Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-11-19
COlOred Women at the Freedmen,s
Hospital.
Us. 10 HAS To SAY
EREFnMENS HOSPITAL

FREEDMEN's HOSPITAL.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., November Is 1881
Aessrs. John +. Cook F. g. Barbados. Prof
~ 4. Greener, Ddcid Warner, VIM. Mddte,cs
and Others:
GENTLrNEN: Your communication. calling
my attention to the report of DR.. G.. 8. Pal
mer in reference to the colored women who
have been confined in the Freedmen's Hospital,
and which was printed in two of our daily
papers, is at hand / can well understand your
feelings of Indignation. DIR. Palmer did not
submit his report to DIR. Gennan and myself. as
had been his custom; if he had, he would not
have made such an unfortunate bunder as he
has. The doctor has no data from which he can
sustain his extraordinary statement. the record
OF the hospital does not furnish 1t, nor the re-
port of the board of health, which shows that 10
per cent of the births of colored people were
ilegitimate; the doctor gratutiOusly added per
cent when he wrote his report / think he
should be among the last to attempt to reflect
upon an unfortunate people, whose misfortunes
have been the source of large income to him,
and given him reputation such as he never en-
jOyed before. Such treatment has demOraliZ-
ing effect and makes these people doubt if they
really possess any true friends. The facts
are these Out of the 1 160 patients treated
in the hospital there were only 81 confinement
cases. ~ of whom were cOlOred. 9 less than last
year. though the number of patients was
SItdttI IHls II % SfflalI nUn1tPr out OF the
great whole Tie large majority of colOred
women. who gave birth to iegitimate children
In this institution. are not lewd. but poor ser
want girls. who have been imposed upon.
Nearly every one of them take care of their
offspring by their labor In the COlOred
Orphans Asylum. Ofths city, there are only one
hundred children. and some of these nOn-resi-
dent. This is a small number out of a pOpula-
ton of coco of the poorest peOplei the Dis
trict; whereas. there are several thousand in
the white asylums.
Some of these unfortunate women come from
the states. You can Judge of the ratio when
tell you out of the 1 100 patients treated in the
hospital only 162 are natives of the District. AS
these people become educated vice among them
will disappear. During the years have been
connected with the hospital have never known
an educated colOred girl to give birth to an
illegitimate child. As to the suggestion that
the doors of the hospital be closed to these
unfortunate women, 1 have only to say it is
the most impudent piece of barbarism l
have ever heard. Morality among the
colOred people is progressing Their improve
ment in this direction is wonderful when We
take into consideration the studied attempt for
generations to reduce them to mere bruteS
Nearly half of the patients admitted to the hos
pital are from Virginia and Maryland two
slave-breedine states. and many of the fathers
and mothers of these unfortunate girls have
been the victims of this practice. / ask who is
to blame for the vices that exist among them !?
They should not be expected to reach a purity
OF thought and action in fifteen years that the
whites have failed to reach in two thousand.
The number of cOlOred children born
in the District for the fiscal year ending June
so. 1881, is. according to the records of the
Board of Health. ,6Sl. zone hundred and seven
teen less than the year before.) Out of this
number "A are accredited to the Freedmen's
Hospital. These facts certainly do not indicate
that the excellent accommodations for lying-in
furnished at public expense promotes licentiOus-
ness. as has been disingenuously stated.
remain, very respectfully,
C.. b. PURyIS NJ D..