for their own - university of massachusetts...

FOR THEIR OWN

R e p ~ r t of a n investigation under the direztion

of Atlanta University; together with the pro-

ceedings of the Third C ~ n f e r e n c e for the study

of the Negro Problems, held at Atlanta Uni-

versity, May 25-26, 1898.

The Corresponding Secretary of the Atlanta Conference will upon request undertake to furnish correspondent^ with information upon the Negro problems, so far as possible; or will point out such sources as exist, where data may be obtained. No charge will be made except for actual expenses incurred.

C O N T E N T S .

PAGE.

~NTRODUCTION - 3

I. RESULTS O F T H E INVESTIGATION - - THE EDITOR.

11. PROCEEDINGS O F T H E CONFERENCE - - - 45

111. PAPERS SUBMITTED TO T H E CONFERENCE - 49

THE CHURCH AS AN INSTITUTION FOR SOCIAL BETTERMENT; - Rev. H. H. Proctor 50

SECRET AND BENEFICIAL SOCIETIES OF ATLANTA, GA. ; - Dr. H. R. Butler 52

ORGANIZED EFFORTS OF NEGROES FOR THEIR OWN SOCIAL BETTERMENT IN PETERSBURG, VA. ; - Prof. J. M. Colson 54

THE WORK OF THE WOMAN'S LEAGUE, WASHINGTON, D. C.; - Mrs. Helen A. Cook 57

THE CARRIE STEELE ORPHANAGE; - Miss Minnie L. Perry 60 MORTALITY OF NEGROES - - L. M. Hershaw 62

"The sky of brightest grey seems dark To one whose sky was ever white,

To one who nerer knew a spark Thro' all his life of love or light,

The greyest cloud seems overbright." -Dunbar

INTRODUCTION

A t l : ~ i t : ~ U~iiversi ty is an i m t i t ~ ~ t i o t ~ for tlle higher etlucl~tion of Negro youth. I t qeeks 1)y ~ll:iiiitniilitig :L liigli s t a ~ i c l ~ t l of scholarsliip niicl de- po r tm~l i t , to sift out and train thorouglily, taleiitetl n l e inh r s of this race to be 1etttlel.s of thought :md ~ni+.ionai.ies of (-ultu~-e amoilg the masses.

Furthermore, Atlanta University recognizes t l ~ t i t is its duty ns a seat of leariling to throw much l ight a s pos.;ihle upo l~ tlie i~i tr icate social prol,leins affecting these nlshses, f o i tlle enlighte~iment of its graduates itlid of the general public, I t hn* therefoLse for the litst three years sought to unite its own grstluates, the graduates of similar in~t i tu t ions , tmtl etlu- c n t ~ d Negroes in general, throughout tlie South, in an effort to stutly care- tully :~ntl thorougllly certain definite aspects of the Negro problems.

C ? r ~ ~ d u ~ ~ t e s of Visk University, Re:ea ('ollege, Lincolil University, Spel- 111:tn Ilistitute, H o w ~ r d Univei~rity, the 1leh:trry Medict~l College, and other institutions have kindly joiiied in this inovenlent mid added their efforts to those of the grndu:ttea of Atlanta, and l ~ w - ~ e in the lwst three years lielpetl to conduc-t three investigations: One in 18Li into the Mortt~l- ity of Nt,glboes in Citieh; another in 1897 into the General Social and Phys- ical C'ontlition of 5,oOONegroesliving in selected parts of certain Southern cities; finally, ill 1898, inquiry hat. been made to ascertain what efforts Negroes w e thernhelves making to better their social condition by ilienns of org:~rlimtioi1.

The ~ 'esults of this 1:wt investigation twe presented in this pamphlet. Next year some phases of the ecuonomic situation of the Negro will be stuclietl. I t is hoped tha t these st~itlies will have the active aid and co-operation of all those who are interested in this ~iietllod of n i a k i ~ ~ g easier the wlutioll of the Negro pr'oblerns.

STUDY OF NEGRO C I T Y LIFE.

RESULTS O F T H E INVESTIGATION.

HY THE EDITOR.

1 , The Scope of the In@-!/,--The nim of this study is to make a tenta- tive i n q ~ ~ i r y into the org:~nizetl life of Alnc,rica~~ Negroes. I t is often asked Wha t is the Negro doing to help himself after a qunrter century of outside aid? The main answers to this que?ltion hitherto have naturally recorded individual effortw in education, the accumulation of property and the establishment of homeh. The rw1 test, ho\vever, of the atl- vnnce of any group of people in civilimtion is the extent to which thex %re able to organizeand systematise their efforts for thecommon weal; and the highest expression of org:mizetl life is the or~anizat ion for purely be- :~erolent nntl reforrn:~tory purposes. An inquiry then into the org:~nizn- lions of American Negroes wllicl~ have the social 1,etterment of the uf the r w c for their object, woultl 1w all instruc4ve measure of their atl- vance in civilizt~tion. '1'0 be of the highest vt~lue such a,n investigation hhoulti he exhnufitive, rovering the lvhole country, and rerortling all fipe- cies of effort. Fu~lcis were not av:lilal)le for surh an inquiry. The ~nethotl followed therefore was to c h o o ~ e nine Southern cities of varying size and to have selected in them such organizations of Negroes as were engaged in benevolent and reformatory work. The citie.r from which returns were obtained were: Washington, D. O., Petemburg, V ~ L , Augustn, On., At- lanta, Ga., Mohile, Ah. . Bowling Green, Ky., Olarkesville, Tenn., Fort Rmith, Ark., nntl Gt~lveston, Tex. Graduates of A t h n t a Ul~iverclity, Fisk University, H o w m i University, the Mehwry Medic:ll College, and other Negio institutions co-oper:rtetl in gathering the intomlation desired.

No attempt mas mntle to c:ttalogue :dl cah:trital)le and reformatory efforts hut r:~thei, to illustrate the character of the work being done by typicnl t>xaml)les, In one case, Petnsbnrg, Va., 11e:~rly a11 efforts of all kin& were repo:tetl in order to illustrnte the full activity of one group. The re- 1)ort foi one large city, Wnshington, was pretty f~ i l l , although not ex- Ilaustive. I11 a11 of the other localities only selected org:~niz:~tions were reported. The returns being for tho most p:wt direct and reducwl to 11

Imsis of a c t u d figures seem to be reliable. 2. General Cliai.aciev of the O~gartizcrtio/ls.-It is nnturtll t h t ~ t to-day tlle

bulk of organized efforts of Negroes in nny direction s11ould centre ill the Church. The Negro Churc.11 is the only social institution of the Negroes \rhic8h stnrtetl in the Afrit.:~u forest nut1 survived e1:~vel.y; under the lead- crship of the priest and medicine m t n , nflerwnrd of the Christian pastor, the Church preserved in itself the r emnmts of Afcican tribal life and be- cnme after emancipatiou the rentre of Negro social life. So that to-(lay the Negro population of the IJnited Stntes is virtunlly divided into C'hu.ch congregations, which are the real units of the rtwe life. It is nat- :Ira1 thr; e f o r ~ that chnritnlde and rescue work among Negroc~sshould first

EBYORTB F O E SOCIAL BETTERMENT. 5

be found in t,he churches and reach there i ts greatest development. OI t'he 236 efforts 8.nd institutions reported in this inquiry, seventy-nine are churches.

Next in importance to chu~.ches come the Negro secret societies. When the mystery ant1 rites of African fetishism faded into the simpler mor- ship of the Methodists and Baptists, t,he secret societies rose especinlly among the Free Negroes as t~ substitlute for the primitive love of mystery. Pract,ical insurailce t~nd benevolence, alwctysa feature of such societies, were then cult,ivat,etl. Of the organizations reported ninety-two were secret societies-some, branchesor imit,ations of great white societies, s o ~ n e origii l~l Negro inventions.

Both the ahove organiz;~tious h a w efforts for social betterment a s activities secontlm*y to some other main object. 'I'here are, however, many Negro organizations whose sole object is to aid aud reform. First among t.hese come the I)eneflci:tl societies. Like the 1)urial societies among t,he serfs of the hlitldle Ages, them x o s e early in the Nineteenth century among Free Negroes lint1 slaves, orgai~iz;~tions which did asimple accident. and life insurance business, charging small weekly premiums. These heneflcial organizations have spread until to-day there are l n m y thousands of them in t'he United States. They :),re lnut,ual beneflt nssocia- tions and are usually connected with churches. Of such societies twent,y- six are returned in t,his report.

Coining now to more purely benevolent efforts we havereported twenty- one organizations and instit,utions of various sorts which represent distinct,ly the efforts of the better class of Negroes to rescue anduplif t the unfortu~lrr.te and vicious. Finally, we have a few instances of co-opera- t i re husiness effort reported which typify the econonlic efforts of the weak to flnd strength in unity. Let us review each of the classes.

3. The Church. The following table presents thereturns of seventy-nine Negro churches in nine Southern cities; the queries sought to bring out especially the economic situa.tion of t,hese corporations, and their social and benevolent rr,ctivit,y :

6 T A B L E NO . I.-CHURCHXS . --

-I .... P .... 1.. I Mt . C!armel .......,, Baptis t 1, 401 1,000$26, 0008 2, 600 6 2Y . P . Tnl)er~incle & ' 40 40 7, 000 750 3 3Ast)ury .................. M . E ..... 787 TA)O 80, 01X) 8 4 L i h ~ r t y ................... Baptis t 850 400 30, 000 4 5Rehobotli ............... 350 200 1, 500 5 " 6Cnion ..................... " 20 12 6 7 ~ r a r e hape el . . . I*. M. E . :,2 1 l , f*~) 2'75 4 8Northe:tstern . . . . . I ~ a ~ t i s t 100 26 4 9 S t . L u k e ............... 300 16010, 000 140 6 "

l0Rock Creek ......... 300 100 I , 000 100 4 " 11 18th Street ........... " 1,,5( X I 800 80, 000 10, 000 7 12 (falbraitli ............. AME, Z 350 300 35, 000 16, O(K) 13 First W Washt 'n Baptis t 700 7l.X) 16, OOO 4 14Metropolitan ........ A.M.E. MW) 5(iOO 90, 000 2-1, (00 5 15Virginin .................. Baptis t 400 350 17, 000 3, 400 4 16Shorter1s Cha,pelA.M.R. 26 1% 17 M . Wesley ............ AME, Z 600 200 18Fifteenth Street . Presby . 312 160 19Berem .................... Bapt i s t 264 150 20 Macedonia ............ 119 73 " 21 Campbell ................ A.M.E. 160 2!!MilesChapel ........ C.M.E. 207 90 23 St . Luke's .............. P . E ...... 500 400 24 Metropolitan ........ Baptis t 700 450 26 Plymouth .............. Congr'l 227 158 26Vermont Avenue Bn t is t 3,8001, GOO 27 ~ s r a e l ...................... c . R.E. 400 200 28Ebenezer ................ M . E .... 784 600 29U . P . Temple ........ Congr'l 100 100 3OThird ........................ Raptis t 976 450 31Mt . Zion ................. M . E ..... 650 650 82Zion .......................... Baptis t 2, 139 33 Lincoln Mem ....... Congr'l 188 125 34John Wesley ........ AMR, Z %6 150 %Our Redeemer .. . .Luther , 5( 30 %Bethlehem ............ B a ~ t i s t 146 76 37 Second .................... 38Shiloh ......................

PETERSBURG. VA . 89St . Matthew ..........

.......................... 40Zion 41 Union Street ........ 42St . S t e ~ h e n ' s .......

46Central .................... 470ak Street ............ 48High Street . . . . 49Bethany ................

. Presby A.M.K. Baptis t "

SOlThird ........................ I "

39 19 400 250 I( 60 100 76 3741 11 1

2. 500 2'3. 000

600 P - . 2. 000 Ib

800 1. 515

257 179

1 6 4 3 5

4 25 11 1

37

10 4

18 4

10 2 6

1 6

TABLE NO. I.--CHTJRCHES. 7 -- - - - . - - - - - -

C 0

REMARKS.

s 5 6 $ 2,40(i$ 2,406'$288 10Two workers. 2 1 7001 7ol)l 2C)!

(51 1 3 4,000 :i,H(M) 250 Mibs'n for jails 4 1.250 1.250 78 30

2,000 160 ............................... Owns2tenements 9,IHH) 226 5OSoine. H a s Asst,. Pastor 1 ,(MU) 20()250 Two c 1 i u r c h e s

300 6 Visits t,o slums. [he.ve split off 2,000 100 30 [from t,his. 2,OW 'L,Y(M) 1HO

900 7 1flMuc.h work. I ,200

................................ 1,786 U2 .5 Receives $3M) a 0 2 Three workrm. [year from A. 2,291 ,50 7 Occa.siona1. [M. A. 4,WW 'is Much work. 1,MM) ,50 Much inst'l wk 4,000 84 1lHOcc-asional. 2,S(M) 140 2iiSolne.

Mission. 1,MM) 76 25Visits ................... R e c e i v e R $300 2,000 50 10 [from A. M. A.

Receives aid. E Mi rome . ................................ 5,900 1%) 81.25 wiece usually uiv

4,4% 4OO 100 Seven workers. [en charity applic'nts

':'Tl~iy pr~)l):~l)ly (loes I I I ) ~ ~ni ' lu~lc asto tors' snlnry; thc totnl inconlo must be $4.000 or $5.000.

PlCTEI1SRITRG, VA.

39 40 41 42

7

48 3 1 1 1 7,600 7,500 400 Three n~iss ions 44

............... Owns c 11 u r c 11, [parsonage, [mission house [and tenement. -

1 1 2509 8-13 1 1 1 XOO 860

3(H) 350 I 0

8 4 1 2

30

5

1 1

n m c

L P W S

Ither Enter- rinm'ts p r y ;o. of Cuurc Irgauiutions , i t e r a 7

Societic knevolen t

Societie lissiouary

Socirtit wietivs J aid Churcl

,nnual Incom

kpenditurc for Lharit

umber ui ersoux Aide

1 z 0 -' J = a 2 .- = 5 '- 6

TABLE NO. I.--CHURCHES-Continued. 9

AUGUSTA, GA.

BOWLING GREEN, KY.

.x5C!ollege Street.. . . . C . l'res. 130 74$ i 8 1 T a y l u r . x C I I I L p e l l A . M . R I i t l I l X l 2,800$ 4 5 5,NN 800 1 2 5 8 7 10

57StntrStrect . Haptist 850 C*X) 1,50(/ 41241 111 ---- 6 l 51 / 6

MOBILE, ALA,

on/~lou .?9State Street ,;o,,etl.el ................. Cil First 3 12

FORT SMITII, ARK.

tj2l. GY

W. Hurns .......... Mrtllrtllieu. ......... M. R

(i4Qninr1 Chapel .... - GALVESTON, TEX.

65

67

Macedonia. ......... 66Reedy Chapel ......

B r t ~ ~ i k Gary .......... M. E. 68St,. Augustint? ......

CLARKKGVILLE, TENN. -

ci'~1St.. Peter's <!hltp.lA.MTl>I 22.5/$20,0001$ 2 i 1 ti 1 24 1 1 1 4

ATLANTA, ($A.

A.RI.R. 59.5 H8,ptist #iO !

" 391 ' L 230

Pn.sby. I(MI I

iTiit irst. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

74

77

'79

... Wheat Street 72li'rienclsl1ip ........... 73Hrthel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

....... Lloyd Street. 75Allen Temple.. 76Eleetl Street, ........

Proviclence ......... 78Shiloh

N e w Hope . . . . . . . . . . . .

.............

10 STUDY OW NEGRO OITY LIPE.

This table IritLy be surnrnarized a,s follows:

Number of Churches reported ...................................................... 79 Number of De~ioniinatio~is reported ................................................ 9

B a p t i s t .............................................................................................................. 37 Churches. Hethodists:

African Methodist Episcopal ........................................... 14 African Methodist Episcopal Zion .................................. 4 Colored Methodist Episcopal .......................................... 5 Methodist Episcopnl ........................................................... 6-29 Churches.

C o n y r e g u l i o ~ ~ a l ........................................................................................... 6 ii

Aotes t t cr~ t Episcopal ................................................................................. 3 i i

L u t h e r a n ....................................................................................................... 1 L

Total enrolled members ................................................................... *5,631 Active members, less than ........................................................ 30,000

Value of real estate ow11etl,67 cliurclles reporting ............................ $ I 6 0 00 Reported ii~debtetlness ................................................................................. 295,114 00 Total annual income ...................................................................................... 167,678 00 Total recorded espcntliture ill local charity (65 churches re-

porting) .......................................................................................................... 8,906 68

Number of missionary and benevoleut societies reported 123 Number of persons directly aided so far as reported (36

churches) ................................................................................................ 1,422

CIENEHAL IlENEVOLENT A N D REFOKJIATOHT ACrJ?IVITY.

Some irregular work in slums, jails, etr ....................................... 8 Churches. Considerable irregular work in slulus, ja,ils, etc. ........................ 2 6 L

1 niission esta1)lishetl in slums ............................................................. 3 L C

:3 missions established in slums ......................................................... 1 , L

Regular visits to slulris .................................................................... 3 i t

Mission for jails .......................................................................................... 1 C L

2 regular workers in missionary and benevolent rno1.k ............ 1 " 1 regular worker ....................................................................................... 1 L L

3 regular workers. .................................................................................. 1 C L

7 regular workers .................................................................................. 1 t i

Regular institutional work ............................................... 1 i L

H visits a year ..................................................................................... 1 L c

12 visits a year ....................................................................... 1 L C

1 0 visits a month ant1 p:i.rish sc*hool. ........................................ 1 i

Visits to lrospitnls wit,l~ food ................................................ 1 ,t

.................................................. Orpllannmge . . . . . . . . . . . 1 i i

Home for agetl a.nd two missions ........................................... 1 6

Total. ................................................................................... 29 L C

EFFORTS FOR SOUIAL BETTERMENT. 11

These returns do not give a n account of all of the benevolent work of Negro Churches; much is done by individuals, and perhaps the larger par t of thechar i ty is entirely nnsystematic and no record is kept of it. Some needy person or cause appeals to a congregation. Immediately in a whirl of sympathy or enthusiasm a collect.ion is t,aken up and the money given, although no offlcial record remains of the deed. So, too, the dis- tress of the needy is often relieved by neighbor6 through notices given i n the church. While, then, these returns do not indicate the whole benevolent activit.y of churches, ye t they do give a n idea of the orderly s y ~ t e m - a t ic work of t,he more business-like oigrtnizations.

A better idea of the act ivi ty of Negro Churches will be obtained, perhaps, if we tabulate the income and charitable expenditure of such churches a s give $100 or inore annually in charity.

............ . - - . . ..... - - -- -

27 TSECRO C H U R C H E S EXPENDIN(: $ 1 0 OR MORE ANNU.ITJIY I N CHARITY.

-- ................ ......................... Pttptist.

