Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1944-07-08
Prominent


white audience and another for
his black audience. Negroes who
say / am stressing agriculture,
cooking and share cropping icieas
and yet educate his own children
to law and medicine, President
Bell had the same speech for both
groups. Mississippi has 1850 white
physicians and 40 colored phySi-
clans, and out of the 40 Negro
physicians about 8 are graduates
of Alcorn College. I dare say not
more than 2 are graduates under
President Bell have studied medi-
Gins, but those are in the armed
forceS-Why say more?
Well, the health of Mississippi
Negroes as observed at induction
centers is deplorable and pathetic.
And surely the white people Of
the state knows who must fill a
rejected Negroes place. When the
call for men is made Mississippi
needs more Negro doctors, dentists,
and nurses. There isn't Negro
doctor or dentist located between
Jackson and Meridian, not a Ne
gro doctor or dentist between jack
son and Vicksburg. And just one
Negro doctor between Jackson and
New Orleans and not Negro Doc
tor at Alcorn College.
The white people of MiSSiSStn"i
plan for their youth year medi-
cal course and inferno facilities at
a General Hospital to be erected
at Jackson. At present Alcorn,
barely has enough science to offer
one a pre-medic course. Here to
fore graduates of Alcorn COLLEGE
often attended the High School at
Nashville, Tennessee to obtain Suffi-
cient credits in Chemistry in ord
er to enter Meharry Medical Col
lege. Now since what little science
as now offered at Alcorn is to be
taken away, perhaps those advo-
eating an about agriculture and
Home Economic Course havs de-
cided to subsidiZe professional
training outside the state for those
who desire such.
Tennessee, Virginia, and several
other southern states pay expenses
of those who desire training deni-
ed them in tfeir native state. If
such is the future course of Mis-
sissippi we have no argument And
the sooner the makeshift liberal
art now offered at Alcorn is
junked so much the better.
1t has been my observation that
80 percent of Alcorn College Agri-
cultural men and Home Economic
dirt farmers, thev all become
women never go back to the soil as
white-collared teachers. They learn
agriculture because it pays high
teacher salary not that they
are in love with agriculture. While
at Alcorn l studied Horticulture
because the pay was cents ner
hour, which in trade blacksmith.
ETC., the pay was 3 cents per hour.
I was at Alcorn years, never
ate one egg or drank a glass of
milk or ate any fresh vegetables.
The college owned no cattle no
poultry and the fresh vegetables
we raised were carried to Port Glib
son and sold on the streets. Presi-
dent Bell introduced pure bred
cattle on the farm-for lack of
suitable barns-dra to the same
amount of inadequate apparatus
Alcorn has been receiving for so
years-the cattle persisted during
cold weather.
Pres. Bell sought to give Alcorn
balanced curriculum not all
agriculture and Home Economics
Bell was told to make brick with
and not all liberal arts. President
out straw and after making per-
fect brick with an apparatus less
than one-t'nth of the required
amount he is being crucified.