ngly encourages this
spirit in the Negro as a savings bank operated in his community by
persons of his own race. The powerful influence exerted in this
direction by such institutions may be shown by some impressive figures
which have been secured from reliable sources: Atlanta, with no such
institution to stimulate its colored population to save, has only
1,000 colored depositors in the associated banks of that city out of a
total colored population of 30,000; or one out of every thirty.
Richmond, with a thriving institution of this character, has 5,000
colored depositors out of a total colored population of 45,000; or one
out of every nine. Birmingham boasts of 5,000 colored depositors
(4,000 of whom deposit with the bank with which the writer is
connected) out of a total colored population of 20,000; or one out of
every four. These three thriving Southern cities, blessed with equal
prosperity and promise, furnish convincing proofs of the great power
for good exerted by such institutions. If Atlanta, which in other
respects equals either of these two cities, were favored with the
presence of a bank of the kind mentioned, a much larger percentage of
its colored population would be filled with the spirit of economy and
the desire to save.

If such institutions are materially helpful to the Negro, if they tend
to inculcate right principles and encourage habits of industry and
frugality; and if it be true that the uplifting of one class benefits
the entire community, is it not within the bounds of legitimate
reasoning and fairly good common sense to suggest that it would be
well to have these beneficial agencies established, as far as
possible, in cities containing a large Negro population; taking care,
however, that none is established until it becomes apparent in each
instance that such an institution can be wisely, safely and
successfully conducted in the proposed community?

The writer has had a great many inquiries in the last few years for
information and advice looking to the organization of savings banks by
colored men; but it has been noted that in nearly every case the
element of doubt, fear and backwardness developed when the promoters
were brought face to face with the problem of how to begin such a
business and conduct it successfully. They found the problem a
difficult one, just as all problems are difficult until they are
understood. Here then is where the wealthy friends of the Negro, the
Northern and So