duplication and over
tapping while no single institu-
tion builds up a collection which
is either adequate or satisfactory
Should such a national collec-
ton would be naturally be
established in connection with
some Negro Institution Of high
or learning. Howard University
by all odds is best suited as the
situs for this national Negro
Museum. The university al
ready possesses several import
ont ipdi,,;dttoI oolIoctione GO =