ATLANTA UNIVERSITY PUBLICATIONS.
No. 2.
SOCI AJ, AND PHYSICAL CONDITION
OF NEGROES I N CITIES.
REPORT O F AN INVESTIGATION UNDER T H E
DIRECTION O F ATLANTA UNIVERSITY:
AND
PROCEEDINGS
OF THE SECOND
CONFERENCE
FOR THE
STUDY
OF PROBLEMS
CONCERNING NEGRO
C l n LIFE,
HELD AT
ATLANTA
UNIVERSITY,
MAY25-26, 1897.
ATLANTA, GA.
A'I'LAN%AUNIVERSITY PREt3$.
1897.
CONTENTS.
I. RESULTS O F T H E INVESTIGATION.
GENERAL
SUMMARY;
- - - - - Butler R . Wilson. Esq.
5
SOCIAL
A N D PHYSICAL
PROGRESS:
A COMPARATIVE
ANALYSIS
OF T H E REPORTS OF T H E BOARDS
OF HEALTH
I N ATLANTA,
BALTIMORE,
CHARLESTON,
10
MEMPHISAND
R I C H M O N D- ; - - - - - - Mr. L. M. Hershaw
OF THE RACE:WHETHER DEPENDENT
UPON
THEPHYSICAL
CONDITION
SOCIAL
CONDITIONS
OR ENVIRONMENT;
- - - - Prof. Eugene Harris 20
11. PROCEEDINGS O F T H E CONFERENCE.
MINUTES; - - - - - - - - - - - . - BY
RESOLUTIONS
ADOPTED
THE
CONFERENCE;
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
- 32
29
I l l . ADDRESSES, PAPERS. AND LETTERS.
ADDRESS; - - - - - - - - - President Horace Bumstead
PRENATAL
A N D HEREDITARY
INFLUENCES;
- Mrs. Adella Hunt Logan
CAREOF NEGLECTED
CHILDREN; - - - - - Rev. J . E. Smith
VISITATION;
- - - - Rev. H. H. Proctor
T H ENEEDOF FRIENDLY
A N D PRACTICAL
METHODS
OF PREVENTING
IT;
CAUSESOF CONSUMPTION,
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A. J . Love, M. D.
- - - - - - - - - - - H . R. Butler, M. D.
VENTILATION;
CAREOF THE TEETHI N ITS RELATION
TO HEALTH;
J. R. Porter. D.D.S.
ADDRESSBEFORE WOMEN'SMEETING; - - - Miss Lucy C. Laney
FRIENDLYVISITING;
- - - - - - - Mrs. Minnie Wright Price
MOTHERS'MEETINGS;- - - - - - - Mrs. Georgia Swift King
NEEDOF DAYNURSERIES;- - - - - - Mrs. Selena Sloan Butler
- - - - - Mrs. Rosa Morehead Bass
NEEDOF KINDERGARTENS;
REPORTSFROM CITIES; - - - - - - - - - - - - EXTRACTSFROM
LETTERS; - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-
35
37
41
44
46
51
53
55
58
61
63
66
69
71
IV. APPENDIX; SELECTED STATISTICS.
- - - - - A. FROMHOUSE-T+HOUSE INVESTIGATION;
B. FROMANALYSIS
OF REPORTSOF BOARDS
OF HEALTH;-
- - -
(1)
( 1 1)
I X T KODUC'T I O N .
r
.
I Ire papers ~)rcstwtcdi l l this report wew written exclusively by col-
ored nlen a n d women, and are based ul)on statistical investigations made
hy them under the direction of Atlanta University.
T h e investigation was 1)eg11nby an inquiry on the p a r t o f t h r e e graduates of Atlanta I'niversity illto the causes of the excessive mortality
anlong S'egroe+. A co~rtkrencewas held on the huhject a t Atlanta U n i versity in May, 1896, and the' t'acts 1)rought out at that conference
n
continued for another
were so ~ . i g n i f ' i c a ~t l~~ta tthtb i ~ ~ v e r t i g a t i o was
vcar : I I O I I ~ siniilar l i ~ r w ,but ( J I I s nlnrc t.xtensive rczle, and a second
c : o ~ ~ t i ~ r t nHas
c c l1t.ld i l l Ma!, thih year. T h e co-opt ration of' gradu~ ~ s invited.
T11e present investigqtion,
ates ot' other i ~ ~ . c t i t r c t i owas
tl~crcfi)re,is t l ~ crcbtult of tlrt. joint efl'orts of' graduates of Atlanta U n i versity, lcisk, Hcrca, I.inco111, S p e l n ~ a n Howard,
,
Meharry a n d other
institutions tor tlre Irigher edrwation of' thc Kegroes.
I I , ~ t1:t'ce nrcu a n d uonitxnhave rt,acllecl as a recult of
?'he C ~ I I I ~ ~ I I , C ~b\( I11icl1
,
s ~ ~ r p r i r i nespecially
g;
their
their i~rvestigationsarth,i n conle ~ w p e c t r most
concllrsio~~s
as to tlw e f k t of' c n v i r o n n ~ e n tand econon~icconditions
I I ~ O I It1:v vital c~iergicsof t l ~ c r a c e . T h e i r conc~lnsionswere, in subs t a ~ ~ vthat
e , t 1 1 t b ( ~ x ( v . c i v cmortaiity of' tlleir 1)eople cannot be at,tribulc
of environnlent, but
tccl i l l an!. largc tlcprte to ~ ~ n t h v o r a l )conditions
c dt1:t. ignci~-ar?ce
o i ' t l ~ masses
e
o f t h e peopleand
nJ1l+t1.c ( I l i c tly att~.iI~ ~ i to
their disregard of t l ~ claws of' Irealt h and morality. T h e significance of this
c c rclt .tic n is t(r:(,Iy t'xl ~ ( : s ( dky c ne of tke writers, w1:o w y s :
LC'
f h i s 1ac.t fact, that thc c x c c ~ s i v etlcath-rate of' the colored peoplc
(lo( s ~ i o :t I I i'r(,,nl
~
(li+ea$(.c ~ I I to
C c n v i r o n n ~ c ~ib
~ tof'
, vast i~nportance.
If' par IIOIIP('s,111111ealtl1y1~1calitics~
had sewerage, and defective
~ ~ l r r ~ r ~ l ~ resl)o~~sil)lc
i ~ w e r e for their high death-rate, therc would be
rro Irope of r c d r ~ c i ntlle
~ death-rate until either t h e colored people
4
BTIJDY OF S E O R O ('ITS LIFE.
became wealthy, or philanthnyic persons erected sanitary houses, or municipalities made appropriations to remove.those conditions. Rut since
the excessive death-rate is not due to these canses, there is reaeon
for the belief that it may be reduced without regard to the present
economic condition of the colored people."
The attention of the members of the conference seemed to be mainly
directed to a consideration of the social questions r~flectingthe progress of the race. The sentiment of the conference was voiced by one
writer in these words :
"If we are to otrike at the root of the matter, it will not be at sanitary regulation, but at social reconstruction and moral regeneration."
The solution of the problem will be found in the wise direction of
the numeroufi charitable, religious and ed~~cational
organizationrj of
colored people already established. As a weans towards that eud, the
University will continue thecity Problem Investigation along the line*
upon which it was begun, and will holcl a third conference at Atlanta
next May, The subject of the next conference cannot now be annonnced, but in accordance with the esprewed wish of members of
the last conference, it will be some subject clealing with the social
conditiono of the people.
The result of the preeent investigatim has been, on the whole, distinctly encouraging. I n the opinion of the conlrnittee having the investigation in charge, the Negro has nothing to fear from a most rigid
and searching investigation into his physical and ~ocialcoudition, but
such an investigation can.be made rnowt helpfill and V ~ ~ I I H ~ ~ C .
RESULTS OF THE INVESTIGATION.
[Note: l'lte three bllowing papers on the results of t.lie investigation were written
by the three members of the conference who individually collected the most data:
Mr. Butler R. Wilson, a ~ n e ~ u b eofr the committee who gathered data relating
to one hundred fntnilies t l i ~had
t migrated from North Carolina to Cambridge, Mass.;
Prof. Eugene Harris of F k k University. who made a n extensive investigation in
Nashville; and Mr. IA.M. Hershaw of Washingtori, D. C., who had in charge the very
laborious work of rt~lalyzing the reports of the hoards of health for the past fifteen
yeurs.-lCd.]
GENERAL SUMMARY.
H Y MR. HI!TT,ER R. WI1,YOK
('Xl),
HOWTON, MAW.
I n making this investigation of the habits, m o r a l ~and environment
of Negroes living in cities, three things have been kept con~tantlyin
view, vie.:
First- To obtain accurate information without regard to cherished theories or race pride;
Second- To make the inquiry practical a d helpful, aad not merely
for scientific r e s u b ; and,
'I'hirdT o int111c.e the people to :~pplythe remedies which they
have in their own hands for the evils which are fonnd to exist
and which retard their 1xogres.j.
The results to be gained depended entirely npon the intelligeuce and
fitness of t l ~ einvestigators, who were selected with great care from the
ranks of well-know11 colored educators, ministers, physicians, lawyers
and busioebs nwil, living among the people covered by the investigation.
All the data were gathered
this hotly of trained colored leaders, and
they are belie\-c(lto be, perhaps, more than usually accurate because of
the invehtigators' knowledge of the character, habits and prejudices of
the people, alrd Iwcu~~se
ofthe ihct that they were not Iiintlered by the
usp pic ions which confront the white investigator, and which seriously
affect the accuracy of the answers to his questionb.
Lhe work of the iuventiptors was errtircly voluntary awl was done
with a willingness and industry highly gratifyirry.
,I
This table calls attent'ion to the enfhrcetl absence of' mothers from
their homes, and the daily abandonment, by these mothers who are
compelled to aid in earning the fanlily .support, of their young ohilctren to the evil assoc,iations, the temptations, and vicious liberty of'
the alleys, courts antl slunls.
To attempt to prove fro111 the showing of this table that Negro
men are unwilliirg to support their fan~ilies. and that they are lazy and
shiftless, would be unfair. Careful inqniry by a rrumt)er of the investigators indicates very strongly that the comparatively sniall support
givc~tt)y thcsc men to their fanlilies is not due to anwillingness, but t o
their in:~t)ilityto get work as.readily antl constantly as the women.
A t the Soutli white men refuse to work at tlic bench, in thc mill and
at other e m p l o y m e ~ ~ with
ts
colored men, who, thr this reason, are denied work, ant1 tlicl.eforo 111ial)leto cilrn means with wl~ichto support
t.heir families.
This fact was h i ~ t i dto chsist i n the city of C'an~briclge,where a large
ctl
invest igatetl, iir reply t o
per cent of the n i c ~ iill t Ire I ~ n n d ~ ~fiiniilit~s
an inquiry, said tliat tlicy had bren refused nark because they were
colored, and a nn~ill)erof' tlictn s:~id that tliey wrre nnable to follow
f'o~
their trades, but had to " job around" wit11 uusteatly e~riployn~ent
the same reason.
T h e wonieri in these fiinrilics tind steady cniploynient a s domestic
servants and l:lu~iclrcsse.s,aud a t tlir South tind I)ut littIe competition
froni white women.
Tlie i ~ i v e s t i ~ a t i ogives
ti
a great niany data on this i~itlustrialside of
the question, wlricli want of space will not now allow us to consider.
Tal>lee 8 awl 9, giving the 11unil)er atid pcr ccnt of persons sick
during tlie p t w , and thc n11ni1)er and per ~ c n t of cl~:\thsduring the
past five years by causes, ~ 1 1 o wthat tlre diseases tnost tht,al to the colored people are consuinption aud pneumonia. Wliile t,lw average
length of t h e of sickness from it is short, malarial ikver is shown t o
be one o f the most prevalent diseaees. R h e u n ~ a t i s nis~ also showu to
be quite prevalent. Both of these diseases, a s well as typlioid fever
and pneumonia, may, to a great extent, be kept in aheyance by the
observance of hygienic ri~!esand a proper care of tlie health.
I n t h e 100 Cambridge families it wtls found that Inany of the men
work in tlie water department, a d after thc (1:ly's work eat the
8
STUDY OF SEQHO CITY LIFI.:.
eveniiig meal without changing their damp clothing, often going to
sleep in their chairs for an hour or more and then going to a lodge o r
"~ocietymeeting,"renlaining not infrequently until I1 and 12 o'clock.
These tables also show that the difference between the death-rate of
the white and colored people from diarrhoea, diptheria, scarlet fever,
nlalari~lfever and typhoid fever, all diseases chiefly affected by environrneut, is very slight.*
Table 10, giving sickness by sanitary condition of houses, ehows
that while sanitary conditions have a very importaut bearing, they are
[lot important enough to account for the ditference of per cent in the
death-rate between the white and colored people.
Great caution must be oherved in making deductions from thia
table. While it is intended to ahow the bearing of sanitary conditions
on the health of the community, the results obtained are not conclusive. I t would be erroneous, for instance, to attribute to bad sanitary
conditions the increased amount of sickness in families, and leave out
of consideration nuch factors as irregular habits, indifference to healthy
living quarters and the intimate relati011 between poverty and ill
health.
By reference to the table it will be .seen that the number of pernone
8ick in Atlanta was 163 out of a total of 577, or 28.25 per cent,
where the light and air were good ; and that out of 367 personfi living where the light and air were bad, 120, or 32.70 per cent, were
sick, a tliflerence of' ouly 1 5 per cent b ~ t w e ehouses
~ ~ with good and
bad conditions as to light and air.
One hundred and twenty-eight persons living in houses with good
or an average of 46.46 days
light a d air lost 5,819 days hy ~jicki~ese,
each; while 102, or 26 persons less, lost, under bad conditions of light
and air, only 4361 days, or an average of 42.75 days each, a difference
of 6 per cent, the average days of sickness being more in houees with
good light and air than in those where the light and air were had.
This table further shows that out of 537 persom living in Atlanta
in houses with good ventilation, 153, or 28.49 per cent, were sick
during the year, losing, for the 124 reporting, 5,927 days, o r an average of 47.80 days each ; while out of 427 pervoile living in houses with
*The tables benring upon diseases most prevalent will be particularly discusned
in the paper fo1lowilty.-ED.
M O I L T A I J T Y AMONG NEGROES I N CITIIGS.
9
bad ventilation, 154, or 36 per cent, were sick during the year, 133
of wllom lost 6,0.50 days, or an average of 45.49 days each, a tlifKe~.eacc~
of only 26 per cent between the per cent of persons sick where ventilation was good and where it was had, the average nurnl~erof di~ys
again being greater for those nnder good conditions than for those
under bad.
Table X \',* giving general description of I~ouses, sl~owst hilt :I
large proportion of the Iior~sesocc~~l)it.d
I)p the 1,137 fi1111ilic.swercb
wooden structures, detaclicd and loarted i n ~ieiglil)orli~~o~ls
of fhir
character. Of' the 1,031 liowes but 0 had bath-rooais, t~ntl183 hir(l
water-closets, 95 of which were in the Cambridge houses. 111A tlant;~
and Cambridge the houses with bad outside sanitary coaditio~~s
prcdominated. I n all the other cities the houees with goo(l outsidewnitary conditions pretlo~~iini~tetl,
the latter being greatly i l l excess for
the entire territory coveretl.
This paper may be snmn~ariz/.etl:IS fi)llo\vs:
have I~eengatl~credI)? ioFirst-All
the data i n thc i~~vratipation
telligent colored men and women living i l l the con1m1rnitit.s covered.
These investigators \rere not hindered I)? obstacles \vhich make it
difficult for a whitc nlan t o get accurate iofbrmatio~~
of'tlie fbn~ilylife,
habits and character of thc colored peol~lc. Tlwse colored iiivestig:~tors caniiot be cliargetl w i t h ~)ryiuJiccbi111ddesigns against the'iiiferc~sts
of the colored i~eople. For these rc!i~so~is,thcbir work is thor~glitto Iw
more tharr usually accur:ltc i111drelialhlc.
1 1 col~
Second--Over-crowdil~g in t e w n ~ e n t sand houses occ~~pied
ored people does not exist to any great extent, and is less thir~i was
supposed.
Third-In
comparison wit11 white woolen, an excess of colored
women support their families entirely, or contril)ute to the family support, by occupations whicl~take then1 much of their time from home,
to the neglect of their cliildren.
Fourth-Environnient and the sanitary conditio~iof houses are not
chiefly responsible for the escewive nwrtality among colored people.
Fifth-Ignorance and disregard of the laws of health are responsible for a large proportion of this excessive niortality.
*Not ill appendix, h u t in Mny H u l k t i n of Ikpnrtrnent of Labor.-En.
YTIlDY OF NE(;FLO CITY LIFE.
SOCIAL AND PHYSICAL PROGRESS:
A COMPARA'l'lVE ANALYSIS O F T H E REPORTS O F T H E BOARDS O F
H E A L T H O F ATLANTA, BALTIMORE, CHARI,ES'rON,
MEMPHIS 9 N D RICHMOND.
The study or" vital statistics i8 oue of the most iniportant subjects that
can ellgage the attention. The death-rate, taken in connection with the
birt.h-rate, determines the natural increase or decrease of population,
the growth or decline of a people, and the strength of nations. Dr.
William Farr, late Registrar-General of Births, Dkaths and Marriages
in England, states the whole matter in the following language : "There
is a relation betwixt death, health, and energy of body and mind.
There is a relation betwixt death, birth and marriage. There is a relation betwixt death and national primacy; numbers turn the tide
in the struggle of population, and the most, ~riortaldie out. There is
a relation betwixt the forms of death and nloral excellence or infamy."
I t has been known for a uumber of years to health officers arid
studeuts of vital statistics that the death-rate of the colored people
- was larger than that of the white people ; that the colored peopie were
dying in larger numbers in proportion to the colored popdation than
the white people were in proportion to the white population. Of late
years these facts have become known to most intelligent persons, and
great interest attaches to the degree of the excess of the colored deathrate, and to the causes of it.
This payer will deal with the vital statistics of the cities of Atlanbl,
Ga., Baltimore, Md., Charleston, S. C., Memphis, Tenn., and Richmond,
Va. Each of thew cities contains a large colored population, surrounded by social, economic and moral conditions ~ u c has exist in
other cities where colored people are congregated in considerable numbers, if Philadelphia is excepted. The cities selected are, therefore,
thoroughly representative for the purpose in hand, and the conditio~ls
MORTAI.IT\-
11
A M O h G NEGROES IN CITIES.
found to prevail in them inay be Fairly presumed to prevail in the
other cities having a large population of colored people.
T h e average annual death-rate per 1,000 of the living populatiou
in these fi\,e cities for t b t ~fifteen years from 1881 to 1895 was 20.74
for the whites and 36.13 for the colored, showing a percentage of excess fbr the colored of 73.8.
T h e average annual death-rate per 1,000 by race for each of the five
cities uoder consideration for the past fburteeu or fiftetw years is as
follows :
Whitc.
Colored.
...........
Per cent excen..
of colored.
Atlanta (1882-95) .......................................18.50
34.71 ............87.6
20.69 ............32.71 ............58.1
Baltimore (1880-94) ...................................
Charleston (1881-94) ................................23.19 ............44.08 ............90
20.58 ............31.15 ............51.3
Mernphis (1882-96) ..................................
Richmond (18H 1-95) ..................................20.7; ............38.02 ............83.4
An inspectioo of the table just given rlwws that the higlicst deathrate among- the colorcd is i l l Cllarlcsto~i(which is also true as to the
whites), a i d that thc Ic)uwt c1catl1-1xt(~anlong tlie colored is in men^
phis, the lowest anlong tlie whites k i l l g i l l Atlanta. Con~paringthe
white and colored death-ratcs, it is to br see11 that the greatest excess
of colored over white is iu Charleston, w11er~:it reaches 90 per cent:
the excess in Atlauta I)ciug 87.6 per cent, and that in Richmond 83.4
per cent. T h e least excess is found i l l Memphis, which is 61.3 per
cent, Raltiniore having 58.1 per cent. Tliesc~figures scem to justif:\the conclusion that 111e worst pliysic~al c:orditious anloug tlir colored
~~,
a l ~ t lllic:l~luo~~tl,
and thc
pcople are to be fi)uud i l l C l ~ n r l c s t o Atl:!uta
bcst in Memphis : ~ n dI h l t i n ~ o r c .
Having found the average tlcatll-ratcs of' t l ~ ct ~ rwcs
l
in these five
citit:s fi)r the past foortecu or fifteen years, ;tl~d11:ivingcc.,niparcd then1
with each other, and draw11 a couclusiou as to the relativc pl~ysicalconditions of t l ~ ecolored -~ ) -o p u l a t i o ~in~ sthe cities 11uder cousidcration, it
will c o n d ~ ~ ctoe a I)ettcr u n d e r s t a ~ ~ d iand
~ ~ ga frillcr knowlcdgcnf thew
condition5 to dividc the f o ~ ~ r t c eor
n tifttw~years which this il~vrstigation covers into thrcc periods nh n t w l y equal as possible. By pursuing this method web sllall bc :~l)lc,i l l :L Iiwasure, to decide whether tl~t.
pliysical conditiou of t l ~ ecolorcd ih Iwttcr or worse i l l 1894 or 1895
than in 1880 or 1881.
12
BTUDY OF S E G R O (:ITY J.IFE.
i
Col- Per cent
ored. excaw of
c
I 1 I
White.
Cul-
ored.
Per cadt
excess of
colored.
r 7
l h e t:tbular siatemeot caontains, i t ) ndtlitio~l to the average a11uua1
death-mte, the percentage of the 'excess of the colored death-rate.
Lest these percentages of excess mislead somebody, it is necessary to
explain tlint, in comparing the three pcriods, they merely show whether
or not tlie colored death-rate has deereased as rapidly as the white
tleatli-rate, and not tlie actual increase or tlecrcase of the colored deathrate. T o illustrate: Comparing the sewud and third periods in Richmond, it is to be seen that the percentage of excess for the second
period is 81.7 per cent, aud for the tl~irtlperiod 89.5 per cent. Without looking at tlie iiintter carefully thc: conclr~sio~i
is lilrely to be drawn
that the colored death-rate is greater for tlic third period than for the
second, when, as a matter o f fact, it is less, the rates being 88.85" for
the secontl, and 34.91 for the third.
-411 inspection of the above table 4iows that there has been a con>taut decrcnse in the colored clcatli-rate fi-or)i period to period in Atlanta, Mempliis and Richmond.
1 1 1 Atlanta the colored death-rate for the first period is 37.96, tbr the
second 33.41, and for the tliird 32.76 ; i l l hieniphis, 43.01 for the first
period, 29.35 for the second, and 21.11 for the third; and in Richm ~ ~ n 40.34
d,
for the first period, 38.83 for the second, and 34.91 fbr
the third. Wliile Baltin~orea d Charlcbton do not show the constant
decrease froni period to period noted in t l ~ cother cities, they do show
:I lower deatb-rate for the third period than for the first; the tlcath-rates
"NOT-E.-The dearh-rate is gellcrally expr~:r;sed i l l terms uf one tliousnntl. 'The
"rate of 38.83" I I I C ~ I I Sthat there were
~lredtt~s
d e ~ ~ t per
h s thonsand of population.
itre omitted.- l h .
p lrrase
thirty-eight and eighty-three une- I ~ u n For l~revity,tlrc wortls "per t h o ~ ~ s ~ r n d "
MORTALITY AMONG NEGROF? IN (!ITIELi.
