opulation; its
sex and age composition and marital condition; its fertility, as
indicated by the proportion of children to women of child-bearing age
in different periods--again, under social conditions varying from the
irresponsible relations of slavery to the more exacting institutions
of freedom; its intermixture with other races, as shown by the
increase in the proportion mulatto; its annual mortality in the
registration area; its educational progress since emancipation, in so
far as it can be measured by elementary schooling and by increasing
literacy; its criminality, dependency, and physical and mental
defectiveness--those characteristics of individual degeneracy which
Negroes manifest in common with other racial classes in all civilized
communities; finally, its economic progress, as indicated by
increasing ownership of homes, by entrance into skilled trades and
professions, and primarily and fundamentally by the rapid development
of Negro agriculture."

Although this report goes as far back as 1790 most of the facts herein
assembled bear on the life of the Negro since emancipation. This is
not due, however, to the tendency to neglect the early period, but to
the fact that earlier in our history statistics concerning Negroes
were not considered valuable. It is only recently that public
officials have directed attention to the importance of keeping these
records and in many parts of the South certain statistics regarding
Negroes are not yet considered worth while. The United States
Government, however, as this volume indicates, has taken this matter
seriously and from such volumes as this the public will expect more
valuable information.

NOTES

To increase our circulation and the membership of the Association the
management has employed as Field Agent Mr. J. E. Ormes, formerly
connected with the business department of Wilberforce University. Mr.
Ormes will appoint agents to sell books and solicit subscriptions to
the JOURNAL OF NEGRO HISTORY. He will also organize clubs for the
study of Negro life and history.

Any five persons desiring to prosecute studies in this field
intensively may organize a club and upon the payment of two dollars
each will be entitled not only to receive free of further charge the
JOURNAL OF NEGRO HISTORY, but may call on the Director for such
instruction as can be given by mail. Members will be supplied with a
quarterly outline study of the current numbers of the JOURNAL O