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THE STATE: COLUMBIA, S. C.
Clinic Doing Good Work Among Negroes of City
Institution on Harden Street Comes Into Being When Need Made Evident by Great Outporing of Children -- Doctor Evans Moving Spirit in Venture.

Situated on a slight elevation at the corner of Harden and Lady streets in Columbia is the Evans clinic, housed in a two-story frame structure with basement, with equipment well arranged and so used that the institution is rendering a noteworthy service to the Negroes of the Capital City and of Richland country. 
  The rooms and furnishings, Spartan in their simplicity, are spotlessly clean; the window panes shine; the floors are dustless and there is about the whole establishment and those who are connected with it a spirit of enthusiasm and earnestness which augur well for its future.
  What does the clinic do? What is its work? It provides medical inspection and free vaccinations for all the Negro children of Columbia; four days in the week it holds dental clinics; two days, eye, ear, nose and throat examination are made; in it, lectures are given to expectant mothers each week; it conducts classes in mental hygiene; concentrates its efforts largely on children of school and preschool age; and in certain cases, it gives treatment to boys and girls and to adults as well- in brief, it carries on the work of any well organized clinic conducted in modern fashion with the goal of rendering the graetest possible for the conservation of the health and physical well being of those who enter its doors. And none are too poor or too friendless or too obscure to receive the benefits in its power to bestow. 
  The clinic has been in operation now about 18 months and the manner in which it came into being gives an insight into its hopes and aspirations. 
     Long Practicing Physician
  The moving spirit behind it is Dr. Matilda A. Evans. Doctor Evans, a Negro woman, has been practicing her profession in Columbia for more than 25 years. She is a graduate of Oberlin college, Ohio, and of the Woman's Medical college of Pennsylvania, an institution located at Philadelphia; she was the first woman doctor in Columbia and the first of her race, in the state. In her long practice in Columbia she has had abundant opportunity to gain, at first hand, a clear insight into conditions in hundreds of Negro homes. She has come into close contact with the situation as it really is and it was in the light of the information so gained that the idea of the clinic for Negroes was conceived. 
  Last spring, considerable health work was done through the Negro schools, and this was supplemented later by a house to house canvass in which a vast amount of information as to health and economic conditions was gained through the use of brief printed questionnaires. