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 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