The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1898-08-24
DEATH RATE OF NEGRO RACE.
WHY NEGROES ARE DYING FASTER
THAN THE WHITES.
The Subject Ably Handled by a Doctor OF
Their Own Race. Disregard of Hy-
cleric Laws and LaxitY
in Morals,

The annual negro conference recent
iy held at Hampton Institute at
Hampton, Va, gave the key note to
which it must attune it's efforts if it
would make mental, moral and mate
rial progress. 1t was the sense of the
conference that facts must be looked
squarely in the face, however disagree
able they might be, and that there
must be no more hiding of facts, dodg-
ing them or apologizing for them be-
cause they CHANGED to be collected or
exploited by persons OF another race.
What is needed is to seek the truth.
and having found it, to endeavor by
faithful and conscientious efforts to
change those conditions which are in
imical to the best interests of the
race.
One paper read at the conference
which took commercially broad and
strong grounds on the lines in
Dictated was that of Or. F. j. Shadd, of
Washington. His subject was the ex-
cessive mortality of the negro race,
and he handled his subject IN an able
manner There is no room for ques-
tioning jhe fact that the black people
are dying at a greater rate than the
white people. This is true of the rural
districts IS we'll as the cities, and of
the northern section of the country as
well as the southern. White physi-
cIans an scientists have Investigated
the matter and reached the conclusion
that the cause of the large Increasing
mortality among the negroes is their
personal habits, their disregard of hy-
gienlc laws and their laxity in morals
This statement has been resented by
some of tie leaders of the race, but DR.
Shadd has the courage to tell his PEG
pie that I here is great deal of truth
in it, thatthey must face it, however
disagreeasleit may be, and use their
best endeivors to remove the causes
which ardsapping the races vitality.
Amongthe most IRRITABLE causes of
the negr6s high death rate, according
to DR.. Shadd, are ''infant mortality, tu~
berculosi;, scrofulosis, specific infec6-
ion, gastrD diseases, heredity
and enyirpnment," Most of these condi-
tions, the doctor says, can be changed
by the Individual himself without the
aid of outside influences. He asserts
that, strange as it may seem, the negro
Is not susceptible to contagious diseas-
es like scirlet fever and diptheria, -
CONSUMPTION, however, is great enc
my to therace, and it is transmitted
and fostered by the habits of the people.
The sanitary conditions in which ne
groes live IN the cities of both the
south and the north are often sufficient
to be menance to the public health
as we'll as to that of the individuals
who create and live among them. The
conclusion which he reached is that
the race is in grave danger Of having
its health destroyed by conditions of
freedom which were not prescott at ali
during slavery The remedy, says DIR.
Shadd, must come from the negroes
themselves. They must live more
carefully; in both their physical and
moral lilies they must be cleaner. 1t
is the duty of the leaders among the
blacks to impress this upon the nom
thinkers, Dir. Shadd has instituted a
good wofk.-Savannah News.