Evening star., 1938-08-09
SOUTH STUDIED
BYSTAT|ST|C|ANS
Section Has a Wealth OF
Traditions to Compensate
for Lack of Cash.

Following President Roosevelt's as
sertion that the South is the Nations
mo. economic problem" economists
are now turning toward the land of
cotton. already the happy hunting
ground of song writers. dramatists
and raconteurs Of dialect Jokes What
will statisticians discover in the deep
South's realm of roses and magnolias,
the native heath of fried chicken and
watermelon. the stronghold Of yester-
days courtly traditions and todays
sociological problems?
THE South comprises just over 20
per cent CT the area of the United
States and just under % per cent of
its population" says a National Geo.
graphic Society bulletin 1T is ruled
by the same sultry sun that cooks
North Africa in the latitudes of Mo-
rocco. Algeria and Tunisia The heat
that saps mans energy excites the
earth to high fertility. With little
more than one-fourth the country's
land, the South produces 90 per cent
Of the Nations cotton. 80 per cent
OF the Tobacco 90 per cent of the
peanuts. &c per cent of the rice. 95.7
per cent OF the grapefruit and 100
per cent Of the sugar cane.
This North American empire of
the sun Claims the allegiance of the
block Of States roughly corresponding
to the Confederacy. Much the same
problems of produce and people pre-
vail through the Ave States south OF
the Potomac on the Atlantic Coast;
the four States on the east side of the
Mississippi and south Of the Ohio,
and the four States west OF the Mis-
sissippi and tied to it through the
Arkansas and Red River valleys.
These 1a States are alike in having
larger proportion of country folk
and OF Negroes In their population
than the rest OF the Nation. For
the Unitea States as whole, 56 per
cent OF tile people live in towns and
cities; in the South. only about 80
per cent are city dwellers, with the
other two-thirds of the inhabitants
still down on the farm.
Accent of Agriculture.
"The Southern accent on agriculture
gives half the farms of the Nation to
the l3 States Of Dixie. Perish the
thought. however, OF white -pillared
mansions among the magnolias sur
rounded by endless acres Of planta-
tion, divided into green miles OF to-
bacco and white miles Of cotton fluffy
as whipped cream; such estates are
gone with the Confederacy. The aver
age Southern farm today is 106 acres
Farmers in the rest Of the United
States have almost twice as much land
(averaging 2o5 acres each).
"A crescent swath Of the sun-bathed
South forms one Of the most thorough
ly single-crop areas in agriculture-tha
cotton belt. Here about per cent Of
so per cent Of the worlds cotton. Half
the farms Of the South are dedicated
to cotton; and where cotton is king,
not even trees are allowed to challenge
his supremacy right up to the very
farmhouse door. As a result. occu-
pants of the typical cabin in the cot
ton frequently have to buy vegetables,
fruit, milk. and eggs or develop pei
lagra for the lack Of them. The demi-
nance of cotton and other factors,
however. result in low cash incomes
In the South: even 1929 brought the
average Southerner in all walks of life
only 1888 approximately in the whole
year Farmers annual income was
much lower than the average. with the
minimum in South Carolina, 1929
Inhabitants Of New York and Dela-
ware had an average income of about
$1,000 each during the same period
With so much of the Nations earthly
wealth, the South nevertheless har-
vests annually only about Is per cent
of the dollars for % per cent of the
people). The South's per capita
wealth is less than so per cent Of the
average for the United States.
Variety Of Cultures.
"Southerners can cultivate a wealth
of tradition to compensate for q sec
tional lack of cash in hand The area
has rich variety of cultures, includ-
ing the gracious Colonial dignity of
Virginia, the courtly refinement Of
Charleston and Atlanta, Florida's
heritage Of Conquistador legends, the
French and Spanish glamor of New
Orleans, the Lone Star individualism
of Texas, the Elizabethan quaintness
OF Appalachian mountaineers, the
Kentucky lore Of colonies and cardi-
nails and blue grass race courses, the
boomers of Oklahoma's frontier rush,
the moes-hung yayou languor of
Mississippi and Louisiana. The bluest
Jazz music, the most haunting Negro
spirituals, the most rollicking hillbilly
ditties are Southern born and bred.
The same section produced the hooded
threat OF the Ku Klux Klan and the
Declaration of independence. IL Pres
1dents Of the United States and the
only Presidents Confederate and
TeXan) outside United States au-
thority.
THE South is sometimes called the
most American section of the Ma
ton because it has the highest pro-
portion of native population, largely
Of English ancestry along the coast
and infused with Scottish blood in
the highlands. In Florida and Texas
only does the foreign-born element
exceed per cent. un Massachusetts
IS per cent are foreign born) Yet
the Southern States have the lowest
ratio Of native white inhabitants in
the United States, because of their
100000 Negroes. three-fourths Of
those in the entire country. A shade
over half of Mississippi's population
is Negro. and somewhat less than half
of South Carolina's. The others have
one Negro at least out of four inhabi-
tants-eAcept Texas, Tennessee, Ken
tucky ana Oklahoma. The two latter
have fewer Negroes than the average
for the Nation.