The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-01-08

Will the Negro Disappear?
"Extinction, says Darwin follows
chiefly from tie competition of tribe
with tribe, ard race with race and
again. the grace Of their civilization
seems to be a most important element In
the success of competing nations. The
truth of these broad principles seems am
ply attested by history.
Merely the advent of higher civili-
cation to this continent marked the
down fall of the native American. In two
centuries the red man has dwindled
steadily, and his ultimate disappearance
from the face of the earth appears to be
only question of time. When TASMANIA
was first colonized by the English. the
natives were roughly estimated at not
less than 1000 Fighting and other causes
coon greatly reduced this number. Ban
wick, in THE Last of the Tasmanans,
tells us that in 1884, when the natives
were transported to Flinders Island, they
consisted of only 12o individuals. In
three elderly women alone survived, and
the race has since. obviously become ex-
t!nct The history OF the New Zealand
Maores revealed similar facts The de-
crease of this tribe has been unceasing-
~ under way since 1890. Their total num-
Der in 1855 was believed to be $500: in
1872, 1t was $3.50. This is decrease OF
80 per cent In fourteen years. The
Sandwich Islanders are meeting SINH
lar fate. Numbering some 100000 when
Cook visited this island in 1779, the
population was reduced to 10000 in
1892, to 61,5sl, In 1872. and to 3l,o19 in
1897 In both these cases final extinction
seems inevitable. Mysterious as seems
this tendency of weaker race to disap-
pear before the competition of stronger,
Darwin has formulated the principles
which appear TO govern 1t. The mast po-
tent OF all the causes OF extinction" he
says in 1.-THE Decent of Man, appear in
many cases to be lessened fertility and
ill-health. especially among the chill
dren. arising from changed condi-
tons of life, Notwithstanding that the new
conditions may not be Injurious In
themselves And Fenton, who made a
careful study of the decrease of the
Moaries, assigned that decrease chiefly
to the nproductiveness OF the women and
the mortality of the children.
Fifty years ago the negro was in no
sense competing race to the white man
on this continent. Since the Civil War,
however, the two have been. In part, ut
least, competitive races. Is Darwin's
law at an applioabIe to the funted
States negro? Is there any ground for
believing that, in the lapse of time,
natural process and the survival OF the
fittest will eliminate the negro from the
lifa of this country?
That there is some ground for precise
~ this belief is shown in an interest
ing paper by DR.. Robert c. Bryan, of
this city, who has been at some pains
to Investigate the question. From this
paper We have cleaned some pertinent
and instructive facts. That the negro O.
to-day is physically inferior to the Ante
bellum negro is, we believe, admitted
by all authorities. While he is still show.
Ing an annual increase in number his
rnte of increase has dropped from Il
per cent. in 1860 to less than II per cent
in 1900. In the same period the per.
centage OF white increase has grow
from nearly s. per TO nearly IS.
Should the colored increase contiue t,
iwindie at Its percent rate-and there
little reason to believe that II win not
The next century win see 1t converted int
decrease. And Darwin states that whe,
weaker race once begins to decrease
II generally goes on decreasing until 4
becomes extinct"
Some time ago an eminent statician
Prof Gillian. ventured the prediction tina
the 1850 cencus would show total O
l2.o0o,oD negroes. The number did no
reach 100000. Prof. Gillian, as DR.. Brya,
points out, made one fatal oversight. ii
based his prediction on the birth In
crement, and ignored the death-rat
y which happened TO be excessively high
Per Loo. the mortality OF the oolore,