1.3
in Baltimore being 36.15 for the first period, 30.52 for the second, and
31.47 for the third ; and those in Charleston, 44.08 for the first period,
46.74 for the second, and 41.43 for the third. Memphis shows the
greatest improvement, the average deakh-rate at the end of the third
period being 50.9 per cent lower than at the end of the first, aiid
Charleston shows the least improvement, 6 per cent. I n Atlanta the
improvement is 13.9 per cent, in Richmond, 13.4 per cent, and in
Baltimore, 12.9 per cent.
Of the five cities with which this paper deals, but two have a registration of births-Baltimore and Charleston.* Richniond had such n
registration, but it was discontinued some years ago. The registrations of Baltimore and Charleston are admittedly iiico~nplete. No
view of the vital. statistics of a commuiiity is complete without a
knowledge of its birth-rate. The birth-rate is closely related to the
death-rate. The natural iiicrense of' population depends upc)ii the. excess of the birth-rate over the death-rate. I t would be highly interesting to know what the birth-rate of the colored population iu the
five cities under consideratiou is. Is it as great as the death-rate ? Is
it greater than the death-late ? These questions cannot be aiiswered
satisfactorily because the health reports do iiot supply the infort~lation.
The United States Census of 1890 gives the colored birth-rate of' the
United States as 29.07 per thousand, but owing to the iuco~npleteness
of the records of births by the ni~iiiicipaland state authorities, these
figures are uot reliable, and are probably much too sniall. Four European countries hare birth-rates which exceed the colored death-1.ate
in the cities that we have under consideratiou. I u view of the wellknown fecundity of the Negro race, it i~ h i r to infer that his birthrate is certainly as high as that of the Italian, the Gernian, the Austrian? or the Hungarian. I f this is do, then the death-rate in these
cities has not reached the point where population begins to decrease.
I t is well-nigh useless t? pursue this branch of the subject further,
because of the lack of data.
Haviug established the fact that the average colored death-rate for
the past fourteen or fifteen.yeara in the five cities is 73.8 per cent in
excess of the white death-rate in the same cities for the same period,
aiid having shown, by dividing these years into three equal periods and
"See for Baltimore table f, appendix B.-En.
comparing the rat,es of previorrs with srrcceedi~l~
periods, that the
colored death-rate shows an iniprovenietrt over fifteen years ago, it remains to set forth the causes of tlris excessive niortalitp.
T h e principal causes of the excessive mortality of the colored people are the sanie i l l all the cities ; therefore, it will serve olir purpcw
to know tlie average death-rate of the three cities, C:harleston, Memphis and Kichmond, eon~hined,for :i period of fifteen years, for ccrtail~
classes of diseases, and to give i t 1 full tl10 x m c facts cotlcerning Atlanta. T h e table wl~ieli follows shows for Charleston, Memphis and
Richmond, combined, the average death-rate pcr 10,000, by specified
causes, for a period of fifteen years, froni 1881 to 1895 :
White.
('nlnrc<l.
Pcr c:c!nt c!xot.sof colored.
F o ~ ~ u o n ~ p t and
i o n l ' r ~ o u n l o ~ ~................
i:~.
. 3 2 . 7 ( ; 7..........75.48 ............130.4
l'yphoid, Malsrial i ~ n dScarlet 1 " ~ ,
Uisrrhei, nl,ll D i , , l l t I I ~ , r i .........
~}
10.11............26.22 ............ 30
Cholera Infanturn, ( h n v u l - \
3ions n r l t l Still r n ..................l 4 . S i ............ :1!).42 ........... 165.1
Scrofula and Syphilis ............................ .XI ........... 4.72 ............ 482.7
,
I t i~ to be seen from the table above that for all cl:rsses of tliwase+
the colored death-rate excc!eds the white. '1'11~greatest excess is f o l l ~ ~ t l
under scrofula aiid syphilis, where it is 482.7 per c e l ~ tin excess of thcs
white death-rate. Tlw iicxt gre:~tcst excess is d w to infantile diseases,--ch~lera i r ~ f a n t ~ ~colivrilsior~~
tii,
and still-hortl,-the excess being
165.1 per cent. T h e third greatest exeess is due to pultnonary diseases, and is see11 to be 130.4 1)er cent. W e sechalso that tlrc least
disparity between thc white a ~ i dthe colort~lde:tth-mtc is foutrd utltler
the g r o ~ ~
of'p diseas(:s 111ostaff't.c:tcd by trllvirot~~nr.irt,
i n ( - l r ~ t l i tvl)l~oicl
n~
and malarial fevers :rn(l diptlitlrc.ria, \\,her(: the cxc:css is only YO pc21.
c:e~~t.As to sypliilis and scrotiila, it is to 1w ol)sc-rwtl tlrat t11c Iiunid ~ ~ r i t rfgi t t c e ~years
~
it1
ber of deaths is strl:lll. Thc wl~itodeat.l~-l.ntc~
Charleston, Mcmpl.~isa t d R i c h n i o ~ ~ dhas I ) ~ c : IItw
I
than orrc* 1)cv
10,000 of tlie populatiori, wliilv t l ~ c:olorctl
c
wi15sou~cwl~:rt
less th:ln fi vta.
T h e per cent of tlie c:xc:oss of' thv colored o\.er tllv wlrito is, however,
ntartliup, and furltishes n r r ~ c lti)otl
~ fi)r rcflcc:tio~i:IS to t l ~ v~r~or:rls
of' thc.
colol-etl people.
T h e two prir~cipal callsen of the exc:esnive nrortalitv of t l ~ ccolored
1)eoplc are pr~lmo~iary
diseases,-aons~~~irl)tiori :l11(1 I ) I I c L I ~ : )- I and
~~~,
-
MOI(TA1,ITY
15
NEGROES I S CITIES.
.4XION(;
infiant n~ortality.The cxcesrrive prevalence of cwnsumption and pneunmiia amvng colored people is brought out very plaiiily in the
foregoing table, where the excess in these cities is shown to be 130.4
per cent.
The followin:: table cout~aiuingthe total average annual number of
dcaths, and the average ai~ntlalnun~berof deaths of children under
five yeara uf age, with distinction of race, will serve to show the extent of thc infant niortali ty among colored people :
'l'c~talaverage a n u ~ ~ : rr l~ ~ ~ r n b c r .3 verage ; r ~ t n u : d n u ~ n b e rof deaths under
of dcathfi.
5 years of age.
White.
1WL-85 ...........470
1 h86-90.. ..........644
1X91-95 ............ 804
t
'*~lorvd,
i
t
.
Colored.
Per c e n ~o f
white.
Per cent of
colored.
....... 751............. 172 .........313 ............38.7 ...........41.6
........ 815.............224 .........348 ............34.7 ............41.1
......,.lo86 ............257 ........386 ...........31.9 ............35.5
MEMPHIS, TENN.
There is an enormons waste of' child-life among both races, not
only in the cities under consideration, but in all cities. But from the
data at hand the conclusion is justified that the mortality among colored children is not alarniirigly iu excess of the mortality among white
children, unless it be for childre11 under two years of age. The figtlrcs wl~ichwe havc presented on this subject show that the mortality
:mong children of buth races has decreased constantly since 1881 in
.itlanta, (:harleston and M e ~ n p h i ~ .
Of the diseahes which :Ire excessively prevalent among colored people, the most important, a d the one which should be the occasion of
thc greatest alarm, is consulnption. W e have seen already that conw~nptiolland pneumonia are among the causes of excessive mortality
of the coloretl people, thc excess per cent of Charleston, Mernphiv and
Richmond btiag 130.4.
The table following shows the rate1 per 10,000 of deaths from con*t~~iiption
i n all the citie* investigated :
Arl'LAX1'A. GA.
\+'bite.
Colored.
Per ct. e x c w nf rolnnd.
1882-HG .....................18.40...................50.20 ..................... 172.83
1886-!+O.....................ln.83
45.38 .....................143.65
1891-95 .....................16.82
43.48 .....................158.50
...................
....................
HAI,TIhlORE, MI).
1XM ..........................25.66 .....................68.66 .....................128.65
22.23 ....................66.42 ...................14!).:10
lHHi ........................
]#!)I .........................'10.00 .................... 46.32 .....................I3l.lil)
IH!YL.........................20.10 ....................49.41 ..................... 146.82
CHAR1,ESTON. S. C.
....................?;.:i'L ....................72.20 .....................l 6 2 . X
IM-w. ....................20.05....................tin.on .....................2 3 . 5 5
In!lo-w-r ....................17.71 ....................57.66 ....................~ ' ~ 5 , : ) s
lH8l-HL
hllSMPHIS. 'I'lSNS.
18R'L->3 .....................i34.25.....................66.35 ..................... W.HO
188ti-!+O.....................24.2!+.....................50.30 ....................,107 0s
lH!)l-!kj ...................15.90 .....................%'.is...................13i.cjl
RICHMOND, V.4.
1HHl-S5 .....................25.57 .....................54.!+3....................114.6i2
1HMi-!Nl ..................?1.'1i ...................41 .63 ..................... !+6.72
1x9 I-!).; .................... lH.64 ...................:il . i 4..................... 87.33
I t i.c to bc wen that i l l all of the cities tlw tlcath-rate for co1iw111ptiol~i~ high R I ~ I ~ the
I I ~c.olored people, the lowest rate being :34.51 per.
l O , ( H N ) in Kicl~mond, aild the I~ighest,72.20, in Charleston. Tlic.
grcatest disparity between the white and tlir colored death-rate for
tlii* tcallae in a h in Charle~ton,where the excess per cent of' the wlored is as high as 239.5. The important fact must not be lent sight of
that the death-rate from this cause has conntantly decreased in all tht.
eitieb exc.el)t Cl~arleston,and ill Cl~:~rleston
the death-rate for the period Ir(l)(kH-l i* lower than for the period 1881-84. There is reanoll,
however, for great concern and i ~ n ~ i e as
t y to the exc.essive prevnle~we
of this disease among the colored petrplc. T;n\esh el~eckedand redared to a normal state, it may, in the cwrsc. of years, be a deciding
factor in the ultimate fate of the raw. T l ~ e\)revalence of tubtwular
a d stmfulo~thdiseases, consnmption, scrofula, yphilis and leprosy,
ha* caused the weaker races of the earth to s~rcccuml~
hefore the rising
tide of the Christinu civilixation. The Carit) of thc West Indies, tlw
11ob1ered illan of these shores, the natives of the Sandwicli Islands,
allcl the ahoriginee o f Australia and New Zealand have all disappeared
or beeu greatly reduced i n uumbers as the resdt of the ravages of
these diseases. I t should be an object of first in~portance,then, to gat
control of these diseases before they reach the point where control in
impossible.
I t will be of intrrest to kr~owson~ewhatin detail the physical conclitio~~
of the population in Atlanta for the fourteen years from 1882
to 1895, and the tables whicli fiillow set fort11 quite fully this fact.
I)EA'I1H-RA'I'I': PER 1,000, B'I'LANTA, GA.
Period.
1882-86
1886-90
(891-96
White.
Colorcd.
Per ct. excerul of
........., ..........18.21 .....................37.96................... 108.4
....................19.2*5....................33.41 ..................... 7:1.5
t!olorcd.
..................... 18.03.................... 32.76 ..................... 81.6
Lt is seen that t l ~ cdext'h-rate of the wlored populatio~~,thougl~
q e a t l y in excess c ) f that of the white, has constantly decreased, thc.
average death-rate per 1,000 for the first period being 37.96, for t.hc
iewnd 33.41, and for the third 32.76. Relatively, as compared with
thc whites, the death rate of the colored shows much improvement.
'I'hough the pc~*c:entagc~
of excess of colored fiw the third period is
vreater
tllan
that
fiw
thc
second, the pcrctmtage for both of these pe.?
riods shows a rnarlictl cloorc.a.;e from that of the first period.
The f o l l o ~ ~ i ntaI)I(>s
g
show for three periods, 1882 to 1885, 1886 to
1890, and 1891 to I W5, the awrngc? nnr~l~al
death-rate per 10,000, Atl:i.nta, Ga., \)\: slwcificd c::rlisos.
Pcrirnl.
White.
Colored.
Per et. e x c w of c n l o d .
1.882-85 ....................27-43,....................76.89 .................... 180.3
1886-90 ..................... :w. l a .....................72.14 ..................... 1 : : ~
1891-98 .....................28.4S. ...................i.i.'lii ....................165.9
CH0LklH.A INYAN'I'UM AN]) 81'1 I,I~-l:llll'HS.
Innti-!)O ....................26.78..................... 5(;.0!)....................109.4
1891-95 ..................... 24.!)!)................... ..83.8f;..................... 115.8
'I'YPROII), S(>I\KLF:'I' AXI) 3IA1~.4111AI, PIGVNRS. A N D 1)IPHI'HEHIA.
1882-8-5 .....................11.6q'. .................... ]'!).:)I ..................... 66.7
1886-90 ..................... 14.58.................... l i . 1 7 ..................... 17.7
1891-95 ....................10 i t ' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12.48
.
................... 16.4
I t is observed that i n all these gronps of causes the c:olorecl deathrate has decreased from period to period, except f'or consumption and
pneumonia, where the death-rate for the periocl 1891-95 is greater
h
less than for t,he periocl
than for the period 188690, t h o ~ ~ gslightly
1882-85.
The statistics prest:ntecl in thr various tables which thie paper contains, viewed candidly and dispassionately, shows res111tsfavorable to
the physical i~n.lwove~nent
of the colored race. I f the mortality rate
d
had remained stationary for a period of fifteen years, it w o ~ ~ lhave
bee11 a lasting evidence of the physical strength and endurance of the
race. But we have shown that the rate has decreased in that periocl,
and that, too, as is well known, in the face of hard, exacting and oppressive social and economic conditions. When all of t,he facts
in the colored man's case are taken into consideration, the wonder is,
not that the tleath-rate is as high as it is, but that it is not even higher.
The history of weak and iufrrior races shows that tlwy brgin to decrease in numbrr after one generation's contact with Anglo-Saxon
civilization. The native population of the Sandwich Islands a h ~ ~ n (Ired years ago was t!stimated to be 100,000. The lutert census taken
on the Islands shows the native population to be 35,000. We do not
witness this decay and decrease in numbers in t.he colored race anywhere in the Westt~rnHemifiphere.
In studying any phase of Negro lit? in tlir IJnitetl States, the fact
must be kept co~istantlyin view that the Negro has been subjected 10
degrading and blasting slavery f o r niorr t'han two cent~~ries.While
slavery did its victims a great wrong i n dvpriving them of the fruits
of their toil, it did them a greater wrong i n tlcnping then1 opportuuities for moral and mental improvc~~nrnt.'l'liosc who sit in judgment
upon the Negro and study his frailties a d s11ortc.omi11psmtmt not forget these previous conditions.
To recapitulate, it has been shown:
First-That
the cwlored death-rate c~xt:rt~tls
tile white, t11c rxress averaging for five cities, during a periocl of' titleen years, 73.8 y r cent.
Second--That the death-rate of the colc,rt:tl popc~lation i n five cities
is lower for the period 188&95 than fur the period 1881-85.
Third-That the principal causes of t,hc excwsivc! r~~ortalit.y
alnong
the colored people of five c*it.iesarc p~~lmonar?.
diseases and i~~filnt
mortality
.
Fourth-That
the least diuprity hetween the white aud colored
death-rates is tijr those tliseaws due to ~rnwholesomesanitaryconditions;
typhoid, malarial and scarlet fevers, diphtheria and diarrhea.
This last fact, that tlic cxcessive death-rate of the colored peopledoelt
clot arise from diseaws due to e~lvironnrent,is of' vast importance. I f
poor houses, ut~healt!. locitlitit.~,bad sewerage and defective plumbing
were responsihlt. fijr their high death-rate, there would be no hope of
reduciug the death-rate until either the colored people became wealthy,
or philauthropic perso11.s erected sanitary houses, or municipalities
made appropriations to renrovth these conditions. But since the excessive death-rate is nut due to tlre5e causes, there is reaeon for the belief
that it may be reduced without regard to the present economic conditious ot' the colored people.
or tilth?. 111 the s t r u g ~ l etiw recognition atid preferment he is a t a
great disadvantage ; h i t i n the struggle for l q e , apart from those im.
pediments for ml1ic.h he hi~nselt'is responsible, he lias almost, if not
altogelher, an t~lua1cllaiice with tlw whites.
i l l our larger
towns are bent
It is true that if the colored people
.
.
upon liviug near the center of the city, they cannot rent or buy property, except in the less desirable or itbandolied parts. But it is not
oecessity, it is only convenience that leads them to live over stables, in
dark, damp cellars, and on back alleys, in the midst of stench and putrefaction. They can, if they would, go to the suburbs, where they
can get better acc:otnmodarions for less looney. I have been in fami-.
lies i l l Nashville ranging front seven to ten, living on a hack alley,
with a rivulet of filth runuiog before the door 01' the one room in
which they bathed ant1 ate and slept and died. Two miles further out
all of Lhese families might Iiave aecrired for the same mmey shantien
of two and three rooms, with purer air and water, and had a garden
spot besides. Among the colored people, convenience to the heart of
the city oftell overrides considerations of health, and that the white
people oeer them hot-beds of disease for homes is uo excuse for their
taking them. Tt in better to live in the suburbs than to die in the city.
The Negro is induced, but not forced, to accept the bad accommodations of down-town life. Apart from this apparent exception in the
n~atterof rented houses, no raw discrin~inationaffects in the least the
Negro's physical condition ; and it is for this very reason that I am
hopeful of a change for the better in the vital statistics of our people.
If the large death-rate, the small birth-rate, the srlsceptibility to disease, and the low vitality of the race were due to causes outside of our
control, I could see nothing before us but the "blackness of darkness
fbrever." Rut because the colored people themselves are responsible
for this sad state of affairs, it is to be expected that time and education
will correct it.
The conclusiolls which 1 shall draw in this paper are based largely
upon my study ot' the problem in Nashville.
I u the first place, then, the excess ofcolored deaths over white is due
almost entirely to constitutional diseases aiid infant mortality. According to health statistics, the constitutional diseases which are maiuly responsible tiJr our large death-rate are pulmonary consumption, ncrofiila,
22
STUDY 01; S E G K O C I T Y I.lFE.
autl sypllilis, all of wllivh are alike in \wing tuberculous. A large
u u ~ n b e rof the colored convicts in our state's prison a t Nashville are
cousumptives or syphilitics. Out of 92 deaths in a certain territory
i n Nashville, 19 deaths, or over 20 per ceut, were due to consun~ption.
The other 7 3 deaths were due to 3.5 different causes. 111 the receut
Atlanta investigatiou, according to the mortality report of Canrlwidge,
Mass., co~ieun~ption
was the cause of 15 per cent of the deaths.
~ n w
1894
I x9.-,
White ............114 ............ 9 I .............. 82
Colored .........,177 ..............159 ...............218
A reduction ol' ~rr:irIy34 per ceut.
A n i r ~ c r e ~ of
s e over23 per ceut.
Alarniing as are the facts set fort11 i n the precediug table, they are
uot the whole truth. They would be occasion for serious concern if
the races were nunierically equal; but when we remember that the
colored people ot' Sashville are o d y three-fifths as numerous as the
whites, it is all the more startling. F o r the year 1896, when 8'2 white
deaths from ccmsu~uotiouoccurred in the city of s a d ~ \ . i l l ethere
,
ought
to have bee11o111y19 colored, whereas there really were 218, or uearly
four and one-half tinles as many :IS there ought to have heen. I t is
an occasion of serious alar~uw11e113 5 Iwr (tent of' tlic whole people are
responsible t'or 72 per ceut of tllc deatlls from c o ~ i s ~ ~ n r p t i o ~ r .
Deaths anlong colored p o p l e fro1111 ~ 1 l m o n a diseases
r~
seen) to tw
ou the illcrease throughout the South. Duriug the period 1 8 8 2 4 5 ,
the excess of colored deaths t i o n ~consu~nption for the city of Memphis was 90.80 per cent. F o r the pcriod 1891-95, the excess had
arise11 to o w r 137 per cent. F o r he period of' 1886-90, the excesuof
colored deaths tiom consunlptio; aud pneun~oniafor the city of Atlanta was 139 pel- ceut. F o r the period 1891-9.5, it had arisen to
nearly 166 ptr cent.*
Fro111 these Facts it would appear that p1111nonarycon sump ti or^ is
the "destroying allgel" among us, and yet I am told that before the
war this dread dieease was virtually uukno\vn among the $laves. Fortunately Cl~urlestou, S. C., kept eveu before the war the mortality statistics of the colored people, and, consequeutly, we are able to aucertain with rome accuracy how their death-rate from consulnption betbre
--
*See table d, spprndix R.-Ed
the war compare@with their death-rate atterwardb. What are the facts
in the case? From 1822 to 1848, the colored death-rate from consumption was a trifle less than the white. Since 1865 it has been
considerably greater, and is still increasing. According to F. L.
Hoffman, the white mortality from that cause has decreased siuce the
war 134 per hundred thousand. The colored mortality has increased
over 234 per hundred thowand.*
The question arises, How do we arcwont for this chauga? 1s it bey
cause the Negro is inhcreutly more snsceptihle to p u l m o ~ w ~diseases,
or is it because of his changed environment,-his different sovial conditions? I f his tendency to consumption is due to his inherent susceptibility, what was it that held it in check uutil after the war? I t
seems that this fact alone is sufflcient to fix the responsibility upon the
conditions which have arisen since emancipation. Mr. F. L. Hoffman
claims that the Negro's lul~gs weigh four onnces less than a white
man's, and that though his normal chest measrife is g~eater,his lung
capacity is less; and that here we have a cause for the Negro's tendency to consumption which no environment, however favorable, can
affect. Even if this be a fact, it is hard to see how it began to operate
as a cause of consumption only since the war.
Let us turn for the present to another cause of the excessive nrortality among us; namely, the increased prevalence of ~crofulaand
venereal diseases. For the period 1882-85, the colored death-rate in
Memphis from acrofda a d syphilis was 205.8 per cent in excess of that
amoilg the whites ; hut from 1891 down to the preoent time, the excbess
has been 298 per cent. For the period 1893-95, there were in the
city of Nashville 8 white deaths from scrofula and syphilis, :rnd 3.5
colored. I n proportion to the population, there ought to have been
only 5. Of course allowance inust be made for the fact that, 011 account of the scandal and disgrace, white physicians are reluctant to
report white deaths from these causes ; whereas such motive* rarely,
if ever, influence them in reporting colored deaths.
According to the May Bulletin of the Department of I,abor, out of
1,090 colored people canvassed this year in the city of Nashville, 18
';'See" R a w 'I'lxits ilud 'I'rndvncirs of
EII.
thr
. I I I I ~ ~ XC~I.O."
