Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1912-07-26
ECONOMIC CONDITION OF
NEGROES IN The NORTH

HtGRUES IN lit NUkih
In an informing paper on THE ECO
nomic Condition OF Negroes IN the
North" In the Southern Workman,
DR.. X. r. Wright, Jr.. the editor OF the
Christian Recorder. presents some
statistics and conclusions worthy the
thoughtful consideration Of the read
ers Of The Age. and especially the
negro preachers. settlement workers
and others engaged In negro upllft
work in the North and Western states.
Some of DR.. Wright's conclusions are
very startling and disconcerting; such.
for instance. as that Until recently
the negroes Of the North did not re-
produce themselves; the great In
crease OF negroes in the large cities
was due chiefly to immigration from
the South. To an extent, 1t 10 true
today that the chief source OF In
crease OF the northern negro popula-
ton Is the immigration OF negroes.
More than half the negroes In the cit
les of the North today were born IN
the South"
He finds that records of births
among negroes are very difficult to
obtain, and even now most Of the cit
les would report an excess OF deaths
over births If they reported anything.
In Philadelphia, where separate rec
ords of births and deaths have been
kept since 1900, with fair degree OF
accuracy, a table Is given showing the
results for nine years. In 1900, l9Ol
and 1902 there were 42O, and again In
1908 la more deaths than births.
For the five other years the excess OF
births over deaths was only 1882, the
total excess for the nine years being
1,262 in favor Of births. The bureau
Of vital statistics is Of the opinion,
however, that many negro births are
not reported. However this may be,
Wright concludes that 1T Is probable
that the principal increase of the ne
gro population is due to the births
among the immigrant negroes from the
South, rather than to the native-born
northern negroes, and that In reality
the native-born negro does not repro
duce himself; that Is, does not per-
petuate himself
Our observation in New York for
80 years Is that families peter out
in the male line, leaving one or two
healthy members, or become lost In
the third and fourth generations. In
this way most Of the family names of
old New Workers have been wiped out.
The same thing Is true OF Philadel-
phia, where in 1900 only some 40 per
cent of the 1896 marriages were of
Philadelphians, 37.7 per cent being
born in Virginia, 1879 in Maryland and
SO in North Carolina
In concluding the consideration OF
the birth and death rate, and the small
number Of marriages contracted, based
in the main on the Philadelphia Stats
tics, Mr. Wright says:
This much may be haphazard, that
the negro in the northern city, handi-
capped by an increased cost Of living
and shut out of the fullest enjoyment
of the community life, does not re-
produce himself, but must be constant
ly reinforced by people from an en-
vironment sanctioning a lower stan
dard OF living, who are able and will
consent to have children. II the mi
grafton from the South were cut of
the northern negro population would
probably slowly die out. For the
population now maintains itself not
only by immigration but by immigra.
ton of those who will have families.
Their children, the second generation,
born and reared under northern condi.
tons, are those who do not reproduce
themselves"
That this condition Is not brought
about by the climatic conditions of
the northern and western states Is
shown conclusively by statistics, the
death rate Of the negro population OF
IL northern and western cities, for
1900, being greatly less than that OF
IL southern cities, that of Savannah
twice as great as that of New York
and Chicago. Nor is that the only
Indication" says DR.. Wright. "Ac
cording to the census, the death rate
of northern negroes Is frequently low.
er than that of whites in southern cit
les" The reason for the condition
that works against the perpetuation OF
reproduction Of the negro In the north
ern and western states must be sought
for in some other causes than climate
housing and high cost of living, as
compared with southern conditions
The question Is one Of vital interest
and could to advantage be made q
special study by our physicians.
In thoughtful article in The Out
look for April last, dealing with the
decline Of the birth rate In Great Brit
ain, the Australian states, France and
the United States, Colonel Theodore
Roosevelt takes a doleful Wow Of the
future, as failure Of population and
decadence Of nationality 60 together
If the negro race Is producing more
females than males, If marriages are
becoming fewer, If the death rate Is
exceeding the birth rate, and If the
tendency not to perpetuate itself II
gaining ground, the race is In a fail
way Of going to seed, and the causes
making for it should be ascertained Il
possible and a remedy discovered anG
applied.
''G
~~~~--~>~~~~~.>->~~->
the red.stained sulphurous islets float
ing in the lakes of fire in the west
the ragged clouds at midnight, blacl
.>-.>.I. x..innx hln&firn out Al