The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-05-15

While Washington stood at the head
Of the list with the highest Negro
population of any city of the country
In 1910, according to a bulletin made
public by the census bureau, the per-
centage of increase in this population
between 1900 and 1910 was much low
er than that for any other city. New
York, New Orleans, Baltimore and
Philadelphia came next in the order in
which they are named.
The gain in the Negro population of
Washington between 1900 and 1910
was SO per cent. The greatest gain,
both numerically and proportionally,
was shown by Birmingham, Ala, the
Negro population of which increased
by $3.50, or 215.6 per cent. New
York and Philadelphia showed the
next largest numerical gains, 31,043
and 21,4S6, respectively, the rates of
increase for these cities being 51.2 per
cent and 34.9 per cent, respectively.
The census bureau report, which
was prepared by Negro employees of
the bureau, points out that there is
a tendency on the part of the Negroes
to marry at earlier ages than the
whites.
The percentage of illiteracy among
the Negro population ten years of age
and over was 30.4 for the United
States as a whole. as compared with
81 per cent for the native whites of
native parentage. The continual i'm
nrnuonnnnf ip nlrnoffnnn1 nnnOrfr1nf-
ties offered to the Negro race, accord
ing to the bulletin, is shown by the
fact that in almost every state and
city the percentage of illiteracy among
Negroes is consistently lower in the
younger generations than in the older.
Increases in the ownership of homes
by the Negroes and decrease in the
mortality is also noted by the bulletin.
The colored ace has no better
friend than Mr.. Julius Rosenwald of
Chicago. 1t remained for this Jewish
gentleman to see that Negroes were
in need of Y. NJ. c. A. homes and to
offer a liberal contribution for such
buildings in every case where the
organization raised a given amount
by its own efforts. In Indianapolis,
the Star of that city recalls, his gift
was $4,000. He has made contribu-
tions for this purpose in a number of
cities and is very well known for his
b~enefactions in this line.
Not so many know, however, Of his
gifts, or offered gifts, in another d.
rection. Within the past year he vol
unteered to duplicate, up to 5000, the
money raised in any rural district in
the South for Negro school buildings.
1t is too soon to know what response
this offer will have, as systematic ef-
fort will be required by educational
organizations and individual workers
to circulate the news of this oppor-
tunity in the quarters where such help
is most needed and II will take time
and struggle to raise $500 in the rural
neighborhoods of the South; yet the
offer is not only help in the right
place, but the stipulations will stimu-
late effort and interest of the right
kind.
Public schools in the South, even
for white children, are far from what
they should be, while Negroes are
placed at a great disadvantage in most
states of the region by an inequitable
division of the school funds. If their
children are educated at all in many
districts 1t must be through private
enterprise. If they are once provided
with suitable school buildings, how
ever, further steps in the undertaking
will be easier. Mr.. 'Rosenwald is
serving the colored folk wisely and
well.