The Southern Negroes

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Nov 18, 1903

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 29, No. 46.

The Southern Negroes

The Southern Negroes, after all their causes of complaint, have been pretty well helped since their emancipation. And, considering their ignorance, poverty, inexperience, and the opposition they have met, they have made as good use of their help as many another class of men would have made under like circumstances. Beginning with nothing forty years ago, statistics show, according to Christian Work, that there are now 13,000,000 farms owned by negroes, valued at $350,000,000; 150,000 homes outside the farm ownership valued at $265,000,000, and personal property valued at $165,000,000. So, starting from nothing, here is an accumulation of nearly $800,000,000. When the work began, not one per cent of the negro adults of the South could read or write. To-day 40 per cent can do so. Fifty per cent of the children are attending school, and with more facilities more would attend. There are 800 colored physicians in practise, and 300 lawyers and 30,000 school-teachers. There are 300,000 books in the homes of colored people, and they own and publish 450 newspapers and magazines.