C H I I b? F. I.. HOH'IIIIIII.
24
STUDY O F N,EC+RO ( 5 1 LIFE.
~ ~
were suffering fronl scrofula and syphilis.* One whose attention has
not been culled to the matter has no conception of the prevalence of
these diseases among the Negroes of Pu'ashville. I have looked for it
in both races as I have wallred the streets of my city, and to come
across the loathsome disease in the colored passers-by is not an uncommon occurrence. This state of affairs can he accounted for when I
tell you that there ia probably 110 city in this country where prostitution anlong colored people is more rampant and brazen, and where
abandoned colored women are more nilnierous or more public in their
shameful traffic.
I n the families canvassed by me this year, among 50 s~lff'erersf'rorri
rheumatism, 8 were so badly crippled as to be hd-riddeli invalids.
Whcii we consider the fact that some forms of rheurriatisni are syphilitic in their origin, and that in theke sarue families there were 18
fiuffering from scrofula and syphilis, it woultl appear that venereal
pisoning was responsible for a co~isiderableshare of' the rheumatism.
There is one obstacle to the race's reproducing itself that has some
connection with venereal diseases, and hcucw I speak of it now. I
refer to the enormou~amount of' still births a d inf'ant mortality, prevalent everywht~reanlong colored people. For the period o f 1893-95,
the still and the piemature births in the city of' Nashville w-ere 272
for the white, and 385 for the colored; or, in proportion to the population, 2Q times as many as there onght to have been. This relative
state of affairs obtains in Memphis arid Atlnuta, and i n all the large
4 t i e ~of the South. From the health reports of a11 our large Southern
cities we learn that a considerable amount of' our infant mortality is
due to inanition, infautile debility, and infantile niwrasmus. Now what
is the case in regard to these diseases? Tlie fact is that the!- are not
diseases at all, but merely the nariirs of symptorns due to erlfecbled
constitutions and congenital diseases, i ~ ~ l ~ e r i tfi.0111
e t l parcuts suffering
from the effects of sexual immorality arid deba11ohcr.v. 'l'ra~~slated
into common speech, they are nothiug niorc than infant starvation,
infhnt
and iufant wasting away, the cauw of which is that
the infants' parents before them have not
tiieni a fighting cliance
for life. According to Iioffnlnn, over 50 per cent of the Negro chil@
See table 8. appendix: A , - - En
MORTALITY AMONG NEG~ROWBI N CITIW.
2.5
dren born in Richmond, Va., die before they are one year old.
The number of still and premature births among us ie a matter ot
great alarm, not only because it seriously interferes with the numerical
increase of the race, but because it involves the fecundity, the health,
and even the moral character of large numbers of our women. The
support of the family often fall6 very heavily upon our poor washerwo!nen ; and since they find it hard to get the husks to feed and the
rags to clothe their already large number of little folks, living in one
room like stock, rather than to add to their burden, they rewort to
crime. An official on the Nashville Board of Health, who is also
proprietorof a drug store, tells me that he is astonished at the number
of colored women who apply at his store for drugs with a criminal
purpose in view.
The 16 Atlanta groups 111 the recent iuvestigation showed that the
female heads of famili6sare considerably in excess of the male, and out of
324 families 31 were wholly supported by the mother, aud 205 were
supported by the mother altogether or in part.* I n such social conditions as these, where the burden of bread-winning is horne largely,
aud often altogether, by the mother of the household, it ia not surprieing that poor, laboring women who are ignorant of its ruinc,ns effeck
upon both health and charwter, should resort to prenatal infanticide.
The average family fbr the eighteen cities covered by our recent investigation numbers only 4.1, which means tbat in these eighteen cities
the race is doing barely more than reproducing itself.? The large
colored families of a few decades ago are becoming more and more
scarce. I know a grandmother who was the proud mother of' over a
dozen children ; the daughter c o d d boast of nine ; and not one of sevthough married for u number of years, is the
eral
motber of more than one child. This family is but an illustration of
many othersjust like it. Such facts go to sbow that the Negm is no
longer the " prolific animal" that he once was termed. The race, like
the women of whom Paul once wrote to Timothy, must tw " saved
through child-bearing."
I take it th'at the excess of infant nlortality from cholera infantum
and convulsionv means notl~ingmore than that the Negro n~othersdo
* See table 7 ,
t See
nppendix A.-Ed.
table 3. appendix A,-Ed.
26
STUDY OF RM:RO
CITY I,IFE.
not know so well how to feed antl care for their offspring. They need
instruction in infant diehetics and bahy culti~re.
I have ~ o covered
w
the ground to which our exceesive death rate ie
mainly due : namely, pulmonary diseases, especially consumption and
pneumonia, scrofula, venereal diseases, and infant n~ortality. I f we
eliminate these diseases, our escessive death rate will be a thing of the
past.
Let us now inquire, What is there in the Pu'egro's social condition
that i g responbible for the prevalence of these diseases, and the consequent mortality ? I n the first place then, be it known by all men that
we to-day in this conference assembled are not the enemies of our
people because we t ~ l them
l
the truth. We shall know the truth, and
the trrlth shall make us free not only from the bondage of sin, but from
vicious social conditions and consequent phyrical death.
Sanitary
regulation^ antl the social reconstruction of Israel formed a large part of
Moses' religious duty, and why may it not of oiirs?
While I do not depreciate sanitary regulations, and a knowledge of
hygienic laws, I am convinced that the ~ i n equa non of'a change for the
better in the Negro's physical condition is a higher social morality. I
(lo not believe that his poverty or his relation to the white people presents nny real impediment to his health and physical development.
Without going into the reafions for it, it is well known that the poor
laboring classes often enjoy better health, are freer from disease, have
larger families, and live longer lives than the rich.
I am convinced that for the causes ot'the black man's low vitality, his
si~sc~ptihility
to disease, and his enormolls death-rate we must look to
those s o c i ~ couditionb:
l
which he creates for himself. What are they ?
I have already referred to the sooial causes of our excessive infant
mortality, namely, the frequency with which the partial or the entire
maiotenance of the hoiiseholtl devolves 11p011the mother ; and especially
the i~~ipaired
chance for life which a debauched and immoral parentage bequeaths to childhood. The infants in their graves will rise up
in jridgrntwt a p i n s t this cvil and a d ~ l l t e r o ~generation
~n
and coudemn
it.
The constitntio~~al
diseascc which arc rcsponaible fbr our unr~sunl
mortality are often traceable to enfeebled constitutio~is broken down
by sexiial inlmoralities. This is fre?~ientlythe wurce of even polmo-
nary consumption, which disease is to-day the black man's scourge.
According to Hoffman, over 25 per cent of the Negro cl~iltlrenboru
in Washington City are admittedly illegitimate. According to a
writer quoted in " Black America," " I n one county of Mississippi there
were during 12 nionths 300 marriage licenses taken out in the county
clerk's office for white people. According to the proportion of popw
lation t l ~ c r eshould haye been i n the same time 1,200 or more for
Negroes. There were a c t l d l y taken out I,y colored people just three."
James Anthony Froudv aswrts that 70 per cent of the Negroes i n the
West Indies are born i l l illegitimac.y. Mr. Smcctor~cluin~sthat " iu
,pite of the increase of' education, tl~ere.hasbeen IN) decrease of this
social ca~icer." M y attrntion ha3 tweu called to a resort i n Nasl~ville
within less t h a l ~two I)locks ot' the puljlic sqllart! where a large number
of abandoned womm.and profligate me11 often congregate in the underground'baueri~ent,which is lighted and ventilated o ~ i l ythrough the
pavement grating; and there in dcl):u~cl~ery
and carousal they make
the night hideous until alrriost rnornir~g. What are the! sowit~gbut
disease, and what can they reap but tleatl~?
I t is true that much ot' the moral laxity which exivts aliiolrg ue today aroRe ollt of slavery. r t is due to asystern which whipped women,
which dispen~edwith the institution of' n~arriapr,which separated
wivek from their l~usbandsand assigned tht:rn to o t l ~ e rmen, which
ruthlessly t1estroyc.d tkmalc virtue, ar~tl which ~r~adt!
helpless worntin
the a&ct ttmls ot' their n~astvrr;. T h i s is tht: correct chxplanation of
our social status to-day, but to rxplai~rit i h 11ot to excuse it. I t is 110
longer our rnisfi)rtu~~e
as it was 1)et'ore thc war: it is our siu, the wages
of which is our excessive n r m b r r ot'tieatl~.c. Always and everywhere,
moral leprosy means physical (Itbath. W lwrever the colored people
are guilty of the irn~noralitirsot' which .J:~mesAnthony Froude and
W. I,. Clowes of t l ~ vI,olldol~ 2'imw ac(wstbtheni, if they continue in
them they will be destroyed by then1 root and branch. Rome wm
destroyed because the empire had no mothers, and Babylon was blotted
out becaiise she was the " mother of' I~arlots."
A few years ago 3 said in a sermon at Fisk Univer~itythat wherever
the Anglo-Saxon conies into contact with an inferior race, the inferior
race invariably goes to the wall. I called attention to the thct thet in
spite of humanitarian and yhilantl~ropic:t*fforts, the printing pe.ss, the
stea111e ~ i g i wailid the electric motor in the hands of the Anglo-Saxon
were externiinating the inferior races more rapidly and more surely
than shot, a i d shell, and bayonet. I mentioned a numher of races
that have perished 11ot because of destructive wars uiid pestileuce, but
because they were unable to live in the environment of a nineteenth
crntllry civilization ; races whose destructiou was not due to a persecution that came to then1 from without, but to a lack of moral stamina
within ; races that perished in spite of the humanitarian and philanthropic erorts that were put forth to save them.
To that utterance let me now add this thought: that where shot,rrnd
shell, a d bayonet, a d the printing press and the steam engine, and
the electric motor have slaiu their thousands ; liceutious men, unchaste
women, and impure homes have slain their tens of thousands: and I
speak the words of s o b e r n e ~aud truth when I say that if thecharges
of sexual immoralities brought against us are true, unless there be
wrought a social revolution amoug us, the handwriting of our destructiou even now tilay he seen on the wall.
The history of natioi~s
teaches us that neither war, nor famine, nor peptilence exterminates
them so cun~pletelyand rapidly us do sexual vices.
I f the cause of our excetisive death-rate be, in its ultimate autzlysis,
moral rather than ~auitary,theu this fact ought to appear not only in
our vital, b ~ iu~our
t crimi~ialstatistics as well. Prof. Starr, of Chicago
Univewity, claims that i n the State of Pean~ylvania,where there is
little opportunity to assert that the courts are prejudiced against colored criminals, though the Negroes form only 2 per ceiit ot the population, yet they furnish 16 per cent of the male prisoners, aud 34 per
cent of the female. The race has fiuch great privileges in Chicago and
it is dealt with so birly and justly that the colored people themselves
have denominated it the " PJegroes' Heaven ;" and yet, accortling k,
Prof. Strrrr, while the Negroes form ouly 1 i p r cent of the population of
Chicago, they furnish 10 percent of the arrests. I am convinced $hat
the immorality which accounts for these crin~inalcoodition~i~ also responnible for the race'# physical ~ t a t ;
u a~ d if we are to strike at the
root of the matter, it will lot be at sanitary rcgulatioas, but at rjocia1
recon~tructionand moral regeneratiou.
Note: We regret being unable
to print the whole ofprof. Harris' valuable paper.-&&
PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONFERENCE.
MINUTES.
The second Atla~ttaUnivewity Conference on Problems of Negro City Life convened in the Ware Memorial Chapel on Tuesday, Hay 25, 1897, a t 8 P.M.
President Horace Bumstead, of Stlanta University, opened the conference as
presiding officer; after which it wan voted that George A. Towns ('94) and George F.
Smith. ('97) be made recording secretaries.
I letter was then read from His Excellency Qov. W. Y. Atkinson of Georgia, in
which he expressed regret for his inability to deliver the address of welcome. President Bumstead then delivered the opening address.
The general purpose of the meeting Tuesday night was to set forthclearly the facts
as to the ph3sical and sanitary condition of Negroes in cities, as brought out by the
investigation. In accordance with this purpose thrke carefully prepared papers were
presented : the first a " General Summary," by Butler R. Wilson, Esq., of Boston,
Mass. ; the wecond entitled "Social and Physical Progress : a Comparative Analysie
of the Reports of the Boards of Health of Atlanta, Baltimore, Charleston, Memphis,
and Richmond," by Mr. L. Y. Hershaw of Washington, D. C.; the third entitled
"The Phy4cal Coudition of the Race, whether Dependent upon Social Conditions or
Environment," by Prof. Eugene Harris of Fisk University.
Bi?hop L. H. Holsey, D.D., who was on the program and present, did not speak
because of the lateness of the hour and his physical indisposition.
Butler R. Wilson, Esq., then introduced certain resolutions, which were referred to
o committee on resolutions, consisting of Butler R. Wilson, Esq., of Bostou, Mqss.;
Prof. Eugene Harris of Nashville, Tenn.; Rev. Dr. W. G. Alexander of Atlanta;
Rev. J. E. Smith of Chattanooga, Tenn.; and Miss Lucy C. Laney of Augusta.
The mreting was then adjourned.
011 Wednesday afternoon at 3 o'clock there were two simultaneous meetings of the
conference. That for men was held in the Prayer Meeting Room, and had as its
subject: "Consnmption ; its Causes, and Means to Prevent it."
The presiding officer was Prof. Wm. H. Crogman ('76), of Clark University, who
ride suitahle introductory remarks. Papers were then read 6 6 follows : " Ventilation, Exercise and Physical Development," by H. R. Butler, M.D., of Atlanta;
" Care of the Teeth in its Relation to Health," by J. R. Porter, D.D.S., of Atlanta;
"Causes of Consumptiol~,and Prectical Methods of Preventing it," by A. J. Love, M.D.,
of Chattauooga, Tenn: ; "-4 Social Study dm-1,000 Atlanta Homes,". by Prof. l?. %.
Updyke of the Atlanta Baptist College, read iu his absence by Pres. George Sale 6f
that institution. A paper WM a l ~ oread by Dr. A. M. Brown of Birmingham, MU.,
in place of the one that should have bee11 read by Dr. R. F. Boyd of Nashville,
Tenn., who telegraphed regret a t hiu inability to attend on account of sickneee.
30
STUDY Oh' N E G R O C I T Y I.1PE.
This was followed by :III auim;rtcd geuernl diacusaion, participntt.d in bj Butler K
Wilson, Esq., Rev. J. E:. Smith, Mr. L. M. Hershaw, Rov. R. B.Proctor of Atlanta.
Dr. H. R. Butler, Rev, Dr. Mr.G . Alenar)der, Prof. W. B. Matthews of Atlanta, He\
Dr. W. J. White of Augusta, Prof. Huyeur Harris. Ktav. William Flagg of Atlant:~.
and Proc W. H. Crogman
A committee. of whit11 Prof. \Ir. B . C P O ~ I I IWILS
I I I I (.II:L~I.III~II,
wits 1~110se1t
to prepilrt.
resolutions to be: offered nt the evening 111e~ti11g.
The meetilly was then adjourncvl
r,
[ h e mcet.ir~gfor womru, Iwld : ~ t .the snlne Iio~~lq.
in \\'arc Meruorinl Ch:\pcl, Imd u,.
its peueral snbjcct: "111firut h l o r t ; ~ l i t ~its
: ( ' : I I I ~ V: SI I,I ~ M m n s to Check it." After
a preliminnrx e x p l : ~ n t ~ t . i oby~ ~ 1htlt.r t;. i\.ilsott. Eq.. :I *i~itahla. ir~tro-.
\VIIU prvsidc:d
ductor1 address was delivcrecl by JIi*s 1.11cy('. I.:rl~c:~.of .\yp~~st:t,
over the meeting. Papers wercbthe11 red :IS fcrllowr : " F r i e t ~ d l ~\'isiring." lry Mrs.
Minnie Wright Price of South Atlanta: " P;rrt.nts' .\sioc.intions." hy Mrs. 1)innlt
Watts Pace -of Covingtou : " Motl~ers' Rlc:etiup," 11.v Mrs. (icorgin Swifr Kiup of
Atlanta; "Need of D~ry Nurseries," bv Mrs. Selvt~aSluitt~ t h t l ~ rof .itlanta;
"Need of Kindergartens," by Mrs. liortt Morvhrt~dHas+ ot' .\tl:~nttt.
pnrticipntc:d
The read it^^ of these p:lpers wns followed by ,111 itt~itn:trtdtliscr~saior~,
in by Miss I ~ c C.
y 1,:rne)-, Mrs. Adellti I I l ~ n t1.ogn11. Mrr. Georgia Swift King, Mrs
David T. Howard of Atl:inta, Mrs. Tl~ox.N. Chns~. (rt .itlrtut,n. Mrs. Dr. h111rrnyof
Gammon Theologicnl S e ~ l ~ i n a rand
y , others.
A committee, of which Mrs. Dinah \Vlitts t'act! wits e11nirtt11111,
\vns nppoit~tedto
draft suitahle resolutions for p r c s e ~ ~ t n t i o:it.
r ~ the rrc.ui~~gmeeting : nfter whicl~thr
1
meeting adjourned.
d
Metuo~ialCl1alw1 at. S ciclock
The meeting Wednesday night c o ~ ~ v e ~ill~ e\\'are
s u d was previded over by President Nu~nst.eud. I ' n ~ y t was
~ ofvred IIJ- Rev. Ca1vi11
Lane of Marietta. A paper was then read hg Mr:. :\delln Hunt I A o y t ~oft ~' F ~ ~ s k e g w ,
Ah., on "Prenatal nnd Hereditary Il~Hucl~corl." 1lt:r.. Josc,pl~E.S m i t l ~h~llowed
with a paper on the " Carp of Neglecttd Cl~ildreu." 'l'he rt:solt~rion> prcpnred bJ
t h e comn~ittreappoittced at the ~nert'ss e c t i o ~t ~ ) t . r t i t ~
\ V (g
.I.I~
tllc,~~
prewr~tr(l[,J I'rof.
Wm. H. Croguian nnd adopted by t h : co~~ti!~w~c:c?.*'
Rev. H. H. Proctor then spbke up011 the, " Y w d of' t('rirndl> Visitiup,'' : I I I ~Misd
Lucy C. Laney upon the "Care of Childron und Mt:tlmds of I're\.entiug 1riti111tMortality." The resolutions prepnred by the co~ntnitteet ~ p p n i ~nc
~ tthe
~ d WOIIICII'S nection
meeting were then presented by Mrs. Diuiil~ W ~ t t hI ' a ~ c . and adcqit,rd IIY tl11, conference."
g nursery rrloverner~tin ChattuAt this point Rev. J. E. Smith spoke c o n c e r u i ~ ~the
nooga, Tenn, Prof. Wm. E. Holmeu, of the Atlanta Baptist College, spoke of the
work of the Sociological Club of Atlanta. Mr. 1.. M. Herxhaw reported c o ~ ~ c e r n i n g
the Graduate Club in Washington. D. C.
8bXX)PiD
31
A N N U A I , CONFERENCE.
Butler H. Wilwn, Esq., then rcatl thc followinp. letter from Mr. George Cf. Bradford,
ut' Roston, to President Rnmstcad :
" I t is with great reerat that I hereby tender my resignation as corresponding sec..
retary of the conference. I need not assure you that only urgent necessity compel^
mp to give up a work i n which I h a w taken so deep an interest."
The following rcwlntion was ~~nxnirnounly
adopted, upon the receipt of this letter:
" Wltereas, Yr. George G. Bradford, of Boston, a trt~stee
of the Atlanta University,
has heen untiring in hip etiortv to make permanent the movement to obtain exact
information concerning the social. physical and moral condition of the colored people living in cities;
" Rerolccd: That this conference hereby tender him the thanks of the colored p e e
ple for his s p l e l l i d work and innlxuct, the rrecretaries of the conference to send him
a copy of thew $psolution~."
I t was than wtled that, an-executive committee of five be appointed a t some future
tinw to ~ n ~ l iplan%
t,
for s xubsaq~~ent
inverrtigation, to decide the subjects to be inves-.
tigat,ed, t,o appoint k rccortler, and to name a correkponding secretary.
Butler R. Wilson. Esq., thvn read thc resolutions presented by the committee on
'I'uesday night. There was consideruble discu~nionas to the phraseology of the first
resolution, participatd in by Butler H.. Wilson, Esq., Rev. J. E. Smith, Prof. Eugene
Harris. Dr. A. J . IAve, Rev. Dr. W. J. White, Mr. 1,. M. Hernhaw, and Prof. T. N.
Chase. The resolutions as a whole were una~~irno~~sly~adopted.*
l f t e r remark8 by Mrs. Georgia Swift King concerning a partially successfnl a t t,t:mpt hg the W. C. 'T. U. to establish a day nursery in Atlanta, and further remarks
by Mrs. Dinah Wat.ts Pace, the conference adjourned.
GEORGE A. TOWNS, Recording
GEORGKI?. SMITH, Secretarie..
}
For these reimlutinnr ~
e page
r
&3.
RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED El' T H E CONFEHICNCE.
METHODS OF PREVEN'I'IWG CONY~iMP""I0N
Whereas, the chief modes of infection :we:
First-By iuhaling dry and pulverized exyectoratior~;
Second-By using spoons, cups, and other articles which Ilavt. uot
been properly cleaned after uning by tuberculooa patients;
Third-By kissing;
Fourth-From intermarriage of tuberculous individ~~als.
Therefore, Resolved:
First-That sputum must be destroyed a r d r~iustoot he allowed
to become dry, and that Ilandkerchief9. used by tuberculous person+
must be destroyed;
Second-That the floors and walls of rooms occupied by trherculous persons must he thoroughly disinfected before being used bp ot.her
p'gous;
Third-That cadpets, curtains and bedcliog must be ex posed to superheated steam under high pressure;
Fourth-That
all living rooms m u ~ tbe thoroughly aired duily,
kept thoroughly clean, and ventilated night and day.
MOTHERS' MEETINGS, DAY NURSEHJES, I*'AYII.Y SUPPORT
AND KINDERGARTENS.
Whereas, a racecannot rise higher than its womeu, and the home is
the great school for the molding of character, and mothers are the
moet important factor8 in these schools;
Therefore, Rseolved: That anew impetur be. given to tile establishing and holding of mothers' meetings wheuever and wherever practicable, for the instruction, development and uplifting of the mother-
hood of our race aloug practical, moral aud spiritual lines.
Whweas, a very large percentage of our women, being thrown upou
their own resources for a livelihood for themselves and families, are
compelled daily to leave, uncared for, their little ones ;
Therefore, Resol~ed: That individuals and organizations interest
the~llselvesin the immediate establishment, on a small scale at first,
of day nurseries for the care and culture of these dear little ones.
Whereas, investigation shows that a very large majority of our met
are upp ported by their wives, and since such a condition of affair8
must of necessity hinder wives and mothera from performing their
,
as the careful training.of families along moral and
higher d u t i e ~ such
spiritual lines, and since man io failing to care for his family proves
himself to be unfit to be called husband or &her ;
Therefbre, Resolved: That in order to arouse and educate such men
to a full appreciation of' their duties men's meetings he held whenever
and wherever p;acticable, and that our minikters of the Gospel preach
special serrllons along all practical lines ; that by these two agencies
the men of to-day may he aroused to a keener sense of their responsibility in this matter of family support.
