The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-14

the reason that our city Is growing larger every day without the facilities of eharit- able accommodations growing with 1t. The negro population of the city is al ready S5000. and to accommodate the in- dustries that are multiplying monthly the population of the negro is growing | continuously. And in this connection the appeal of the medical staff of St. Vin- cents hospital issued last week in The Age-He comes well in point "The attention of the public is con- stantly being called to needed reforms in management of our public institu- tions, and the demands for enlarge ments and improvement in courthouses. postoffice and jails are very properly urged,
 But q problem that has grown more troublesome every day is what to do with the sick or injured negro in our ln;1st? There are many ndigents who are refused admittance to our charit- able institutions because of lack of room At the same time it is also fact that adequate facilities are lacking for car HIS Api lilc SICK UT lDJuIeQ ntSTO WHO can and will pay for a bed. There are thousands of deserving sick among the negroes whose employees would gladly give them the benefit of hospital treat ment, both for humanitarian and econo- mic reasons, but this is impossibleN be- tion of the negro department in our hos pitals.
 At St. Vincents hospital there are 20 beds for negroes, and it is no uncommon thing to have S5 patients to care for. This means that they must occupy cots or improvised beds in aisles, on verandas, and when the weather allows, on the lawn.
 The space devoted to white patients is under ordinary conditions, barely sui ficient and in time of unusual sickness or emergencies arising from accident is hopelessly inadequate
 Something must be done to relieve this situation. and the way in which this problem is met will decide whether or not Birmingham and Jefferson county are to take stand among the progress sive communities
 "I feel very thankful for this earnest appeal for our helpless folks, and vet I think that economy could be brought into play by following the suggestions made by Ex-Mayor Ward and the editor of The Age-Herald some years ago, who recom- mended the use of the property of the Alabama Orphans and Old Folks Home, situated in West Smithfeld. Here the negroes have purchased and improved slo0W worth of property and they have run hospital there for years, of course at very poor rate. This property now has about 5000 indebtedness on it. but has a capacity there with a little inn provement to easily accommodate the colored hospital patients. If this prop erty could be used for the colored patti ents it would not only supply the needs mentioned above but it would lead the negroes to help themselves If the charit- able people of the city or the medical staff of St. Vincent's hospital would adopt this method of caring for the negro patients they would have the negro patients struggling to help them selves. which would largely reduce the efforts of the white people in caring for our patients absolutely. And it should be borne in mind that our people need to be trained to care for the helpless as vel as the helpless to need the assistance ot the strong. The charitable public car easily see that people who would ge together $10,0OO worth of property ant run an institution for 10 years at an ex pense of 5000 a year that this peopl, can be led more and more to care fol their helpless. Is not such effort from { poor struggling people deserving of en | couragement. "W. R. PETTIFORD