Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1877-12-07
Mortality Of the Blacks.

A correspondent Of the Cincinnati
Gazette writing from Memphis, says,
In speaking Of the condition ofthe col.
ored people Of the South: When we
come 10 mortality statistics there is
something positively frightening IN the
figures. For whites this Is among the
most healthful cities OF the Union-far
ahead Of Nashville. In sixty years the
city has had but three epidemics, and
during the worst cholera visitation Of
Nashville Memphis almost entirely
escaped. Immediately after the war,
when the freedmen crowded tho poor.
er portions OF the city, their mortality
stood 10 that Of the whites in the enor.
nous ratio Of three TO onel Thence It
declined slowly, aud for the past two
years has averaged nearly two to one.
The pure blacks are exempt from vel.
low fever, and the lighter,colOrs nearly
so but cholera aud smallpox rage fear
fully among both. For the six months
ending June 30, 1877, the record aver
ages thus:
Whito-Deaths per l,C0O.. 40
i -NseN FNA AissN' ~ a@AN
Or two and a half times as many
Nor can | see from tho burial certi6.
cetes that II is confined 10 any age. Old
and young negroes, male and female,
seem TO die In like proportions. The
sickly months for whites arc from June
to October inclusive, but with the
blacks all the months are sickly. Dc.
cember is as fatal as May. For Octo-
Der the death list shows sixty-four
whites aud iorty.one blacks, which, If
above figures as to population are cor.
rect, would show the colored mortality
10 be one and half times as great as
that OF the whites.
So startling did these figures seem 10
me that | wanted other evidence than
the health reports, and 80 took a sort of
social census of several blocks in the
worst part of the city, asking some
questions which might have been con-
sidered impertinent.
The standard article oil diet is cat
fish heads boiled into soup, and this
they use indilIerently at all seasons of
the year. II 10 their staple when all
else faile. They use good article Of
corn-meal, but OF bacon they get mono
but the very poorest, that which can be
bought for almost nothing. As 10 such
luxuries as fruit, milk, and eggs they
only taste them when employed In the
houses Of tho wealthy whites. In some
J cabins three or four families live to.
gether, and have one big meal In com
4 mon daily, each individual shifting fol
0 himself for breakfast aud supper. The
I OdOr about tho cabin is not attractive
. to whilc man, but don't know a
! ! that has anything to do with theiI
: = health. Memphis has better sewerage
\ than Nashville, and In this general ad
= vantage the blacks of course share
, There did not seem 10 be much sick
! ness on the row, but the physicians say
their diseases are brief, the system haV'
ing less power Of resistance than
white mans. Very few OF
', them seemed to have any defined idea
of thrift or improving their condition
and II Is noted by residents that when
ono does acquire such ideas he straight
way leaves the "nigger quarters" and
, goes to The country or 10 1.-Two with q
white family. So those find on the
row are but the screened out elements
about as capable of taking care OF
themselves as so many boys and girls
just old enough 10 have strong passions
and appetiles, but TOO young to exer-
else Judgment Such ia the mental
stage Of three.fourths OF the negroes In
Memphis. No man Of feeling can
study their condition without being
deeply depressed. Poor, helpless
growu.up children, What is 10 Le.
. come Of them?
, a very common disease among them
: Is called cacbrxia Africqna by the ply.
sicians. II begins as galloping con.
sumption, then lakes effect in the bow.
cls, being, | suppose, the African type
, Of mescntoric consumption. As 10 the
,, colored girls, the same remarks Gs al
Nashville will apply. They arc not as
desirable servants as the men, and
muoh work that ought 10 be done by
,, them ia not. And if organized philan.
thropy proposes to take hold OF the
, 1uulHElN u!hGh ~ All GhtGliNC WNls ll
.. must begin with the girls. It Is Idle Ia
educate The men II the women
are to continue on their present
course. y quarter of million colored
girIs, between The ages of l2 and Is
mnst be ,augh, modesty and industry
1t Is q big job, but it is all that will
save the race. But the more | see OF
the Southern blacks as q class, the more
am | am zed at their utter helplessness
az against the whites. They are indeed
a feeble fok-grown up children, un.
organized, inprovident, cowardly,
grossly ignorant, and pliable to q dc.
, gree that is incredible. What can be
done for them without injury both 10
us aud them? Perhaps, If somebody
could find a just mean between the OK.
trcrhe Southern and the radical North.
ern idea, no would just hit II.
Shame or atnFVaIlOa-Ehe Evils
Of n GOvernmenG Bureau.
. Special TO the Chicago TImes1