The North-Carolina standard., 1844-04-17

1.-THE JAIL, the asyfHms of the deaf and dumb tht
blind the idiot and insane, would be filled to over
flowing; il, indeed, any asylum could be afforded
Ito the millions of the negro race whom wretched
ness and crime would drive to despair and mad
laess. ls ~
f That these are sad realities, is proved by the
census Of 1910. Lannex insan appendix table
compiled by me entirely fTonthe official returns
of the census Of -f840, except as 10 prisons and
panpefs which are obtained from city and State
returns, and the results are as follows:
| 1st The number of deaf and dumb, blind, di-
OTIS, and insane, of the negroes IN he nonslave-
holding States, is one out of every GO; in the
slaseholding States, it is out of esery 672, or
seven one in favor of the slaves a ibis respect,
as compared with TIE free hlacis
7 Cd The number of whites deaf and dumb,
blind, idiots, and insane in the en6n-slaveholding
States, is one in every, SCI, being nearly six to
one against the free blacks in the same States
3d. The number of negroes who are deaf and
dumb blind, idiots and insane, paupers, and in
prison in the nonslavehoding States, is one out of
every g. and in the slaveholdiBg States one out of
every l54; or twenty-five to one against the free
blacks, as compared with the slaves
| 4th. Taking the two extremes of north and
south, in Maine, the number of negroes returned
as deaf and dumb blind, insane, and idiots, BY the
census Of 1910, is one out of every twelve, and in
slavehoding Florida, by the same returns, is one
I of every eleven hundred and five; or ninety-two
10 one, in favor of the slaves of Florida, as COM
pared with the free blacks of Maine
t By the report of the secretary of state of Mas
sachusetts (of the 1st November, 1S43) to the
Legislature, there were then in the county ials and
houses of correction in that State 1920 whites
and 364 negroes; and adding the previous returns
of the State prison, 255 whites and 80 blacks;
making in all 4,275 whites, and 396 free blacks;
being one out of every one hundred and seventy
of the white, and one out Of every twenty. one of
the free black population: and by the official re-
turns of the census of 1910, and their own Off
fcial returns to their own legislature, one out of
every thirteen of the free blacks of Massachu-
sets was either deaf and dumb, blind, idiot, or
insane, or in Prison-lhus proving a degree of
debasement and misery, on the part of the COL
ored race, in that truly great State, which is
appalling. In the last official report to the le-
glslature of the warden of the penitentiary of
eastern Pennsylvania he says: "The whole
number Of prisoners received from the opening
of the institution October IS, 1929 to january
lst, l843, is 1923; of these, 1904 were white
males, 553 colored males; 27 white females.
and So colored females r. or one out of every
847 of the white, and one out of every sixty
four of the negro population; and Of the white
female conVicts, one out of every 1928; and of
the colored female convicts, one out of every
349 Ia one prison, showing degree of guilt and
debasement on the part of the colored females re-
voting and unparalleled. When such is the de-
basement of the colored females, far exceeding
even that of the white females in the most cor-l
rupt cities of Europe extending, too, throughout
one-half the limits of great State, we may
begin to form some idea of the dreadful condi-
ton of the free blacks, and how much worse it
is than that of the slaves, whom we are asked
to Hberate and consI"n 10 a similar condition of
guilt and misery. Where, too, are these ex-
amples2 The first is in the great State of Mas
sachusets, that, for GA years. has never had a
slave, and whose free black population, being
5,463 in 1890, and but 1869 at present, is near
y the same free negro population, and their de-
scendants, whom for more than half a century
she has strved, but strived in vain, to elevate
in rank and comfort and morals. The other
example is the eastern half of the great State ofI
Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, and the
Quakers Of the State, who, with an industry
and humanity that never tired, and charity that
spared not time or money, have exerted every eff
fort to improve the morals and better the condition
of their free black population But where are the
great results2 Let the census and the reports of
the prisons answer. Worse-incompa parably worse,
than the condition of the slaves, and demonstrat-
ing that the free black, in the midst of his friends
in the North, is sinking lower every day in the
scale of want and crime and misery The regu-1
lar physicians report and review, published in
1910, says the "facts, then, show an Increasing
number of colorsd prisoners in
the eastern pententiary." In contrasting the con-
dition. for the same year, of the penitentaries of
all the non-slaveholding States as compared with
all the slaveholding States in which returns are
made, find the number of free blacks is ify-four
to one, compared with the slaves, in proportion
to population, who are incarcerated in these prs-
ons. There are no paupers among the slaves,
whilst in the non-slaveholding States great is the
number Of colored paupers
From the Belgian statistics, compiled by Mr.. |
Queteet. the distinguished secretary of the Royal
Academy of Brussels, it appears that in Belgium
the number of deaf and dumb was one out Of
every 2.18O persons; in Great Britain one out Of
every 1889; in Italy, one cut of every 1889
and in Europe, one out of every l.474. OF the |
blind, one out of every 1,009 in Belgium; one
out of every 800 in Prussia; one out of every
600 in France; and one out of every 1866 in |
Saxony and no further returns, as to the blind,
are gven.-[BeLgiGm Anmuaire, 1886, pages 2I3,
2l5, 217.l But the table shows an average in |
Europe of one of every 1,474 of deaf and dumb,
and of about one out of every 1000 of blind |
whereas our census shows, of the deaf and dumb |
whites of the Union, one out Of every 2,l93; and
of the blacks in the -savehosding States, one
out of every CSC; also, of the blind, one out of
every 1881 of the whites of the Union, and one
out of every sic of the blacks in the non-slaye-
holding States. Thus we have not only shown
the condition of the blacks of the nonslavehold-
l. u Il