Wherect~, the need of kindergarten work is clearly seen for the
ntarting of the little ones into proper channels of training, and since
work in this department has been of the greatest help to teachers who
lead the young minds from this into higher branches, and since the
child-life in the school-room should be of vital interest to parents;
Therefore, Resolved: That efforts be put forth for the establishment
and maintenance of such departments of educational work.
GENERAL RESOLUTIONS.
Resolved, That it appears from the result of the invec~tigation:First-That the excessive mortality among Negroes is not due
mainly to environment ;
Second-That the excessive mortality among Negroes is largely due
either to their ignorance or to their disregard of the laws of health
and morality ;
Third-That
the excessive mortality and the apparent increase of
immor:ility among the Negroes is chiefly due to nepiect ot' home aucl
family life, the chief cwlsc. of which is the extent to wllich the mothers
are obliged to go out to work ;
Fourth-That
t.he failure of the men to entirely support their families with their earnings has a most serious effwt ~ ~ p othe
i i social, phyeical and economic progresfi of the race;
Fifth-That finally, it appears that t,he Scvgro n~ustretbr~nhimself,
a ~ l dthat he is not dependent ~ p o ncharity or rniii~icipalregulatio~~s,
but has the means ill his own I~ands.
Resolved, 'rllst. the following ~.eco~nn~e~~datio~t.-:
;ire made:First-That the attention of members of the conference during the
corning year he concentrated on reforms i n the t;~nlily life of the
Negro;
Second-That greater care a.nd att,ention should be given to the
home training of childrer~,andalfio ofpou~igmen and young wonien,aud
that parents' associatious a ~ i dmothers' meeti~~gs
should he formed for
that purpose;
Third-That day nurseries sho111dbe provitled for the care of infants
and young children in the er~forcetlabsence of the parents;
Fourth-That. friendly visiting auiougthe poor should he moregenera1 and more systematic, aud that friendly visitors sliould hold weekly
under the direvtiorl of those who are inaking a
or monthly cnnfere~~ces
special study of social problems.
SECOND A N N l J A L CONFERENCE.
-
ADDRESSES, PAPERS, AND LETTERS,
ADDRESS O F PRESIDENT HUMSTEAD.
I t has beeti our hope, and for a time our expectatiou, that the address of welconie wituld be given to-uight by His Excellency, Governor Atkinson, but circumstances have prevented his attendance, and
we must content ourselves with the expression of his interest and good
wishes which he has so kindly conveyed in his letter of regret.
It seen!#, therefbre, to fall to me to speak t.he word of welcome, and
I & it with great heartinees. I welcome you to the idfieresting discussions which this conference has it1 store for us. I aongratulate
you, too, on the painetaking ilnd highly sticceasful work which you
have carried on since our meeting a year ago, and which will form the
basis of discussion at the present trieeting. The results of' your investigatious conducted last fall and winter, :IS embodied in the statistical
t,ables ot'the May Bulletin of the Departn~entof Laborbat Washington,
have in~pressedtric deeply. I am impressed with the enormous amount
ot' careful, pntient, discriniinatiug, and couscientious labor which those
tables reprrseat, arid I an1 itnpressetl anelv with the significance and
importance of statistical seicnce.
What i ~ the
; significance of the statistical work i r i which this coufereric&is now engaged :' Yon and I have sometimes seen u man who
attracted our attention because ot' his striking physical health. H i s
figure was erect and finely pwportionetl, his muwcles well developed,
his step eladtic, his eye clear, his coniplexiou of the kind that reveals
healthy blood coursing through every artery and vein. This man,
however, may once have bee11 a weak and sickly student in college.
How did this traosfbrmntioti take place? I t was the work of the
director of physical culture i t 1 that college. H e took the student in
hand, niadc careful measurements of the different partsofhis body, tested
the action of his muscles and of his lungs and heart and other vital
organs, found out where the weak points in his body were, and noted
accurately the degree of weakness or of iusuffjcieut development.
Then he presented certain exercises for the student to practice to secure a more vigorous or a more symmetrical development, a certaiu
diet to follow, l~os.sib1y certair~ nledicines or tonics to take. The
trausfortnation followed, a11t1its success all tlcpeatletl on the accuracy
with which the real contlition of that y o ~ ~ nst~~dcot's
g
physical orgaiiisni was ascertained by the director of' phyrical culture.
We are d e a l i ~ ~with
g
a niach larger a i d vastly nwrc important
organism than that of any iadividual-the
great social organism of'
which we all form a part, ail orgauisw of wo~itlerfiilcomplexity, with
a life peculiar to itself; and just as niucl~subject to thc laws of health
uud disease as tlie I~oclyof any individual call possibly be. I t is tlie
prime ol)jcct of all sociological iuvcstigat,iou to titid out the weak spota
i n the social orgaoisn~autl to seck to rei~ietly'tl~e~u.
This is the work
i l l which we are c ~ ~ g a g e idn, comlnon with all othw st~itlcntsof social
science. We arc uot, intlwd, uutlcrtuki~igto do the wholc of it, but
only a part. We have wisely c:lioscii fbr the prescmt to confi~leunrrjelvcs to ttnt constilueiit part of' the socinl orgauisnl wlrich is n~atle
up of a singlc rtcc or class of' pcoplc, ailtl to those nerve-centers of
n~oclernl i k which are found ill the dies a i d larger towns. Hut it is
uoiie the lew for the bellefit of the larger wlwle that we carry on this
more li~nitetlwork. ii11t1for thc*fi~rtlieranceof the great end before
as all--tire perfect Iie;~ltlrof the social organism, or the body politic,
as it in ~oiiletiinescalled, I am confitlcut that your investigations of
the past winter will prove a sul)stantial contribution.
Behre we pass to the discussion of the statist.ics to which I have
referred, it is pcrhaps important that 1 sl~ouldremincl you of thc two
things wliicl~constitute thc chicf valuc of' d l statistics. One is tlie
accuracy with which they arc gathcretl, a d tlw other is the ho~iesty
with which they are i~iterpretetl. 'Che gatlwing of statistics is not the
easy task which niany people sappose, or which, possibly, you supposed before you tried it. I t requires i ~ ~ t e l l i ~ c n discrimination,
ce,
tact, courtesy, patience and fidelity in no small degree, and yoilr work
t,
shows the possesnio~~
of tl~csequalities to a very gratifying c x t e ~ ~as
it seems to me. 13ut the correct rcatling and i~rtorpretationof statistics
is oftell times an almost equally delicate and difficult task. The teniptation is ftey~~ently
strong lo close our eyes to unpleasant co~~clusioi~s
or to attempt to explain them away. ( h i t l o r ant1 courage are necded
here ill the proper iuterpretation of our statistical work as i ~ ~ t e l l i ~ e n c e
ant1 accrlracy were needed iu their collection. Let the proceedings of
this con fcrence clen~onstratethat we are possessed of all these qualities.
The boy tnlies his large nore fivm l ~ i s g r a ~ ~ t l ~ ~the
~ o tml ~n cl lr ,1110utl1
li
fronr his niotl~er. This is 11at11rn1,
t'ror~his fither, rind :I q ~ ~ i ctc1111pcr
fbr ollildre~~
:~I\\-a).s
i1111erittlw c:l~or:~cteristicsof their i~r~cestors.l h t
where does Ire get r c ~ lIl:~ir:' So one i n tlw thmily l ~ n shair of that)
cwlor. -111tl11o\v is it t l ~ ttl ~ cyoung nlall seelns pro~~c!
to the sot:inl
4
His f i ~ t l ~ eIb:~s
r :il\v:~ys s c c ~ ~ ~ ulwigl~t,
vtl
i~ird his n ~ o t l ~ eisr rcgtrtled :IS n n~otlelof 1)urity. To I)r sure, t.he p x ~ d t h t l ~ esowecl
r
wild
oi~ts,nntl it is cl~argctlt h t :i g~.c:~t-gre:~t-gr:i~~d~r~otl~el'
\vns 1)or11out
of' wotllocli, h ~ r tt11:it \\,:IS gtwxations :)go : i d this young ~niinl ~ n snever
11twd tl~osct h i l y s(!:111(1:1ls
of' :L 111111dre(l
years p s t .
I t is well, if l ~ i sr i ~ r s11:1v(: 11evrr l i s t e d to s11c11111111i1l)py
st'ories.
His pareuts were \vise i n \\~ithl~oltling
tl~cmti.onll~isknowledge. Alas !
while tlwy could t>:~silyl i ~ ~ 1the
1 ) thn~ilyskt!leto~ri l l t . 1 rlosetantl
~
spare
of s r ~ c lugly
~
tales tl~cvcoultl not so easily
their so11 the I~unrili:~tio~~
~ n ~ r i tand
j - ol~angethe 1)loocl that co~~rsccl
ill their veins; heuce we see
the son, i n slite of t i w 1)rcccpt :incl csamplc, ou the'clownward grade
in his social teucle~~cies.
I
uot very strong. His mother
Again, they say this J W I I I I ~ ~ I I is
fears he is going into con~u~liption.The father says: "Have no fears
along that line, my (Ic;~r,h r there is no consunll)tioo in my family nor
iu yours. So d n ~ ~ g eot'
r that, although son~cllowour son is rather
frail ! "
That red hair is hard to accoui~tfor, but, no doubt, this heat1 is an esact reprodoctio~~
of o w in the sarlle finlily generatious ago. I t may b(.
having heard ot'
so car 1)t~li,i~ideed,that 110 liviug persou rer~~emlwrs
the peculiarity. 111 the same silent way iufluenceu whiol~uffct.t tile
111ora1sant1 the I~ealthof the boy have been I~ancleddown.
How rarely in the every clay ortleriug of our lives do we give ally
attention to that silent, bnt powerfril, thing know~l as Ilereclity!
-4lthougl1 its power cannot be contined in time to the earthly life of
nlau, nor in social contact to any one race, a8 long as we are not re~~linclecl
in some very forcible or unplensa~~t
way of its effects, we
ht
scarcely think of' its operatious. At any rate, the t l l o ~ ~ g expended
upon it rarely ripens into such nctiou a s will regulate its influence.
I n respect to time the force of heredity cannot be checked hy a
generation. W e are to-day reaping what was sown, not by our fathers
alone, but hy their fathers : I U ~ grandfathers. '( Iintcr the third and
fourth g e ~ ~ e r a t i oof
u them " was tlw decreca thurderctl from Mt. Sinai
11y the voice of A l m i g l ~ t yGotl.
~ c herodit?
es
u ~ ~ tthe
il
There can he IIO suspending of' tlw i u f l ~ ~ e ~of
humall soul has had sutficient d e v e l o p m e ~ ~tot appreciate. rcsporlsibilities ; u~rtil it wills to be shaped by this or by that iuflue~we. No,
there is no choice! Before the body is ready to begin life as a separate
being, as a new personality, it is molded and cast by the combined
traits of the father and t h e mother from whom this new creature u ~ u s t
draw its i u d i v i d d existence. B u d the i n t e l l w t ~ ~ n; ll i d ethical cast
will follow ah closely the lafw, L i k e begets lilic," a* will tlre pl~ysic.nl.
We d o not expect to fiud t l ~ echildre11 of whitc prciutagc~having I)lack
faces o r kinky hair, nor the childre11 of bl:~clc nnce+try 11avi11g
- fh~r
brows, blue eyes, aud flaxen locks. I t woultl 1~ j.ust as ~ ~ u r e ; ~ a o ~ i ; r t ~
to expect the i n t e l l e c t ~ ~ and
a l the ethical char:~(~teristics
of' v l ~ i l d r e l to
~
be radically unlike those of their a ~ ~ c e s t o rass i t \rot~ltlbt. to t t x p ~ c t
their lhysical features to be radic:ally'differe~~t.
'Tis true that the progeny of some vcry good partbuts a r r very had
spwinlens of' humanity, but suc11 cases 111i1stbe like our boy's red Iiair
which fell to him despite t h e fact that no othttr S I I ~ ~ I head
I
l ~ a dever bt~e11
wen iu that family. I n 1 ~ ) t l lcases the results cqanle t l ~ r o ~ ~blood.
gli
Both the red hair a n d the wcak o r vic:ioiis clr:irac.tcr werv t r a n w ~ i t t e d .
Probahly through a l o ~ ~stream
g
of blood, b ~ wch
~ t n ~ w lt r ~ ~ othat,
w
neitlrt~rcanie a s a . n ~ a t t e of
r chal~ce. T h e one was just as 1nuc.11 a legacy as the other.
Placing an inheritance is oftcn difficult for tlw rcaamlr that it may
be the result of' c o n ~ p l e xcauscnsand c o n ~ l ) i ~ ~hrc-ch.
ed
Possibly I I oue
~
in the prrceding gencratious had red hair, I ~ u tther(*
milst have bcer~s u f f i c i e ~ i~l lt t11caygrt3gateof that I i i ~ ~odf ' p i g r n e ~ ~tot
produce one s u c l ~head ill tl1t1 f:mily. This s m l e prir~ciylcof' trarrsmissiou applies to the health, tht. h r a i l ~: I I I ~tht) n ~ o r a l sof'the (1e~ce11dants. T h e exact ailnieut of 1)od:- o r ii~aladyof' ruind may rot he
traceahlr to any vile +ourccl, but it has \we11 I l ; ~ ~ ~ dt1owr1.
t'(l
((
J ~ g a c i e sof ~noneyseem to fall in most cases to those who are already
thytunate. This may be on the theory that " To him that hath shall
be given." Xot so with the more enduring legacies of body and soul.
Whether we will or no they come, and, like the dreaded bacteria, fix
themselves in the most fertile soil. Where there is one weakness of
body or mind another is the more apt to locate ; hence, instead of
having a general distribution of evil, it falls much more heavily in
some places than in others.
To no one source more than the conditions attendant upon pregnant
women can the cau.se of physical or moral evil be traced. The unborn
child dmivs its physical and in large measure its intellectual and
ethical make-up from its father and its mother. Not from the mother
alone, as many soppose, I ~ l from
t
both.
Both parents contribute to the possibilities for health, good or I d ,
and furnish the germs for character creation and development jrwt as
certainly as they together originate the physical life.
Thesc are solerr~u trr~ths! y e t how few pecyle underatand or regard thcm ! The awfr~l ~ncredr~ess
of procreation has never yet
daw~ietlupon ally oo~isiderableproportion of mankind.
Sadly cnor~gh,the gratification of pamion is too often the only
thought, while the result is given littk or 110 consideratiou. Too
many children conie into life as mere accidents. The father is irritated at the thought of all additional one to work for. He feels his
prescnt family to be quite as much as he can decently support. His
moroseness is commuuicated to the already
regretful
mother, who rea.
sons that she is not strong euough, that childre11 worry her so she c a w
not do justice to those she already has, that her time and strength are
too much divided, as she in many cases i~ also a bread-winaer. Sad
plight, we see, for there is reason in the objections offered. Rut prudential considerations come too late to be availing. Just think how
the innocent offspring muat reap the evil effects of theqe unholy feelings and expressions, and all the syn~pathythat you might have felt
for the parents turns iuto disgust, and you exclaim : " I n Heaven's
name, call your will to the rescue andsay, 'God helpiog me, I will not
thus prej~idicethe cause of' my own child !' "
Few women seem to appreciate the f'avt that the sensitive embryo
receives the impressions made upon the mind of the mother. Very
strange thoughtlessness, as the most ignorant 1:elieve i n birthmarks
40
STUDY O F NEGRO CITY T,IFE.
and everything that affects the body. H o w i- it that they do not
realize that a mind also is heing created '.'
All parents love their children and most love them to the ver!. heat
of their understandiug. Recarise of this love, which we believe to be
the strongest knowil to the human breast. most parents are williug to
be taught what is best for their ofipring.
I n making effort to give liplift to the vitality of the Xegro race the
best work needs to be put into the enlightenment of present and prospective parenthood. Pu'ot necessarily into general and extended
learning,-that is more or less impracticable,-but the claims of' prenatal
and hereditary influences need to be brought to the direct and iiitelligent consideration of all classes.
I n the women's meeting\ and in the men's meetings equally there
~ h o u l dbe set forth in a plain way the important teachings of science
on this important suhject. This instruction may be set forth in such
language as the occasion demands and the instructor chooses to employ,
hut, above all, let it be distinctly understood that the development of
germ life depends upon the original germ and equally upon the ( ~ 1 ture and treatment ofthat germ:-in short, teach that the prenatal development of a child depends largely upon whntrcer affects the mother.
I f the pregiant woman is constantly wishing that her unborn child
were dead or that the man who has given her this burden,-as she has
learned in her chagrin to regard the child,--were dead ; who can wonder that out of such murderous thought there should come in very
truth a murderer !
Should the material wants of the mother be denied her to such an
extent that she feels the necessity and yields to the temptation of snpthem by theft o r by prostitution who shall think it strange that
her child should be a thief or prostitute :? I f the father is a drunkard
the son is apt to be a drunkard.
Criminals are often made years and years before they are sentenced
to prinoo. Alas ! too often made criminal before they are born.
The body may come into life as sorely doomed as the mind, unable
to resist the ordinary diseases incident to childlife, because of the many
neglects and abuses of the bodies of parents. This is very wrong: very
unfair to the child and in many ways very hard ou parents.
The creation of a strong public sentimeot'on these subjects seems to
be an imperative necessity.
SECOND A N N U A I . CONFERENCE.
THK CARE OF !'NEGLiEC!'l'EL)
R Y REV. JOSEPH .:k
SMITH
('76),
CHlIiDHEN.
(:HA'L'TANOOaA, T E N N .
[NOTE: For c~ufir~ilntiou
of the h c t s stnted by Mr. Smith, *ee table 7 of appetldix -4. showing the propor~ionof fnlttiliea partially or wholly supported by womerl
The enforced nbsence of the noth hers froln their homea will remain n vitnl factor in
the problt.111for many years to come, being due to industrial conditiotra which will
c h n ~ i g eslowly. Mr. Stnith'a recommendation6 are tl~ercforetimely.-ED.]
--
" Seest tlwu not wl~att11ey(lo in the
cities
. . . and
in the streets? "
1 desire to call attention to some of the daily scenes in our streets and
the lesso~~s
which they teach. Thestreetsot'acity are theexhibition halls
of its citizens. Walking tllrough theae public halls all phases a l ~ d
conditions of' life nlay be seen, and the cl~aracterand civilizatio~~
of it* people judged. Most pleasing and impiring evidences of well ordered
and happy hhonl life appear on the one hand ; while on the other hand
many and sad are the evidences of no order, [lo home life and no h a p
piness fbr a large nun~berof people.
I t is of this irnpautive need,-orderly Iro~ne life and training,-u
evidenced by street a d prim1 scenes, that I shall now more particularly
speak.
.
.
One of the first hceneb in our streets betweell the hours of five and
six o'clock in the ~uoruingis, large nu~ubersof women rushing to their
places of work for the day. About eight o'clock at night they return
to their homes. Mal~yof these women are mothera with from one to
eight ant1 often more childreu. Unwillingly these mothers leave their
children all day and part of the night in the place they call home, all
alone to care for themselves. I f they are awake, just before the mother
leaves, as is usually the case, she gives the111llastilv whatshe way h a p
pen to have for their breakfi~st,sollletimes a piece of bread, son~etimes
it is alittle molassesin a tin plate or old bucket top, around which the
little oncs all gather and each iu his turrr d i p in lnis fingers aud licks
them off until all the niolasws is gone. T o thin sweetness the mother
adds many sweet promi~esof great things for them if they will be good
and stay at home until mania comen hack at oight. Theu witb great
'
anxiety a d confusio~lshc. tears her$elf awav tiwrlr tliem and hastcrw
to her work while they cry for her to come baclz, and often they a r e
quarreling and figlrting among themselves before she is out of sight.
No one but n niotl~crIzuows h o w lmint'nl it is to I e a w her c.hildren all
alone uuckr tlrese unti)rtuii:lte c:ircurnstm~cc?x,hut t\lc.rc. is nothing else
t~(b:~rt.
for her to d o I ) I I ~to go, aucl go she does wit11 :lrl :~(:lri~rg
I t is not.1011gafter the mother is gonv 1)ct;)re the c h i l t l r o ~ ~
lwing
,
left to tI~err~wlvc!s,
leave the. house, go iuto tho strticts, w a ~ ~ d ae br w t
a t will from place to l)lact,, get into mischief :111(l conlrnit sin, often
I
11ou.it~switllout rtlalizing that they
taking little tlrings ~ I I people's
have (lone wrong. Tlicy ramble about until t i r t d ? fill1 (1o\v11iltalniost
the r a n ~ b l r ,
any place, go to i;letap, :Ink1 make 111) :~g:'i~ronly to cw~~tiuucl
so1nctin1t.s 1111tillate in the night.
T h e ansious m o t l ~ c ~c ro ~ ~ I~~co sm c:rt niglit to tind tlrat hcr children are not there. S h does 11ot know whcrc they arcL and starts
out in the dark to 100li for them i l l tllc strcb&. Often she finds then)
in the city jail o r station I~ouse,having bce~rarrested Ly some officer
during the tlay o r early night fi,r eornniitting S O I I ~ Clittlc crinie. Chief'
H i l l of the police: force of Chatta~iooga says: " T h c y :Ire b r o u g l ~ t i r i
the patrol wagon to the .station house by the tlozcn a t tlic time. Ask
them where their 1):rrellts a r e and they will say,'Dcatl, o r a t work, o r
away from home sorne\vhcre.' "
Suc~his a fliint reprec;cntation of u part ot'that whic:li is going o n in
p l ~days a i d we
our street^ every day, ant1 we iieecl ouly to m ~ ~ i t i the
have the awful record of years. G r o w i ~ ~up
g iu the midst of snch
daily surroundings and influences is it to he wondered a t that la'rge
numbers of our young people tint1 t l ~ c i r\vily to the chain-gang a n d
work house ?
There are hundreds and thousands of our children :it this very h o ~ ~ r
who a r e roaming about :it lirg-e in tlie streets of our cities because they
have had no orderly liomc life or training; growing up ill the strects
their idea of living is sricli :IS t h ~ yget froni tlie worse side of s t r w t
life, a n d thc iuevituhlc result nlust be crime, prison arid the gallows.
And the saddest t l ~ i o ga11o11tall of this is, that unlc.~sunder tlre providtmt:tt
of God a preventive is f o u ~ d ,this most appalling state of society
must continue growing worse each tlay to the elid of time.
Is i t possible t o so reenforce the home ns to save society a11t1 the
:' I believe it is possible aud practicable.