................................ Met hcdist .............. 1.600 3 Petersburg ................... B a p t i s t .................... 1.231 4 ' I (3alveston .......................... ................... 6 L L ......................... P. F .......................... 6 Wa~hinfrton. . .................. P. E... .....................

.............. 7 Fort Smith ...................... Metllcdist 8 Wmhington .................... B tist st ................... 9 CMveston ......................... d > t h o d i s t ............

.................... 10 Washington ..................... Baptist 1 I L i 1, .................... .................... 12 I. 1 L .................... .................... 13 Atlanta ................................ (:ongregt~tionrtl,,, 14 Washington ..................... Raptist .................... 15 L L L L ................... ................... 16 L L 1 L ................... .................... 17 11 6, ................... .................... 18 L L IMethodist ................... .............. 19 Nobile ............................... " ............

...................... 20 Washingtort L L ............ 21 Mohile ................................ L L ...........

.................... 22 Pet,ersburg ....................... Baptist 23 Washington ...................... " ................. 24 ' ' ................... Methodist ............ 26 ' L .............. I b L ............

................... Bapt,ist 27 ................ t l i o i s t .......... *This church Is huildi~rg n Ilolnc ior the .\gcii. b o tlir~t this is extnlordi

unusl ex vnditnre ii hnrity.

Nineteen other c h ~ i r ~ l l e s give hetween $;A) artd $100 a y e w , and thirty- three churches either gi\-e less t,lt:~tt $50 or make no returns. Probably most of these give cv.msitlern.ble in a n ~ i l sys t~enmtic way.

Some individual cliurc.hes pxscnt . t~ot,iceal)le pecbulinrities. One (:on- gregational Cliurcl~ "is doing a varied work along institutional lines." I n

12 S T U D Y OF N R G R O UTTY LIFE.

8 Methodist Church "the Wayside Gatherers have a mission for assisting the denizens of s l ~ u n s and jnils." Another Methodist C>hurch has "ta committ,ee to visit the jail every week." A Raptist Churcl~ has the interest from a fund,sinounting to $150 each year, set aside for the poor; "We only give them enough to buy medicines and, a t times, fuel. never ap- propri:~ting more tha.11 $1.25 to each." Another la.rge Ramptist Church, with 800 active memhers, reports s detailed budget:

B U D G E T OF THF: N I N E T E E N T H ST. BAPTIST C H U R C H , WASHIiY2TON, D. C ,

I Pastor's salary and other church ex-

/ penses 1,Uit 77 1 Ralance on hnnd . 437 66

1895.

OneBaptist Church in Petersuurg, Va., ronduc:ts an orpha~mge, and all- other in Atlanta is erecting a home for the ag!.ecl a t a cost, of $6,000. Whites have cont,ributed considerably to this lilttei' en te~yr ise , but much of i t has been done by PITegroes.

From this data it is clear tha.t Negro CIiurt'11t.s are becolrling centres of systematic relief and reformatory work of Negroes among t,hemselvew. At present the actual expenditure of t l ~ e orgxnized agencies is not large compared wit11 the income of the c l~urches ; but when we remenl1)or tha t t':e melnbers of these churches are largely poor working people, wit11 little business training, and that murll of t,lie ~u~orgn,nizt.d and spasmodic work is unrecorded it seems that the work being done in both comn~end- able and by no means insigniflcallt iu amouut.

Total income .......................... $6,714.09

4. The Secret Society.-Ninety-two lodges, 1)elonging to nine different cecret societies, were reported, altl~ougli these by no means cover all ex- istent lodges in the cities studied. Those reporting mrre:

Tot:*] expense: Ruild'g and improvements.. $2,840 (0 Sunday-school. . . . . . 132 0

Cha.?ity : . . . . . Church poor ..$Be (K)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gmnd United Order of Odd Fellows.. 38 Lodges. ...... Ancient Order of Free and Acreptcd Ma.sons.. 1.3 Lodges.

. . . . . . . . Grand Unit,ecl Order of True R~efo:.mm.s 12 Founta,ins. ...... 1ntcrn:etionnl Order of Good Samaritans, etc H Unions.

J. B. Giddirigs and Jollifee Union. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S Tent's. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Indopendent Ordw of St. Luke 7 Conncils.

Ancient Sons, etc., of I ~ r a r l . . . . . . . . 3 Tabernacles.

I Rducat'n of Min'strs 33 52 . . . . . . . . / ~ i s s i o n s 30 14

Miscella~neous. 134 M 432 66

EFFORTS FOR soc1.4~ BETTE~MENT. 18 Knights of Pythias .............................................................. 2 Lodges. Knights of Tabor. ................................................................ 1 Lodge.

- 9 Orders ............................................................................. 92 Organizations.

Of these the Odd Fellows, Masoils tnld ICnights of Pytliins nre simliar organizations to those among white people but a re not directly n.fflliated with them. The Negro Masons of the United States, for instance, sprung from a lodge of Boston Negroes who received their charter froin England. Most of the other orders seem to be Negro i~weritionspurely, ~ n t l form curious and instructive organizations. Their main function is insurance against sickness and death, the aiding of the widows ant1,orphrtns of their deceased members, and social intercourse. Their activity and condition in detail is given in Table 11.

L L

L

YL

i . '

L L

L L

Fort Smit'hc Y L L L

Ark. L 6

I ik 001 L L .............. 1 z i Fa1 MI ool B 50 OORent & dues 10 0 30 00 2'

Gethaeman6 ............................... Keyst. one Fountain ................ Green Bay .................................... Friendly ..................................... Mt. Olive ...................................... H . 0 . Johnson ............................

............................................ Sarah's St . James ..................................... Jerusalem .................................. Pocahontas ...................................

...................................... A ~ I aham United Sons of t tie Morning . Mahala's ........................................ Leah's ............................................. Shiloh Rosebud ......................... Rose Bud Fountain ................... Rosebuds ..................................... Randolph ................................... King Solomon's ......................... Samuel's .................................... Abigail Tent ................................ Mt . Ararat. ................................... Charit, y .......................................... Eureka .......................................... M t . Lebanon ................................ S t . Mary 'F ..................................... Mt.Carme1 ................................... Sheba .................... .. .................... St . Joseph .................................... Roxcillas .................................... Hannah .......................................

1302C " ........... ............ ..............

7 86 80 " 6 0 0 2 66 00 " 5 5 0 3 78 02 " .............. 8 5 0 5

100 00Dues & fines 40 00 75 8280 " 7 6 0 4 L'

............... 60 20 Dues .......................... 7200

57 60 " L L 4 5 0 3 196 00 "

74 40 " 113 40 L' L L 2200

..........................

9 265 00 'L 17000 2700 15

...... ............. 800 00 Dues

46 72 45 l i 18 10 3% 20 30

19 E4 1F 28 19 26 14 96 42 2F 25 21 30 23 15

19 16 67 23 36 53 34 41 25 18 81 52 Fi?

Ciddinga ............. True Reform'rs S t . Luke .............. Masons. ............... True Reform'rs

........ ....Samaritans ............ d i n

Israel ................... Masons ................

'L ................ " ................

Odd Fellows ..... Glddings .............

6 ............ True Reform'rs " L L

L L "

l L L L

Israel ................... " ...................

Giddings ........... S t . Luke ............ Samaritans ........ S t . Luke ............ " L b ............ L L L L ............

L L ............ .......... L L LL

Odd Fellows .... Giddings ...........

" ...........

55 00 l~ues & taxes 20CK 1 87 36 Dues ............. 1 12 1 - 4 5 37 61 45 42

45$ 72 43 15 16 10 b8 20 t O

1 8 1 b 19 76 16 25 19 26 1 4 96 42 28 25 21 30 23 1 E

2 0 2 0 IS 16 57 23 35 53 34 35 20 I t 81

44

" .............. OODuesRc t a x e ~ 2120 OODues ............... 1580

Shiloh ............................................ True Reform'rs Dinwiddie .................................. b ' I h L Queen Esther .............................. Giddings ............

5CO 00 75000 500 00

1, 400 GO

3C0 OC

2.m @.I

200 OC

400 OC 400110 lot

3, 000 00

Eureka .......................................... Weldone ..................................... ............................................................ Widow's Son ................................

Masons ............... Odd Fellows ..... Knight of Tab'r Masons ................

Matier ........................ .......... Odd Fellows. ....

EFPORTS FOR SOUIAL EETTERMENT.

A summary of this table can be made as follows: Total membership ................................................................... 5,763 Active membership ................................................................ 5,160

Total value of investments in real estqte and other property ........ * $49,073 C6 Total cash on hand ........................................................................................ 4,651 40 Annual income ..................................................................................................... 16,060 62

Annual Expenditure : For sick beneflts ....................................................... $B,'Xfi 98 For deat.h beneflts ..................... , .............................. 5,934 78 $12,895 '16

Total numbr of persons aided last year ................................................. 612. ~p

,:;l'lua tn o unvalued lot57

Some facts about certai.n societies a.re of interest: One lodge of the Qiddings Order in Petersburg, Va., has been organized 23 years, and is composed entirely of women; another lodge in the same place describes its work as consisting of "relief given to widows and children, and the etl- ucation of minors." One lodge of Masons in the same place was organized in 1867, and a lodge of Odd Fellows in 18G6. Of a lodge of Mnsons in Clarkesville, Tenn., i t is said : LLMost of the members own their own homes;" the lodge has spent L'$lO,OOO for burials and sick dues since organization," September 28, 1874, or an average of over $700 a year. They own r\, lot and expect to build n hall on i t soon. Another P e t e ~ b u r g lodge of the Qidclings Union assesses each member $1 a yenr to suppo:'t :ln Old Folks' Home for the general order. One Odcl Fellows' Lodge in Mobile tias been organized flfty-flve years, that is, since 1843. Both Masons and Odd Fellows in Fort Smith, Ark., own halls, two stories in l~c~ight, with stores below, which are rented out.

We have here a kind of an organization which contrasts sharply with the churches, considered as business enterprises. First, it deinantls a higher average of intelligence and thrift in its membership, and more quiet, business-like persistence along selected lines of effort. ,The process of social selection has consequently made the group mucli smaller than the church organization, averaging flfty and sisty members, and having in no case over 175 members. These smaller and ,more compact groups do not handle a s inuch money as the churches, but by arranging regular sources of income aild carefully cal- culating expenses they use their funtlsmore effectively. The secrecy and ritual of these lodges is not without n certain social value. I t attracts members, and then, too, i t allows the establishment of a hierarchy of authority, which does away, to some extent, with the democratic freedom of the church; thus the more competent (and a t times, i t must be confessed, more unscrupulous), get a chance to guide and rule. The main practical objects of these societies are life and sickness insurance, end social intercourse. They represent the saving, banking spirit among the Negroes and are the germ of con~mercial enterprise of a purer type.

On the other hand, the secret societies represent much extravctgance and waste in expenditure, an outlay for regalia and tinsel, which too often lack the excuse of being beautiful, and to mme extent they divert the savings of Negroes from more useful channels.

18 STUDY OF NEGRO OITY LIFE.

5. Beneficial and Inswance ,Societies.-The beneficial society sprang directly from the church organizations and has developed in four character- ist,ic directions. First, by taking on ritual, oaths and secrecy i t became the secret society jnst mentioned. Secondly, by emphasizing and en- larging the beneficial and insurance feature and substituting a. board of directors for general membership control, many of these societies co- alesced into, or were replaceti by, insurance societies. Thirdly. the trsin- ing in business methods thus received is now, in an increasing number of cases leading to co-operative business enterprise. Fourthly. the distribu- tion of aid and succor tended to pass beyond the immediately contributing members, and become pure charity in the shape of Homes, Asylums and Benevolent Societies of various sorts.

I n ~ i ~ u n h e r of organizations the secret societies outstripped the benevolent societies, while the others naturally are still butpartially developed, Nevertheless the beneficial society antedates emanciptxtion; some now in existence are fifty years old or more, and others now extinct can be traced hack to the Eighteenth century.

These societies, of all kinds, sizes and states of efficiency, are still very numerous. Take, for instance, Petersburg, VR. There alone we have re- p o r t , ~ from twent,y-two, a s follows:

RENEFICIAL SOCIETIES OF PETERSBURG, VA.

NAME. Whcn Orz~m

ized

Wr~nr~ieed bckw the umr. t.4ssensment upon each member in rase any member dies.

I Young Men's ........................ 2Sist)ers of Friendship, etc. 3TTnion Working Club ........ 4Sist,ers of Charity ................

........................ 51,stlies' TJnion GReneflcial Associa,t;on .,.... 7 T h u q h t ~ r s of Ret,hlehem

.................. f4TJoving Sisters 9T1adies1Working Club ........

IS84 * 1893 1884 1896 1893

1884 1888

................................... 1 St. Mmk ........................... 11 Consolat,ion

.............. 12T)aughters of Z:on 1RYonnp Sist,ers of Charit.y.

............... 14Humhle 1 Christ,ian lFilSisters of T)a,vid ................... lf@isters of Rebeccsh ............ 171Pet~ersbnrg ..............................

........ 181Pntershi~rg Beneficial 1914t Baptist Church Aw'n

....................... 2.)Yl,nng Mnn's. .... 210nlz St. Church Society

....................... BEndeavor, etc

T o t d ..............................

1874 1845 1867 1869 1868 1885 1893 1872 1892 1893 1894 1891 1894 -

EFFORTS FOR SOCIAL BETTERMENT. 19

Returns from other places are not so ful1,iiot because of the lack of such societies, but bsc-auso of the dilFlculty of gatt i~ig exact reports from them. They are srriall, have uo public office and ~ i ius t be searched for. Probably there are a t least one hundred such societies in the nine cities. Some are small and weak, o t l ~ w s flourishing. Of the latter class the condition of nix typical ones is given in the next table.

SOME T Y P I C A L R E N E F I C I A L SOCIETIES.

------ Galveston, Tex . . .

Augusta, (fa ............. L L L ............ . . . . . . . . .

L L " .......... Young Xutual ............. Atlanta, Qa

4 L " ........... ___ _ - ISix Societies ........... / 1 9 5 8 r $3.701/2,1!1~$4,187

The business methods of beneficial societies are extremely simpie. A group of mutually known persons, nlembers of the same church or neighbors, unite in an organization and agree to pay weekly 26 cents or more int,o a common treasury; a portlion of the fund thus secured is paid to any member who may be taken sick, and, too, the other nienlbers in such case give their services in caring for the sick one. I n case a member dies each of the other inemhers is assessed from 125.: to50 cents-usuaJly 25 cents-in addition to their regular fee, to help defray funeral expenses. This simple and safe insurance business has everything to commend it as a method of self-help, and i t has without doubt had much to do with the social education of the Negro, both before and since emancipation.

The indications are that ten orfifteeii years ago the number of theseso- cieties was twice as great as a t present. Over half of those reported in this inquiry were established before 1890, and are probably survivals of a very large number of enterprises. The insurance societies have come in to replace the activities of these societies, and the change, while indi- cating higher economic development, is a t present having many disas- trous results. The impulse towards insurance societies was given by the large number of white societies organized to defraud and exploit the Ne- groes. Everywhere the Freedman is noted for his effort to ward off accident and a pauper's grave by insurance against sickness and death. I n New York city a canvass of one slum district showed that 15% of the Negro fathers and 52% of the mothers belonged to insurance societies.* In Philadelphia the situation is similar, although the disparity between the sexes is not so great.+ So, too, throughout the South the operations of these societies has been wide-spread. Partly in self-defence therefore,

%+~ldlaw, 2nd Sociologicnl Caov~ss, 1805. tDuBois, The Philadelphk Ncgro.

9 STIJDY Ol" NECHO O I T Y LllJE'.

and partly in obedience to x natural desire to unite slnnll ecwnomic efforts intolarger, the Negro insurance societies began to arise about 1890, anti flow have tliroughout the country a inenibership running into the hundred thousands. Some of the secret societies are in reality insurance societies with a ritual to make membership more attractive. The True Reformers' order, for instance, WR,S started in Richmond, Va., not over Afteen years ago; it now extends widely over the Kast ancl Soutll, owns considerable real estate and conducts a banking ancl a n n ~ ~ a l prelniu~n insurance business a t Richmond.

Three typical Virginia insurance societies are tlie Workers' Mutual Aitl Association, the Colored Mutut~l Aitl Association and tlie United Aidand Cnsurance Co~npariy. The Workers' Mutual Aid Aswociation was organized in 1894. I t is conducted by twelve stockholders and has two salz~riecl offlcers, besides the agenth. I t claims 10,053 melnbers, an annual income of $3,600, tbnd sirk and tle:ith beneflts paid during the year to thf, amount o f $1,700. I t owns property to the amount of $3.50 I t s rates of insuranw are a s follows: Weekly Premiums. Wecllrly Sichli Reneflts. 1)rath Heneflth

$ 05 $1 26 $ 17 00 10 2 00 35 OO 15 2 75 15 00 20 3 MI 65 00 25 4 25 66 (X)

30 5 00 55 00 36 5 75 85 00 40 6 60 95 00 46 7 25 105 (Kl 50 8 00 116 00

The agent reporting declares: "This class of enterprises do wrll, but the great drawback is they are too numerous, and it is hard to And young rnen who are willing to do the work necessary to ~nl tke them a success; and then the class who are willing to take hold honestly, is a t a very grca premium." ,The het~dquarters of this association is in Petershurg, Vn.

The Colored Mutual Aid Association was organized in 1895; t l ~ e nulnlwr of fitockholders is sixteen; the nulnbel- of saltlried offlcers, three; t l ~ e number of members, 6,000; the total ltnnunl income, $1,172 X!; the total expenditures for sick and cleat11 beneflts, $800. The mtes of insurance are : Weekly premiums. Weekly Sick Benefits. 1)eath Benefits.

$ 06 $ 15 CK) 10 3 25 35 00 15 3 60 40 00 20 4 50 .% 00 25 5 26 60 00 30 6 00 75 00 36 7 00 u." 00 40 8 00 95 00 45 9 00 100 00 EO 10 00 115 M)

The United Aid and Insurance Company, according to its report, "was organized in Richmond, Va., fonr years ago; we have a total membershi{) of 21 ,MW) members. We are doing business in all the cities of this Statr and also in son1eother States. The flnanciel conditiol~ of the company in good; i t pays 811 claims promptly." 'I'lle company occ~ipies its own building in Ricllmond.

