The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-20
The Future of the Neero.

The Physical Degeneracy of the Mod
ern Negro" is the title of q pamphlet
| just issued by the author, r. H. John
son, NJ. D., of Brunswick, Ga. DR.. John
son "a negro treats his subject from a
! professional standpoint" and deduces from
facts and figures which he quotes that
in the three decades of freedom" which
| the American negro has so far enjoyed
he has made astonishing progress" in
| several lines, but more particularly in
his physical decline while dwelling I'M
der his own vine and fig tree" The death
rate of the race, Dr. johnson finds from
the statistics of 2S5 southern cities and
towns, lis twice as large as that of the
whites dwelling in the same communi-
ties And mot only is he (the negro
dying faster" says DR.. johnson, but he
is being born in less numbers, proper
tionately." With this conclusion demon
strated to his own satisfaction. he adds:
THE day will never come when this
southern country will be a surging sea
of black humanity"
The reasons for the physical degeneracy
of the negro, according to DIR. Jahnson.
are ignorance, dissipation and eSreless-
ness I'm ante-bellum days." says he,
'the negro seemed to be an immune to
consumption, and many great medical
writers and teachers boast of never hav-
ing seen such among the negroes. AS he
was the property of his master, it was in
terest to him, to provide food, shelter,
raiment and medical necessities, and to
make him keep regular hours by the force
of the patrol" Enforced temperate living
and sanitary precautions made the black
man a physical giant; but the giants are
disappearing, and in their places are COM
ing on a race of smaller stature and de-
creased vitality.
DR.. Johnson asserts that the pure Afri-
can negro is in danger of losing his racial
identity" There are now, he says, two
distinct divisions of the negro race, the
''colored" and the BLACK" One thousand
years from now. as things are golng,> he
thinks, there viii be difficulty in finding
a pure-blooded negro in this country.
Amalgamation, he thinks, is an agency
that will do much towards wiping out the
negro race. THE majority of the ne
groes that die of consumption are of the
lighter mulatto) class" Admixture of
blood not only weakens the physique, but
transmits by inheritance "all of the low,
mean, cheating influences" of the eau
casian blood. "as a rule of the basest
sort" which goes to the mixed race. With
amalgamation, a heavy and increasing
death rate and a light and decreasing
birth rate, DIR. johnson holds that the
negro needs to do something to save him
self and his race from eventual extermina-
ton. The remedy he finds in temperance,
morality and obedience to the laws of the
state and the laws of hygiene. He would
have the teachers and preachers of the
race in all parts of the country Organize
their people against laziness, immortality,
drunkardness, immoral ministers, teach
ers physicians and reformers Of all kinds;
organize against excursions, not suppers
as now conducted. and lot us, as a race,
respect the laures of virtue OF all wo-
men, The white people of the south like
manhood virtue and good citizenship.
even IL it be in skins as black as pitch.
Our interest and theirs are mutual So
let our readers ana reformers teach us
the principles of law and government, that
we might be law-abiding citizens"
The negroes future according to DIR.
Johnson, depends upon whether he makes
right use Of his opportunities He is mis-
taken in thinking that amalgamation will
play on important part in destroying the
negro race in this country. The move
ment OF the race Is in the direction OF
the black type.