T h e "Day Nursery " ilnd education as recnforcements to the home
furnish the prcve~lti\-e.
r
I h c grcatcw ~leetlof' Segro children is the right kind of h o n ~ elife
:irrd training. I t is a n ~ o s terwour:lging truth that many of' our people
I~a\:tneat, modest, v i r h ~ o w I~onws, a d their children, being reared
1111c1erintelligc!nt. and sat;, n l o t h e r l influel~ues,are grvwirrg u p virtuons
and nloclrst, trrcstwortlly i111c1 ~rscf~il.Tl~ose cl~ildrcnarc. 11ot candidates for crime:, di-,c:lre :rnd p r i s : ) ~ I)ut
~ , tijr a wortlly a ~ useful
~ d citiscnz
) ~ s~~ n : J lw11o11eo~npared to the mnsst:s, yet
s i p . W l ~ i l cthis I I U I I I ~ is
it is largo cr~onghto sllow w l ~ a tcan be clone by that all-irilportant
agency, tllc hornc. r1i\ I ? (lax nurscry, as a ~11pp1e111ent
to the home,
is the 111ost~~yqesrt
~ r w dof' tllc great IIIUSWS of Negro child re^^. Say8
Mrs. Ilodgr i n tl~c. Orstlook: "If the child is L t l ~ e rto t,he nlan, then
tllc inflrle~~clei.:
which s u r r o u ~ l dl ~ i ~ during
r l
chiltlllood have the greatest
c:tft~t up011 his after-likj and tlw (lay nursery is, theref'orc, the
f o ~ i ~ l d a t Ii Io~~O~I Iwhich to 1)uiltl thc strlwture of cllarwtcr ; for, t a l ; i ~ ~ g
the child in his carlicbst years, oftcr~iudeetl i l l earliest i n f h c y , nursery
i~~flucllces
wl1ic11 aid
training is the: first ~ I It l ~ cc h x i ~of~ ctl~~cutiotral
f i ~ l this i~!fiucnce Iloldillg sway
thc stat(, i n nlakir~g t11(. ~ ~ > j ~c:itize~~,
I ~
I l w t - t O I I through tile Icir~der~arten
period, through
over his I I I ~ I a11d
thc publie sc:hool, :incl o v c ~ ~ - ithreshold
l~c~
iuto the whirl of' lifi!'s exuc:ting activities."
s
t)t* established i l l the cities and the littlc
I f day n ~ ~ r s c r i e(!:in
ones gathered from tlrc! strecis into tlleni; soap a11d fresh watvr, comb
:ind h r u s l ~freely and cffw.t~~ally
used ; a clean 1 ittlc garnient furtrisllcd
for a clean littlc hotly, : I I I ~sonle \vllolesot~~e
food for a 11u11grylittle
stomach ; clear~thot~glltsput into the little mind a d heart; lessons
of'syml)athy, kindness, honesty, industry, Ilope and self-respect t a ~ ~ g;h t
i f tl~esct l ~ i r ~ gcall
s I)(. done for all Negro cl~ildrcndeprived of home
training a l o t ~ ga d very effectual step will \)c taken toward reducing
crime, disc-ase arld ~ I - ~ I I I R ~ death.
I I ~ C
?jtAto this s w f ~ ~nwnace
l
7
HY
REV. H. H.
PKO(TOR,
ATIAANTA, (+A.
An ilntlertsker who within the last ten years has buried many of the
ten thousand of oiir people who sleep in Southview cemetery recently
made a remark to mc that q t me to thinking. I give it to you tonight with the hope that it map have the same effect upon you. "You
have no idea," he said, "how many people are dying from the lack of
sympathy." This is expert testimony, and we cannot reject it.
I suspect, however, that the ides he had in mind is capable of a more
precise expression. There is a wealth of sympathy in this world. I t
i~ the exceptior~al heart that contains no well-spring of sympathy.
The difficulty is not as to the posucssiou of sympathy; it is as to it6
expression. Many pcwple are dying becarlse IIO one expresees any
~ympathyfor them. Sympathy iu like the coupon on the railway
ticket,-not good if detached ! Prayer may be eflective, though nnexpressed; hilt not so wit11 sympathy.
There are mall? ways of expressing this sympathy so as to make it
effective in elevating the home life of the poor. One way is by giving
good advice in an assembly like this. Another is by contributing
money to be used i n judicious ways. Roth of these are needed, but I
am thinking ofanother way, which, while not necessarily independent of
these, is, I think, more important than either. I refer to friendly per.qonal visitation. Advice is cheap. W e may cast a coin at a beggar
to quiet a disturbing conscience. Rut to give ourselves,-that is the
gift that cosb. To go into the homes of the people and, as did Philip
with the eunuch, to .sit with them, c o ~ t more
s
than to make an address
or contribute a quwter. And yet that is to my ~nindthe only solution of this great sociologi~lproblem. We must come into personal
touch with the masses.
To this some will put in objections. Will not these people presume
upon our social reserve? Will not the upper class be dragged down
by contact with the lower? These qr~estionsare not unnatural. They
demand a reasonable anewer. To the first objection I w o ~ l dmy that
there is not the least danger of the plaine~tpeople mistaking our
kindly interest f i ~ rall invitation to our private social frmctions. T h e
plain people have wonderfully keen instincts. To the other I would
say that it is not contact with the lower element that injures the higher;
i t is the kind of contact. The distiactiou is vital. "He is armed
without who is innocent within." Virtue is its poseseor's shield. The
immaculate swan comes unspotted from the vilest sewer.
I f you wol~ldelevate n huilding you would not applq- pulleys a t the
top. You would put jackscrews under the mudsills. You cannot
elevate society by lifting from the top; you n ~ u s tput the jackecrewa
under the mudsills of csociety. P r ~ the
t mfailing dynamics of friendly
visitation under the homes of the poor and the whole people will rise
a living, an exalted temple before God.
Mr. r e s e t : 'I'hinking :IS I do th:tt the specific: treatlilent ofd
tuberculosis does not come before us for coilsideration a t this meeting,
1 shall not enter intq n discrission of' the I a t , ~discotvries for the radical cure of c o i ~ s u ~ ~ ~ p t i o n .
I n preseutii~gto you this paper 011 a s111)jectabout whidh so much
has bcen written a i d c o ~ ~ c e r n i ~the
i g solr~tionof which so many theories have bee11 advanced, I sllall rpcak more from a practical than
fibm a theoretical standpoint,
T h a t tuberculosis is a germ discwc is no longer disyutcd. Hut a
~jractical nlealls o f ' d ~ t r o y i ~
tllis
~ gt):tcillw is the vexatious questioi~of
to-day.
T o rigl~tlyu n d t ~ ~ - s t svil~t'
a ~ ~ d of tlit* iilean;l o f clicclring and prerenting the growth of c:onsu~nptior~
we must first k ~ i o wsome (?fits predisposing as well as sonle of its exciting cawes.
A predispositio~~
to tnbercr~losisis iulwritcd, Not that the irifai~tis
lwrn with the germ fully developed ill his system, but being born of
tuberculous parents he inherits a cor~ditionfavorable t o the dcvelopment of the diseaw. H e is of' all infcricrr physique, usually slmdcr,
emaciated, nervvus, easily exhausted, has a low o r deformed chest, his
blood is poor in quality, he is susceptibk to colds, arid subject to brona
chial catarrh and cough. T h e ali~ncntnry c a l ~ a l is! one of the most
vulnerable yoirits in his anatomy, T h e digestion is so feeble that the
mildest diet is rouletimes harmful, And yct, with all this, he is brighteyed, ibtelligent a n d I~opeful
There is an intilllate rclation bctwecn consuniption and scrofula,
which is likewise a disease of degenerative tissue metamorphosis.
Whether there is ti direct relation between thew t w o diseases o r not, is
perhaps yet to bc de~nonetmtcd,but the clinic.al fact that tuberculous
a i d strunwus tliathcses are almost always found in the same subjects
camlot bc deniorl. T h a t the tissues of s c r o f u l o ~ ~subjects
s
are wanting
in vital power is apparent from t l ~ c i r g w a t t e n d c ~ ~ cto
y supprate.
Bartholow says that the tubercle is a p r o d ~ w tof scrofi~l:l, which would
indicate that the salrle cause whicl~p r o d ~ ~ c scrofi~losis
cs
wonld, through
t h e process of' pathological evolution, produce tuhcrcnlosis.
Is t~~bercwlosis
possil)le in :I subject who ha.s 11ot the r~nfhrtunate
legatby o f $1, tnl)(\rc111:1rdintl~c&:' T o Iny n ~ i n dthere ( Y I I I I)(: I I O d o u b t
that t , l ~ cafErn1:ltivc o f this is t r ~ ~ c l .T h e c:liild born of healthy
parents, b u t w h o i.+ rcb:1rctl in the s111nrs of a d t ~ ~ ~ s cpl ol yp ~ ~ l a t e tcity,
l
houscd in n rni.~c!r:~l)l(~
I I I I ~i l l the :~lley, forcred to nl(~c:pi n :I c:rowtl(d
i~ c~~o(:(w:lrily
d a . ~ n pand viruleut,
apartrnvr~t whcrv t l ~ e: ~ . t n ~ o s p l ~
~-~
b o t l ~fro111t l ~ oefflr~viarising fk0111 t l ~ e( I w o ~ n p o sexcreta
i ~ ~ ~ from tllc
bodies of its nl:llly illmates : ~ n dfrolt~ the viti:~.tctlgases exh:~lctl f r o ~ n
their lunge, who sieeps i l l t,Iw g:lrrncuts whic:h
\ve:lrs throngh many
w a r y days, who goes fix ~ t ~ o ~ w~ itt l ~~os~liuowing
~t
t h e civilizing,
Christianizing and c l c a ~ l s i ~i~ngf l r ~ e ~ ~ofc e tho b:ttll; whose food is imy , conproperly cooked and w a l ~ t i n ghoth in clrlality :111(1 q u a ~ ~ t i t 311d
cerning the 11o11rof whose ~rlealst l ~ c r e is 110 r c y ~ l n r i t y , will a l n ~ o s t
surely 1)resent early s y m p t o n ~ sof decay.
porf(v:t
T h a t constitution which a t the outset \\.a,* ~)l~ysiologically
has gr:rdr~allydegcne~xtctlinto one with inferior vital te11t1c:ncie.s. T h e
have w r o u g l ~ t rlpolt him a
nlorbific i n f l r ~ c r ~ wof
s his sl~rro~~ntling..:
molccmlnr nlotlific:~tior~of t h e tissues, which untlergo a low grade of
inflamunation a n d glantlr~lars ~ l ~ p a m t i o 'l'l~is,
~ ~ . with its catalogue of
i ~ l is t'hc rendcpathological possil)ilitics, is scrofulosis. Tllis f r ~ ~ i t fsoil.
v o w for bacteria of every morbid t u r n of miutl. T h e ctrlls having l o s t
their vital rcsist:lnve, the ~yhtern hecul~lcs:IN easy p w y to disease.
H e r e the tut)ercle bacillus find* :t sr~itablepat)lrlum on whicl~to subsist,
our ~ u h j e c of
t r~nforluuateciraud 3.1nidsn(:l~~~~~favorat)le~snrrountlir~gs
cumst':lr~ccswill :rl~r~ostincvitably
succunll) to this cliwasc. B u t even if
still
at t l ~ i s1)eriod he should not hirr~sclfbe overtaken by t~~l)t.rculosis,
this 111:lrkcc1tendel~cyof c o n s t i t r ~ t i owill
~ ~ g r : ~ d ~ ~ aIl)lcyw ~ ~permanent
nc
a n d cxpahle of' herctlit,ary transn~ission. 'l'i111s t h e s n c c c o d i ~ ~generag
I-:~~
to t~ii)eruulosi.s,
t i o w of a11 s ~ ~ intlividuals
ch
Ir:~vc:I I I : ~ ~ I I~)rcdisposiiiou
as also to marly other discnses which a r t + ~ i p c r i ~ ~ t l r ~hy
c . e~du a l n u t r i tion.
~ t l ~ e i r offD r u n l r e n ~ ~ e sins parents predisposes to c o n s u l n p t i o ~ in
spring, 1)t.cause of t h e fact that they t r m s n ~ i tto t l t c ~ nthe 1,osologic:al
h c b
e5ect.a of alcoholisn~,produci~iga general deteriorutioo of uutritior~,
and because of ~emi-starvation due to neglect on the part of these
parents while under the influenw of alcohol. F o r it is a painful fact
that mothers in the lower clawes, as well an fiithers,are becoming Inore
and more addicted to strong drink, and that these unfortunate children are allowed to go for many Iwurs without oourishment.
Paberty, with ib atterding susceptibilitp to col~surnptiou,is a critical period. 'I'hc systctn~,while untlergoi~gt l ~ ci~llporta~lt
changes OF
maturity, i* ill-pre1)ared to dcfentl itself' against extruwous pathological factors. This perjod ends the career of' rnany y o ~ ~ t who
h , in their
\
infancy were fed ou artificid food inst,ead of n~othcr'smilk. Thai
011 tlw cor~stit~~tioll
d u r i ~ ~u glifetin~e,the
this has a b u ~ ~ e fi~~flllencc
i~l
c~nr~ciated
ihmcli of'theac enfbrtul~~~tc.
sut!jects will attest. ' l ' l ~ o ~are
ticles of dict which lburlmrt to lw e l q p n t substituten fi)r ~ a o t l ~ e rmilk
s'
are wanting i l l hot11 r~utrition a11(l digestibility. Though t h y have
the elements newarsary for dnveloprr~e~~t
and growtl~the ratio of' these
dements i.r uot i n keel~ingwith the natural formula of' noth her^' milk
aud a dyspeptic condition in induced wliicll lo:& to nltlrawnu?c,scrofnlosis, toberu~ilosis,a d death.
I t is a prevalent idea that t~rberculosisin tra~~slnissible
by toucl~,a d
that inhalatious of' effiuvia en~anatingfiorr~ the skin of tut)erculou+
hubjects will reprocluce the dincast.. Thin, I~owcver,is r111tr11e.
The ~ ~ ~fiw111ent
o s t cause of t,hc direct tra~lrmisoio~~
of' tuberoulositi
i~ the inhalatiou of' the bncill~is arisii~gf i o n ~dried and pulverized
syutnn~. Hence the dauger of' living ill I~ouse.-,recel~tlyoccupied Ijg
consumptives. They iiecj~~elltl!
spit upon tlw walls or the floor, and
the bed-clothing and wearing apparel iwcorne conta~niuated with
s p u t ~ m ,which, wheu dry a d broken into s n d l particles, is s110jectto
inhalation. f hile it is true t l ~ a tt l ~ i svirus is of' a greater specific
gravity t l ~ a uair and tl~eref'orc11m I: te11dcnc:y to fill to the floor, yet
&weepingand dusting will rake it, ut which time it rllay be inhaled
and becomt. a I I I I ~ I C I I B aro1111dwhicl~is I)uilt tll:~ti ~ ~ s i d i o:wI I ~yet ;iggressive foe.
As long as thc germ is k ~ * lZ;IIS~)OII(I~CI
~t
i u fluid it is Iws l i : h I ~ tat
cause infection, fiw :IS ~ n o i s t u rinc:rca.cies
~
its nlwitic pr:lvity it c.au~lot.
float in the at~nosyl~ere
ant1 tl~ereti)rccmnot I)e iot:tlled.
111order fbr this bac:illu.s to ti 11d a Iodgiug pluc:e i n the 1lr11na11
won-
RFXOND A N N U A L CONFERENCE:.
49
omy, there must be a dinsolution of continuity in the mucous n~embrane.
For in a healthy condition i t is not liable to infection. I t is here
that thew bronchial catarrhs andcoldscut such a distinguishing fignre ;
for a catarrh indicates that violence has been dotte to thc integrity of
a mucous membrane, destroying or inipniring its protective power to
such an extent as to admit of inoculation and infection. This is the
second whirlpool for our predisposed sob.ject, for if possibly in his
childhood he hassteered clear of Scyllli he has oow drifted into Charyhdis.
It is not likely, however, that a subject with an otlierwioe healthy
constitution, even though hc has a diseased mucous membrane, will
become infected under ~ u c t icircumstances. For the blood in such an
individual is rich in the life-giving properties of the body and the cells
are so vigorous as to stand as a bulwark against an invading; enemy.
Tuberculosis map also be contracted through impure alimentation ;
for it has been rleurly den~onstr:ited that cwws arc of'tee :~ffected with
this disease and that tuberolch 1)acilli arca f i ~ ~ ~i nn dlarge 1111rnberrin
their milk.
W l ~ e nthere is :i 1csio11i t t tlw alitnentary tract virus may, l~ecause
of this, enter the blood and induce lmtl~local and cotistitutional consumption. That-this source of' infection is true was proven a short
time ago in a swine test. Of 1,026 healthy swiw fed otl sour whiskey
and distillery slop, all were sickened and 250 died. Autopsies on 104
showed tubercle bacilli. In an nc!joioing pen wchrc. GOO, fed on good
Rweet maize. None contracted tubercnlnsis.
Persolis wliose foods are s111)ject to acetic fim~~etiti~tioti
in the alimentary canal arc liable to tubcrc~llosi\ tliro~~gli
its abmrption. I n
those habituated to strong dri111itlic ~nicwlerniaaceti, whicli is an acetic
ferment, is freqneotly absorbed tlirough the i l l testinal ~ n i ~ c o umems
brane, which is paralyzed by tht. prcmice of alcohol, but in the abHence of this stimulant this membranc is capal)lc ot' protec*ting against
vuch absorption.
The death-rate fronl consun~ptionin the United States i* appalling.
But that the spread of this disease can 1)e checked is clcarlj apparent.
I t is the plain duty of every city to pass ordina~icch prohibiting its
inhabitants from living in squalor and dirt ; proliibiting the conver&on of homes which shoitld 1)c clean, wl~olesotnc~
:~ndpurc, into pest
50
S'I'UDY OF NEGRO CITY 1 . 1 ~ ~ .
houses antl laboratories in which are incubated every conceivable form
: t1ircc:ting that the prcmises of a11 he keptat all times
of v i r ~ ~ l Imctmia
en~
clean, that bedding and carpets be aired and exposed to the sun, that
the houses b(: from time to time rerwvated, that thorough v e ~ ~ t i l a t i o n
he the rrlle in every tio~~schold.
While it i~ n fact t h t every hrnily is not able to wear costly garments, yet c w r y th~nily can woar clean ones, antl have clean surro~~ndings.
Nor (lo 1 thiulc :I c:ourst: of this ltintl inipracticable or abridging
person:~lrikh ts ; fqr to live ill such IIII wholesome abodes with such unhealthy s u r r o u ~ i t l i n pis not only damaging to those who indulge in
this loathsome practice, but is forever an abidiug source of infection t o
the con~rnunity. This is a menace which no n-;unicipality can brook
without beroniing we:iliened thereby. This is the prime source of all
infectious diseases, a 1111isanc.cto tlie public becalm it is in directoppoaition to the pursuit of' health and happiness. A government has the
mme right to protect its votaries from this de:~tllycondition as it has
to quarantine against; sniallpox. F o r while smallpox is rapidly contagious and spreads dread disaster in its wake, what disease is more
terrible than consl~mption,which like the boa constrictor is stealthily
winding itself srorllrtl humanity and squeezing the life out of the
nations?
If' we would stamp o ~ tuberc~~losis
~ t
we must elevate the standard
of living anlong the lower classes. W e must save them from themselves. 'If we have not rchcatiotial fiicilities sufficient to civilize them
fast cnongh, wc nilist bring them up to tlie requirements by legislati or^. 111 my opinioti thtt present eonditioti is too a p p l l i n g to wait on
the slow process of evol~ltion. More v i g o r o ~ ~tneasures
s
nirlst be taken.
W e tieetl :i more rigid system of food inspection. No :inimal should
he killed for food witl~oritfirst being scier~tifit:ally inspected and pronor~t~oed
sound. The inspection of milk fbr tubercle bacilli should
he made a specialty. Milch cows a ~ r da n i n ~ a l stcr be Billed for meat,
shorild not be fed oti i ~ ~ i p r ~foods.
re
Stale arid tainted meats of any
kind should not he eaten, fbr altl~orlgh bacteria fi)r tlic most part are
destroyecl ill the process of cooking, still the decomposition of this ahnormal material in the intestines may prodwe infection, thus lcese~iing
the vital resistanw and paving the way for consumptiori.
SECOND A N N U A I . CONFKRENCE.
R Y H . li. HU'l'I.F:R,
A.M.,
M.I).,
A'I'I.AN'IIA, (:A.
[NOTE: Dr. Butler's paper irrcluded also the subjects of 1Cxercise and Phjsical Development. But in this case, as also i n others,we have felt ohlipd to uht)revintc.- En.]
I n the homes of the most ignorant of' our people, and sowe of' the
intelligent for that matter, veutilation is an ~~nknowir
yuontity. Tlie inmates are opposed to having air enter the honse when all are well, and
if any of the fanrily are sick it is believed that it means death to the
patient should air, and in some cases light, enter the sick chamber.
I will not enter into a description of the various methods of' ventilation ; we have not tlie tirrre ti)r snch here. 1 will simply give you a
few of the m m y cases that have conic under my obsrrvaiion in wlricl~
ventilation was iiiucli needed.
Case 1.-This
first case to which 1 wish tc~cal l your atteution was
in a one-room house ; roorn 14x14; iun~ate,z,four. It was a case of
confinement. The room was as dark and the air as foul at twelve
o'clock iu the day as it was a t twelve at night. I had to use a m a l l
tin lamp at either hour in order to see how to care for m y patient.
Case 2.-It was in :I small basement room where a rnother and two
small children lay sick, nigh unto death. Tlw door and window had
been closed for weeks. The air was foul, dam]) and heavy. There
they were with no frieuds, no water, no food, and no pure air. There
they lay until found by some good women who sent the mother to the
poor-house, one child to the hospital where it died, aud the other to
the Carrie Steele Orphans' Home, where it is recovering slowly. The
mother is well and has returned to tlie city and is at work. Both
mother and child, however, show s i p s of tuberculosis, which are no
doubt the result of inhaling the foul air of that basement roorn.
Case 3.-I manage to visit the public schools of the city a t least
once a year. I visited one of these schools this year in which everything else was taught and practiced but ventilation. The air in some
of the rooms of that building was not at all conducive to good health,
52
WUDY OF NI.:OHO CITY LIFE.
Cme 4.-It wag a two-room house; iumates, two,-a man and his
wife. The husband lay dying with cansumption and would, in hie
delirium, spit any aud every where. The wife, who was a kind and
tidy woman, did all ill her power, under the circumstances, to keep her
little home clean. To do this she was contioually sweeping, in which
process she kept bacilli on the move, endangrring not only her health
bni my health and the 11ealth of all her fKends who might call.
Being a woman of' some intelligence a hrief explauation that &he
must keep the air of the ~ ~ o ofrcsh
~ n and tire from dust was all that
was necessary to have her see the danger. I then began to care tor
my patient hygieuically aud antiseptically.
Thus I could go on and multiply cane after case to show the great
necesbity of a better understanding alaong our people concerning ventilation ; but it is not necessary. W e all are satisfied that much improvement is needed in our homes along those lines and that is why
we are here.
Preaching the laws of health and hygieue in this age has about the
same effect that preaching the gospel has. They hear willingly, but
heed slowly. Many hear, but only a few will believe; a few will be
saved and many will be lost.