The membership of these societies is naturally much smeller than rc1- ported, but nevertheless it is large. The insurance charged is of coursc! very high. A thousand dollar life policy costs about $'23iOa year premium. against $30 to $40 for a ~nidtlle aged man in the ~.egylz~,r life insurance companies.* This high rate is to cover t,he weekly beneflts in case of sickness, and as there is no age classiflcatiou a r ~ d practically no medical ex- amination, i t represents t,he gaml~ler's risk. Such business, of course, opens wide the door for cheating 011 l,ot,h sides. TIM educat io~~nl value of conducting these enterprises is, R L I I ~ I I ~ the Negroes, very great, and con- sidering their 11~ck of 1)usiness t,ra,il~ing, t l ~ e experiment has been quitc successful. 011 the part of t l ~ e instiretl, the old heneflCial society w ~ s IL

more wholefiome u~c t l~o t l of saving. 'Fhe insurance society savors too much of gambling mrd tliscoor:~ger the snvings b:mk ht~bit.

6. Co-operati~w Business.-There :)re ontloubtetl proofs that the nr~tive Afri- cans, or I L ~ least most Negro trihes, :Ire born nlerchants and traflckers, and can drive good Oargai~is even with Frurope:uis. Little trace of this, however, survived the fire of American slavery. Colnmunism in goods, ah- olition of private property, and :~,bsolnte dependence on the master for daily bread ttl~nost completely robbed the sltbves of d l thouglit of economic initiative. Husinexs ent,erprise would therefore be the last form of nctivi'ty which we might expect to see recwver from the effect,s of slavery, even under normal conditiovs. The sit~uat~ion to-clay is, however, abnor- mal, from the fact t.llat the whit,e South is umlzillg unnsual strides in com- mercial life, and so no sooner has the Piegro learned something of the business methods about him than further advance on the part of the community bas rendered them obsolete.

There are two ways in which a primitive folk may establish co-operative business effort: First, by the establishment of private business enterprise and then combining the single businesses into one joint stock company; or by beginning directly with co-opel.ation and either developing into a less democratic form of rlirer*torship, or disintegrating into private enterprises. Negro tho-operation has tllus far been hrgely of the latter type. For instance: Opposite the cSttmpus of the Atlanta TTniver- sity has stood for t~ long time tnl unsightly old tuml~le-clown tlwelling. Last year a small group of Negroes bought i t ; they ]net for awl~i le in i t ; formed an orgrmization, moved the building back and prepared to build. By regular cor~tributions they begen s fund which supported a leader with a salary. They hired laborers and mesons from their o\vn numl)er, and with their o w l labor have 11ow nenrly flnivhed a tasteful brick building. This orpa~:ization was a church, but i ts activity has been so far co- operative business, democratic in direction and peculiarly successful. From such enterprises sprang the belleflci~l societies, and to-day slowly

*Mutual Benvflt Llfe 10s. Co:s rate for n man of 4 5 is $3 .I".

22 STUDY O F NEGRO CITY LIFE.

and with difflculty is arising real co-operative business enterprise de- tached from religious activity or insurance. On the other hand, private business enterprise has made some beginning, and in a few cases united into joint stock enterprises. I t will be years, however, before this kind of business is very ~uccessful.

Indeed, d l co-operation in business among Negroes is as yet in the ex- perimental stage. For thatreason i t is especially mentioned in this study, since i t represents not so much private gain as social effort for the good of the group. Of the fifteen enterprises reported in the next table, probably not more than ten are a t present paying enterprises, and some of these are only moderately sucressful. The rest are either just making ends meet, with a prospect of future growth, or are tottering and destined to fail. The cities reporting are not in a11 cases identical with the nine which sent in the other reports; or those only four reported co-operative business. The reports are as follows:

_ I_________ l I-!__ -- ______;__'__ ------- D.,!:..ICSn\.ieg~nnk.l8~8~ankin~... ........... $ ~ ~ , G O O 3. $ ~i5,440~$1~,3~0 01 s ...............

Indus. B. & S. Co 1886Hnilding Ass'n .. 50,OCOi00 31,0001 ................. 396 50 Cotton Jam' r s & cash 5,Mi ....... Longshor.A.No.21879Tratles Union .................. iO0toolsl,OC0 6,a'O OC 2.000 OC Atlanta L. &T.Co18COReal est. & rcnts ........... 15 7,000 7U0 00 1,000 CO ..............

. . . . . . Ga. Real Es ta te ................................... ............. Loan & Trus t Co..lR91 R e d est. & rents 25 3,600

I ~ a u t h k7iewCem- I 4.000 ............ .............. . ...... ................ ....-..-.. - 1 . - 1 I . . - . . . . .

I ' t e ~ ~ ~ ~ s $ n . . 188.5 Burial ground 1 I . . 71Concord. N . C Coleman Mfg. Co 1887 Mfg cotton Goods( 50.0C0 1 17,OCO 110

Richmond, Va .......... 'True Reformers' S a v i n m P a n k . 11889iBa"kine and i n p i IOO.OU~EW 1 1 5 . ~ ~ 1 1 ................. 1 ................

9Augusta , Ga .............. \ . ~ k ~ ~ i n e n ' s Loan & Blilg Ass'n ........ 1889Building Ass'n .................. 120 3,400 3,900 0 ................

......... ........ ......................................................... 11 Birmingham, A l s *People's S'ps Bk L L L r r

LORichmonckVa +NickelS'v'gs Bk 50,0001.. ....................................... 1 ----. ...... ... .......

12,Hampton, Va ......... People's Bldg. & ........... ....................... -.......-....--

.... ................. ................. ............... Loan A~is'n 18S9Building Ass'n 75,000 31,000

...

Capital T ~ u s t Co. 1894BankinF 25.OCO 30 ......................................................................

Hampton Supply . . . . I. Loan & T. Co..

Cl. ......................... .................. " ....... Ba,y Shore Hote l

C o .......................... 1.000 ...........-.---- 6 i

- ~~

....... " W 'k'ngmen's Co- !operative u n i o n . 8 t i . 1 1 . 1 . . 4cd. ..i ............ I ,600 od .........-....

*No direct report has been received from these two banks. tYill and horisrs are being erected; 100acres and buil.ling.

REMARKS.

---- 'cry successful. air1 y ~uccess fu l .

'ery successful.

uccessful. iot ful ly started.

'ery successful.

50 hcmes bought )ividend of 10% [last year.

24 STUDY OF NEGRO UITY LIFX.

The chief co-operative businesses are those which t.he pressure of race prejudice rendered necessary, as, for instance, cemetery associn.tions. Al- though details of only one of these is reported, there Rre know^^ to beacon- siderable number, and they are well conducted. Effortsin handling renles- tate come next in popularitmy and have ha,d various degrees of success. The Workingmen's Loan and B u i l d i ~ ~ g Astocitiat.ion, of Augusta, (fa., con- contluct.etl wholly by Negroes, is now nine years old and han been t,hv means of ~ s c u r i n g over 100 homes for it,s members. Tts eig%t,h mnua! statemell t iw as follows :

Eighth Annual Sta,t.ement of the W o r l t i n g ~ n e ~ ~ ' ~ 1,oa.n a.nd Huilding As- soaiat,ion a t t,he cb.lose of business May 31, 1898:

Iloans.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1 Fi,4'22 ( i ~ ; Real est,ate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.100 ( M I Offlce fixture c . ' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 ( M I ( h s h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4$) l ( i

$18,646 84

The buildingmci l o : i ~ ~ assochtion of W w h i ~ ~ g t o n t ~ a s bee11 p1.et.t.y SU('- cessful. I t wars orpmized for the "purpose of t l e ~ ~ ~ o ~ ~ s t r t ~ ~ t i n g busil~ess CII-

pacit,y A ~ I I ~ unity in the Negro race, and was i ~ ~ t ~ n t l e c l esprc.i:1,11$ to operate among, and to secure the support of the h r g r class of colorrd p e o p l ~ employed in the clepart~nentrtl service of t,he government here and H,*

school teachers in this city, since this &SS WRS known to ha~~c; le , in the aggregate, iarge sums of lnoney monthly. Rut our hopes in thisclirectio~~ have not bee11 ~.ectlixed. Such success a s our comptmy has twhievetl c::ttnc, almost dtogether from the wage-earning element, not frorn the strl~.ry drtrwers. These latter I~:!,ve seernrtl to prefer to put t,hrir nlorley 11,s well a s their personal influenae on the side of l~usiness institut,ions condut+tl by white persons, inst.itutions it1 which they are rigitlly esc.lutletl frorn d l ptrrt,icipat,ion wlmtever. Sntl a still more d i sc .our t~ .~ i~~g ~ s p w t of the s i t~ l - at ior~ is t,hat there seems to be but little c*,htr,~~ge for thr I)ett,er in t , l ~ i ~ W I I -

(lition, Not r ~ l o ~ ~ e in t,his n,ssociation is this s r ~ ~ t i m e ~ ~ t o1)srrval)le a.mong t,he bett,rr paid element of t,he race, but it applies toir.ll ol'~ar11inec1 br~siness effort,^ in this city so far a s I am nwa~re. These nre supported hy the middle aud lower cltrssrs, a,lnolla whom the iwtinct of r;wb w,fH~~ity is st,ron,c- est and t,hr support of rrwe inst,itutions the I I I O S ~ ~ P ~ I I I H I I P I I ~ t ~ n d S I I ~ S ~ H I I -

t8iaL1'+

EFFORT'S FOR SOCIAL BETTERMENT. 26

I n Lit,tle Rock, Ark., several well-to-do Negroes have started a. builtling association, wit'l~ n uickel savings department. attached. The company was incorporated in 1898, and is now ready for work.

The People's Building and Laan A ~ s o c i ~ t i o n of H~~m.p tan , Va., has tjee!~ very successful. I t has been in operation nine years and has rt paid up capital of $75,000. Last year (1897) it did a. business of $31,000, on which the gross proflts were $3,039. ~ h t . offlcers have been, a,nd still are, all colored. The ussociation has been the means of erecting 2,W 11omex. I t &'ha& proven H, blessing to the poor people of this community by assisting them to get homes; also a good investment for those who desired to btmk a small amount., i t having paid these yeam 7 m d 8 X interest." I t ha,^ two salaried officials and 500 members.*

Hampton also has two successful co-opert~tive stores-+ form of enterprise which has not heretofore succeeded. The Hampton Supply Co~npa~iy wap, organized in the year 1891 tmd has 100 members. The paid up capital is $46,000. 1 t went int'o business in 1896, : ~ n d sirwe thnt t,ime i t t1:ts dealt. in ~ o o d , cot11 tu~tl feed stuff, nntl does a. businec.s of $12,000 per year. It gives employment to flve peysons.

The Worlcingm~n's (.lo-ope:ntive Union has twi!nty ~nembers, :I, c.a,pital of $400 and doe* a business of $500 to $1,000 annunlly. I t handles ooal. wood. feed nnd groceries.

In this connectien the Hay Shore Hotel Company of H : ~ n ~ p t o l ~ 1n:Ly be noticed. 1t.is MI attempt. to furnisl~ ti derent sumnier resort for Negroes. since the ~najo;it,y of resorl-s are shut a.gt~inst t t~wn. I t wa,s organized in 1897, with sist.y members and a. paid up capital of $2,W). I~tlst season it did a business of $1,000, employing four persons.

Of these three ent,erprises in Hampton, an officer of H a ~ n p t , o ~ ~ Il~st,it,ute writes :

''These are all incorporatecl companies, ofHcered t~~ncl cwntrolletl by colored men. They have been organized a.nd opel'c~.tetl as an outgrowt,h directly of the demands of t,he peop le r~ t l~er than ns H, speculative investment in the different forms of busi~less in ~ ~ i v a l r y of those ~ . l r e ~ . d y i n e s i s t t ~ ~ ~ n e ; and t,o tllin extent they have all t)een suc~.essful."t

T l ~ e most successful N e p o t m ~ l c of t>he six or S ~ ~ V ~ I I w l~ i (* l~ have been organized by N~groes , is t,he Capital Sn.vii~gs h ~ ~ k of \%:~I ,S~I~I IK~OII , now ten years 01tl.i When it sta,rtetl, white I)rlsi~wss men of Wt~sIiil~gt,oll ref wed to rent, it proper quart'ers, w l ~ r r e u p o ~ ~ it I)oupll t 11, ple:~.sa,n t t ~ ~ ~ i l d i l l g -

$IYOTE.-I~ was reported in the last Ha~r~pt,ou Col~fei'ellw t,l~n.t t l~ere were over flfty Negroes i n Wnshingt,on worth $ l O , ( W W ) anti over.. Itet,url~s from thirty-tlve of t,hese sl~owed ths,t only twtblve invesi.etl tlleir nlolley ill Negro business entel,prises, allel only s r w u of thtve invt~stetl to :I,ny con... s~dernble ext'ent. This, after all, is Imt nat2ural. The lllolley of lllell ~ 1 1 0 have successfull accuinulated proptrrty is att,;w.tetl mt~inly t)y the re-

t ~ ~ t ' i s to b i gninecrand less by pliilantJh.upic or s e n t i ~ ~ ~ e i ~ t ~ : ~ l ren\ons; t,~int uf the lower alttl middle classes is more influe~~veel by co~widera,tiow of race ,pride t~11d social adv:~ncte. 1 t is, I~owever, no nlem c:o~nplitnent t,o Negro business enterprise that i t I ~ a s thus early I)ew :hie to at,tr:rct %Ox of t,hq well-to-do of the mce in competit,ion with t l ~ r I~usiness of nn if~d~rnt,rid.l

. age. Weport of n stockholder. tUr. D. K. Leaia, instrr~cu~r in t~tec'hanlcal druwing.

26 STUDY O F NEGRO OCTY LIFE.

on F street, where i t conducts a g:owing business. Other banlcr, likr the o.le in Baltimore, have failed througli the rascality of some of the officers.

A very promising institution is the Capital Trust Company of Jacksori- ville, Fla., organized March 6,1894. I t consists of thirty Negro business men and artisans who have invested $25,000 in a banking business. They loan money and discount paper. They have 110 salaried offlcials and reduce expenses to a minirnum (!i6.:33 for last year). The offlcials manage the affairs of the bank in connectio~i with their own business. Last year they earned 18% on their c:lpital and distributed 10% in dividends. The president is a contrwtor and builder.

The banking business conducted by the Grand Fountain of the Order of True Reformers, on North Second street, Richmond, Va., is capitalized a t $100.O(X). I t owns much property, over $115,0(:0 in buildings, residences and the like. There are 7,086 depoqitors reported, and $101,93:3.32deposited. Since its establishment in 1889 i t claims to have handled $3,795,- 667 36, and to have paid out for the insurunre department of the order $370,- 910.75. The work a t present is reported as being lLin a prosperous condition," and i t is certainly the largest financial enterprise conducted by Ne- groes outside the church organizations.

No direct rep0rt.s have been received from the other banks, but they are known to exist. The Atlanta Loan and Trust Company, which has invested chiefly in city lots, "has not improved in the last two years. The company is self-sustaining, but yields no dividends to the stocktiolders." This is probably the condition of several other ventures.

Two notable enterprises must be mentioned. One is the Cotton Jam- mers and Longshoremen's As~oCi~ t ion No. 2 of Galveston, Tex., who &'have the reputation of doing the best work of any cotton screwmen a t this port." They are more than a trade's union, RH they have invested in $1,000 worth of tools used in the business. They receive dues from members and also from the different gangs a t work. They pay sick and death beneflts. The association is nineteen years old. The other enterprise is the Coleman Manufacturing Company, whicli is erecting a cotton mill a t Concord, N. C . The president and all except one of the directors are Ne- groes, and in August, 1897, they issued the following prospectus:

COLEMAW MANUFACTURING OOMPANY.

"Incorporated under the laws of the Stttte of North Carolint~. Capital stock, $50,000.

"CoNaoRn, N. (:., August 20, 1897.

L L D ~ ~ ~ SIR: We beg to call your attention to our new enterprise, indi- cated above. We are a co-operative stock co~npauy of colored men who propose to build nnd operate a cotton mill in the intereht of ttir mve. This is a gigantic effort and we need the cooperatiou of every fricnd of the race. Its promoters are among the most succesrful Negro business inell in the country. Many of its stovkholders are influential citizens of the H hite race, and may be found in every section of the cwnntry. Capital stock has been raised to $100,000, half of which is already subsnihwl ; the relnt~inder we now offer a t $100 per share. This may he paid in ins ta l lm~nts of 10% or taken in paid up stock. When the full amount has been paid, rertificateh

EIWORTS FOR SOOIAL BETTERMENT. 27

of atock, negotiable, are given. From 40,000 to 50,000 bricks are being turned out daily; we expect to begin laying them in a few weeks time. When completed we will employ from 300 to 400 hands. Avenues along a11 lines of work will open up, and we want some one to open a boarding house, run a, truck farm, livery st,able, dairy, etc. W e urge you to consider this Negro enterprise and write us for any further information you may desire. Yours in interest of the race,

.lW. C. COLEMAN.''

Since that time the mill and some houses have been built, and "we are ready to install engine and boiler and other machinery. Work of operation will commence as soon as we sell some more stock." A special trade edition of the Concord Times, a white paper, March 10, 1898, speaks of the enterprise a s follows :

l'Can the Negio race ~uccesxfully own and operate cotton mills? This question so long in doubt is about to be answered and we believe in the af- firmative. The flrst great stride in that direction was taken when on the 8th of February, 1898, was laid with Masonic honors the corner stone of the handsome three-story brivk building, &?Ox120 feet in dimensions. of the Coleman Cotton Mill. I t was indeed a marked epoch in the history of the Negro race and pL.onounced by allpresent an entire success. Noted speak- ersfrom all over the United States were invited and the railroads gave reduced rates from all points. Following the laying of the corner stone was the annual election of offlcers, who are a s follows: R. B. Fitxgerald, o f Durham, N. C., president; g . A. Johnson, of Raleigh, N. C., vice-president, and W. C. Coleman, of Concord, N. C., secretary and treasurer. The following gentlemen constitute the board of directors: Rev. S. C. Thomp- son, Camden, S. C.; L. P. Berry, Statesville, N. C.; John C. Dancy, Salis- bury, N. C.; Prof. S. B. Pride, Charlotte, N. C.; Prof. C. F. Meserve, Ral- eigh, N. C., and Robert McRae, Concord, N. C. Among these are some of the highest lights of the Negro race, and under their careful directiom we have no doubts a s to the Anal results of the enterprise. The promoter d this enterprise, Mr. W. C. Coleman, is the wealthiest Negro in the State, and he has rallied around him not only the leaders of his race but has the endorsement of many of the most successful financiers among our white citizens throughout the State. The mill is to have from 7,000 to 10,000 spindles and from 100 to 250 looms, and, by their charter, will be allowed to apin, weave, manufacture, finish and sell warps, yarns, cloth, prints or other fabrics made of cotton, wool or other material. They own a t present, in connection with the plant, about 100 acres of land on the main line of the Southern Railway and near the site of the mill. The mill and machinery with all the fixtures complete will represent an outlay of nearly $66,000, and will give employment to a number of hands. The building ir now completed and ready for machinery.

