Evening star., 1919-11-13
'PAR[EY At HOWARD
.0NNEGR0ES' NEEDS
TAKES WIDE RANGE
Discussion at University
Covers Many Subjects Af-
fecting Well Being of Race.

Questions of vital Importance to the
United States are being considered in
the reconstruction and readjustment
congress in session at Howard Uni
versity today. under the broad sub
jects of health, thrift, child welfare,
the church, labor, education and citi-
| zenship.
DR.. w. F. Draper of Richmond, Va,
member of the public health service.
and DR.. A. b. Jackson. superintendent
of Mercy Hospital, Philadelphia. dis
cussed health at this mornings ses-
sion. Miss Julia Lathrop, chief of
the children's bureau of the Depart
ment of Labor, and Mrs. Alice Dun
bar-Nelson. a social worker of Will
mington. DEL spoke on child welfare.
DR.. B. r. Andrews of the Treasury
Department and E. c. Brown, a Phila-
delphia banker. talked about thrift.
This Afternoons Speakers.
The Negro and the Church is the
general topic under discussion this
afternoon. The list of speakers in
cludes the Rev. f. Paul Iang1orne
of Washington. DR.. C. B. Wilmer of
Atlanta, Bishop Benjamin F. Lee,
senior bishop of the African Metho-
dist Episcopal Church, Wilberforce,
Ohio: DR.. J. w. E. Bowen of Atlanta,
Bishop Theodore D. Bratton of Mis-
senior bishop of the African Metho-
dist Episcopal Zion Church. Char
lotte. n c.: Bishop c. H. Phillips of
Nashville. Tenn: DR.: J. E. Moorland
of New York city. Archdeacon ]. S.
Russell Of Lawrenceville. Va, and
ice Nuo n n
Will Discuss Labor Tonight.
Negro Labor" will be discussed to-
retary of Labor. and Dr. Eugene
Kinckle Jones of New York city.
Negro Education" will be considered
by DR.. Samuel c. Mitchell. president
of Delaware College; Dr.. J. E. Gregg,
principal of Hampton Institute. and
Dean William Pickens of Morgan Col
lege, Baltimore. Archibald H. Grimke
of Washington and Charles Edward
Russell of New York city will speak
on Negro Citizenship" President J..
Stanley Durkee of Howard University
is presiding officer of the congress.
The colored people in the south are
more responsive to the public health
campaigns and more appreciative of
the efforts made to help them than the
white people are-broadly speaking
is his general experience, according
to DR.. Draper, talking at the morn
ing session He explained that the
Army draft, physical examinations
showed a disquieting proportion of
men were unfit for combat service,
and that 35 per cent of all persons
examined were defective.
Praise for Officials.
Dr. Draper pointed out that only
one of every five men suffering from
venereal disease while in the Army
became infected after he entered the
service-the four others having been
infected before enlistment-and gave
unstinted praise to the work done by
civil and military officials to keep the
Army free from venerea1 infection. -
For all mental and physical defects
apparent among the mass of people,
DR. Draper declared the remedy lay in
more careful training of children, be-
cause many defects can be corrected
during school age. The system of
physical education must be changed.
he said, and the important matter OF
hygiene must not be so sadly neglect
ed as it has been Health work must
be aggressively carried on.
The more important schools and COL
leges are doing better now, and much
more attention is being given to the
health and well-being of students than
heretofore, he admitted, but there is
yet great deal to be done.
Rural sanitation must be very much
developed, and must be carried on
through county health work. Most cit
les have stepped right along in public
health efforts, but the country districts,
for the most part, have been neglected,
and, DIR. Draper declared. to the serious
detriment Of rural men, women and
children.
Position Of Negro.
The position of the negro in relation
to the general health conditions of the
United States was discussed very
frankly, but with a generous point of
view, by DR.. Jackson, a colored physi-
clan of Philadelphia, until recently a
lecturer connected with the surgeon
generals office.
Health is a national problem. not
racial one," he declared. 1.-The ne
gro's health record is not SO much due
to his fault as to conditions under
which he is forced to live. In youth
the negro generally is a better phys
icaI specimen than the white. But
circumstances. ignorance and care
lessness undermine his health in later
years.
"The negro made good showing in
about the negro's proverbially fiat
feet was exploded, but his venereaI
rate was high. From 6 to Is per cent
of the whites who entered the Army
were infected. while 25 to 40 per cent
! of the negroes were diseased. Psy-
Geological tests showed the greater
| proportion of those infected were
mentally low grade"
| Comparatively Free of Infection.
| Pleading. then. for better educational
| facilities for the colored people, and
| for greater effort by the colored people
| to obtain an education, DR.. Jackson
| quoted Surgeon General Blue to the
effect that only in every 1000 ne