I n conclusion, I would ask that this organization petition Congree~
to make an appropriation to help push forward this well-begun work.
With that aid we would be able to place one o r two yhysiciaus in
every large city, at least, whose duty it would be to push these investigations, and as they would go from home to home they could instruct the people au to ventilation and in the laws of health and hygiene. This is, indeed, neceasary if we wish t o have the masses instructed in those things that are indispensable in order to have strong
and healthy bodies as wall aa strong and vigorous minds,
SE:c!ONIb A N N I J A I . CONFERENCE.
53
'I'HE (:ARE OF T H E T E E T H I N ITS RELATION T O
HEALTH.
BY J. B.PORTER
(I%),
D.D.S.,
BTLANTA, GA.
In working out our health problems we often fail to recognize
certain factors which are highly important. W e hardly ever figure on the effect of diseased teeth on the general health, and their
permanent handicap oil our e~iergiei. Many a trouble that has been
assigned
some rc!~iiotecause, and that has culled forth learned disyuisitio~is, should have been placed at the door or" some abscessed
toot11 of' l ~ u gstanding, tilid the diagnosis punctuated with the
ikrceps.
Many a caHe of facial neuralgia is the progeny of uncared-for teeth.
Many an injured eye owes all its troubles to the root of some offending
tooth that reaches the floor of its orbit by using the dntrurn of
Hyrnore as a go-between ; while fever, hysteria, nl~lscularneuralgia
and apparent heart trouble, that are plainly due to these t~nclean
members, are not infrequeiitly met with.
There are two classes ol' evils that may arise as a result of diseased
tooth tiasue: those that c:oii~efrom actual coiituct with the poisonouy
matter generated i l l the atfected menher, am1 tlic)se that result from
the constant irritation of' the nerve tissues.
Each out! of' these nlay be serious i n it-, consequetlce.s, aud may
force n p o ~11s evils that will run their allotted tliircl ancl fourth genI
pl~yeicalappearance
eration, or may leave permanent mark* ~ I our
ancl health.
Lessons should be taught in the sclloolb O I I the care of the teeth, as
well as of other pnrtious of the body. People do 11ot neglect treating a fever, renloviug a splinter or cariag for a sprain, and yet they
pass unnoticed these long-eufftring men^ bers, until one of' them, after
l o ~ gendurance, sutfdenly wakes them to a sense of their duty.
There is a truth thr~trings through the pages of the Bible, in so
111rr1iyfornis and varietie~that it has become impressive. " Cleanliness is next to Godliness," iu that truth. I n it we have our first
le~aonin hygiene,and around it clusters all o u r physical and spiritual
comfort.
There is nothing useless in that sacred volume, nothing written for
ament, nothing engrafted in the wonderful schemes of creation
Inerean
O ? p redemption that lias not a " becnuscb" attached to it, and that
is not a link in (hd's economy, wllethcr of man towards his Creator,
or of man towards himself.
This beautiful trnth is therefore prcgnant with a dceper meaning
than is at first apparent. Pu'ot only does it teach that we should keep
the body pure and cle*~ as the fit temple of the living God; but
more, it teaches that if' we would more nearly live the allotted spau
of human life, we should recognize that cleanliness is the panacea for
ell our ills, and that sanitation, external and inttw~al,is our beet safeguard against dieeme.
HFKOND A&-NUA L COXFERENCE.
63
ADDRESS B E F O R E THE WOMEN'R MEETING.
H Y MISS LUCY C.
LANEY
('73))
AUGUSTA, CIA.
Ladies : A little more than a quarter of a century ago this American Republic, after much painful travail, brought forth the youngest
child of' civilization-the Negro citizen. To-day we, the offspring of
that birth, stand upon the entrance of a gloriom fi~turei f we will accept aucl fiaithfr~llycomply with the conditions upon which we may
claim the boon.
T o find out and to disc:uss some of these coiiditiens is the object of
this conference and the women's section of it. F o r a long time many
were disposed to think that the condition of most importance was politics, and for years politicians, honest and dishonest, ignorant andwise,
dtruggled in vain to bring about that consummakion devoutly to be
wished, true manhood in our race. Some vainly hoped that that mi*
erable deformity wrongly called education, viz., the conning of a few
facts from text-books, was the condition to be complied with. Still
another class said honestly and devoutly that the condition and the
only condition to be met was the development of our religious nature.
-1fourth class united the secoud and third couditions, and after some-.
what modifying thc third, gave to the world as the watchword of
Negro developnlent " the Bible and the spelling-book."
Any one of
these made the rule of life, made the only coudition to be met,.has been
to those who followcvl it ail (yni.9 ftrturra, for it has misguided them and
led them into clai~gerous places. Each by itself is but a part of a
grand total.
No person is responsible for his ancestors ; nor should he be held
responsible for their sins and short-comings, though he bear about in
his body the inarks and scars of those sins; but every woman can see
to it that she gives to her progeny a good mother and au honorable
ancestry. I care not how humble may be the house in which two loving
hearts may set up their household gods, if blessed with a manly aud
God-fearing husband, a womanly and God-fearing wife, intelligence
and health, that place is a home, the nearest approach on earth to
06
STUDY OF NRCfRrJ CITY 1,IFE:.
heaven. The chiefjoy of h o n ~ eis motl~er. You may place U ~ I the
I
hrow of a true mother the greenest Ianrt*l or you may give into her
keeping the highest civic honors, but these to her will be found wanting if weighed in a balance over against her h o n ~ t ~ .To her the blessedness of motherhood is the greatest joy, a crown inore costly than
pearls of royalty.
Marriage, the beginning of I~ome,is a matter of great i n ~ p o r t a ~ ~ c e
and should not be carelessly cutered into. I t is the place to take the
proverbial stitch iu time. From this point a shadow may be cast
wbich will darken the pathway of coming generations. This is not n
question that can be settled on a basis of gain or c o ~ r v e ~ ~ i e ubut
c r , ar
has been said: " A tie that only love and t r n t l ~sl~oultlweavcand nothing but death should part."
Motherhood, honored by o m blessed Master, is the crow11 of wonlauhood. This givee her not oulp interent in the home and society, but
also authority. She s l ~ o r ~be
l d interested in tlic wcblfiirc of her ow11 and her
~ ~ e i g l ~ b ochildren.
rs'
T o won~auII:M Iwcn wlnn~ittcdthe responsilility
of making the laws of society, ~naking twvircmnlent~for childre~r.
She has thc privilege and ilutl~ority,God-ginan, to I~elptlcvrlop into
a noble man or woman tile yor~nglife con~inittctl to hcr care. There
is no nobler work eutrnstetl to the hands of ~ ~ ~ o r t a l s .
Faithful mothers, mothers who k ~ ~ otheir
w
duty and perfi)rm it,such must h a w been the n~otherof the Graccrl~i?--sucha motl~crwc
read of' in holy writ: "All natious sh:i11 rise up il11t1call 11t-r1)lcssctl."
Will not the intelligent ~ n o t l ~ egather
r
to her heart her sons and
daughters and teach them to he p r c i i ~life and cl~astci n t:onversation,
and see to it that there be no double st:indard set 111) io 11cr homc~,and
none in her com~nunitj-if she I)e ahle to tear it douw :'
Too often that motl~cr who is carcf111 of 11cr d:lugl~ttds e11viro11ment, the formation of hc6r girl's ol~:lr:wter, is neglignt as to her son's.
H e nmy choose his own cou~pnny,--he the molder of his owl^ character.
Lf the daughter sl~oulddrag t l ~ c~.ol>cnot' her won~:ii~l~ootl
in t l ~ cdust
that mother would be covered wit11 sl~:ln~c
m d grief,--but the son o f
t h a t mother may tranlple down his n~anhoocl and there will scarcely
he a blush ; only tho oltl but false cry, and pernic!iow as it is false,
"Boys must sow their wild oats."
O w b o ~ need
s
thc carcf111,loviup 11autlof ~ ~ i o t , l;~pcfirhal)s
cr
11otmorc
SECOND ANNUAL CONFERENCE.
67
so than the girls-but certainly not lew.
Shall the boys be left to the tender training of the saloons and the
fascinations of women degraded by sin ? God forbid it ! Women of
to-day, awake to your resyonibilities and privileges.
The Mothers' Congress recently held at Washington was not only a
~uostunique gathering, but as the years roll on and men and women
study more carefully that most in~portantof all questions,-the children of the nation,-it
will be found to be the working out of the
noblcut itleas ot'tl~enoblest minds aud most loving hearts of the age.
That vast assemblage of men and women diwussing questions most
vital to the welfare of their children slrows how great is the lamentation in Rama, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted because they are not.
Shall we not catch iuspiration from that Congrem and in our literary
hocieties, ladies' clubs, and even in our churches study our children by
the search-light of the new psychology and with the spirit of the true
and loviug mother ?
STIT1)Y OF NEGRO C I T Y
JJFI:.
RY MRS. M I N N I E W R I G H T P R l C E ('88). SOlTTH .4'I'LAN'I'A, GA.
Life would ~ o bet worth living did we not have f'riend to rejoice
with us when we are glad, and to weep with us when we mourn.
As the babe looks to his mother to laugh when something has particularly pleased him and' espects that same mother to kiss away his
tears when trouble has befallen him, so we, who a r e grown to womanI~ood,like to feel that we have cmdlly friends to sympathize with us
in joy or grief: Rut what tlo we think of a near friend who never
visits us?
Ali of' us have our frientls, especially while we live in the place of
our birth ; for there are nlell and w o ~ n ethere
~ ~ wlto knew us when we
were babies, wllo are our f'rit\nds for r)llr mother's o r father's sake, if
not for our own.
There arc b o ~ ant1
s
girls who grew 111)with us OII the play-gronnd
and in the whool-room, who, in rernen~t)ranw of the associations
of our y o ~ ~ t will
h , always be orlr friends. 13ut not :dl spend their
lives on their native hcxth, some are continually moving, they spend a
few months here and then, when they have just hepun to make friends,
move on to another p1ac.e. 'l'hey are often strangers in a strange land
and then it is t h a t they feel tlw Ionclinehs :k11(1 emptiness of lit& witho ~ friends.
~ t
011r neighborhootls are filled with f'aniilies which need the syrnpathy and cheer that a friendly visit from yo11 would give, but you
withhold yourself because they are a little lower in the social scale
than you are, o r if they are higher, you Gar tlr;~tthey will think you are
seeking their recognition. H o w IIIIWII 1)cttor off we w o ~ ~ l be
t l if we
would cease t o draw t h ( w liues o f vastc ant1 o:1c11 of 11s as we c*li~nb
the I d t l e r reach down a d asaist a struggling sister!
W h a t a spiritual help we wor~ltlhe to c w h otllor, if wv would make
more friendlj- visits ! .Just a word of cheer ant1 h o p . to the low-spiritetl, a word of sympathy to the sick, wollltl show tbrth the H o l y
RRCOND A N X U A L CONFERENCE.
b!?
Ypirit who dwells in all Christian hearts.
Women are naturally kind and friendly. About woman has ever
clustered the affection, the rolnance and even the comfort of human
existence. Wherever wonlen are found there is almost always cleerfulness and kind11c.6~;thcy are generally obliging, and even among
savage tribes t l l q are iwt UY distant and suspicious as men. However poor their Iwspitality niay be, they can safely he relied upon by
the stranger.
Muugo Park i n the widst of Africa, when rollbed of his baggage
and suffering from fever, was sllcltered by a Xegro womau, who
watched and cared fbr hi111 with a noth her's tenderness. If cold, wet,
hungry or aiclc, \voluan never stops to consider aught hut the
stranger's needs ;~nd will sacrifice her last stick or crulub to relieve
him.
Tt was ti poor widow w l ~ o t'ed Elijah in the time of f:d~niile.
I t was the kindness of' woman that led her to c:ommiserate the sufferings of the nu1nerou.i crin~iuals,herded in the dark, unwholsome
cells of the English N POI IS, and the work of Elizabeth Frye among
the vile in Newgate will he rerne:nbered :vith reverence while the
world lasts.
Not many o f us are permitted to feed an Elijah, but how rnxny are
daily lettingthe ~ ~ p o r t u n i t y s lby
i p when wemight visit some of' ourpoor
neighbors, carrying u bit of the fidn~ilv h a l t f b s t ordiniier, and while
the food satisfies their hunger, our chrering words will give then1
hope, courage and strength to toil on.
Very few of us are called to bring about great reforms, but each
and all of us by making frieudly visit8 among our neighbors, can
teach then1 the lessous of purity, cleanlii~ess,and economy in their
persons and in their homes. W e can also carry to them the message
of Christ, while we will get in return some very valuable lesson.
I n vi~itingthose of 0 1 1 ~own station in life we ga'n by the exchange
of ideas and our children and homes prdfit ther y ; while friendly
visits with those better sitwted than we will inspire us to climh highe;.
We need to cultivate a habit of making friendly visits because of
the help, the cheer, the inspiratio11 we may give to btliers, and bccausc
of the help we may he to ourselves, for in this way we may learn to
be content when comparing our lot with that of the more unfortunate;
X,
60
~WUDY OF NFSRO CITY 1 . 1 ~ ~ .
or if diecontented, it wili be, not to grumble or complain bf Providence, but to put forth eabtts to b t t e r our condition, and also becabse Of the help we may be to the Church and to civilization.
When we visit our neighbors, giving them spiritual cheer or phy*
ical aesistance, we are teaching the'lewon of Christianity by example,
we Bre walking In the footsteps of our Mmter and building 11p'His
Church on earth. And as we inspire others to make home pure, comfortable and happy, we are making the men and women of the future,
who mill lead houest, industrious Chri~tiaulives. Thus we wili rid
the country of its chain prigs and prison houses, aud build 11y a civilization such as the world has never pet seen.
SECOND A N N U A L CWNFEREIYCE.
MOTHERS' MEETINGS.
BY MRS. GEORGIA SWIFT KING ('74), ATLANTA, GA.
I f it ie true, that of the three maiu factors in the make-qp of the
individual,-the home, the echo01 aud the church,-the, greatest is the
h m e , aud since it is true that the home is what the parents make it.,
the mother by nature having the larger share in tbe making, +en it
fullows hhat the destiny of the Segro race is largely iu the bands of
its mothers.
Statistics resulting from r e c e ~ ~in~esjigalions
t.
indicate yith respect
to the Negro population of the United States; first, a general decrease
in the birth-rate; second, an alarmingly excessive ,infant death-rate ;
third, because of inherited tendencies and defective educati~n,--physicsl, intellectual and moral,-a greatly exceseiye de~th-rate among
adults; fourth, that w little does the birth-rate exceed the death-rate
that the race is doing little more than reproducing itsqlf. the^ indication~furnish food for thought, and reason fpr ipveetig;gtion and
action.
The a)armipg incrwse ofi iphnticide (without refere~ce,to,,t)e.,immoral, brutal class) seems to regplt frgm $he oyqworked, diwstyraged,
desperate state of many laboring mothers, u p n whom the burden of
family support so largely rests.
The large death-rate of both infants and adults, I believe, may be
traced to poverty and ignorance of the laws of health ; an ignorance
not confined to the illiterate, for how many highly intelligent people
there are who have almo~tno knowledge of the symptoms of ordinary
diseases ;who do not know when to send for the doctor, nor how to care
for the sick. I recall wveral instances during the present year where
promising lives in intelligent home8 have been sacrificed on the altnr
of ignorance and the most extravagant economy; what wonder that
the illiterate and poor die in RO great numbers !
Does this excessive death-rate indieate a corresponding mental and
moral decay ? What is the remedy for such conditions ?
The blood of the fallen is required at the hands of the intelligent
62
RTUDY OF NEORO CITY LIFE.
class. The demand is apparent for preschers who study the signs of
the tinlee and deal practically with the needs of the hour; for teachers,
capable, coascieutious, consecrated; for physicians, skilled, honorable,
philanthropic. But these agencies alone can not meet the demant1.q
and should be suppleme~~ted
by other methods.
Observation and experiewe lead me to c o ~ ~ c l u dthat
e a moat cxcellent medium for effect'ual i~~struction
of thf: masses, ie "Mothcr'~
Meetings,'' where a11 questions of I~umatl iuterevt are pertinent and
may be freely disctlssed ; where all classes of women may become better informed ;where even the illiterate, by regular attendance, may gain
much essential knowledge of such vital subjects as; The laws of sanitation ;Selectkm of foods ; Ecouomic cookiug ; Proper and wholesome
dress ;Care of ilrfams : Needs (physical, mental and moral) ?f childhood; Cart: of boys and girls through t l ~ ccritical period between
childhood ntid maturity; H o w to fortify youug met1 against the follie*
of immorality a d young wunlen agaiust the dangers of imprudence.
The science of ht-alth and I~ertdity a ~ prenatal
~ d
influences, and
a11 that pertains to household morality and economy, may be handled
with such .qimplicity in these meeti~rgs,that not only t h e n~othershut
the whole people may receive real benefit.
When difficulty is exyerieuced i u getting the mothers to these
meetings I have met with some success by taking the meetings to the
mothers, that is, to their immediate neighborhood.
GECONl) A N N I J A I , t X ) N F H R E N C E .
NEED OF DAY NIJRSERIES.
HY MRS. S E L E N A S L O A N lIIJTI,ER,
A T L A N T A , <:A.
the important questions of to-day is the need of day nurser.lenAmong
.111 cities
and tuwns where c*hildren of parents wllo, by force of
ciroi~msta~~ces,
are ol)ligetl to earn a living by working in service, may
receive good and wliolesomc influences during that period of life when
impressio~~s
:Ire easily made and clmractc~readily molded, either for
good or bad.
Many ~ ) a r e ~ ~ tcities
s i n must tlo work wliich calls them away from
home, a d ottci~they toil from early (lawn till a late hour to keep the
wolf from the door, and, because of their small wages, their children
often are forced to do work too Ilard for them that their meager earnings may add to the s ~ ~ p p oof
r t the still smaller children left at home
during the day without the care of a poor but loving mother; left
alone during that most important period of their lives when good or
evil princ!iples will, by cultivation, becolne the ruling passion through
life; left alone to grow up anlid a multitude of unfavorable surroundings. With these existing circumstances, it does not need a prophet
to tell \\-hat the result will be.
I t is ;I tii~ily esperience to find a child of tender years left to tend
the haby with but I: scant nlc:d of meat and bread, while the widowed
mother is ant at \vork. At a late honr the nlother returns, tired and
almost exlia~isted; she proceeds at truce to satisfy the husger of her
unfortunate children, and then, in her humhle way, as best she oan,
with their bowed heads at her side she teachesthem to lisp the " Lord's
Prayer,"then all arc lost in bleep. The majority of the children who
would he glad to find protection i l l a day nursery are not blessed with
even this litnited knowledge of a good moral training.
Such c:irc:umstances are uot only unfavorable to the physical condition of the children, but detrimental to the parent, because such a
state of constant activity and anxiety exhausts the vital force. Do
you ask the reault? Why, the mother dies at an early age, leaving
little children in the hands of clia~ice,to be brought up, quite likely,
64
STUDY OF XEORO CITY LIFE.
among the weeds of vice and sin, going from bad to woroe, until they
become a menace to society. I f there had been a day nursery with
good conscientious persons at its head, in which these children could
have had their physical, mental add moral natures properly cared for
at a small cost to the mother, they would have developed into characters with sufficient magnitude to lift humanity to a higher plane, instead of degrading it ; and the mother would have rro doubt lived out
her three score years and ten.
I f you will examine the records of the mortality of the Negroes of
this city, you will find that about one-third of the deaths occurredammg
the children, and a closer investigation will disclose the fact that tile
majority of' these deaths occurred in families where parents were
obliged to work out and therefore could not detect disease in their
little ones until too late to be relieved by medical aid.
1 will relate only two oftheinany casescorning under my observation
whlch make a strong appeal for the establishment of day nurseries.
A widowed mother, who worked for a family in this city, had a boy
about six years of age. This mother left her little boy alooe, asking
each morning the family in the adjoining room to have au oversight
over him during the day. For several nights when the mother returned from her work between the hours of eight and nine, she fbund
her boy with flushed cheeks, sleeping restlessly. Being tired she did
not investigate the cause of this abnormal condition, but attributed it
to exhaustion from play. Finally the child's condition became alarming, and one night about nine o'clock the mother took it to the office
of a physician. After a careful examination, the mother was told that
her child waR in the third stage of typhoid fever, and recovery depended upon immediate attention and good nursing. Then the mother,
with team in her eyes, related her sad story.
The other case is that of a boy who went into a physician's office
crying, and with his clothes covered with blood. What was the matter? Why, the eame old story. The boy had had an artery cut with
a stone that was thrown by another boy whose mother was obliged to
work away from home, that she might be able to pay her house rent
and feed and clothe her children: and but for the interest the physician
took in the case, there might have been a dead boy, a lawsuit, and a
juvenile criminal ; all because of the need of day nurperies.
SEC'OND AKXUAL CONFEREKCE.
66
Another evidence of the ueed of day uuraeries is the large number
of boys, aln~ostbabies you might say, to be found not only loitering
and making mischief in the alleys, but even in the chain-gangs. Many
s r r there because in early childhood they had no one a t home to hold
then1 in check, and, yieldiug to the influences about them, their miuds
hecame steeped in siu and vice ;aud they grew wise only in the knowledge of petty crimes.
I f the absence of day nurseries affected the physical nature only i t
inight not be so alarming, but seeiug the effect daily upon the mental
aud moral uatures, and uot kuowing- to what extent these natures may
he trausmitted to coming generations, we ought to see plainly the
necessity of adnlinistering the ounce of prevention by establishing day
nurseries.
W e ueed an iustitution where mothers who are obliged to be away
from home i n order that they may earn an honest liviug may leave
their children and have the satisfaction of knowing that their little
minds are lifted above the miry slough aud prepared to shun the pitfalls that I~nvehem tllc de.jtructiou of many a young life born to be
useful.
~ ~ t i apeol
[NOTE: h move~nenthas already been started arnony the i ~ ~ t l ~ ~ ecolored
ple of Atlanta to establish a kindergarten. 'I'he plan of the corikrrrrce hari been to
discuss only snch refornr as were immediately prurtic;rl and woul11 IN. tl~pe1111ent
only on local co-oper;rtiot~and .i~ipport.--E~~.]
I could perform n o p1t:asunter duty t11u11t o plead tiw Iii~ltlcr~arten
schools for the Xegro
childrel~.
Some twelve year5 ago we had i n Atlanta a lr~odelJones kindergarten, under the care of the A. M. A., so i t will not he a11 experiment
with us. Unfi)rtunatel~it had to be discontinued for w a ~ of
~ tmeans.
I t would have been self-wpporting hy thih time, ant1 would have accomplished untold good.
What a blessiug a kindergarten would be to the tired mother who
could feel that her little darling was safely honsed from harm while
she performs her daily duties! For the poor walrlan who is busy the
entire week washing and ironing, it is an ilr~possihilityto care properly
for her children. A kindergarteu would be a rock of refuge to her;
and to that mother who goes from home early in the ~norningand does
uot return till dark, for her children si~cha school would he a castle
of escape.