'&Let us add that Concord has reason to and does feel proud of the fact that she has the only cotton mill in the worid owned, conducted and op- erated by the N e b ~ o race."

Thisexperiment will certainly be watched with interest al l over the land.

7. Bcneaoknce. In a n advanced civilization a study of efforts for social

28 STUDY OF NEGIIO CITY LIFE.

betterment would conflne itself chiefly to the work of special beaevolent agenc'es which had reform ancl rzscue work a s their immediate objects. T~lstitutions and organizn.tionsfor the accoin~l ishn~ent~ of these ends have, in most modern countries, been developed after long trial and experiment. The calture of t!~e mass of the race we aye st3xdying, however, has not yet come to the point of differentiating special organs of benevolence and reform t~ any g;.ent est3nt. Cms-.qumtly t!lis s h t l y hay to review chiefly the activities of organizations whose insin object is not benevolent but who incideutnlly do much wozk t3 pyomote the social wellfare. Even here, a s mentioned before, we can by no means gather up d l efforts because so many are unsysteinaaic and unorganized.

Especially in the matter of purely benevolent work do we And lack of organization and system. Probably no portion of the people of the country more quickly respond to charitable appeals of all sorts than do the colored people. They have few cl~aritnble societies but they give much money, work and time to charitable cleetls :mong their fellows; they have few orpl~an asylums, but a lnrge ni1m1)er of children are adopted by private families, ofteil \\-hen the adopting family can ill afford it,; there are not inany old folk's homes, but many old people flntl shelter and support among families to whom they nre not related. 111 flne, the open hospital- i ty of a primitive people is espacirtlly noticeamble among Negroes.

We, however, are to notice only the cases where the smse of the importance of such relief work has so impressed itself upon the groupas to lead to syetematic cooperation in porforrning it. Returns from all such e;lter- prises, even ill the limitea territory studied, have not been obtained, but

table of twenty-one organizations which seems fairly representative, follows. Here, again, the limits of the nine cities ht~ve no1 been adhered to. Only seven of the efforts reported were from those cities. (Fo i table Rae p a p s 30-31.)

S.~rns of th%e enterprisas de:~?rve pwticular attention. The missionary corps of Fort Smith, Ark., writes: "The object of the corps is not only charitable, but to advance the race religiously, morally and intellect.ually. We have organized a Mother's Meeting and Sewing Sdiool."

There are three orphan asylums reported, and several o thers are known toexist. An account of the Carrie Steele Orphanage is printed among the following papers. The Tennessee Orplmnage and Intlustrial scliool i s an interesting offshoot of the Negro Department of the Tennessee Cent,en- nial. The head of that department, who is now principal of the orphanage, says:

"At the beginning of the work of t,he Negro Department of the Tennes- see Centennial i t was remarlred that son~ething should be done that Could be a lasting beneflt to our people. I t w:bs suggested to take ndvanta.ge of the enthusiasm connected with that organization ancl create a home for some of the many parentless and neglected boys and girls of our race, take them off the streets and train not only their heads but hearts and hands as well, that they may become useful men ancl women.

"As a start towards raising money for this purpose the Orphans' Home buttons were placed on sale and hundreds of them sold.

&'Next, the 'Symposium,' a 6 niid 10 cent entertainment, mas given a t the Spruce Street Baptist Church, by which about $100 was made. Sev-

EFIWRTS FOR SOUIAL BETTERMENT. 29

era1 small sums of money were donated by Suilday-schools and individuals. Then cams the 'Add day' a: Cum'~3rlznd Ptwk, in thn surnm?r of 1806."

At a meet in^ of Negroes to establish this asylum, the Nashville Ameri- can, March 14, 1898, reports a ~010ietl clergyman t ~ s saying:

&'When we think of the army of boys nnd girls g:owing up in our city, In ignorance, vice and ehame, without any care and p:'otection, we are ap- palled. These All the work house, the c11ai.n gang, the haunts of 'Magds- lene' and the penitentiary. I n Nashville we have a Pu'egro orphaned and neglected population of not less than 2,000 Think of it, 2,000 Negro children in our midst paxntless and neglected.

lLI submit, my friends, i t is an unwd-om. thoii:ht, butnr?vertheles~, thin army of children is growinx up without Cli-*is%ian inf l~~ence,sca~cely any moral teaching. and without educ,ztion to fit them fo- life's dut'es. Wha t does this orphanage rnovemsnt mean? you ask. I t inemis nn effort to save a t least a few of these ~iinfoAunate little ones from abje3t poverty and possibly a life of fihnme and u1timut.e ruin. I t m3ans an effort ttt their education, their mo:'al antl Christian developmsnt, nnd fitting them to be intelligent, honorable citizens. I t has behilid i t the spirit of the highest and best humenit,y, antl our tlut,y toward it as cit.izsns is flrst to give i t our mora.1 support.

"When I think of. the hundreds that s w x m in 'Black Bottom,' 'Hell's Half Acre," 'Smoky Row,' &Tin Cup All?y,' 'Crn2py Chut,e,' 'Wood Maney's Bottom,' and many other low wardsof thz city, my soul stagge;-s. When I look into the faces of hundreds of little urchins I meet daily, with dirt stained features. whoss h%.xls and h-art? will soon be stained with crime, i t seems to me that I hear the footfall of a coming army, whose breathings are not for the health of societ,y, the city, the church or nation.

&'But, my friends, this orphanage will need more than sentiment and prayers. Our duty towards i t will be to give i t our financial support, a s well as our moral support. No instit11t;on ca.n ba run without money. It will require money to ma,ke this orphanage live, the grounds will have to be beautified, the buildings enlarged and all neceswry ammgements arid equipments provided for, incidental to the running of an orphan home. R U C ~ as fuel, light, food, and clothing. This will call for the liberality of our citizens continually. Now I know that there nre some little, selflsh souls who will say they don't see how we can support this enterprise and keep up our churches, societies and such like; we are too poor.

deny the assertion and denounc.: the statementas being wit,hout war- rant or reason. I say we can, and God helping us, we will. There are between 35,000 and 40,000 Negroes in Nashville. There are 44 Negro churches in Nashville, over 100 societies; if each of these would give but a small contribution monthly i t could be handsomely supported."

As a result of this appeal antl others ground has been bought and a six- room house, all valued a t $2,.500. The American continues:

"The orphanage is benutifully situated in the Eighteenth district, three miles from the Square, and will be no doubt, a favorite place for the col-

80 ORGANIZED BENEVOLENT EFFORTS. - I I I I

'PLACE.

- .

NAME. ORJECIT. MEM-

BERM.

- 1 ........

...... .............. I

I- Fort Smith, Ark Ladies' Relief and Charitable work,

Missionary Corps 1898 Mothers' Meeting. 2Americus, Ga Col'd Orphan asylum

3l~outhern pines, N.C.

12

13

14 16

17

19

~0

21

Pickford Sanitarium

Ladies' PickfordSan-1897To itarium Aid Society.. Colored Woman's League ............................ Mothers' Conference

Parents' Conference. Farmers' Improve- ment Society ................ American Negro

........................ Academy Florence Crittenden

.............................. Home Women!s Club of Atlanta ...........................

6

7

9

I0

11

......... 4Raleigh, N. C...

...... 6Washington, D. C

.......... Pine Bluff, Ark

.......... Nashville, Tenn 8Texas ..............................

Washington, D. C ......

.................. Atlanta, Qa

‘L " ...............

Augusta, Ga ..................

" '' ................

Nashville, Tenn .......... Atlanta, Ga .................

16Peterclburg, Va .......... Atlanta, Ga ...................

lgpetersburg, Va ........ ................ Atlanta, Qa

Washington, L). C..

............ Savannah, Ga

BBRichmond, Va. ......

1897

1893

1897

1896

1897

1898

1896

Union Waiters' Society ............................ Hospital for Negroes .......................... Tenn. Orphanage ........ Carrie Steele 0rphana.ge .................. Orphanage .................... First Sociological Club .................................. Old Folks' Home ....... Carter Home for the Aged ................................ .National Ass'n of Colored Women ......... Hospital for Negroes .......................... Reforlrlatory for Ne- gro Boys and Girls ....

qoq?;+n.l for Corisumptives .........

........ aid hospital

1892Kindergartens, .... .'e.+due worK, 6 .c

Hothers' meetings.

Slothers' meetings. Village a n d fltrn~

............ improvement ~,ril.ocs a114 Pdu~i -

.......................................... cations To rescue Fallen

......................................... vV~illel~ Jharitable work,

.............. 3elf-culture

16 trustees.

.70

100

..................

1,800

60

1869of

18%

18961ent

1897

Benevolence, care sick and dead

l'o care for the Sick ................................................ For Orphans ...........

............ For Orphans

............ For Orphans Study and Benevo-

....... Enterprise Care of Aged

1897Care of Aged Confederates Wo-

d1896men's Clubs .............. To Care for the Sick ................................................ To Reform Young21 Criminals .................

...................

16 trust's

20 .............................

.............................

2,000

Di- rectors.

OBJECTS OF EXPENSE 1 flExpENDITCIRE.I LAST Y E A R 1 REMARKS.

ORGANIZED BENEVOLENT EFFORTS. 31 -

...... $91 00 Home and school for children- built by Grand Lodge of Masons 04 Ga. ; corner stone laid April 18, '98.

Care of Erected two Some white trustees and donors, Imt .. Pavilions .......... mainly a Negro movement; owns 4

acres : 4 buildings pledged. Has furnished first pavilion. ..................................................... [Has established kindergarten system and normal training school, ed-

606 71 ucated girls and done rescue work. 37 76 800rganized by a white car-

ried on mainly by Negroes. ..........

over the State.

1 2 1

.... gl 160 OO/F'rintinp., etc. I IW OO/A national association.

I -

600 1 ............................................................ A new enterprise.

76 ............................................................

Sickness and ....... 749

698 28 ..........

A part of the National Association of Coloredwomen. Owns hall and loan ass'n stock; has large number of old men a s

Tomembers. Endowed by a Southern white man ; conducted by Negroes. ..........................................................................

............................................. -: ..............................

..............................................................................

........................................................................

..............................................................................

Receives some State aid. Supported by Baptists. "To improve the home life of the oor." g ecret society home.

19 1,500 00 ............................................................. I I Connected with a Baptist church. Has a large number of afflliated clubs. Endowed by a Southern white man ; conducted by Negroes. Expects partial State support; is nearly ready for inmates.

82 BTUDY OF NEGRO CITY LIFE.

ored peoplo of this city and State. I t is well w:rt?ratl a.nd has on i t 8

ba~ut i ful house and one of the flnest youii!:orchnrds in this section. "It is all a very commendable move of the Negroes of thi: city and de-

serves the support of nll good citizens." The orphanage was cliart?retl by the Stat? Februa-y 19, 1838, and as its

prospectus says, proposes "to cn.re for some of the ninny parentless and neglect.ec1 Negro boys and girls of this State, tn.ke them off the streets and train not only their heads but their heart,s and hands as well, that they ma.y become good, useful, Christian men and \vorne~i.'~

A similar enterprise in Virginia is t,list started by John H. Smyt,li, ex- Minister to Liberia. His own words are:

L'Virginia unco~isciously is graduating under common and statute Iaws annually thousands of youthful criminals. There is no middle pound , there is no house of refuge, cor:ect'on or reform~.tory for the black boy or girl-who from defective, ant1 from no t!'aining, has t~tken the flrst step downward, and a s a consuquence, crims is accelerated and in- crc-ased by law.

'The motherhood of the black race in Virginia is being tsinted in i ts childhood by jails and a penitentiary, the nianhoocl and youth are made criminal by means designed for punishment of wrongdoing, but which a x proving most. effective and destructive agencies of the moral^ of Iarge class of a race. * * t * * * t

LbItwould be better to kill the unhappy children of my race than to wreck their souls by herding them in prison with common and hardened criminals. * t t

&'Seeing this condition, a few earnest Negro man. in defence of the re- spectability of the race, moved by humane and Christian mntiments. formed the Negro Reformatory Association of Virginia, which cgme into corporate existence June 11,189'7. I t has a Negro Board of Directors and En Advisory Board of seven white Virginians, and its purpose is to rescue juvenile offenders through a reformatory. Though there is a reformatory in Virginia for white boys, in the eighth year of its existence, the Ne- gro children and youths may not enter it3 portals, though there is not a word or sentence in the charter of the 'Prison Association of Virginia' restricting its beneficence to whites, nor prohibitive of its influence to blacks.

'The Negro Reformatory Association of Virginia has undertaken to purchase a farm of 1,804 acres of ground in the county of Hanover, and the erection of two dormitories, and two shops for teaching trades.

'&The cost of the land is $8.03 per acre, or $14,432; the cost of the four buildings $60,000, making a total need of $75,000.

"That the institution shall cot be an annual pensioner upon friendsland the pubIic, farming in all its branches, blacksmithing, carpentry, shoe- making, and instruction in the domentic arts, are designed to make the institution, from the start, self-supporting with the State's aid in food and clothing of the inmates. The rudiments of English learning will be taught and moral training wiJl be the main object."*

*Addreas at .&th Nation111 Conferenre of Chnritiefi und Correction, Xe~v York. May 2 4 . 1 ~ 8 .

EFFORTS FOR SOUIAL BETTERMENT. 33

The last announcement of the Association says: "The Negro Reforiiintory Association of Virginia gratefully acknowl-

edges the receipt of $2,254.14 froiri generous and philantliropic frieiiclh in the States of Virginia, Coiiiiecticut, New York, New Jersey, Mass:~cl~u- setts, Rliode Island :~ud Peniisylvaliin, up to August 1, 1898. 'l'lie Xssoci- ation has purcliased 423 of the 1,804 :tcres of 'Broad Neck' estate, Hail- over county, Virginia, a i ~ d has a n option on 1,381 aoles, the reslc~uo of the plant::tion, for one year.

There are four sn~o l l buildings upon the lalid purchased, two dwelling houses, a small bar11 and a stable, all of which may be used by a,ri es- penditure of :COO for neceseary r ep i r s . With these buildings re~.ailetl the work of receiving inmates mn.y be begun by Janucry 16, 18S9. The plans aiid tlruwings of the Arst building, the 'Marthn Wnsliingtoii Honie for Boys,' of the Negro Reformatory Associ~tion of Virginia, have been made by Mr. C. Ruelirinuntl, 923 Msiu street, Richlnoncl, Va. 'l'liis liouso may be commenced nest spring and coinpleted by the summer of 1899, provided the friends of the Reforin:l,toly will aid ill raisiilg a t once $N,W.

"The puipose of the Assouiution is to avoid debt, to pay as it goes, 0 0

tha t wheii the building shall htcve bee11 coinplcted i t will be the propersy of the Associt~tion and not of the contractor^.'^

Of all the efforts heie reported none is more deserving of praise than the Pickforcl Saliittiriuni. 'l'llis is the work of a Negro pliysic~on, Ur. L. A. Scruggs, aided by whi t t s and hegroes in the North and in the Soutl~. As Dr. H . H. Lewis, Secretary of the Noith Carolina Board of Health says:

' . ~ i there is one thing more than another tha t the colored people need, i t is hospital privileges, practically within their reach, both a s to distance and cost. I t has been a ~ n a t t e r of surprise with me that some of the people of the North, who have been so generous in their benefactions to educational institutions for them, have not realized this fact and devottd some of i t to the relief of sickness und suffering. If they reallzed, as some of us who go in and out among the colored people do, the environment of the average Negro, sick a.t home, in want of nearly everything s sick person ought to havc, 1 am sure this want would be s ~ e e d l y suppl~ecl~ * * * And consumption has become the special bane of the race. * Unless something is done, I believe that it will eventually decimate the race."*

Impressed by such conside1:ations the Negroes of North Carolina have founded a hospital especially for Negro consumptives in the mountain a i r of that State. The Raleigh Daily l'reus Viuitor, September 13, 1897, says:

''The Pickford Sanitarium for consumptive Negroes, a t Southern Pines, N. C., was dedicated Friday last. Two thousand persons were present, who attended the exercises and inspected the grounds and buildings.

"Dr. Scruggs deserves the credit for establishing this inst,itution. The enterprise i s the result of his labors. The building which was dedicated oonsists of two well furnished and nicely apportioned wards with accom- modat ion~ for twelve persons.

*Lettar to Ur. Scnlgga; bed .JVLLL/ILI )& kni lar ium. October, 1895. jSanilarium, October, 1887.

34 STUDY O F NEGKO OITY LIFE.

lLThe white ministers of Southern Pines took an active and leading part in the services. Mrs. A. W. Curtis, of this city, has established and will maint,ain a memorial cot in memory of her son.

"The land and buildings are all paid for, and there is no claim upon them. The people of Xoore county and adjoining counties expressed t,heir entire approval and pleasure a t the enterprise."

The larger part of the money subscribed has come from Northern whites, and especilly from Mrs. C. J. Pickford, of Lynn, Mass. Nevertheless the Negroes, too, a.re contributing:

"The Ladies' Pickford Sanitarium Aid Society, of Raleigh, N. C., has completely furnished the Arst building of the Sanitarium. These ladies, inore than thirty in number, have done a noble deed, which reflects much credit upon the citizens of Raleigh. They have our sincere thanks."+

The plan for carrying on the Sanitarium is thus outlined by the Super- intenden t :

"The Pickford Sanitarium, for the care and treatment of consumptive Negroes and those suffering from any bronchial or t,hroat troubles, is now no longer an imaginary institution, but exists in fa,ct. Within less time than one year four buildings have been pledged by some friends of means, and money has been given, including other donations, sufficient to secure our four acres of land, upon which we have erected and furnished and paid for, one beautiful pavilion, with capacity for twelve patients.

"A second building is rapidly going up, and will be ready by December 1, 1897, when we shall begin to receive patients. This building will con- tain a. kitchen, dining-room, nurses' department and offlces. * * *

LLNo unnecessary idleleness will be encouraged a t this institution. Suf- ficient garden land will be provided, so that patients may take very moderate out-door exercise, and in this way, wken able so to do, the patientwill not only help to feed himself, but will ta.ke, under healthy rules, such physical exercise in the open air as will prove a great help in expanding the lung cells to a, moderate degree, and in securing for him necessary muscular development,.

"We propose to have a well-aired, suitable building, in which carpenters, shoemakers, blacksmiths, tin-workers, carvers and scroll-cutters, printers and others skilled in the industrial arts may And welcome, home-like employment. In this way, with the garden, or little farm and shop work, our institution will take such a stand as to commend itself both to the sufferer and t,he public in general. This light labor will prove to this class of patients not only a. pleasant duty in warm days in winter but a desirable, au well as an acceptable method of exercise as a part of the treatment which they seek.

"My friend, will you help us. and thereby have a hand in this work for the most wretchedly diseased of your fellow-beings?"

