The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-09-27
SUFFERINGs OF SOUTHERN COL.
oRED CATHOLICS

Within the last two years move
ment has been found necessary among
the Colored Missions for the care of
the sick. So important did this ap-
pear in Memphis, Tennessee, that two
years ago the Rev. Joseph Glenn,
mostly with the assistance Of the local
colored doctors and the colored
nurses, organized temporary hos
pital wherein the poorest cases could
be cared for under better conditions
than they would have in their little
cabins.
Greenville, Mississippi, where Il
colored mission was opened only five
years ago with practically no Catho-
lies among the colored people to start
with, today has a flourishing school
and is already starting high school
building. So great an impression was
made upon the people by this work.
under the direction of Father Christ
man and the Sister Servants of the
Holy Ghost, that recently all the
white physicians of Greenville and
the representative business men, at
the head of them the mayor of the
town, formed a committee to promote
a hospital for the colored people.
They unanimously decided that such
a hospital was needed and that the
Sister Servants of the Holy Ghost
should take charge of it; and that it
should be large enough to accommo-
date the whole Delta; and that Green
vile should invest $4,000. In a
weeks time the money was raised;
the doctors bought the property and
wish to give it as donation.
Three years ago Father Massey
went into Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and
found no colored Catholics. He
rented little house and started a
mission among them. He has been
assisted by the generosity Of the
Richards family of Winchester,
Mass, in the erection of new school
this year. Also there is the absolute
necessity of caring for sick colored
people in some organized way. He
placed this work of nursing and at
tendance under the direction OF
Brother NJ. Stanislaus
The reason these three new and
struggling missions require effective
care of the sick is to be laid at the
door of the wretched housing condi-
tons that the colored people are
forced into. With one room, or at the
very most two for family, where a
member old or young is taken sick,
care cannot be given.
The colored people have not sought
these housing conditions; it is
the dominant white race that has
forced it upon them. In the cities OF
Charleston, North Carolina, and New
Orleans. Louisiana, of all the colored
children born, one-half die before
they are two years old, bad housing
conditions being the cause. This
slaughter of the innocents" is a dis
grace to the nation. We have NJ
right to talk of the Bolsheviki in Rus
STA, putting to death a few thousand
when we are watching tens of thou
sands of little babies die every year
for lack of care among these people
who are devoted to their children il
they are not robbed of the means.
To assist these three devoted men
who have left their homes and gone
down with these people to care fol-
the sick poor, is not charity only
it is duty, and we are sure thai
their appeal will find some generous
helpers. Any one who wishes to hell
may send directly to any of the mer
mentioned, or he may send a con
tribution to our office and we will
gladly forward it, from Catholic
Board for Mission Work, / Madison
Avenue, New York City.