I wish to give the " testimony" of three ~notliers,who are graduates
of Atlanta University, and whose husbands are prominent in educational work. These have representative homes-homes of intelligence.
Mrs. Wm. E. Holmes, whose husband is a professor in the Atlanta
Baptist College, e y s :
"As I see it, we need kindergarten schools:
" First-Because, as a race, we are incompetent to give o w children
the training such schaol6: furnish;
"Second-Because such tuition gives t,lw teacher a foundation on
which to build. We speak much cooceruing our progress and it must
he admitted that it is great, but if' we had had at the beginning of our
career s~iotipreli~ninarye c l ~ ~ c a t i owe
~ ishould he colisideruhly in advance
of' our present wnditiuri;
"'Third-Reca~~se the in~pressionahleyears of' early c:lrildhood sliould
I)e t ~ i r n e dto matters of i111portanc:e and pernlauent valw. T h i s is a
training wtiicli if neglected the11 (::in never be supplied. And if we
are ever to Iw all educriled race that training we must have, tbr education is our peutest need."
Mrs. C r o g ~ n a o ,the wifc of Prof. Crogirlan of Clark TTniversity, and
the niother of eight cliildre~i,says:
" I n my o p i n i o ~
one
~ of the greatest needs of our people is the estahl i s l i ~ ~ r eof
~ r tkindergarten sctrools for the t r n i n i ~ ~ofg our yoo~rg. I n
them they o:tn he triii~ledyouuger tl~iillin the prirriary schools ; :tnd i l l
tlie~ntlicy are 1)rcparctl to trtko Iiold t)ctttcr of the pri~rrarywork."
Mrs. Etlgar .J. I'enwy, wlrosc Iiusl)and is pastor a t the Tuskcgee
N o r ~ r ~ aaud
l Iutl~rstrialInstitute, says :
" I a!u a I t i ~ ~ d e r g u r tentlitr.siast,
c~~
bcc.ir~rwI I)t:lieve it is tlie nlotlrcris
greatest hell). I t ol)etis its doors a t ilre very titile wlre~iclriltlren are
i t ~ d:icti\.e, :ind t i ~ r ~ r tr :l ~ tnciivity, which is ~iiisc:alled
~ i ~ o restless
st
urischief at I ~ o ~ n into
e , iunocent a d p l e a s ; ~ ~it~struvtion,
~i
and thus the
oE
the
miud
and
plrysival
nature
begi~is
early.
process of de\.elol)~iieut
7 % State
~
.is yeire~otrs, 1 kr,&, i'rz etluctrting thc yorur.9, but she makes the
rnrike ill letfin.y the child hr,corrbc. hiti t r r d tlren
~risttrkcLhuf l~tan;ypr~r.07~t.s
tr.yirq to t.c:for-n~it. 'l'lie rr:~tural ortler o~lglrt to IN: f i ~ rthe youth to
graduate fro~rithe k i d e r g a r t e n , the11 from tlie prirriary sc:lrools, aucl so
on until the college is rc:~clled.
.' YTlrat a Cod-send w o ~ ~ tlwse
ld
cIiil(lrc~r-ga~.dr~is
be to the poor who
have litt,lc o r 110 time to gi\:c to tire training of tlrcir little ones! I
:im praying ;ind It~ugingto sec: tlre day w l ~ e n free lii~itlcrgarte~ls
will
he 011 the corner of' every allvy. What a strange idea to wait u ~ ~ t ai l
child is six or sevtbli to hegiu its education, which means hooks as so
many think!
"'rllere are liu~~tlretls
of'ihi~rgsa ~ i dideas that a child geti it1 a kiudergarten wliic11 are really the begirruiug ot' its etl~~ctation,
and yet it
does not know the l)ooli l a ~ l g ~ ~ i t g eI t. gets :icq~~:ii~~tt:d
with u a t ~ ~ r cI.
c a n ~ ~ tcdl
o t yo11Iiow it rejoices 11ic that this nwst i111port:int sul)ject is
to be discuescd. 1 wisl~I ooultl arouse evcry uiot11t:r a d teacher i l l
this So~itlrln~rd
to see thc rwed of s a v i ~ r pour vliiltlre~~
heforc they
68
STIIDY OF SE(:RO
('ITY I,I FE.
become steeped and dyed in vice, and then atten~ptto reform tlieni."
The Catholics ask but the first seveu years of a child, the formative
period, asserting that ideas inculcated during that season canuot he
supplanted. Let us apply the wisdom of their experience to our case.
The years that need tilost carefill instruction are those entrusted to the
tender mercies of the rabl~le. Illnocent eyes read and observe the
animate illnstratio~~s
of vice, illnocent ears listen to tlie rendition of
collections of depravity. With these lessons learned thescllool teacher
has to begin to t;neduc:ate, but trace what she nla:i upon the paliniysest.
the first record remains uneffaced.
The Atlanta JoumnL recently said: "This work seems to be tlie
sweetest, the best, the most far-renching good work that we can do for
humanity. Teach a little child goodness and truth, useful facts and
bright bits of knowledge, and the father and n~otlicrin the lowly homes
will soon learn the same lcssotis from the baby lips."
With all the ardor of an anxious niother I repeat that (lay t~oniesor
kindergartens are a glaring need, an absolute uecessity if the masse9
are to be raised.
Friends, I plead nwst earnestly for such a school at once, there are
so many little childrer~ready and eager to go to the school. Who, oh,
who is ready and willing to help 11sto administer to their wants?
R E P O R T S FROM C I T I E S .
[NOTE: I t is hoped to make the reports from cities one of the n1ai11 fenr,nres of
the next conference. A movemerlt hrrs ~rlrradgl ~ e g ~innseveral cities to form local
orgnnizntions to make i ~ l v ~ s t i g i r t i oand
~ ~ swork along lines s u g ~ e s t e dby the Atlanta
conference. Another year one of the s ~ c l i o nmeetings collld be profitnbly devoted
I I Sthe delegates from such organizations.
This year we
to reports RII(I ~ ~ S C L I S S ~ Oby
print brief reports from three of these orgunixations located respectiv~lgin -ltlanta,
New Orleans and washing tor^.-Eu.]
. 1
Ihis report was preseutetl to the c o r ~ f e r e ~ ~ c eProf.
% y \Vm.
lautn l31tptist College.
E. Holrnes, of she .it-
Deeply concerned about the conditioil of the poor people in Atlaiita,
for some time Mrs. Georgia Swift King, i n a quiet way, had been laboring to better it. Into homes 1icglec:tetl by the fortiinate few she had
again and a g a i ~niatlc
~
her way to help the needy. Fintling the work
gro\viiig in tlimensio~is,it occurred to her to cnlist the sympathy allcl
assistance of others.
Accordingly, c:rrly i n the spring, at her suggestion a meeting was
called a t the rcsidence of Rev. Dr. \V. (;. Xlt!san,ler. A number respoiidcd, the object of the meeting was stated, disciiwion was engaged
in nod an orgaiiization was cffecttd, of wliioli I'rof: \Villianl R.
Matthew is tlie president.
Like similar societies, the object is to strltly the contlition of' the
lowly and in all possi1)le ways to improve it. 1he society illtends to
awaken interest i n good reading, to look after Female criminals, to
seek to raise the standnrd of' home life, a i d thus tone up tlie morals
and decrease the inortality of the race.
Already mothers' meetings have been Iield, children have been
looked after, and helpfill suggestions have b c e ~ii~atleto the people.
,.
Reported by letter by Rcv. George \V. Henderson to the c o r r e s p o ~ ~ t l isecretary
~~:
of
the conference, Mr. George G, Bradford.
I sent you newspaper clippiiigs containi~~g
reports of' our first two
meetiiigs. The third was equally snccessfril. We were fortr~natei n
secttring the co-operation and assistanre of the niayor of the city a i ~ d
other equally distinguished citizens of the white race.
These meetings were soniewlrat experirlrental. T h e i r success was
such a s to encourage the continuance of the niovenrcnt. A corumittee
was a p p o i ~ ~ t etod for111a permanent organization for tlw continued irrvebtigation and discr~ssion of tlrc variorls qr~estions concerr~ing our
riroral and material progreFt. T h e central principle ( tlrc undertaki n g (lifers sotnewbat from the Atlanta enterprise.
With 11s the fund:~rnentaltlring is education. T h e causes and renredies o f nlortality are a part of this larger ~ u b ~ j c c t .111 our city we
have little dorlbt bnt that the bad sanitary c o d i t i o n of those sections
where onr pcople live has nlucl~ to d o with the high death-rate.
F o r this the city is largely responsible. So far as the people themselves are respo~lsihle,it is doe to poverty and ignorance. Herwe o u r
object is t o itupart linowledgcl and create thc ticsire fbr i n ~ p r o v e ~ r ) e r ~ t
and arouse tlre spirit of self-help, and our nrethod is to hold p o p l a r
meetings tionr time to tinw in ditftwnt parts of tlte city o n tlre one
Irand, : ~ n d also affect lwblic sentiment on the othvr thro~rglr t h e
prcss and I)y committees \rllo shall rel)reaer~trl-; hefi)re the Board of
we
Edncation, the C'ity Corlncil and the Lcgislaturc, u ~ ultimately
d
Ilolje to cxtcb~~cl
the nlovenrent to a11 parts of the state.
As to the y~~ehtio!i of n~ortality,I hope sonrc.thiug may I)e done
along the lines prlrs~ledi l l Atlanta and other citics. My first ainr has
hecn to create an interest. I ~ h i n l tI I O W I w e the w:l.y clear to d o this
partic~~l:tr
Itind of' irrvcstig;ltion, and I Irope >o~rrereport may he scwt
to your third cwn&wncc next year.
.'
This
wpwt,
W;IS
pn.seute(1 to
WASHI NGr1'ON.
the corifcrc~~oc:
I)$ Mr. I,. M. I I ~ ~ x h a w
T h e Gradnatc? C'lr~l)of' W a s l l i ~ ~ g t o I).
n , ('., is all orgauii..atiolr (:omposed of colorctl graduates of several Xorthern a n d Southern colleges.
T h e object of the cluh is to stimrllate study a d researclr among its
ruenil)ers. Tlrc work ontlinetl so far lies witlrin t h e 11royirrc:eof sociology. D r ~ r i u gthe year j ~ ~ closed
st
the cl~rl)tias hcen s t i ~ d y i n gtlw
works ef Giddings and Fairbanks on sociology. T h e program for
lrcxt ycAarcontains stirdies 0 1 1 v:rriorls ~)l~:rsesof the Negro ]~rol,lcnr,
and also srverul tc11)ic:s of'a broadly sociological interest. Prof: Kelly
Miller, proti~ssor.ot' nlatlrenratics i n 1Toward Cniversity, is ~)rcssident
of tllr c.1111), which l ~ r :sI niern1)t~rsIrip;rt present of thirty-three.
[The followiug are extract* fro111a tbw of the mat1.v encoltraging l e t t e r ~received
frorn those who y rnp:ithize deeply with the pnrpose of the conference.-En.]
From
H I ~I.:\wllencj, W. Y .\I'I<ISSOX, (;o\rrtiot of t h State
~
of Georgia
I have tlelayrtl replying to your kind il~vitatiou to be with yor~,
hoping that I \\.or~ltlI)e ihle to co~nplvwith your rtyuest, hut I regret
to say that 1nru now forced to write you that it will be inlpossible for
rue to accept.
1 sillrerely trust that the "C'onference
tl
both profitalde i i ~ ~en.joyablc.
011
('it? Problems" will be
Frol~r ,MKl,VILLE W. E'I:IALE:R,Chief Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court :
I sincerely egret that I fi,nd it irupossible to attend the couference
with reference to the conditiou of the colored population in our cities,
to be held Map 25t,h and 2tith.
From FREDERICK HOWARl) WINES, L1..1)., Rditor of the Chariliev izecie~o:
I am very n ~ r ~ cobliged
h
fbr your invitatinu to attend the second
conference with referelwe to the condition of the colored population
in the cities of' the United States. I regret that my oficial duties will
not permit m y absence from home at the date of this meeting.
My word to the conference is simply this: that if the Negro race is
ever to be elevated in the social scale, as I beliove that it will be, it
can only be by self-culture and self-control. Help frorn the outside
will go but a little way. The Negro must realize his manhood and
his responsibilities as a man and citizen,and meet them, if he wishes to
survive in the struggle for existence. It is al~solutelyessential that he
should receive not only a literary education, but manual training; and
that he should cultivate in himself the virtues of industry, thrift,
chastity, honesty and temperance. When he learns to respect himself,
his women, the rights of others, and esl~eciallythe rights of property ;
to meet the reasonable expectations of his eniployers, and to fulfill his
contracts both in letter a d i n spirit, he will c o n ~ n ~ a nthe
d respect of
the world, and I~isadvance~nentwill be I)otli sure and rapid. I f race
prejudice on the part of' the white people towards the colored is to be
deplored, so also is race pre,judice 011 the p r t of' the colored people
towards the white. The two races must live in peace and harn~ony,or
the weaker race will inevitably go to the wall.
From Hon. C. A. COLIJER, Mayor of the Citj of Atltintw
I shall be gone until June lst, or about that time; consequently.1
shall be con1pelled to forego the pleasure of making the address which you
desire at your conference on the 25th and 'LGth of Nay.
From J O H X F. CROWEI.I+ Profesaov of Kc.o~\olnicsand Sociology in Snlitll
College:
I am very deeply interested in the co~~fLrence
proposed to consider
the condition of the colored population in our cities, at Atlanta, May
%and 26. I t is a.step in the right direction-a step looking towzrd the
selection ofthesociallysafea~ldthe scientifically sound means by which
t.he colored people may avoid the dangers and yet secure the benefits
of what is an essentially sympathetic civilization. Though my duties
here will prevent my being present I hope that its proceedings will be
given widest publicity.
I hope that those who meet to discuss these problems may, if deemed
advisable, provide for permanent organization of this movement, so
that from year to year thz methods and results may be considered in
conference. I f so, please enroll my name among its members.
From SAMUEL M. LINDSAY, Professor of Finnnce and Economy, University o
Pennsylvania :
f
I am very glad to know of pour Conference on City Problems. The
results of your investigation as published in the Bulletin of the Department of Lsbor are extremely interestiug and this conference should
be very helpful. I would like to be present, but my duties here at
the close of the term are puch that I cannot get away now.
-
~
The d a t a from which the following tables were compiled were gathered exclusively by representative colored men a n d women under the direction of Atlanta University, Atlanta, (fa.
At t h e suggestion of Col. Carroll D. Wrighb, Con~missionerof the U. 9. Department of Labor
t h e data gathered were turned over to t h e Departmentof Labor for tabulation a n d a t his requesi
the university permitted the tables to be published in full in t h e May Bulletin of t h e Department of Labor. We repriut here summaries and extracts from these tables.
There were invited to t a k e part in the investi ation about 50 graduates of Atlanta University 3001 Fisk University and 16 of t h e colore8 graduates of Rerea besides the prominent
coldreii doctors ministers 'lawyers and teachers of the States of Cfeor i a South Carolina Alabama a n d ~ e n n e k e eincluhing
.
rep;esentatives from all t h e more promfneht institutions f& t h e
hi her education of the Negro. In all, something over 300 were invited, of whom about 100
vokunteered, a n d of the latter 60 were able to complete their part of t h e investigation within
t h e time allowed them which unfortunately was very short.
Great credlt is due t o th; investi ators'for their work in the investigation, for through
them i t s success has been possible. fis previous1 stated, they are all representative colored
persons. The Pollowlng statement shows in detail t i e name of each person engaged in t h e work
of securlng t h e data, the number of groups investigated by each. a n d t h e total number of
groups, families a n d individuals Canvasaed.
p
Investigators.
Investigators.
Athens, Ga.
Dr. C. 9. Haynes.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Allanla, Ga.
Selena S. Rntler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
E m m a L. Holmes.. ..................
Laura C. Davis.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lllla E. Had e r and Mary E. B r i t t a i n . .
Mar F . ~ u l f i n .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
pro[ William B . Matthews.. ..........
Dr. H. R. Butler.. ......................
Georee A. Towns a n d Adrienne E.
H e h l o n . . .............................
9
Julla M. Brown.. ...................... 10
Mattle A. Ford.. .......................
11
...................... 12
Alice D. Carey
Geor ia 9. King ........................
IS
R.ev.%enry H . Proctor ................ 14
Nellie E. Crawford.. ................... 16
Mary E. Keller ..........................
16
Birmingham, A l a .
1.
1
6
....................
Dr. A. M. Brown...
Combridge, Mass.
1
Butler R. Wllson.. .....................
Carlrnville., Qa.
2
~ l b e rB.
t cooper. l . ................. I
Chattanooga, Ten.n.
17
Rev. Joseph E . Smith.. ................
Columbfa, S. C.
Dr. C . C. Johnson ...................... 18,19.20
Jackson Tenn.
3
Prof. A. K. ~ e r r y ; . .................
.
~
.
p
No.
Jnckronz*ille F l a .
4
Dr. W. C. Smalls. . . .................
Rev. W. E.Partee a n d L. B. Robinson.
6
Prof. William F . Jackson .............
24
Louixvill~,KI/
Prof. Frank L. Williams ..............
6
Macon, Ga.
Dr. C. McCarthy.. ................... i *
31,32
Macon, Mlss.
Dr. Danlel W. Sherrod ................
8
Nashvillr. Tenn.
.:
{
/
1I
Prof. Eugene H a r r l s . ........
.'.I
Hon. J. C. Napler.. ................
.' ii)
Orangeburg R. C
N. J. Frederick a n d d a s .
Johnson.
9
Frank B. Johnson ......................
10
Sanfortl, P l a .
Wllliam C. McLester
.............. 11
S a v a n n a h Qa.
............. 12
Dr. C. McKane ........
Sarah J . Rutler ........................
21
Rev. R. R. Downs ..................... 26,26,27
Tuekeger, A l a .
Rev. E. J. Penney ..................... 13,28
Washington D C.
Dr. Furman J. Shadd 1.. ..............
14
Mag le R Howen.. ...................
2!2
Dr.
~ i u c ~e v a n s . .............
.
23
C. L . Franklin .......................... 29
:...
6.
NUMRER O F GROUPS, FAMILIES, AND INDIVIDUALS CANVASSED.
PamlIles.
City.
-
Atlanta, Ga.
............
Nashville, Tenn.
........
Cambrld
Mass . . . . . . .
~avannaf?' Ga. . . . . . .
Washin on, D. C. .....
Macon g a . .............
~ a c k s d n v i l l eFla.
,
......
Columbia, 8. C ..........
Rirmingham, A'a.. .....
Tuskegee, Ala.. .........
16
10
1
6
4
4
3
3
2
2
Fig!-
G ~ ~ * ~ I I . ~
---
..-
Orangebur .S. C.. ......
Sanford.
.........
Athens, Cfa. ............
Cartersville, Ga.. . . . . .
Louisville. Ky.. .........
Macon,Miss ...........
Chattanooga, Tenn.
Jackson, Tenn.
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
22
U
............
69
1,137
Fk.
Total
....
.........----
18
10
16
17
21
22
T h e investigation was carried t o completion i n 18 cities, all except one of
which a r e located i n t h e Southern States. T h e effort t o secure schedules for
several groups of colored people i n each of t h e smaller cities and for a larger
number of groups i n cities of greater size a n d importance was quite successful, a s t h e preceding statement shows. Great care was taken i n t h e selection of groups a n d in securing data i n Atlanta, Ga., Nashville, Tenn., and
Cambridge, Mass., and i t i s t o t h e tabulation for these cities t h a t we must
look for t h e most representative and accurate showing of t h e condition of t h e
Negro so f a r a s this investigation is concerned. T h e tabulation of t h e data
for 32 groups i n t h e other cities canvassed is presented mainly for t h e value
it may have in corroborating t h e facts presented for t h e 16 groups i n Atlanta,
t h e 10 groups i n Nashville, and t h e single group in Cambridge. T h e data for
t h e 32 groups in other cities havedoubtless been gathered with quite a s much
care in most cases, but t h e same care could not be exercised in t h e selection
of t h e 32 groups t o be investigated a s in t h e cities for which a separate statement is made.
Allusion has been made t o "groups" in some of t h e previous statements,
and a n explanation is probably necessary i n order t h a t t h e reader may have
a n accurate knowledge of just what i s meant by t h e t e r m in this connection.
I t was not possible t o secure data from a n y large portion of t h e population
or for a n y large section of t h e cities involved i n t h e investigation, owing t o
t h e fact t h a t in no instance was there a n y remuneration given t o investlgators for t h e work performed, i t being purely voluntary and usually performed
by persons with so many other interests t h a t but a part of t h e i r t i m e could
be devoted t o t h i s work. F o r this reason i t was decided t o select one or more
groups of from 10 to 20 houses s t a n d i n g together in t h e portions of t h e city
which were t h o u g h t t o be representative of t h e various conditions of t h e
Negro in t h a t locality. Each of these collections of houses has been termed a
group.
I n t h e tabular presentations which follow, t h e cities embraced in t h e
investigation have been arranged in f o u r divisions in each summary table,
and t h e same order is followed in t h e tables which give more detailed information, as follows: Sixteen groups i n Atlanta, Ga.; 10 groups i n Nashville,
Tenn.: 1 group in Cambridge, Mass.; and 32 groups in other cities. Under
each of these divisions t h e groups have been arranged according t o t h e i r condition and t h e character of their surroundings, whether good, fair, or bad.
I n t h e Brst division, comprising t h e 16 groups for Atlanta, Ga groups 1, 2,3,
4, and 5 may be classed a s good; groups 6 , 7 , 8,9,10, a n d 11 a s f&r; and groups
12,?3, 14, 16, a n d 16 as bad. I n t h e second division, comprising 10 groups i n
Nashville, Tenn., group 1 may be classed a s good; groups 2, 3, 4, 5,6, 7,8, a n d
9 a s f a i r ; a n d group 10 a s bad. I n t h e t h i r d division, t h e single group in
Cambridge, Mass., may be classed a s fair. I n t h e fourthdivision, groups 1 t o
14 a r e classed a s good ; groups 15 t o 23 a s f a i r ; a n d groups 24 t o 29 a s bad ; t h e
condition of groups 30,81, and 32 not being reported. T h e groups i n t h i s
fourth division a r e located a s follows: Group 1 in Birmingham, Ala.; group
2 i n Cartersville, Ga.; group 3 i n Jackson, Tenn.; groups 4 a n d 6 i n Jacksonville, Fla.; group 6 i n Louisville, Ky.; group 7 in Macon, Ga.; group 8 i n
Macon, Miss.; groups 9 a n d 10 in Orangeburg, S. C.; group 11 in Sanford, Fla.;
group 12 i n Savannah, Ga.; group 13 i n Tuskegee, Ala.; g r o u p 14 i n Washington, D. C.; group 15 in Athens, Ga.; group 16 i n Birmingham, Ala.; group 17
i n Chattanooga, Tenn.; groups 18,19 a n d 20 i n Columb~a,S. C.; g r o u p 21 i n
Savannah, Ga.; groups 22 a n d 23 i n +arhington, D. C.; g r o u p 24 i n Jacksonville, Fla.; groups 25,26, a n d 27 i n Savannah, Ga.; group 28 i n Tuskegee,
Ala.; group 29 i n Washington, D. C.; a n d groups 30, 31, and 39 i n Macon, Ga.