The Colored Woman's League of Washington is spoken of in detail later. The Farmers' Improvement Society of Texas was started by a former student of the Atlanta University, Mr. R. L. Smith, who is now a member of the Texa,s Legislature. I t is said that in the town where his society has done t8he most work, the Negro portion is more attra.ctive than

EFFORTS FDR SOSIAT, BETTERMENT. 36

that of the \v l~ i t f~s . The object of the society :LS se t forth :kt its third nn- nu:%] convention is :

1. "To nl)ol'sh tl e credit system completeiy, or a s niuch asl ies in our power. This object c :~n be best a!.complisl~ed by r : ~ i s i ~ ~ g , :zs f::r a.; possible, all our supplies : ~ t home, and by purc l~as i r~g what cannot be so raised for cash.

2. ' T o discuss topics of interest to f:~rtners, and t l~ereby create, encourage ant1 fosic:iU a n i ~ ~ t e l l i p n t x:tl lively interest in improved methods of f:Lrmillg; to practicc ecollolny; to obta,in such information a s s l ~ a l l lead us to improve : ~ n d tlivcrsify cjur crops. The better to accomplish t,liis pur- pow, CRCII local orgx~lizxtion may offer prizes of money or other vn1u:~ble corlsiderat io~~s for t,he be~timprovedfield ancl garden crop, dairy, products or live stock.

3. L'To co-oper:~,tc in p u r ~ h z s i n g supplies and ill selling our producks, wl~enever c1c:sirat)le or practicable.

4. "To a id ea.cli ot11c.r i i i sickness m t l in death, for which purpose:% fund ra.ised by regular mon t l~ ly dues, not to esceetl t,en cents per month, shc~ll be collected :l.r~tl helcl snored, being subject. t,o expenditure for I I O other 01)- ject what.soever.

5. "To stimulrat,e our members who are Ilonteless, to acquire homes, and to urge those who 31% already possessed of homes, to improve and beautify t hem; to pursuatle them to purchase things t1i:j.t are absolutely necess::rp for t,lle comfort of t l ~ e i r faml iw; to set. our faces against and ut~it,e our forces in fighting those evils whio11 tend to debase our charact,er and destroy our homes, t,he principal of hich are gambli t~g, intemperance and social impuri ty; to refrain frorrl spending our time m d money upon foolish and harmful projects; to re- pair our hig11wa.y~ ant1 keep them in order; to pInnt suitable shade trees arrcl s l~rubbery ; :~iitl in genera,l to bring our homes ar.d home life t,o the highest American stacda.rd compatible with our income."

The societ,y is represented by organizations in t,l~irt,y-six different towns a ~ i d claims 1,800 mnmbers. The character of these orga.niaations may bt, iflustrated by report,s from two:*

"Kcndelton R r m c l ~ reported: Nurnt)er of members, 40; annual dues, $4.00; number of acres owned by members, 2,0611; number of w r e s in cul- tivation, 1,037; amount spent for improven~ents, $886; vaIue of pro pert,.^ owned by members. $36,760; amount spent for sickness, $3.50; amount fcr incidental expenses, $1.00; a.mount on hand, $42.50. Organized by G. A. Allen, January , 1897, with twelve members; we have grown to forty. We send to represent us our worthy secret,ary, G. A. Allen, and Vice-Pres- ident A. R. Brown. R,espectfully submitted.

H. HIOKS, Prenident,. '&a. A. A ] LEN, Secretary."

L 'Tl~c 0:zkland 13ranoh of the Farmers Improvement Eociety respectfully nubmits i ts annual report to the convocation:

"We aei.e organized in 1891 with 12 members; present membership, 60; riumber of acres owned by members. 1)o; vnIue of improvements thereon, $6.000; value o f land, including improvements, $24,000; average indebted-

"From Ifdlriu!, Hand. Ortober. 1898.

96 STUDY OF NEGRO dITY LIFE.

nes-r for supplies, $43; decrexse, 50%; amount of mont,hly dues collected, $125.95; amount spent for sickness and death, $35.60; balance in treasury, $89.75; amount spent in co-aperation, $2.23. J. E. EMON, President. "W. H. I s ~ n c s , Secretary. ISABEL SMITH, Delegate."

The President publishes a small eight-page Faper, which is the offlcial organ of the Society.

TheAmerican Negro Academy isone of themost promisiug of the broader organizations of the colored people. I t has a membership limited to Lfty co~~s i s t ing largely of teachers ar.d professional men; the cbject of the 01-

ganization is thus stated in the print,ed announcement,: &'The Negro Academy believes that upon those of the race who have

had the advantage of higher education and culture rests the responsibility of taking concerted s t ~ p s for the ernployrnent of these agencies to uplift the race to higher planes of thought and action.

"Two great obstacles to this consummation are appsr2nt: (a) The lack of unity, the want of hermony, absence of a self-sacriflcing spirit, and no well-developed line of policy seeking cleflnite aims. (b) The persistent, relentless, a t times covert opposition, employed to thwart the h'egro a t every stepof his upward struggles to establish the j u s t i ~ e of his claim to the highest physical, intellectual and moral possibilities.

"The Academy will, therefore, from time to time, publish ui1c.h papers as in their judgment aid by their broad and scholarly treatment of the topics discussed, the dissemination of principles tending to the growth and developmentof the Negro along right lines, and the vindication of the race against vicious sssai~lts."*

So far the Academy has isstiecl two occasional papers, and its reperable president., the late Alexander Crummell, had a t ilisdettth nearly fluished a s e r i e ~ of ten t;.acts. The pspersare a ''R3viewof lioffmsn's Race Tiaits and Tendencies," and "The Conservation of Races." Trrtct No. 2 is worth repeating hexe, together with a list of the other tracts:

"TRSCTS FOR T H E NEGRO R.4CE."

&'By Alexander Crummell, President of the American Negro Academy."

&'NO. 2-CH~RACTER: THE G R E A T THING."

'&Nothing is more natural than the anxiet,ies of wronged and degraded people concerning the steps they should take to rise' above their misfortunes and to elevate themselres. Thus i t is that the colored people, in meetings and conventions, are constantly plied with the schemed their public speakers say will lift them up to higher levels.

1. " ( 3 ) One prominent man will address an aassmblage somewhat in this manner :

& ' 'The only way to destroy the prejudice again& our race is to become rich. If you have money the white man will respect yon. He caresmore for the almighty dollar than anything else. Wealt,h, then, is the only thing by which we can overcome the caste spirit. Therefore, I Eay, get money; for rkhes are our only salvation.'

"(b) Another speaker hnrsngues his audience in this msnner: *Orcnbona~l Paper Ke. 2, Amvrlcuu Kcgro Academy.

EF1:ORTS FCR ECCIAL BETTERMENT. 37

"'Brethren, education is the only \ m y t,oorercome our dimculties. Send your child re^ to ~ c h c o l . Give them d l t.he learning you can. To thisend you must practice grcat self.denin.1. Secd them t,o college, and mn.ke them lawyers and doctors. Come out, of the bzrber shops, the eating houses and the kitchens, and get int,o the professions; and thus you will command the re~pect . of the whit.es.'

"(c) Rut now up starts your practical orator. H i s absorhing fad is labor. and his address is a s follows:

" 'My friends, all this talk about learning, al l this call for scholars, and lawyers, and doctors for our poor people is nonsense. Industrial- ism is the solut.'on cf the whole Kegro problem. The black man must learn to work. We must have 'Ma.nua1 Labor Schools' for the race. We must till and farm, apply the hoe and rake, and t\us, by protluctive labor, overcome inferior conditions and secure strength and influence.'

"(d) We have another class of tmchere which must notbe passed over. Our polit,ical leaders form n o t a smrtll element in the life of our people, and exert no petty influence. I n fact, they are the most demonstrative of all classes, and they tell us most positively tha t 'in a democratic system, sucll a s we are living under, no race can be respected unless i t can get political influence &nd hold offlce. Suffra.ge is the life of any psople, and it. is t,heir right to share in th? offlces of the land. Our people can't be a people unless their leadiug men get positions and tnka part in govery- ment,.'

2. "NOW i t would be folly to deny the importance of these expedients. For there i s a real worth which t.he Almighty has put in money, in letters and learning, in political franchises, in labor and the fruits of labor. These are, without doubt, great agents and instruments in human civilization.

'*But I deny tka.t either of them can p i n for us fhafelevation which is our great and pressing want. For what we need, a s a race, i~ an elevation which does something more than improve our temporal circumstances. or alter our ma.teria1 condit,ion. We want the uplifting of humanity. We must have the enlargement of our manhood. W E NEED ~ H A R A ~ T E R !

"Many a man and many peoples, laden with riches, have gone down to swiftdestruction. I n the midst of the grandest civilization many a nation has been eaten out with corruption and gone headlong to ruin. The proudest monarchies and the most boastful democracies have alike gone down suddenly to grim disaster.

3. "There i s no real elevation in any of these things. The history of the world shows tha t the true elevation of man comes from living forces.

"But money is not a living force. Farms and property are not livine fcrcee; nor yet is culture of itself, nor political franchises. Those only w e living forces which can uplift the souls of men to superiority:-living forces, not simply acting upon the msterial conditions of life, but perme- ating their innermost being and moulding the invisible, but mlgh ty pow- ers of the reason and the will.

"Now, when men say that money and property will elevnte our people, they stat3 only a half truth; for weslth only helps to elevate ths man. Theremust. he some manhood, precedent. for the wealth to act upon. So,

38 STUDY OF NEGRO CITY LIFE.

t30, when they declare that 1e:l.rning or politics wili uplift the race, t.hey give us but a half truth.

L'These :L;e :dl sirnply a:ds : ~ : ~ t l nssistaace,+ to som.jt,!ling higher and no- blsr, which both g o ~ s brfo .e nntl reaol~rs far b ~ y o n d thern. They are, rightly used, agencies to tha t r?al elevvtioii wliich i!i esseritially a n in- w m l :mi 1nor:1.1 p:ocpess.

"Don't he deceived by 1i:~lf truths: for half truths lone, notseltloin, the flne essence of real truth ; and so become thorougll deceits. Half truths are oftentimes prodigious errors. Half t.ut11s are frequently whole lies.

4. "Wllat then is the mighty power which uplifts the fallen? "I t is Cowper who tells us--

'The only A m n n ~ ~ l h i n c flow-rr Is virtue; tlw only IusLing trcnsurc is truth.'

' L B ~ t what does the poet mexn by t h z s ~ i m p l e but beautiful lines? "He means that for mnu, for societies, for mces, for ndtiolls, the one liv-

ing and aS:ding thing is chn-act3,-, "For character is uii iritn'nal quality; anti it works from within, outward,

by force of nnture :md divine suxours ; and it uq3s anything m ~ d all things, visible and invisible, for the grentilrss end tlie growth of the souls or men. and foi. the upbuiltling of society. I t seizes upon money and p.-operty, up011 karning erltl power as illstruineats for its own purFoses; and even if these agencies sllould fail, vl~aracter abides, s living and a lasting thing.

'"I'he other things are riot internal and living things, useful a s they are ; and hence, of themselves, cannot produce the gr t~nd results wliich beget the elevation of humanity.

"I say, therefore, that unless a people has character, t!lere is no elevation possible for thern. 111 saying this, however, I would not by any means eschew the value of money and property, of educntionantl political rights These hzve their pl:~ce in :~ l l the processes of personal or snci:d growth; but they do not make men, nor regenerate society. Cl~aracter alone doe; this.

&'It is cllnracter which is the great condition of life; character i s the s p r h g of all 1:~u ful alnbitions and the stimulant to all rightful aspira- tion; c h : ~ r . ~ ' ~ t ~ r is thn c r i t3 r io~ of ~ n j n t p l grawuh ; cha~rac t? r is the motive power of enterprise arid the bcsis of credit; cliaractei* is the root of discipline and self-restraint; character is the cement of t l ~ e family; cl~urac- ter is tlie consumate flower of true religioli, and the crowning gloiy of civilimtioli.

"111 f i~le, i t is chnr:i,cter wliiclr i s the 11etl-r~trlc of everything strong, mns- terful and lahting ill all tLr organizations of life and society; and without it they are nothiiig but chaff and emptiness.

5. "I am nslwtl, pxchance, for n more definite meaningof this word chcr- actar. My answer is ill the words of t h e Apostle St,. Paul: " 'Whatsoever things nrr true, whatsoever things are honorable, what-

soever things are just, wliatsoever tliir~gs m e pure, whatsoever t l l i~lgs are lovely, whatsoever things are cf g o ~ d report, if t h e i ~ Le any v i ~ t u e

EFFORTS FOR SOOIAL BETTERMENT. 99

and if thcre bc aiiy piaise, think oil these things.' These are the ele- nients of character.

"All this is applicable to msn, or, a community; for ( a ) if a man is not truthful and honorable, just and pure, lie is not n innn of cliarac- ter. (b) If a, furni(y, in a neigliborliood-fatlier, mother, girls and sons, are t;utlile~s niid tlishonorsble, unjust and impure, no one can regard thein a s people of cliaractor. J u s t so too with n community, with a n t ~ - tioii, with n mce. If i t is destitute of these grand qualities. whatever else it may be, whatever clse i t mag have, if it is devoid of character, iailure lor i t is :I certainty.

6. "Now, if the Negro race in this nation wish to become a people; if they are anxious to prove tliemselves n stable, saving and productive ele- men1 in this great republic; if they are ambitious of cdvancement in al l the lines of prosperity, of intelligence, of manly growth and spiritual development; they must fall ba-lt up011 this ginntl power of human beings- character.

"Tliey rniist make tliis the innin and mnytsr a im of al l high endeavor. Tliey must strive to free themselves from h l s o notions. pei.iiicious principles and evil habits. Tliey must exert themselves to tlie t~doption of cor- rect; nntl saving idea.5. Tliey must lift tliemselves up to superior modes of liviilg. T1ic.y must introc:~ice, :ts permanent and abiding fa.cto1.s .in their life, the quditie:; of thrift, order, discipline, virtue and purity.

"Now, i t is useless to deny the presence among us of tlrunlten a ~ i d profli- gate Iiusb:~n~ls,loose n,nd sla,tteriily wives, a,nd licentious youths of both sexes. W e see, not seldom, uriprinoipletl I i ixl ing school tsacliers, greotly o i pelf, lintiiig their duties, a.nd tlisliltiiig cliildhood. W e hear of leprous niiiiisters in our pulpits, 1:rostitutiiig the lioliestof offices; niitl we can, a t once, put our f i i i p r upoil the 'tlamni:ig spot,' in al l this varied iiiiquity --it is the lack of character! I t is ~ i o t the want of nioney which is a t t l i ~ root of t hew tlisnsters; not t l i ~ ~ieetl of education which is the great dii8culty. so! I t i t is the :~bstlnce of tha t grrnt inward cjunlity-cliar- acter.

LLKmv, the inightiest effozt of the whole ra,oe, especially of Ministers mid Tei~cliei.s, sliou!d tt?iitl t,o tliis gr:~iid :~cquisitioli. Tliis should be put be- f o x slid above crci'ytliiiig else. I f a clioice vct~sl be inndc, it were better tliet our boys niitl girls should grow np poor mid igriorsnt than tha t they should be trni i~cd in t,he fairlily, aiid in the school, devoid of c1inr:t::ter. '&ls not this rig1119 1r"r tliinlt for n ~noin?iit-wliat rot is tliere in the

world whicli is :IS di.c~~.dl'ul n.s :L I : L ~ without Iloiior, or n girl who is iiri- pure:'

&&No sucli c.1loic.e for our cliiltlran is forced upon any o l us. Rut character is tiin main tliiiig; fay supc;ior to riclie.i, c?st.ztes, orle~~rii ir ig,orvoti~ig."

LIST OF TK.WTS.+~

I . Tlie Losscs of the =~cc,. 2. (:ha.inctc-r, t l i ~ Great l'liing. :.'.I ~crier of t,rx3t.:on c(40:~o!~.~i(:(lulies illld pro!~Icrn~~~ nrc dcsirr~~ed to be published 111 1800 by

I I W .Icm<lrrn\.. Rlmo ~~~~l ' l 'cs l~orl i lc l l~~v h:lh 11('el1 Il:ld by this b11 1y wi[h thc Qovernm(mt of Ilclgi~lm- in reli~tion to Alnc~ri(!m Kvgrocs i l l lhc (:~,ll;O 12rec Sttltc. Scc l'rocccdings of the Cougres J n t w n t ~ t i o ~ ~ a l (;oIonial dc L ~ r ~ ~ s ~ ~ l l c s , lW7. pa11c1. 1)s Jl. l'u1~1 l l i ~ g c ~ n m ~

43 STUDY OF NEOR3 CITY LIFE.

3. The Care of Daughtsrs. 4. Marriage a Duty. 6. Leprous Ministers. 6. The Family and the Home. 7. Schoolmasters and Schoolmistresses vs. Hireling Teachera. 8. The Acquisitive Principle and Property. 9. Civilization of the Race. 10. The Duty of Colored Scholars. Price of the Tracts, One Dollar ($1.00) per hundred.

The Union Waiters' Society of Augusta is an inta-esting example of an old, well-conducted benevolent. society which has neither died out nor developed into an insura,nce s w i ~ t y or a business enterprise. I t s funds have been well invested in r e d estate and stocks, and the income goes to support in sickness many of it,s old and feable msmbers; besides this, i t cmtributes tochurzhes, Sunday-schools. and to LLevery worthy object,." I t Is nearly 46 years old.

The Atlanta Woman's Club was organized in 1893 LLfor the purpose of helping the poor, the needy, sick and imprisoned, and for self-culture. I t is one of the clubs whkh form the National Association."*

"The National Association of Colored Women aa.s organized in 1896 in the city of Boston. We began with a little more than a dozzn clubs, and now hare 123 clubs, representing 2,000 members. We hold our meetings bimnially. The nest meeting comes in July, 1899, in the cit,y of Chicago. Our motto is, 'Lifting a s We Climb.' We are organized for the elevation of woman intellectuall y, physirally and inorally."t

The Associat,ion publishes a monthly paper. the ATalional Asrociatiorr A-vtes, and i t publishes occasior.al pamphlets.$ The followlng is a roster of 86 of the afflliated 'lubs:

Alabama-Eufaula Woman's Club; Greensboro Woman's Mutual Ben- eflt Club; Montgomery Sojourner Truth Club; Mt. Meigs Woman's Club; Selma Woman's Club; Tuskegee Woman's Club; Tuskegee-Notasulga Woman's Club; Birmingham Sojourner Truth Club; Lsdies' Auxiliary, Montgomery; Ten Times One, Montgomery.

