The Colorado statesman., 1914-05-23

There is an old and tenaciously held
theory that the negro has a greater re-
sistance to malaria than the white
man. Recent Investigations by public
health service tend to throw doubt on
this belief.
In Alabama, during a three-year
period, the number of deaths from
malaria was one and one-half times as
great among colored persons as among
white. In Mississippi In 1913 2.3 times
as many negroes as whites died of this
group of diseases. Several thousand
blood examinations were made to test
the prevalence of malarial infection in
the general population. In Arkansas.
less than six per cent of the whites
examined had the malarial organism
in their blood, while 7.6 per cent Of
the negroes were so afflicted. In North
Carolina the germ was found in 7.5
per cent of the whites and lis per
cent of the colored persons examined.
In spite of these statistics the old
opinion may be correct. The inveeti-
cation is still too incomplete to war
rant any sweeping conclusions. Ma
laria Is rural disease, and the negro
is country dweller. His environment
is against him in other ways. The
bulk OF the population in the healthy
uplands of Mississippi is white, but
the negro clusters so thickly in the
fertile but malarial cotton lands of the
Yazoo delta and other parts of the
"black belt" that the census of the
state shows 1,009.4 .487 colored persons
to only 786,111 white.
The question can be settled only by
an exhaustive comparison of whites
|, and blacks living in the same environ
ment, under the same conditions.
There is strong probability that such
test would support the old belief that
the negro resists malaria better than
the white man.
A study of the situation in the Ne
gro Baptist churches of Chicago
strengthens the conviction that an
efficient and unifying organization is
really their greatest necessity. Their
disposition to organize and the special
needs of the city should eventually
bring this about At present we
have improved upon the Methodist
churches. They have five different
conferences, but it must be said that
| in spite of this they cooperate in a
| friendly spirit.
The Negro Baptists at the present
time have two associations. Any time
spent in efforts to explain the basis
of their doctrinal or personal differ
ences might better be used in trying
| to secure a real basis of cooperation
for their mutual improvement and ad
vance. 1t seems that some organiza-
tion of these churches on the basis OF
the city work, to prevent overlapping
to over assistance. to plan future work
as necessity may require and not as
individual caprice may suggest is a
matter of real Importance.
This organized cooperation to in
crease the efficiency of all the
churches is natural step to be taken
| in the processes of their growth and
may be looked for at any time. AS
one examines the location and the ac
I tivities of different Baptist churches
and sees new churches started under
the very caves of some older one, be
cause of doctrinal CIR personal differ
ence, he is convinced that the weight
of Influence of these who are trying
to make the churches more useful
should be set against this and in ia
vor Of that practical comfy for which
the executive council stands.
|