TABLE 1.-NUMBER
AND PER CENT OF PERSONS OF EACH RELATIONSHIP.
Nashville,
tlanta, Ga.!
Ten..
16 groups. , 10 groups.
Relationship to head of
family.
I
ber.
537 41.57
609 47.14 (
22
1.70 ,
33
2.55 '
33
2.55
13
1.01
2 01
2s
3
12
.54
i
-
Size of families.
1 person ....................
2 persons. .................
3 l ~ e r s o n s .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
persons.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
9 l!ersonn.. . . . . . . . . . . . .
10 persons.. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Over 10 persons.. .........
1
442
4%
817 40.97
920 46.14
2.21
44
2.11
42
3.71
54
37
1.85
16
.RO
44
2.21
20
1.00
-1,994 100.00
30
48
25
20
!I
24
8
1.090
AND P E R CENT O F FAMILIES OB EACH SPECIFIED SIZE.
1
I
/
-
I
Null~- Per Nnul- Per Num- Per Noul- Per Num- Per
be..
cent. ber. cent. I*..
cent./ her. cent.\ i m . cent.
1
4 persons.. ...........
5 persons.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6 persons.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7 persons.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8
1
All groups.
Pum- Per
ium- l'er
ber. cent. ber. cent.
,
Total ................. 1,292 00.00
TABLE 2.-NIJMBER
ther cities,
32 groups.
--
Per ~ u m - Per I ~ u i - ( p e r
c e n t . , ber. cent. 1 ber. , cent.
iurn-
Heads of families.. . . . . . . . .
Children.. ..................
Parents.. .................
Brothers and sisters.. .....
Grandchildren.. . . . .
Ner~hewsand nieces.. ......
Bo'arders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lodgers. ...................
Other relationships.. . . .
Cambridge.
Mass.,
1 group.
I
1
!
Total.. ..............
TABLE 3.-AVERAGE
SIZE O F FAMILY, BY CITIES.
Cities.
AtIanta, Ga .........................................................
Nashville, Tenn ...............................................
Cambridge. Mass.. ...............................................
Other cities.. ........................................................
Total. .........................................................
--
324
246
98
463
1,137
I t will be seen from t h e above table t h a t for all t h e families investigated
the average number of persons per family in Atlanta, Ga., was found t o be
3.99; in Nashville, Tenn., 4.43; in Cambridge, Mass., 8.73; in t h e other cities,
4.25; a n d in all t h e cities covered by t h e investigation,4.17. Comparison
with t h e r e t u r n s of t h e census of 1890 i n the cases of the first three cities,
returns for all the others not being given, shows t h a t for t h e entire population of these cities, including both white and colored, t h e average size of
family was considerably larger, viz., for Atlanta 4.91, Nashville 4.92,andCambridge 4.96.
TABLE 4.-NUMBER
AND PER CEXT OF PERSONS UNDER EACH AGE PERIOD
-
Atlanta, Qa.
16 groups.
Age periods.
-
Nashville,
Tenn.,
10 groups.
-
I
I-
Jum- Per Num- Per 1 Num.
ber. cent. ber. cent. ber.
Num- Per
ber. / cent.
Z~L
Per
Num-
Per
cent.
Under 10 years ............. 1
10 t o 19 years .............. 1
20 to 29 years.. .............
110 to 39 years.. ............
40 t o 49 years.. .............
50 to 69 years ...........
60 years or over ...........
Age unknown ..............
/
Total
................1 1,292 100.00
TABLE 5.-AVERAGE
LOO 00
I 4.742
PERSONS PER SLEEPING ROOM.
Families having to each sleeping room a n
average ofCities.
.I
Averagf?
Total pers n s
famito a
lies. sleepingroom.
1
324
14
94
26
I119
66 !
Atlanta. Ga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6
I1
64
2
li4
3)
21
1
Nashville, Tenn.. . . . . . . . . . .
96
1
34
Cambrid e. Mass. ( a ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
147 .
7
h e ri
t ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ~ 14
.- I 21
Tots1 ( b ) . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
32Y
459
lwL.
19.
53
1,133
I
I
I
1
I
I
1
I
(I, Not including 2 families not reporting sleeping-rooms.
b Not including 4 families not reportlr~gsleeping-rooms.
d
I.'%
: d
"
TABLE 6.-ROOMS
2.22
2.41
2.06
2.17
PER FAMILY.
Families livine in-
9
Cities.
/
I1
Not Total
ro'm. ro'nls. ro'ms. ro'ms. ro'ms. ro'ms. ro'ms, ro'ms ro'ms
I
over. ed.
1
2
3
4
6
8
9
Atlanta, Ga.. ...
Nashville, Tenn.
Csnlbridge, M's.
Other cities. ....
Total
....
111
1
276
1
308
1
197
,
112
1
61
I
29
.
I1
I
1
I
8
1
/
469
6 1,131
--
a Including one family havlng a n additional half-room.
Thefollowing'extract is from Table I V of t h e May Bulletin of tbe U.S. Department of Labor
showing method of com ilatmn of d a t a on household c o n d i t ~ o n sof Negroes; giving the con!
difion of each family in getail. The complete table includes 1,137 families.
EXTRACT FROM TABLE 1V.-HOUSEHOLD
ATLANTA, GA.-16
CONDITIONS, BY FAMILIES.
GROUPS.
GROUP 1.
[O. H. indicates that the family own the house in which they live.]
Per~ons.
Family
No.
I
Rooms.
I
1
1
1
M2:1!,y
Monthly
Male.Female. S l e e p 'Other.
I inc.
1
t 3 00
3.00
4 00
4.00
10 00
8.30
0. ti.
0.H.
0 1%.
0. H.
The following extract is from Table V of same report showing same data by groups. For
oomplete tables see ahove-mentioned report.
EXTRACT FROM TABLE V.-HOl1SEHOLD
Group Faminumlies.
ber.
1 ....
2.....
3.....
4.....
s.....
6.....
7.....
a,....
g.....
10
11. . . . .
12
13. . .
14
16 .....
16
.....
.....
.....
...
--
ATLANTA, GA.-18
CONDlTlOXS, BY GROUPS.
GROWS.
Families.
Persons.
log.
Xumber
lverage
person8
to each.
-1.78
46
49
30
'23
46
36
40
41
69
38
42
30
37
19
26
22
Other.
Num- Averagi
persona
ber.
t o each.
1
Own- 'aying
ing
10U88 rent.
2.24
2.47
2 61
1.87
2.14
1 80
2.27
1.76
2 32
2.30
2.97
2.24
2.68
2 68
2.86
Total
a Rent free.
b Including one family living rent f r e e
The followingextract la from Table VI of same report showing in detail occupation and
earnings by families for the 1,137 famllies covered by the investigation.
AND EARNINGS, BY FAMILIES.
EXTRACT PROM TABLE V1.-OCCUPATIONS
ATLANTA, GA.-16
GROUPS.
GROUP 1.
Head of family.
~
ily
Week
Occnpation.
I
1.
2
pl'yed
iLp
-I
. . Seamstress (a).. . . . a 16
...
3...
Bricklayer ............
Em ioyee, printing
60
26
...
4
Drayman.. ........... 50
5 .... Merchant, wood (6).
. 6 24
6.. .. Tailor ( ( 1 ) . ............ d 44
7 ... Coachman. .......... 52
8 .... Waiter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5'2
9..
Teacher, private sch'l
52
10 .... Physician ............ 52
11.. . . Clergyman ........... 52
Y2 .... Dentist ..............
82
13 ... Waiter. ............. 52
14 .... W a i t e r . . .............. 52
15
Whrelwripht ........
52
16... . Hack owner and cap- a2
italist.
17 .... I'orter . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
18 .... Bishop A. M. E. C h . .
5"
19.. .. Proprietor,
restall- /r 12
rant (11).
..
....
Average
aeekl
earning%
--
How subsisted
when
unemployed.
---
r$4.00 Savings.
12.00 Savings.
6.011 Savings.
I
!
At
work
Iwork. and
I
$
:
forth
, a c Z o ~ .year.
.
5.00 Savings.. .
6 7.00 . . . . . . . . . . . .
...........
11 3.50
5.00 . . . . . . . . . . .
10.00 ...........
...........
10 00
25.00
.........
12.50 . . . . . . . . . .
20.00 ............
5.00 . . . . . . . . . .
5.00 ............
11.oo ..........
300.00 ...........
3
d Also employed 8 weeks a s hotel waiter a t
83.50 per week.
.
c Not reported.
f Wife a n d child.
P Wife.
?t ~1;; employed 40 weeks a s bank porter a t
$10 e r week.
r 8hild a n d mother.
The following is a valuable summary a s showing t h e industrial position of women.
TABLE 7.-NUMBER OF FAMILIES AND MEANS OF SUl'PORT.
--
Atlanta,
Ga., 16
groups.
By whom supported
-I
Head male ......................................
Head' male a n d male children.. .................
~ e a d male:
:
and female children ..................
Head male a n d male and female children.. . . .
~ e a d femaie
:
...................................
Head, female, and male children. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Head female and female children. . . . . . . . . . .
~ e a d female:
:
and male and femalechildren.. . . .
Heads, male and female.. ........................
Heads male and female a n d male children.. ....
~ e a d smale
'
and femalet and female children.. ..
~ e a d s male
:
a n d female: a n d male and fernale
children.. ......................................
Head, male, and o t h e r s . . ........................
Heed, female, and o t h e r s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Heads, male a n d female. and others.. ............
Others male ....................................
others: female ..................................
Total
I....
8.00 Savings..
41.66 ...........
117.00 ...........
a Alsoemployed 36 weeks a s sicknurse no pay
b Also employed 28 weeks a s waiter a; $10 pe;
week
;- other.
Children.
I
-l
........................................
Nashville,
enn., 11
?rouys
CamOther
Dridge, ities,
kiass., 1 groups.32
group.
TABLE &-NUMBER
AND P E R CENT O F PERSONS SICK DURING T H E YEAR.
Nashville,
Tenn..
10 groups.
k t l a n t a . Ga.
16 groups.
Name of ailment.
Consumption.. ..............
n e o n i a. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Total ................. 1
41
NumDer.
/
Cambridge, Other cities.
Mass.,
32 groups.
1group.
I
T O ~ ~ ~ .
Per
cent.
0.45
4.63
B / 4.981
Cholera i n f a n t u r n . . .......
Convulsions. ................
1
1 9 1 4.061
45
.
,&.I .i.l. ,&.I. ...6.i..
4 1 3.741
- -.- -.~
I . ..i . /
.........
...
.I
1 7 2621
621 3.72
. .- - ---
.....
36
Total .............
Typhoid fever.. .............
rcarlet fever ...............
Malarial fever.. ............
Diarrhea.
Diphtheria.
1
.93
Total ................
Syphilis
Scrofula.
..........
...............
Total.
.68
18
.....
.............
1.
3.85
.
1 26
2
.31
Other ailment^. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Grand total..
........
TABLE 9.-NUMBER
AND P E R CENT OF DEATHS DURING PAST F I V E YEARS.
BY CAUSES.
1
Causes.
Atlanta, Ga., Nashv~lle,
16 groups. I T e n
groups.
n..
1
#
I
Cambridge,
lother
1
32 groups.
citiesdTOtal deaths.
I--
Num- Per Num- Per Num- Per
b e r cent. oer. cent. -ber. p e n t
Consumption .............. 1
Pneumonia.. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
...I
Total.. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
,I
I
~
Cholera infdntum.. . . . . . . . .
Convulsions.. . . . . . .
Still-births.. ...............
Total . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-
17
23
/
40
121.98 1.
~ - '
9 34
12k4
/
30
/
8 15 38
8 1 16:38
24.X
5.26
1
29.32
1
1
---;
3.84
1.66
2.20
32
7
I
;%
1
1
3.76
i
~
_
30.76
_
I
1_
19.23
36
19
/
12 77
6:94
1
(
92
67
14.35
8.89
1
149
123.24
2 1 ":" /
54
-
~
19.71
l
-
/ "2
3.66
[~ I ~ T I ~ ~,-T / --T ~ T . ~T ~~10.68=
< 1~ 68 1
.
~
.
.
: k:" I
>
10
-
Typhoid fever.. . .
Scarlet fever..
Malarial f e v e r . . .
Diarrhea
Dil~htl~eria..
16
/
_--,___I__
4.63
--
.
.
......
......
.....
Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Syphilis.. ..................
Scrofula ....................
/
Total .................
Other c a u s e s . . .
Grand total.. ..........
3. )
1.65
I
.
.
.
2
i
....
1.61
/
. . .
2
1.1.
3.86
. /. . . : . .
1
37
1. / ....
8
1.25
N o T E : - T ~ ~follewin table i s very illstructive b u t deductions from I t should be made with
g r e a t care. I t is i n t e n d e i to show t h e efiectsof sahitary conditions upon the health of the community, but the results obtained are not conclusive, for the increased amount of sickness i n
families living under unfavorable sanitary conditions can not be attributed entirely to such conditions a s a certain proportion of i t must be attributed t o the more irregular habits of life of
those iamilies which are content t o live under such unfavorable condltions. The same incompetency which prevents a family from making material prnpress and securing for itself good
accommodations also prevents its resisting disea8e. We enerally a n d 111 healrb and povert
toeether, one the cause of t h e other, but quite as often botff the result of a common cause, s u c i
sd intemperance. immorality, ignorance, or some moral o r intellectual weakness.
TABLE 10.-SICKNESS, BY SANITARY CONUlTION O F HOUSES.
ATLANTA, QA.-16 QROUPS.
'ersOns sick durNumbel
of
persous
Sanitary condition of houses.
Light and air :
Good .............................
Fair ...............................
Rad ..................................
Ventilation :
Good ..............................
Pair. ...............................
Bad .................
................
Cleanliness :
Good ................................
Fair .................................
*d
..............................
Oucslde sanitary condition :
Good ...............................
Fair .................................
Bad ..............................
iG
E37
328
427
426
527
339
439
264
589
1
489
404
1971
I
329
GROUPS.
194
172
761
.I
I
381
346
364
413
462
225
CAMBRIDQE, MASS.-1 GROUP.
Ltght and air :
Good . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
F a i r . ................................
Bad .......................
......
Ventilation :
Good ................................
P a i r . . ...........................
Bad ................................
Cleanliness :
Good ....................... .
.
.....
Fair..
Bad ...............................
Outside sanitary condition :
Good ...............................
Fair. .................................
Bad.. ...................... .
.
.
...
................................
......
1
Days of sickness.
Per cent. reporting.
577
388
387
NASHVILLE. TENN.-10
Light aud atr :
Qood ..............................
Fair .................................
Bad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ventilation
...... :
Good ..............................
Fair. ...............................
Bad.. ............................
Cleanliness :
Good ................................
F a i r .............................
Bad .................................
Outside sanitary condition :
Good ................................
Pair ................................
Bad ..................................
ing year.
Total.
OTHER CITIES-29 GROUPS.
[Three oupa a n d three familles a r e not included, ria sanitary condition of houses wan not
rep0rted.y
'ersons sick d u r
Ing year.
Sanitary condition of houses.
Numbel
of
persons
lumber. Per cent
Light a n d air:
Good ..............................
Fair .................................
Bad ...............................
Ventilation:
Good ............................
F a i r ............................
Bad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
<:leanlinesa :
Good .............................
Fair ...............................
Bad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Outside sanitary condition :
Good ............................
F a l r ................................
Bad ...............................
Days of sickness.
'ersons
reporting.
Total.
--
--
I
a::
i20
38.34
173
143
86
7.861
4,566
4,4@3
194
116
91
8,849
3,677
4,481
171
132
6,W
99
6,419
5,000
?E
165
147
90
4,098
TABLE 11.-SANITARY CONDITION O F HOUSES.
ATLANTA, GA.-16 GROUPS.
Number of houses having-
I
-
Group number.
Light a n d air.
entiation.
. .-
e a i n e s .
\
o
~
t
Good.Bair.
- Bad.Good. Fair 3ad.
-----Fair.
1
4
5
15
12
$
--
.
1
I$
l.96
....
...
10
...
1
4
12
4
5
3
17
Bad.
1 ......
14
18
9
4
......
16
....
...........
I.....
1
3
15
!
1
:
.
1
6
1
.....
11
9
12
2
6
.....
4
7
8'
--
Total.. ..........
79
iJ
-
NASHVILLE. TENN. -10 GROUPS.
1 12 1:1
jjj
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4
11
2
9
16
l
7
. . .;. .
-- -39
107
12
10
8
9
.....
1
8
9
4
2
3
8
12
12
16
9
12
7
16
11
5
.....
---66
69
90
-
7
......
...........
.....
..........
16
16
1
130
96
56
CAMBRIDGE. MASS.-1
.
GROUP
/
Number of houses having-
.
Group number
.
.
.
.
.
ckrine,m
.
Out:Z"
.
Go'd Fair Bad.Gold. Fair Bad Go'd . Fair Bad Qo'd . Fair . Bad
8
8
OTHER CITIES-32
1.........................
2 .........................
3 .......................
4 ........................
5 .......................
6 ........................
7
.................
8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
.
GROUPS.
8
5
7
18
26
10
1
6
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4
12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
14
13 ........................
4
14 ....................... 15
15 ........................
8
16 ........................
2
1: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8
18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
19 .......................
3
20 .......................
1
21 ..............................
22 ........................ 13
23 .......................
9
24 .........................
6
25 ........................
11
26 ....................... a 2
27 ........................ ( a )
28 ........................ 10
29 ........................
8
30 ....................... 1 l h )
9
31
32
.........................
......................
'Iota1 .............
(b)
c 214
r~ Not including one house. not reported
O Not reported
c See preceding notes
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
A compilation of data from the health re orts of various cities, made by Mr. L. M. Herahaw, of Washington, D. C., an alumnus of Atfanta University, follows, and it is believed that
they afford very accurate information concerning the deaths, etc., in the cities for which the
necessar omcial reports were available.
Mr. dershaw's work included the cities of Atlanta, Baltimore, Charleston, Mem his and
Richmond. We print in full the tables for Atlanta, one table for Charleston and one &r Baltim o r e for lack of space we omit other tables. For explanation of these tables see paper by Mr.
~ e r s h a wpage 10
This dpork is tb be continued by Mr. Hershaw during the coming year.
TABLE a.-AVERAGE
ANNUAL DEATH RATE PER 1,000 AND EXCESS AND PER CENT
OF EXCESS OF COLORED FOR THREE PERIODS OF YE +RY, BY CITIES.
First period.
City.
colored.
ColW'ite. ored.
NO.
Per
cent.
-
Atlanta. ..... 18 2'2 37.96 19.14 108 41
Baltimore.. 22.60 36 16 13.65 69.92
Memphis.. .. 28 08 43.01 16.93 84.95
Richmond
22.42 40.34 17.92 19.98
....
TABLE b.-POPULATION,
Excess of
colored.
ColW'lte. ored.
No.
Per
cent.
14.18
11.06
24.44
1.86
17.16
13.51
56.81
109.63
38.69
81.14
-19 25 0 . 4 1
19.46 30 62
22.30 46.74
21.49 29.35
21.37 38.83
Average. ....
..............
1886. ...............
1887..
1888.. ..............
1839
........
1880
...............
Average. ....
Average. ....
1 1
Col-
Excess of
colored.
V ite. ored.
No.
1
per
cent.
DEATHS, AND DEATH RATE PER 1,000, ATLANTA, QA.,
Total deaths.
Year
Third period.
Second period.
1
I
Deaths per 1,000.
I I I
White. Colored.
Excess of colored.
White. Colored. ---N
o percent.
TABLE c.--DEATHS AND DEATH RATE PER 1,000 OF TOTAL POPULATION OF CHILDREN UXDER 5 YEARS OF AGE, ATLANTA, GA., 1882 TO 1896.
I
Total deaths.
/
Deaths per 1,000.
Year.
Excess of colored.
9umber.lper cent.
Average. ..........................
ii:::::::..
::::::::::: :
1888. ...................................
.
1889..
1890
..................................
.....................................
.......................
...................................
...................................
.................
Average..
1891..
1895.
Average.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I
251-1386
1
6.76-1
11.66
/
6.89
/
102.26
TABLE d.-AVERAGE ANNUAL DEATH RATE PER 10,000, ATLANTA, GA., FOR THE
PERIOD8 1882 TO 1885, 1886 TO 1890, 1891 TO 1895, BY CAUSES.
Excess of
Causes.
Excess of
I
ColW'te. ored.
cent.
. .I
18.7 6
0
.
j
31:8?
consumption
Pneumonia.. ... 8.03 26.6 17 66
Excess of
colored.
~ u m ] Per
cent.
1 ber.
1 7 2 . ~ i 1 8 ~ 3 4 5 8 8 ~ ~ ~ 0 4 116.8'43.48'26.66'
43.
196.671 11.mI 28:zt31 14:96, 1 5 2 . A 1 1 . 4 32.271 U).61\
Diphtheria
158.60
176.76
---
Total
16.42
Other causes.
M.71
a Included In "Other causes."
b Excess of white.
c Including deaths from cholera infantum and still-birthe.
TABLE e.-AVERQGE ANNUAL DEATH RATE PER 10,000, CHARLESTON, S. C., FOR
THE PERIODS 1881 TO 1884,1885 TO 1989,A N D 1890 TO 1894,BY CAUSES.
1881 t o 1884.
1886 t o 1889.
Excess of
1890 to 1894.
-
Excess of
,
8
Cholera infantum .
....
...
.
- ---
--
Included in "Other causes."
b Not including deaths i n ISM.
c Excess of white.
d Not including deaths from diarrhea in 1664.
e Not including deaths from scrofula in 1884.
f Including deaths from cholera infantum and convulsioos,and from diarrhaea and scrofula
in 1884.
d
-
The table following shows for each of the ten years from 1884 to 1893the total and the illeyit i
mate blrths and the blrth race per 1.000 of total population of both white and colored; aluo the
average births and birth rates per 1,000 for the two flve-year periods 1884 to 1888 and 1889 t o 1893:
TABLE f.-TOTAL
AND ILLEGITIMATE BIRTHS AND BIRTH RATE P E R 1,000 O F TOTAL
POPULATION, BALTIMORE, MD., 1884 TO 1893.
Total b i r t h s .
Par.
1
Births per 1,m.
1
l " e f ~ ~ ~
Illegitimate
~ t e
birtbs per 1000.
-
Of total births, the excess of births per 1000 of population 1s seen to be in favor of the
whites. For the flrst five-year period this exc'ess is 2.14, the percentage of excess being 11.09;
for the second five-year period the excess is 3.74 the percentage of excess being 20.93.
The illegitimate births for the colored population show a very2arg.e excess over the illegitimate blrths for the white. While there is a n increase in the excess of colored birth rate from
2.68 in the flrst ive-year period t o 3.60 in the second, the per cent of excess shows a decrease
from 714.6 in the flrst period t o 650.4 in the second.