California-Los Angeles Woman's Club. North Carolina-Biddle Univereity Club. South Carolina-Charleston Woman'$ League; Charleston W. C. T. U. Colorado-Denver, The Woman's League. Connecticut-Norwich, Rose of New England League. Florida-Jacksonville Woman's Christian Irldu~trial and Protective

Union ; The Phyllis Wheatley Chatauqua Circle, Jncksonville ; The Gfro- American Woman's Club, Jacksonville.

Georgia-Atlanta Woman's Club; Harriet Beecher Stowe Club, Ma- con; Columbus, Douglass Reading Circle; Augusta, Woman's Protective Club; Woman's Club of Athens.

*Report of Swretmry. tReport of Chairman of the Executive Commlttec. W e one on tho Chain-Oao~ System. by Yrs. 9. 9. Tl~~tlcr.

EFFORTS POR SOOIAL BETTERMEST. 41

hdiantt--The Booker T. Washington Club, Logansport. Illinois-Chicago. I d a B. Wella Club; Chicago, Phyllis Wheatley Club;

Chicago, Woman's Civic League. Kansac-Sierra Leone Club; Kansas City Club. Kel~tuckj-Louisville, Woman's Improvement Club: Echstein Daisy

Club, Cane Elrings. Louisia .+dew Orleans, Phyllis Wheatley Club. Ma4saehusetts-Boston, Woman's Era Club; Boston, Lend-a-Hand

Club; Boston Female Benevolent Firm; Boston, E. M. Thomas League; Bos:on (:aIv~ry Circle; New Bedford Wamnn's Loyal Union; Salem, Woman's Protective,Club; Chelsea, B. T. Tanner Club; New Bedford, St. Pierre Ruffln Club; Cambridge, Golden Rule Club.

Minnesots--Minneapolis, Ada Sweat Pioneer Club; Minneapolis and St. Paul. Twin City Woman's E r a Club; St. Pat11, Wonmn's Loyal Union and John Brown Industrial Club.

Missouri-Jefferson City Woman's Club; St. Louis, F. E. W. Harper I~eague; St. Joseph, F. E. W. H. Lengue ; St. Louis Suffrage Club; St.. Louis Phyllis M lleatley Club; St. Louis vv'oman's Club; St. Louis Mar- ried Ladies' 'l'himble Club.

Michigan-Married Ladies' Nineteenth Century Club. New York-New York and Brooklyn, Woman's Loyal Union; Buffa.10

Woman's Club; Harlem Woman's Sympatlietic Union; Rochester Wo- mml's Club; New York and Brooklyn, W. A. A. Union.

Nebraska-Omaha Wo~nan 's Club; Wonmn's Improvement Club. Pennsylvania-Pittsburg and Allegheny li'. E. W. H. League; Woman's

Loyal Ui~ion, Pit.tsburg ; W~nl~ing ton Young Womal l '~T\ \~e~~t ie th Century Club.

Oh io-'lloledo Wome.nls Club. Rhode Island-Newport Woman's League; Providence Working Wo-

.mm's League. Te~lnessee-Knoxville, Woman's Mutual Improvement Club; Memphis

Coterie Migratory Assembly ; Memphis, Hook's School Association ; Phyl- Lis Wheat.ey C!AL~, Nashville; Jnckeon, Womnn's Club; Jackson, W. C. T. U.

l'nsas-Fort Worth Phyllis Wheatley Club. Virginia-Woman's League of Roanoke; Richmond Woman's League;

C A ~ P R ~ O O S ~ C Oloucester A. and I. School Club; Urbann Club; Lynch- bu1.g Woman's Leegue ; Lexington Woman's Club.

District of Columbia--Wnsbingt,on,D. C., Ladies' Auxiliary Committee; '#ashington League; Washington, Lucy l 'hurman W. C. T. U.; Wo- m~11's Protective Union, Washington.

Wcsnt VirginiE-Wheeling, Woman's Fortnightly Club. The First Sociolopical Club of Atlanta grew out of interest iu the Con-

ferences l~elcl a t Atlanta University' According to i ts coustitution. "Its object shall be to improve in all l~ractical ways the social condition of the colorcd people of this vicinity and thereby promote the welfare of all the reople. The improvement of the home life of the poor shall t e the ob- jective point of its endeavors."

Besides these efforts there are numbers of small locnl ~ o c i e t i e ~ for dia-

42 STCDY O I ~ NEGRO UITY LIFE.

tributing direct rd ief to the poor; there ara also such organizations a s the Woman's Christian Tempera,~ice A~socia t ion , the Young Men's Christ- ian Associatioil, and the like. Recently a number of congresses have sprung up to discuss the Negro problems. The ea.rliest was the Lake Mohonlr Negro Conference, to which usually no Negroes were invited. Booker T. Washington founded the first regular Negro conference conducted by Negroes, m d it h w hzd great success. The conference n.t Atlanta is prxatic?lly en t i rdy c.>nduzt-.d by Ne:r.,es now, save tha t i t meets a t the Unive:sit,y and the TJniversity publishes its reports. The Hampton Con- ference is also conducted in par t by Negroes.

I n the foregoing reports no mention has been made of Negro schools, even in the case of those wholly conducted by Negroes. This omission ha8 been intentional, and was made because, first, Negro schools a re pret ty well known; and, secondly, the who!e subject of Negro education was deemed too broad to be t'rentetl in this inquiry, and is reserved for further study. Of course in any complete study of efforts for social bet- termet schools would stand first in importance.

8. General Sttmmor!j.-We have reviewed in detail the efforts for social betterment of the following organizations:

Churches ................. .. ................................................................................ 79 Secret Societies .................................................................................... 92 Benevolent Societies ............................................................................. 26 Insurance Societ,ies ................................................................................ 3 Cooperative Societies* ....................................................................... 15 Benevolent Organizations ................................................................. 21

- Total Organiza.tions .......................................................................... 236

This we mus t remember represents only a par t of the benevolent and reformatory activity of Negroes in a few cities of t,he South. It, includes many of the more important enterprises, but not al l even of them. I t gives n, rough, incomplete and ye t fairly characteristic picture of wha t the freedmen's sons are doing to better t,heir social condition.

The first point of interest we have in this picture is a scientific one. No more interesting example of the growth of organizations within a group could be adduced. Here in a, half-century, or a t most a century, we have epitomized tha t int,ricate specialization of the different human activities, and tha t adaptation of the thouqhts a.nd a.ctions of men to the thoughts and actions ahout them, which we call cdvnnce in civilization. The process here has been hastened, the environment has had u n u s u ~ l features, the action of the group unusual hindrances; and ye t we catc8h here afa in t idea of wha t human progress really means, and how infinitely complicated its methods are. Compared with modern civilized groups the organization of action among American Negroes is extremely simple. So m w h so tha t most persons not acquainted with tlie matter rega.rd them a s one vast unorganized, homogeneous mass. And ye t there are among them 23,000 churches, with unusually wide activitiei. and spending annually a t least $10,000,000. There are thousands of secret socieities, with their insurwnct! -

*Two partially reported. are not countcd hcrc.

and social features, l a y e numhers of beneficial societies wit.h their economic ttnd henevoler~t cloope~ x t i o ~ ~ ; there is til l(? slowly c.sp:riitling seed of cooperative bus inr r s effort seeking to sys t~~n: r . t i zo ant1 wonomize t,hr earnings HI:(I r x p r ~ l ~ d i t l ~ r w of n i i l l i i ~ n ~ of tlol1:irs. l<'innlly, t l ~ r r e a r e t h e slowly evolviug organs 1)y \ v l ~ i c l ~ t l ~ r group x w k s to stop a n d mini- niize the anti-sochi:il t lcrds and : ~ w i d e n t s of i ts n i e l i l l ~ e ~ s . Tli is is a picture of a,ll 111rm:r.n strivi~~g--~ln~ls~l:~.lly s i~npl t ) , witll local a.r~tl soc.in,l pecu- liarities, b u t s t r ikingly 11lim:in a n d worth IIII ther s tudy an(1 a t t e n t . i o ~ ~ .

Again, we h::ve :L s c i r ~ ~ t i f i t ' i ~ ~ t r ~ . e s t . in tlie l i i l~ds of O~RAI:S wit11 which th i s group is seeking to a , c ~ o r n p l i s l ~ r e r t : ~ i ~ ~ e ~ ~ t l s . Nowhere c:rn t h e persistence of 1111man i n ~ t ~ i t u t i o n s 1)r 1)rtter r s r~npl i f i e t l . Men seldom invent new w::ys of social ntlvancr, tl1t.y ra.ltltlr ( - I I : I I I ~ H m ( 1 a(I:~l>f old ways to uew wncli t iol~s. 'I he c c i n n l n ~ ~ i s ~ m of t11eAfric:m fore& with i ts politic81 ant1 rc-ligio~ls 1r :-c!e~+l~ipis :L l iving, hro;?thing ~.t.:rlity on Amnrica,n soil to-tla,y, even aft,trr 2>0 years oT violent change-str:~ngely :~.lt,c!retl, to btt sure, antl s h o r ~ ~ of m m y pec.ulia.rities.

'J'l~e At'~.ic.;r,~l c:l:r.~~ lil'c of 1)lootl wl::,tivns bt?c::rmo t h e o1:r.n life of t h e p l : ~ . ~ ~ t : ~ t i o n ; t l ~ e religions Icatlvr 1)rcmne tlre 11e:rtl of t h e religious act ivi ty o f t l~r! sl:~.rc~s, al~tl of n.hatc-.ver o t l ~ r r g r o r ~ p acation w a s lef t ; rno11ogarny w i t l ~ o u t Icgal s:r.i~c.t,io~~ W:LS lit t le inol'e tll:~n t , l~inly \-t~iled ~ ) o I y ~ a 8 t n y . T l ~ e n calllr t ? ~ l t : : , ~ ~ ( ~ i ~ ~ i - ~ t i o ~ r , :L I I ( I t l ~ e ~ . I I U I T I I rcs11111r4 IIIOI'P of t l ~ r f u ~ ~ v t i o n s of t l ~ e oltl t r i l ~ a l lil'c, \~ l l i l t ? t1.v minis ter ::tl(:cd po1iticaa.l :rnd w o ~ ~ o ~ ~ ~ i c . f r ~ ~ ~ c t i o n s to l ~ i s reli:!ious tluties. K r s t t l ~ e c l ~ u r c l ~ itself 1:e~:l.n to t i i f fcw~~t ia . t r organizations for cliflerelrt f u ~ ~ c t i o n s ; r c o n o n ~ i c and coopt+r:: tive :wtion becarne the business of the henrfic.in1 soc icQ : r ~ ~ t l s ~ c ~ . c > t society; ant1 lmnev- ole~lve, of special :tssoriations antl illst,itutions; ii11:11lg, oooper:~tive husiness a n d i ~ ~ s ~ ~ r : b n c o sp13nllg from t l ~ e bent~fici:~l soeiet i t?~. H o w curious a clmpt:+r is t l ~ i s of t h e nc!aplation of social ~ n e t l ~ o t l s a.nd w:!ysof th ink ing to t h e env i ron~nent , of re:il lift?!

'J'l~c? s e c o ~ ~ t l poiut of interest in this s tudy lies in t h e l igh t these facts, f r w ~ ; d sca t t t~~ .e ( I a s tlicy :we, 111a.y t l ~ r o w on tl~c? solution of t l ~ e Negro pro l ) le~r~s . H e r e LVP n i u ~ t first 1:otice t h a t t l ~ e rnco prr j~i t l icc of w h i t r s ac t s so a s to iso1e.t~ t l ~ i s ~ r o u p and to t l ~ r o w I I ~ O I I i t t h e respo~isil,ility of evolrilig i t s own met l~o t l s mid organs of c.ivilizntion. T l ~ c problem of co- 0 p ~ r : ~ t i o l l ar11i)llg tlle l l l t ~ l l l h e t ~ of the group hecomes tllen t,he cPntl.nl se- ricbus prol) l t~ir~. A I : ~ c200pcra t io~~ is pc~c:r~lin.i'ly 11:el.d for :L n : ~ t,iou of slaves. Xtortwver, this process under t h e p r r sen t circu~nstanc:es has to be nrti- fici:llly q u i c k r ~ ~ c d . W e w a ~ ~ t t h e IYrgro to ntlv:i.~lc.e tow:rrtl c.iviliz:~.tiorl m ~ r c l ~ more quicaltly than would be t h e v:~sc: i f I I P wr re otherwise s i t ~ ~ a t e t l . T l ~ i s quiclienc?d process itself gives rise to n r w prol)loms. Tl~tlrc? tlren lies the rc:cso~ a,.ltl rxcllse for o ~ t ~ s i t l e aid. T l ~ o 11:r,t,io11 I~t?lps t l ~ e N r q o not sitnl~l?; to r t m ) ~ ~ ~ p e n c : e t l ~ e illjustice long done 11in1. I ~ u t rather to n ~ a k e i t possi t~lr for him to :tvcornplish m o w yuivkly a \vork w h i c l ~ usrlally ti-)kc's c e l ~ t t ~ r i e s . Nor is i t impossible to givesuch aid effrc.tunlly. Rloclrrn civil- i ~ a ~ t i o ~ ~ is ( w n t i ~ ~ u a l l y t rying i t in t h e case of i ts s l u m s antl ~x l ) l ) l e , and IIRS had sonlr ~nttrketl success.

I t is, I~ t . a -ov t~r , w tlelic~::tt? yrccesfi, in rnl1ic.11 t , l ~ e t A I ~ a n r e s of error in two wxys :Ire ::l~ont t~11ral. T l ~ r g~.oup n1:a.y bv 11c.lpcd so r n u r l ~ t l ~ a t i t wil c:cx~sc, to 11t:lp itself; or it I ~ I : I ~ 11e I~elped so 1it)tle o r so injutlicio~lsly t h a t

44 BTUDY O F NEGRO O I T Y LIFB.

its best effortsl will leave i t unprogressive and discouraged. For thie reason the flrst step, before aid is g i ~ e n , should be a thorough study and knowledge of the situation. One guide here is the the initiative of the Negroes themselves. I f they are found striving in new directions, as to- day toward asylums, homes and hospitals, this is a pretty fair indication of a social want, and judicious aid to such enterprises can be applied usually with gratifying results. On the other hand, there will always be fields for aid to anticipate future wants and efforts, which only trained thinkers and observers can foresee.

At present even the few efforts of Negroes toward benevolent enterprises are highly gratifying and deserving of active aid and encouragement. The pressing need of the coming decade will be organized work or rescue and reformation among Negroes-benevolence in its broadest and best sense, and not as pure alms-giving. For the establishment of nuch work the great hindrance among the Negroes t,hemselves is their poverty, even among the better classes. If the economic condition of the best classes of Negroes were better then relief work could be broadened.

The question, therefore, resolves itself into a call for more light on the economic condition of the Negro, and to this subject the At,lanta Confer- ences of the next few years will devote their energies.

THIRD ANNUAL OONFERENOE.

PART I I.

PROCEEDlNGS OF THE THIRD ATLANTA

CONFERENCE.

The Third Atlanta Conference for the study of the Negro problems convened in Ware Memorial Chapel, Atlanta University on Tuesday night. May 24, 1898, a t 8 P. M. The President of the University, Dr. Horace Bumstead, aspresiding officerwelcomed the conference inashort address.

He congratulated the members upon the success of the previoua conferences; the attention which they had attracted from the press and public proved that the subjects discussed were not only interesting but timely; moreover the formation of several sociological clubs for practical work is a good sign. The subject of this year's investigation : The Efforts of Negroes for Their Own Social Betterment, he also considered opportune. I t is especially necessary among the Negropeople that the better educated classes begin to recognize the fact that the chief work of the social reformation of the masses devolves upon them; the measures of social reformare always of two kinds : remedial and preventive ; and although we need jails, reformatoriee, asylums and hospitals, after all the wiser work is so to educate the massesastoprevent crime, insanity and disease. This conference may be able to point out some method of preventive effort along with the remedial measures. The conference is again to be congratulated on the wide fleld of study and investigation which lies before i t : economic questions of occupation and property, educational problems of schools and colleges, moral questions of crime-all these are pos sible subjects of future study and discussion.

Finally the president reminded the Conference not to lose sight of the ultimate aim of these conferences, the solution of the Negro problems ; and certainly one great step toward the solution is the independent study of the question by Negroes themselves and spontaneous efforts a t reform. In this way these problems reduce themselves after all to the old problems of humanity and we may surely look forward to a time when the uniflca- tion of the American people will be complete and these special problemn will disappear.

48 STUDY O P NEGRO dITY LIFE.

After the opening speech by the president the workof the Conference was begun. The first t :ven i~~g was given to a general report of the year's investigation a n d i~ sugges t , i o~~ for future work.

Dr. W. 14:. 13. I)ul3ois, Professor of Economics and His tory , presented the g e ~ ~ e r a l report, dwelling first ou the a ims a ~ ~ d lnet l~otls of sociological researell, t ~ n d t l ~ m presenting :L series of char t s a n d fignres to i l lustrate t l ~ e efforts w l ~ i c l ~ Kegroes a r e rntbking in various(.ities for their own social b e t t e r ~ ~ l e l ~ t . I I r \v:th followed by Mr. George A. Towns ('94)' with a paper \vliic.l~ was a rvview o f ofHci>~l statistics a l ready gathered by the governmellt.or1 the subject o f t l ~ c economic c o n d i t i o ~ ~ of tlie Negro, with conolnsions a s t o the field open for future s tudy.

Dihcushion followed these papers, and a l te r appoint ing a committee on resolutions tlie first session ndjournetl.

011 Wednestlay afternoon a. General Mothers' M e ~ t i n x , designed to reach the ~notl lere of school chi ldren was held. T l ~ e following papers were read :

W o o d Mar~ r~e r s " by Mrs. O. S. King , ('74). '~Cl~i l t l reus ' Rigl~ts" ,, ,, S. S. Hutler. L ' ( ~ l e a ~ n l i ~ ~ e s s " ,, ,, M. A. Boss, ('89). LCMasi~ns for Motl~ers" ,, ,, T. N . Cliase. LbTlit! Chre of Hvrnes" ,, Miss Hrittw.it~, ('03). "Sooid I'~irity"-:L t rac t by Prof. 1C11gei1e Harr i s ,

A n i n t e r e s t i ~ ~ g gc.iler:~l disc:ussioli folio\\-ed eiL(:ll 1)a.per. rl'l~e second regal:^^. session of t l ~ e Conference met Wednesday n i g l ~ t

p1j:;srs. lilt? c o ~ ~ l n i i t , t w on re:iollltiollr:, c:Oilsistillg Of Mrs. A. FI. Tmgan, l k v .

