The sun., 1897-05-09
FATEOFTHECOLOREDRACE
AN INSURANCE STA TISTICIAN sAKs
IT Is ON THE DOWN GRADE.

Consumption Is Incrcnsing. and UnIess the
whites Come 60 tho Rescue tho Extinos
tion oftho Race Is Only a Question or Time.
From the Springfield Republican. -.''
The white population of Augusta, Ca, mum.
bcrs about $4,000, against a negro population OF
$4,000; yet Just twice as many negroes died OF
consumption In that city last year as whites
the colorod victims OF the disease numbering Ga
to % white. The President of tho local Board of
Health, DIR. Eugene Foster. in giving outlthese
facts, states that before tho war consumption
was rare among tho blacks, and a negro with
consumption was clinical curiosity. This
new susceptibility OF tho negro race to consump-
tion, he says. "is one Of the numerous penalties
following upon the changed relations OF this
people consequent on their emancipation"
There appears among the recent publications
of the American Economic Association volume
Of over 800 pages on Race Traits and Tenden.
cics OF the American Negro" In which the
physical degeneration OF the colored race since
emancipation seems to be abundantly proved.
treatise; the author. Frederick L. HOFFMAN, is
satisticisn zig & for one Of the Large insurance com
os or bias in he @ Ssp
posed to be guaranteed by the fact of his German
nativity. His conclusions are based on the most
ample statistical information obtainnble from q
great variety of sources and they arc thus
Nothing is moro, clearly shown from this in
vesligation than that the Southern black man
at the time of emancipation was healthy In
body and cheerful in mind. He neither suf-
fered Unfortunately from disease. nor from inn
paired bodily vigor. His industrial Capable
ties as a laborcr woro not of low order. nor
was tho condition OF servitude such as to pro-
duCc in him morbid conditions favorable to
mental disease, suicide or intemperance What
are the conditions thirty years afterl The
pages OF this work give but one answer
an answer which is most severe condemne-
tion of modern attempts of superior races to
lift inferior races to their own elevated posi-
tion; an answer so full of meaning that ii would
seem criminal Indifference on tho part OF a civ
ilized people to ignore 1t. In the plain language
of the facts brought together, the colored race
is shown to be on the downward grade tending
toward a condition in which matters will be
moro destructive. vital resistance still lower.
when tho number of births will fall below the
deaths, and gradual extinction Of the race take
place. Unless n change takes place, n
errors that underlie tho conduct Of the higher
races toward the lower gradual extinction 10
only question Of time.
We mako no question that the vices Of civil
gro with terrible force where adequate .ro-
sistance was not in tho nature of things to bo
expected. But how far Is physical degene-
racy due TO these causes. and how far to other
causes which were operative prior to emanci-
patton. or such as now may be classed as pre-
ventablc Tho Augusta physician states that
consumption was practically unknown among
tho colored people before the war. and the
whole present alarming progress of the dis:
freedom. Now it is true that consumption
has increased among the blacks in recent years.
but IL is not true that the disease was nfreQuent
before the war. Mr. Hoffman presents a table.
derived. we suppose. from reliable sources, CIV
two races per 100000 OF population in Charles
ton for period before the war and since: