A congress, which promises to be one of the most influential of our
time, is to be held in London July 26-29, 1911, in the central building
of the University of London. The list of those who have extended to it
their moral support is most imposing. Among the supporters, who hail
from no less than fifty countries, are over twenty-five presidents of
Parliaments, the majority of the members of the Permanent Court of
Arbitration and of the delegates to the Second Hague Conference, twelve
British governors and eight British premiers, over forty colonial
bishops, some hundred and thirty professors of international law,
the leading anthropologists and sociologists, the officers and the
majority of the Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and other
distinguished personages. The list of the writers of papers includes
eminent representatives of over twenty civilizations, and every paper
referring to a particular people is prepared by some one of high
standing belonging to it.
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The Rhode Island Union of Colored Women numbers 12 clubs--one
in Pawtucket, three in Newport and eight in Providence. Each of
these clubs is doing excellent work in its own way, striving to
solve the problems nearest home. But while the local club has its
particular function, the demands of the union upon each individual
organization is equally great. The work is divided into four general
departments--parents, village improvement, hero and race library. One
or two members from each club is represented in each department.
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The Associated Charities of Lexington, Ky., are giving talks to colored
people on consumption.
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Mr. Booker T. Washington while in Europe received much social
attention. In an interview in the _Morning Post_ he said that the race
problem in the South is becoming more and more reassuring. On landing
in America Mr. Washington announced that the Negroes in the United
States were better off than the poor classes in Europe.
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A Carnegie Library for Negroes will be built in Montgomery, Ala.
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The need of a reformatory for Negro youth is being agitated in Georgia.
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Colored state fairs are being held this fall in Virginia, Kentucky,
Georgia and other states.
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Governor Hadley, of Missouri, has appointed a Negro tuberculosis
commission consisting of six Negro physicians and one lady.
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That powerful Negro empires of great size and some culture existed in
the Sudan before the white races entered Africa is the conviction of a
French scientist, M. Zeltner, who reports in _La Nature_ on the results
of his archæological investigations in the basins of the rivers Niger
and Senegal.
Within a triangle formed by the towns of Timbuctoo, Kayes and Bamako he
located fifty-two archæological deposits consisting of ruins of unknown
cities. M. Zeltner’s most interesting finds were made in caves on the
upper Senegal. Here an abundance of runic signs and drawings were found
traced on rocks. They were similar in character to those discovered
in South African caverns. The writings have some resemblance to those
signs found on ancient ruins further eastward in the Sahara desert, and
are believed by M. Zeltner to be related to the present Tuareg alphabet.
The discoveries made have yet to be thoroughly studied. M. Zeltner
thinks that the archæological exploration of the African continent
is yet in its infancy and will doubtless yield surprising results in
establishing the advanced state of development attained by the black
races in early times.--_N. Y. Sun._
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