H. H. ] ~ ~ o c : ~ o I . , 1)r. W. E. It. I h Ibis, l)r. .J. l t . lJort,er a11d l k v . 14'. 13. , t l t i I v i s : ( l o p t : l . '1'11e col lferel~ce

:l,lt.ll~)l'izi~~fi. ~ I I P c l i : ~ i r ~ n : ~ , ~ ~ t,o appoint s t :~nding comn~i t tcns t l ~ e n ut l jour~~ctl . 1i'. 1-1. Iientlerson. ~ ~ , ~ ~ ~ : t : ~ ~ i ~ , ~ .

G. A. 'L'o\vns. 5

'TRIRD ANNUAL UONFERENUE.

RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY THE CONFERENCE.

The Third At,lant,a Conference l ~ a s stutlirtl some typical efforts of Ne- groes towa,rtl t , l~ r i r ow11 social betterment i l l nine souther^^ cities. I t I ~ a s give11 especial : ~ t . t n n t i o ~ ~ t,o t l ~ f : c:l~a,rital)le and reformatory work of Negro cl~urohes, secret societies a ~ l d rescue i~~s t i t u t i ons , and to efforts in co- oper:\,tive ~ U S ~ I I H S S . As a result oC t l ~ i s i r q ~ ~ i r y tlin Confere~lce offers t l ~ e s e r e c o ~ n ~ n e ~ ~ t l a ~ t i o ~ ~ s :

1. Negro c l ~ u r c l ~ e s ought to strive to reduc!e their building and running espallses, I.)ot81~ of wh ic l~ see111 tlisproport,ionately high, and seek to exteud their c l~ar i tnbl r ant1 rescue work. Asylums for old people and ~ ~ p l ~ a n s , Li'lo~'c:~~c:e C r i t t e ~ ~ t l e l ~ 11o111es trrtd o t l ~ e r such ir~stihutions s l~ould be estab- lisl~etl, and t , l~ere sl~oult l l ~ e more syst,etnn.tic work in slums and jails. .

2. Secret societies nmoilg N e g o ? s should b- enreful not to give undue prornincmve to ritual, rrgalia and p r a d e . The increasing dis- p o s i t i o ~ ~ in t hew sclcinties t80 itlvest it1 real estate is commendable, and t l ~ n y should especially be et~courngetl in their present tendency to- \vartl b u i l t l i ~ ~ g a s y l a ~ n s r t ~ ~ d retreats for t.l~e aged allti orphaned. The relief a ~ ~ d insur:rnoe features of these organia:rtions need careful man- a.gemer~t, but 11:tvc d o ~ ~ e and m;ty do 1nucl1 good.

3. hTegroes sl~oultl be empl~atictllly wnr~lecl against unstable insurance fiocietivs co~~ t l ac tnd by i r~wponsib le parties, mcl offering insurance for s m d 1 weekly paylnents, which rertlly a ~ n o l l l ~ t to esoi-bi tmt rates. Sav- ings h n k s are the safest a ~ ~ d lwst means of providing for the future, n.nd t l ~ e i r e s t ; r l ) l i s l ~ ~ r ~ e ~ ~ t Ileal. t l ~ e c:e~it,ers of Ncjiro population is highly desiraI)le.

4. T l ~ e work ol ber~efic:i:~l societies with a srnall and muturtlly well- k~ lown m c ~ n b c r s l ~ i p is to be. co~nmencled. They should not allow thelr m-rnl) t~rsl~ip to l)e iucreased without careful sc-.rutiny; t l ~ e y should llse the best 11l:siness ~ n t > t l ~ o d ~ , and invefit their money in real estate and i n savings ballks.

5 . T l ~ e ter~tioncy to estrn.vagance and display at, funerals is widespread. TII? system of dna t l~ benefits often encourages this. Societies givingtleath kena9ts. churches m t l t l~ougl~tl 'ul persons i l l general, should frown upon tl~esc. excesses a s wasteful, unbecoming and unchristian.

6. I n spite of inally failures in the past there is room for considerable


cooperative business effort among Negroes. Failures may be expected in the future, but they will have their educational value. Modest efforts, however, in the line of building associations, and perhaps in retailing groceries and fuel, ought to succeed. consumer^' leagues, too, might nave much money and inconvenience. The Corresponding Secretary of the Conference would be glad to furnish information and advice on these points.

7. Hospitals and juvenile reformatories are especially needed among the Negroes of the South, to prevent disease and crime. Efforts toward their establishment, if properly supported by Negroes themselves, would undoubtedly receive State and other aid.

8. Without doubt Negroes are making considerable and commendable efforts toward social betterment among themselves. Nevertheless much more might be done, and persistent agitation and encouragement is neces- ~ a r y to awaken the mass of the Negroes to their duty in this respect. The educated and comfortable classes should recog~~ize their duty toward the less fortunate in these lines.

0. Continued observation of the Negro death rate in Southern cities ~ h o w s that it is still excessive. There is, however, no increase in the rate, and in many cases a decremeis to be noted in the last three years. The large death rate is still a matter of solicitude, and the preaching and teaching of the laws of health and hygiene are imperative.

THIRD ANNUAL OONFIRENOE.

PART 111.

PAPERS SUBMITTED TO THE CONFERENCE

The following six papers were among those submitted to the Conference They are in a11 cases written by colored men and women who have had an opportunity of studying a t flrst hand the subjects on which they write. The Rev. H. H. Proctor, for instance, is the pastor of one of the most effective Negro church organizations of At.lanta, and is a graduate of Fish University and the Yale Theological School. Dr. H. R. Butler i~ a physi- cian; he is a graduate of Meharry Medical School, and belongs to a number of societies in Atlanta. Professor J. M. Colson is a graduate of Dart- mouth College, and a professor in a Virginia school. His life-long residence and wide acquaintance in Petersburg enabled him to make by far the best local study reported. Mrs. Helen A. Cook is the wife of the former tax- collector of the Di~ t r ic t of Columbia, and is the pioneer of organized benevolent work among colored women. Miss Perry is a recent graduate of Atlanta University, and a teacher in the orphanage of which she writes. Mr. L. M. Hershaw, a graduate of Atlanta University, is in the government service a t Washington. He is Recorder of the Conference and continues this year his interesting work of watching the course of the Negro death rate in various cities.

There will be found in the matter here presented some points and flg- ures already referred to in the general treatment. The repetition, however, is necessary to the different point of view.

50 STUDY OY NEGRO UITY LIFE.

T H E ('HIT IL(:I< iZS AN TNSTlTlT~I'ION FOR S O r [AT, RETTEILLMENT. --

Abslrcscl of the l'aprr l i m d I?/ the Itru. IIem-y Ht i jh Proclor, B. D.

I t is e s t i n l ~ ~ t w l l),v :L.I i ~ ~ v : ? i t i z ' t $ ) . in t,'l.> 1)3;)*rr:,n ?n t of S:)zio1oyy, -4t- lanta Univ.?r.+ity, t,li:~.t of rvnry tlo1l:tr s p m t k)y t,!~,? N !:ro c:hurc:li,?s of At- lanta, G:I. , less tlI~a11 t\vo (?::nts is given for direct cl~nrity.* Tile causes of this slnall c o ~ l t r i h t i o ~ i I L ~ C t , l ~ r c c f ~ l d .

Tlle first is the povert,y of t,lre masses of the Negro people, arising from well k n ~ w n c : ~ t u s !.; i l l t,!l- it, IL ld low \Vt:.?7 a t ~l'?i??:lt.

A serond and mow i ~ r ~ p o r t a , r ~ t reason lies in the lack of org:r.nieation for this spwiir1 1)url)ose; very few of t.11~) churches have orgmizat io l~s for this kind of work. The w ~ n t of organizaticm makes the benevolence unsys- tematic anti u n i ~ ~ t e l l i g e ~ i t ~ .

The third anti still more importrmt rr:ison for lack of clinritable activities is the extent t>o which lodges rind insuntnce soc-ieties absorb t l ~ e energies and savings of t l ~ e c l ~ u r c l ~ ~ n e ~ n b e r s . Every c:l~urcll I ~ a s one or more of these societies which, although not officially oonnec+xl wit11 the churches, nevertheless a.re in reality a. part of thern.

The ffrst defect can lw met only by instilling lessons of t l~ r i f t and .won- only in the people, so tha t they will espend t l ~ e i r money to h-tter itdvan- tage.

The second defect of organization can only be met by ca.reful1y organized charitable societies in eac.11 c11n~cl1. A s i t is now tlltre is no system; a, special appea.1 for a special case is ma.de and people give according to their momentary feelings; but t l ~ e principle of ~ys t ema t i c giving is not developed. Again, there must be more intelligent investigation of the proper objectsof c l~ar i ty . l 'here is much deception practiced now. which hurts the general cause. One of the favorite nletl~otls among the colored' people is to solicit nloney t,o bury n deird relative, and many fraudulent appeals for such purposes a r e made.

' ,>Mr. c;. 1". Porter, '9J. 1Ik tible ol tile chrrity in nine N q r o churches in btlnnta is as 101- lows:

. - - . . - I I -- r

R.kISED PER YEAR. ANNUAL OHAHITY.

Total.. I ~ . O I H I $ I B , B ~ I 67 I ~ni 45

THIRD ANNUAL OONFERENOE. 61

The question of lodges and insurance societies is a difflcultone ; they are strongly entrenched and do much good; nevertheless the small insurance business is greatly overdone and hinders thrift and benevolence. The chnrch could in many ways do away with the necessity of so ;many of these societies. Especially should the Negro church enter upon the Ken- era1 work of rescue and reform among the lower classes of Negroes. One cause of the neglect of this work in the past is the fact that nearly all the churches are in debt. Some are struggling terribly to keep out of theauc- tioneer's hands. By the time the members meet their church obligations there is little left for reform work.

Atlanta, with her back alleys and slums, is a Ane field of work. The churches of the city might parcel out the field and each take a particular set of alleys for the work of general betterment. Again, there might be tl matron for Negro girls a t the city prison, as there is for white girls, and the churches might support one.

Finally, all churches should unite tr, support tho New Florence Critten- den Home, just established by the Negroes of this city of Atlanta. An encouraging beginning has been made. The work progresses. Every church should subscribe liberally. Rescue circles should be formed in every church. The shameless districts should be regularly canvassed, and a way of escape be made for every erring girl that wants to lead a pure life. Is it not high time we stop our shouting, be sober, open our eyes, and do something to save the little black girls that are tripping headlong down to hell? I lay this que~t ion solemnly upon the consciences of the colored churches of Atlanta.


SECRET AND BENEFICIAL SOCIETIES OF ATLANTA, OA.

Abstract o f the Paper Submitted by H. R. Butler, H. D.

I. FREE MASONS.

There are flve lodges of Masons in Atlanta, with a total membership of not less than 1,000. The monthly dues are 60 cents per member. They probably have an income of 85,000. This money is used to care for the sick and bury the dead, and assist the widow and orphans of deceased members. They own no real estate in the city. but t,hey are joint owners together with other lodges in the State of a large tract of land near Amer- icus, Ga., on which the order is building a home and school for orphans and retreat for widows of dead members. The Masons have an endowment insurance department, which pays relatives $200 a t death. I t is not certain, however, that this department will be retained much longer,

11. ODD FELLOWS.

There are five lodges of Odd Fellows in the city, with a total membership of 612. The monthly assessment is 60 cents, and the annual income about $3,772 a year. This is spent largely in sick and death bexieflts. One of the lodges owns a, building lot, on which it intends to erect a hall, and the general order is t.o build tz widows' and orphans' home in the near future.

111. KNIGHTS OP PYTHIAS.

Three or four year8 ago there were three lodges of the Knights of Pythias in the city. Now there is but one active lodge and one lodge of the women's department, the Ladies' Court. They have an endowment department, which pays $100 to $300 a t death. This order has in the past done an excellent work in the city.

IV, GOOD SAMARITANS.

There are two lodges of Good Samaritans, with an income of about $1,600 annually. They formerly owned one of the best halls possessed by the Negroes of the State, but lost it through mismanagement. This order has a department for children, and seeks to inculcate the habit of s p - tematic saving among them.

V. DAUGHTEBS OF BETHEL. There are two lodges of t.he Daughters of Bethel, the Oriqinal and the

Independent. Both ht~ve a. large memberfihip, and the Original lodge owns valuable property and has a good bank account. Their inembers pay 25 cents a month and receive $2 a week when sick and $36 a t death. An extra,assessment of 26 cents is levied when a death occurs, so that the society is a pretty safe institution. The annual income of these lodges cannot be less than $1,200. They have relieved hundreds of people, not only by their sick benefits, but by friendly visitation and nursing. They also loan small sums of money a t a low rate of interest.

THIRD ANNUAL UONFERENCJE. 63

VI. SONS AND DAUGHTERS OB' JACOB.

There are four lodges of this order with a large membership. They own no real estate but are in good financial condition. They are conducteo like the other societies.

VII. MISCELL.4NEOUS SOCIETIES.

There are a large number of other societiesof which only a few can be named. The Coachmen's Assembly is nneworganization-a sort of trades union. I t has many members. The Fort, Street Be:levolent Association and the United Friendly Society both have 9, coi~siderable mzmbership.

The tot,al income of these secret and beneficial societies can only be estimated; after a close study of t.he matter I believe tha t they must raise annually in Atlants no less than $225,000. On the whole, this money has been honestly if not alwn,ys wisely expended, although some cases of misappropriation of funds have occurred.

-.

80ME BENEFICI.4L AND BENEVOLENT ORGANIZATIONS OF ATLANTA, GA. UONNECTED WITH CHURUHES AND COMPOSED OF COLORED WOMEN.

(Data Compiled by Miss S. Fanny Wtngfleld, '98.) -.

NAME. REMARKB.

......................

......................

...............

........................ - Nin; Organizations ..--I-.~IGT;FC-

b4 STUDY OF NEGRO UITY LIFE.

ORGANIZED EFFORTS OF NEGROES FOR THEIR OWN SOCIAL BETTERMENT I N PETERSBURG, VA.

PjAver Submitted by James 'W. C O ~ Y O I I , 1S.ofe~snr of ~Valural Science ir~ the j Virginia ~Vormzl and Collegiate Institute. I

I t

I. THE CHURCH.

The colored pophlation of Petersburg is 13,000. There are 12 colored churches-8 Baptist, 2 Methodist, 1 Presbyterian and 1 Episcopal. All the churches save one own their places of worship. The total enrollment is7,768, and the active membership is 4,092; the church property is valued a t $114,760; the indebtedness is $4,679; the income for the past year was $11,665.74; the a.nnua1 expense wns $11,045; the sum of bH00.36 wa.s expended for charity by nine churches. the other churches keeping no re-

port.ed as having been helped. cord of their cl1arit:tble work; 81 persons and an orphan home are re- '

'llhe organizatior, of church work is far from being complete. Christian Endeavor and young people's denomiiiational societies are slowly growing in favor. Snch relief work as is attempted is caneied on by each congregation mainly for its own members. Benevolentsocieties exist in most of the churches for the purpose of helping the sick and buryiiig the dead. Their members pay from 6 to 10 cents monthly; they receire $1.60, $1.00 and cents per week, according to the number of weeks sick, and $16.00 and $20.00 death beneflts. Only members of the church society get assistance. Nearly all the churches make some effort to care for the aged and poor sick. Outside of this there is little or no organized charitable work. Two churclies have brttnch or mission Sunday-schools. I n the true senm of the term there is no local missionary work supported by our churches- the missionary societies scheduled are adjuncts of the Home end Foreign Missionary Societies of their respective denominations.

I n all the churches the constaut struggle to obtain money to pay cur- rent expenses is so great that little euergy is left to look after the spiritual development of the people.

The only recognition of the social needs of the youngpeople isevidenced in the annual picnic and Christmas t:ee. Two good sigmare to be noted; he growing sentimelit against the use of the church ediflce for anythitig else than religious exercises and the demand for an educated and clean ministry.

11. SECRET SOUIETIEA.

&ports have been obtained froin more than 40 secret societies. Their aclunl membership is 1,246; they own r e d estate to the value of $7,460; theic income for last. year amountsd to $4,746.'W; they paid out for sick beneflts $770.25; for death benefits, $1,369.E; and aided 2.50 persons. These societies pay sick beneflts of $1.00 or $2.00 weekly, and death bene- 5ts ranging from $20 to $126. The orders are establishing "endowment

THIRD ANNUAL UONFERBNUE. 66

funds:' so that i t is possible to give a much larger death benefltthan could otherwise be given. For exwn?le, the local s ~ c i e t y pays $25 out of its treasury and the order $101) to the Ile.rj of the be~ieflciary in the case of a $125 death claim. Two of the orders scheduled are attempting very praiseworthy organized chanty work in the way of Old Folks' Homes.

Besides the care of hhe sick and the burial of the dead these societies are accomplishing much good in the development of our people. The keeping of records, the tratisaotion of business in tlic local and general gatherings. the contact with one another, etc., are training us 111 a manner quite-as important as that obtailled in the school. I t is worthy of note that our women share with our men the advantages of the organlza- tions, for they are eligible to membership in all excepting the Masonsand Odd Fellows. The place of thetie intiti~utions in our socinl life is riot fully appreciated.

111. BENEFICIAL BOUIETIES AXD INBURANUE UOMPANIEB.

Beneficial or benevolent societies, ns t,lley are called, date back more .than fifty years. There are still Inany, but the insurance co~npanles, white and colored, are taking their places. Twenty-one beneflcictl societies, with a membership of 1,W2, aud three mutual aid associations, with a meinbeiship of 19,663, are reported. The tweuty-one beneficial societies reported a total annual income of $3.076.49, total expenditure for sick and death beneflts, 8'2,478.81; amount of real estate or other property, $1,735.87. Some of these societies have a lnlge membership; with but few exceptions, the members pay 25 cents ~nonthly, or 6 cents perweek, with a small tax qututerly or semi-annwlly, and a n assessn~ent of 12 or 26 cents on the death of a member. These are local organizations and many of them under proper management could be easily txansformed into strong coo~erative business enterprises.

Petersburg has four Negro insurance companies; two have their home offlees here aud two nre branch ofFlces. 'llilree of them rep,ort 19,563 inembers; if this membe.sliip is reduced by Wx the actup.1 number wlll be more nearly represented; their income lor last year was $8,889.82; they expended for sick and death beneflts the sum of 23,600; they own no real estate; their other property is valued a t 167ri. These compnnies pay sick and death beneflts. The death belxflt is small in pr~port~ion to the premiums; their drawing feature is the ~ i c k beneflts, which the beneficiary can get without dying to win. Their rates are from 6 to 60 cents weekly for sick beneflts ranging from $LC0 to $10.00 per week and death beneflts from $16.00 to $110.00. They employ twenty-flve or more agents or clerks, and are closely imitating the white industrial insurance companies, which are partly responsible for this new enterprise since they refused to employ colored agents. Here is n very promising fleld, both for business and the application of wund methods of insurance. The True Reformers, besides their work as an crder, carry on an insurance business. They issue two policies of $200 and $600 respectively.

