Now, where a person—as the majority of these do—lives ten or
twelve miles in the country, and the doctor must be assured of his
money before coming, often demanding cash, it is simply impossible
for them to think of employing a physician. They bow their heads
to the inevitable and say: "The Lord's will be done." So the
child, or grown person, as the case may be, when ill goes without
medical attention until almost dead before the doctor is summoned,
and too often when he comes the ride is simply to inform them of a
well-recognized fact, that the patient's days are numbered. Some-
times, when able to go to the doctor, this is done; even then the
price is considerable and the skill questionable. Others drag out a
miserable existence from day to day until relieved by death.
With such ignorance as here exists, and with knowledge effectu-
ally barred by gold, you can readily see why the death rate is so high
in this section. If you could see how often, in spite of adverse cir-
cumstances, they pull through and get well, it would put in doubt the
much-advanced theory that colored persons are readier to succumb to
disease than whites. With all that they have to contend with, I
wonder that any of them live. The climate is fairly equable. The
colored people, already inured to hardships, could, with proper care,
possess sound bodies.
The idea of establishing a dispensary at Tuskegee, is one which
has been growing for a year or more, but circumstances have pre-
vented its development. At last a friend in the North kindly donated
a sum sufficient to put our ideas into definite shape. And so we have
begun with scarcely anything to back us, but faith that such a project
will succeed because of its great need and noble aim—the saving of
lives. We are, however, in need of further assistance to render the
undertaking in any degree successful. Our plans are to have an office
accessible to the country people all through Macon County. At this
office they can receive medical attention at a nominal price.
Indeed, I feel that Tuskegee ought to be the place where the
vital statistics of the colored people can and will be studied with intel-
ligence. Already we have had sufficient encouragement to warrant
us in the assertion that with proper encouragement, the Lafayette Dis-
pensary will soon be a fountain of health to the weary and sick of
Macon County.
The meeting was then opened for the discussion of post-graduate
opportunities in Europe. A few introductory words from Dr. Good-
107