IV. UOOPERILTIVE BUSINESS.

Petersburg has no cooperative stores now, though such enterprises have been founded from time to time i n the past. Ignorance of busines meth-

F~f3 STUDY OF NEGRO UITY LIFE.

ods and lack of moral basis rather than the failure of the people to patron- ize them, is responsible for their non-existence.

V. MISUELLANEOUS SOCIETIES ANDJINSTITUTIONS.

There are many children's societies, an increasing number of clubs, and other organizations in tha city, which have not been reported for various reasons. Three children's societies atre reported under this head ; their membership is 69; their income for the last twelve months was $114.61; and their expenditures for sick and death beneflts amounted to $66.60.

Excepting a Baptist academy and an orphan home conducted under the aame ma,nagement, our educational institutions are supported by the city, State or white church societies.

Leaving out the clubs, the tendencies of all these ~ocieties are good They are unifying and educating o m people, and, in a simple yeteffective way, are rendering much needed help. No great effort has been organized in our midst, but there is abroad a spirit that something must be done. This feeling will crysta.lize into action. Under intelligent and honest leadership these organizations can be made the nucleus forgrand business concerns which can give us assistance and opportunity for the use of en- ergy for which, a t present, no provision is made.


THE WORK OF T H E WOMAN'S LEAGUE, WASHINGTON, D. C.

Absf act of the Paper Submitted by the President, Mrs. Helen A. Coolc.

The Women's League wasorganized in June, 1892 and is therefore six years old a t present. I t s work falls under the following heads:

KINDERG.4RTENS.

The Kindergartens-now increased to seven-gather in every day more than one hundred children. The stipend paid monthly to the Kindergartners, though a very modest sum, sometimes taxes heavily the slender resources of the League; the young women however, are partly repaid by the opportunity afforded them to practise, and partly by enthusiasm and a missionary spirit which in some of them seems to increase as they go on.

MENDING BURESU.

In addition to the regular instruction in the Mending Bureau, there was given, this year, a course in tailoring, consisting mainly in making "Auld claes'look arnaist a s weel's the newn-in plain language, evolving one or more pairs of little trousers out of a pair of inore or less di1apidal;ed old ones? generally donated. The lessons were given by an expert and included all the processes beginning with the ripping and receiving the tlnishing touches from the tailor's goose.

GIRLS REWUKM SUHOOL.

The committee has sought to secure representation for colored women on the Board of 'I'rustees of the Girls' Iteform School, all the inmates of which are colored.

I t was not the work of a day to get the namedof 2000 colored women signed to the petition presented to the Attorney Genert~l. Sonie- times we could only gain admittance to him or to the president through help of Hon. Geo. H. White and 1 sllall not attempt to chronicle the number of interviews with Senators. Members of Congress, Co~nmissioners of the District Columbia and represeiitatives of the press. Success has not yet crowned our etforts, but we mean to ask again i11 July, the time wllen the, terms of some irieinbers espire anel we inesri never to give up until sucll a reasonable request has been granted.

MOTHERS' UONGKESS.

AS YOU are perhaps aware, the Woir~itn's League was representedat the Mother's Congre~s by two delegates-the iiiaxiinum number allowed ever1 to large o r g ~ ~ i i e t ~ t i o l ~ ~ - a ~ i d by their president, who was invited to retld n p p e r . I t occupied 'the usual twenty rninutes, was entitled, u v e Have Been Hir:c:erecl, h o w Can Wc He Helped?" and will be pub- lisliecl with their annual report.

'l'he delegates were Mrs. Murray, Kindergarten Committe, and Mrs. Fleetwood, Department of Mothers' Meetings, n woman so well qualified for this particular work that the results have been most gratifying and

68 STUDY OF NEGRO UITY LIFE.

promise even more in the future. The Lsague was represented a t the Mothers' Congrese in February, 1897, by several delegates.

The Stockholders' Union, msde up chiefly of Lsague women and having as its ultimate object the building of a League Home, where our work may be centralized, is now fully organized. I n less than a month the lot we have in view will be transferred to us. After the flrst payment we shall still have an indebtedness of 91,000, but we have faith and courage and believe we shall succeed.

PUBLIU MEETING. An invitation from t,he Bethel Literary and Historical Association to

occupy one of their regular evenings a t the Met,ropolitan Church, in March, 1898, gave to the League an opportunity to present their work and aims to a large and appreciative audience. The speakers, about seven in number, were limited to flfteen minutes. each confining her remarks to one phase of our endeavor.

Mrs. Smyth-TheMoral Value of Such an Organization. Mrs. Cfrimke-Reflning Znfluences of the Study of Art. Mrs. Howard, Mending Bureau.-The Conscientious Performance of

Humble Work. Miss Jones-Affliliated Clubs; Especially the Social Improvement

Club, of Howard University. Mrs. Fleetwood-Mothers' Clubs. Mrs. Murray-Kindergartens. Mrs. Cook-Brief History of Woman's League.

PROJEUTED WORK.

The Entertainment Committee proposes to give .a combined dramatic and social affair in a large hall this summer, in the hope of raising a considerable sum of money. If i t should be successful, we propose to put a part of the proceeds into the establishment of a "diet kitchen," on a small scale, with the object of supplying sterilized milk and simple foods for infants In one of the poor and crowded sections of Washington. The physicians of a neighboring "Dispensary" have assured us tha.t the death rate in that particular locality might be reduced a t least one-half by such an enterprise. This work will commence early in June and continue to the end of September.

Some of our work, as for instance, that of the Mending Bureau, Is so homely that i t does not show well in print, but i t is greatly needed among the large and indigent colored population of Washington. Some of our efforts i t is not prudent to publish too widely for fear of adverse influences, but I do hope that men who look a t things in the light of reason will feel that we are sincere in our endeavor to be helpful in the onward and upward movement of our people and of mankind.

THIRD ANNUAL OONFERENOE .

REPORT O F TREASURER O F THE WOMAN'S LEAGUE . Receipts of the League from April. 1896. to December 31. 1896 .

Amount brought forward ................................................................... $ 29 90 Dues ............................................................................................................. 123 00 From other sources ................................................................................... 94 90 From Kindergarten Normal Class ..................................................... :W 00 Donation from a friend ...................................................................... 20 Donation from Mrs . A . L . Barber ...................................................... 10 00

.................................................................. . Donation from Mrs Pellew 26 00 ...................................................................... . Donation from Dr Rankin 5 00

Donation from members of the League .................................... 13 60 Donation from pupils of the public schools .................................. 2 76 Donation for tuition of Kindergarten pupils ............................... 15 00 Donations for the support of Manassas pupil ............................. 28 33

................................................................................. Total receipts $647 59

Printing ........................................................................................................... $ 18 00 Expenses of the Convention of the National League ................ 217 14 To Y . M . C . A . for use of parlor ........................................................ 6 00 To Mrs . Pollock. teacher of Normal Kindergarten Class ........ 283 00 Miss Dascom. teacher of Kindergarten pupils (two months'

salary) ....................................................................................................... 40 00 For Kindergarten material .................................................................. 5 19 For Christmas candy for pupils .......................................................... 70 For care of pupils ....................................................................................... 2 36 For support of Mansssas pupil for four months .......................... 28 33

....................................................................................... Total $606 71

Balance .................................................................................... $ 4 0 8 8 Respectfully submitted.

ANNA V . THOMPKINR .


T H E CARRIE STEELE ORPHANAGE OF ATLANTA, GA. --- Paper Read by Miss Minnie L. Perry, 'SO.

The founder of this home, Carrie Steele, was born in this State, of slave parents. Though a slave like others of her race, she in some way learned to read and write. Very early in life she was left without a mother. This had the tendency to soften her heart towards all who were left in a like condition, but for a long time she was helpless to render any assistance. After she had been freed, opportunities to help others were constantly presenting themselves, and she never failed to seize every opportunity for doing good that came in her way. For years she was employed a t the Atlanta Union Depot. Here she saw much of the suffering of children who were left without parents and homeless. Her heart was moved to do something for them. She had no money-not a dollar-but a way was made clear. She wrote a little book, a short history of her life, in which among other things, she said: " I t is appointed to me in my old age to accomplish what I believe to be a great and glorious work, and one that shall live long after my poor frail body has dropped into the dust whence i t came." And that work was the building of an orphanage for colored orphans.

Her book found ready sale, and with the proceeds and contributions from charitably disposed persons, she succeedinp in securing four acres of land on the outskirts of the city, and in a little two-room house, with flve orphans, she began her work of caring for the friendless children. As her work became known, friends of both races, North and South, would help her. Friends of the North remembered her and are yet remembering her with gifts of clothing.

The present Orphanage is a three-story brick structure. A hospital and school house have been recently added. Orphans of both sexes are taken into the home and cared for until a home can be found for them in some good fanlily, or until they are able to make a livelit~ood for themselves. The girls are taught to cook, sew and do plain housework. The boys work on the farm. The school term is only six months longand is supported by the county. The children show an aptness that is remarkable, and even in this short time the progress made is more than satisfactory. There are a t present 62 inmates of the Orphanage.

A word about, the inmates of the home may prove interesting. One boy was brought to the home who had broken into a suburban post office and taken some stamps. He was ignorant and i t was evident that he was not responsible. He was taken, cared for, and has since been provided for. Another, a gir1,accused of arson, was rescued from the clutches of the law. She is now a t the home. Three other children. whose father is serv- ing alife sentence in the penitentiary. are with us. Little Dona Moon- light, another inmate, has no feet. She is being taught music and i t is thought she will make a very good musician.


Some idea of the good that is being done through this home can be got- ten when one learns that this home, which wasorganized in 1890, with flve orphans, hassheltered 226 souls. You see, too, from preceding illustra- tions that in the absence of a State reformatory we have had to do reformatory work in keeping youthful wrong-doers from going to the worst. Children of criminals are being cared for, provided with a home and com- forts, that they may not follow in the footsteps of their parents. I n short we are taking castaways, and through God's help, striving to make of them good citizens, who will be rt blessing rather than a menace to the community.

We are praying that the work may not stop here, but that i t may continue to grow until' we shall have a building large enough to accommo- date not 60 orphans, but as inany as are left uncared for,andour own work- shops, where the boys may be given industrial training and the girls taught dressmaking.

I have tried to show briefly what is being done by the Carrie Steele Or- phanage toward the social betterment of the Negro. The work promises much, and the indications are that i t will come up to all that i t promises, and that these young people who would otherwise be useless and possibly dangerous, will become peaceful, law-abiding, industrious, Christian citizens.

STUDY OF NEGRO dITY LIFE.

MORTALITY O F NEGROES.

Second Annu.al Report of the Recorder, Mr. L. M. hers ha.^, '86.

The following report, which is a continuation of the report submitted to last year's Conference on the vital statistics of the cities of AtlantR, Qa.,Baltimore, Md., Charleston, S. C., Memphis, Tenn., and Richmond, Va., deals with the years subsequent to those covered by last year's report. I n last year's report the facts were grouped in nearly equal periods of flve years. As the facts in this report cover not exceeding three years for any of the cities, i t has been found necessary to treat them somewhat differently.

The following table shows the death rate per 1,000 of the population with distinction of race : Atlanta, Qa.-

Year. 1896 .......................

Baltimore, Md.- 1895.. ...................... 1896.. .................... 1897 ........................

Charleston, S. C.-

Memphis, Tenn.-

Richmond, Va.-

White. 15.59

18.74 17.60 16.11

21.99 21 -10

11.91 11.01

12.58

Colored. ........................ 26.93

...................... 32.16 ...................... 30.02 ........................ 27.66

........................ 39.30 ....................... 40.32

....................... 16.81 ........................ 15.37

...................... 26.06 There is to be observed in these rates, what was observed in those sub-

mitted last year-a tendency toward a diminishing death rate of the colored population. Of course there are some n~t~icertble fluctuations of the rates, but they are not more marked than those of the white race from year,to year. The rates given for the city of Memphis are to be taken with caution. They are without doubt too low for both races. Either the registration of deaths in Memphis is incomplete, or the estimated population is larger than the actual popula.tion.

The following table relates to infant mortality, and shows thedeath rate of children under flve yeare per 1,000 of totalpopulation : Atlanta, Ga.-

Year. White. Colored. 1896 ....................... 5.79 ........................ 7.86

C>harlest.on, S. C.- 1895 ....................... 5.90 ........................ 14.84 1896 ........................ 6.15 ........................ 15.19

Memphis, Tenn.- 1896 ........................ 2.70 ........................ 4.63 1897 ....................... 2.18 ....................... 4.21

THIRD ANNUAL OONPERENOE. 63

The death-rate among children under Ave years of age does not differ materially from previous rates, though i t seems that the disparity between the white and the colored rates has diminished. This disparity i~ still very large in Charleston. I t is smallest in Atlanta.

The table which follows shows the death-rate of children under 6 per 10,000 of the total population, for Cholera Infantum, Convulsions and Still- born :* Atlanta. Ga.-

Year. White. Colored. ....................... 1896 ........................ 26.11 64.60

Charleston, S. C.- 1896 ........................ 6.11 ...................... 28.18

....................... ....................... 1896 3.64 18.64 Memphis, Tenn.-

1896 ........................ 2.84 ....................... 6.07 ........................ 1897 ........................ 3.64 7.64

Richmond, Va.- 1896 ....................... 18.23 ........................ 66.9'3

The largeat eXCesR of the colored over the white death rate for these causes of infant mortality is in Charleston. The excess in Atlanta seems to have increased since last year's report.

The following table shows the death-rate of the whole population per 10,000 for Consumption and Pneumonia: Atlanta, Ga.-

Year. White. Colored. 1896 ........................ 28.23 ........................ 71.96

Charleston, S. C.- 1896 ........................ 28.60 ........................ 67.21 1896 ....................... 28.31 ....................... 92.44

Memphis, Tenn.- 1896 ........................ 21.77 ........................ 40.69 1897 ........................ 1827 ....................... 42.69

Richmond, Va.-

The only thing in this table deserving of special notice is the very large percentage by which the colored death-rate exceeds the white death-rate for pulmonary dieeasea.

The following table shpws the death-rate per 10,000 for Typhoid, Scarlet and Malarial Fevers, Diarrhoea and Diphtheria: Atlanta, Ga.-

Year. White. Colored. 1896 ........................ 10.63 ........................ 16.16

Charleston, S. C.- 1896 ........................ 18.32 ........................ 19.39 18% ........................ 14.58 ........................ 21.23

*The muse still-born is given for Atlanta an3 Riobmond only.

64 S T U D Y O F NEGRO OITY LIFE.

Memphis, Tenn.- 1896 ......................... 6.41 ........................ 9.82 1896 ........................ 7 . n ........................ 13.98

Richmond, Va.- 1896 ........................ 8.44 ........................ 8.80

The colored and white death-rates approach each other nearer in thip class of dineases than in any other.

The following tables shows the death rate per 10,000 for Scrofula and and Syphilis: Atlanta, (3%-

Year. White. Colored. 1896.. ...................... .37 ........................ 3.69

Charleston, S. C.- 1896 ........................ .00 ........................ 2.72 1896 ........................ .40 ........................ 7.77

Memphis, Tenn.- 1896 ....................... .60 ........................ .70 1897 ........................ .17 ........................ 1.09

Richmond, Va.- 1896.. ...................... .16 ........................ .86

The foregoing table contains, probably, a greater element of fallacy than any one, or all the other tables together. I n cases where persons of means and social standingdie of these infamous diseases, physicians are reluctant to issue a certificate of death, that will place a stigma on the dead, or bring reproach and shame to the surviving relatives. Hence the truth with reference to death from these causes is seldom told, save in the case of persons for whom no one cares.

This report strengthens and conflrms the conclusions contained in last year's report.

The two principal causes of the excessive mortality among colored people are infant mortality and pulmonary diseases. If the Negro race is to preserve a norm81 increase in its population, i t must look to the conservation of child-life; if i t is to preserve its pristine vigor and manly strength the ravages of pulmonary dieeases must be checked.

MORTALITY OF NEGROES I N F I V E S O U T H E R N CITIES,

(ARRANGED BY JJ. M. HERSHAW.)

1Dak.1 populntion. ( Total Death.

i White. Colored.

PLACE.

----- I/= ---- Baltimore, Md .................................................. 1895420,500

L L " .................................................... 1896432,330 ', L L ............................................... 1897'444,430

eath Hate per 1,001 E Total Po~ulation

White. I Co:ored.

24,554 24,683 52,813 56,355 52,775 69,236

Charleston, S . C .......................................... '1895 L L " ................................................ 1896

Memphis, Tenn .................................................. 11896

White. --

145 152 143 123 306

L i " ................................................. Atlant,a, Ga ........................................................ Richmond, V a ....................................................

Deaths of Persons 'Death Rate per 1,000

I

1897 1896 1896

Colored. 1 White. --

[NOTE.-The chief sources of error in these returns ere: (a) The under-estimation of the Negro population; there cau be little doubt, for instance, that there are either more than 3'3,000 Negroes in Atlanta. Ga., or less than 53,000 whites. (b) Defective regist.rntion of deaths, as, ior instance, ill Memphis. (e) Inaccurate retnrusof the causes of dcaths. Those drawing co~iclusious from these figures must beer the large efTeet of these errors in mind. They account for thc f ~ c t that nowhere q e in Churlcstou is the absolute Negro death rate abnormally high comparcd with Europeau statistics, while the white rate is in many case6 abnormully low.-BD.]

65

MORTALITY OF NEGROES I N FOUR SOUTHERN CITIES FOR SPECIFIED DISEASES.

(ARRANGED BY L. M. HERSHAW.)

Charleston, 6. C. Charleston, 6. C. Memphls. Tenn. Memphia, Tenn.

POPULATION AND DISEASE. 1 1 1 . 1 1 . 1 l m .

11 White.

Population ....................................... 2,6644 Consumption .................................. Pneumonia ................................... 31

Total ............................................... 70 Rate per 10,000 .......................... 28.60

Cholera infanturn .......................... 6 Convulsions .................................... 9 Still-born

............................................. 15 6.11

r i lyphoid fever ................................ 18 Scarlet fever .................................... 2 Malarial fever ............................... 8

.......................................... Diarrhoea 1 Diohtheria ...................................... .(

Total ............................................. 18.32

crofula

Rate per 10,000

Colored. White. Il- :olored. 71 White. I Colored. 1- White. Colored

139 56

195 42.59

16 19

'35 7.64 --

12

42 10

64 13.98

1 4 - 6

1.09 --

Atlnnta. O r ( Riehmund. Va. I

White.

4,775 81 68

149 28.23

47 23 68

138 28.14 33 6 4 8 4

56 10.63 --

2

'4 .37

-- lolored. White. I Colored.

35,188 96

106 201

56.89 39 66

138 ,232

65.93 5

26

31 8.80

3

3 .86

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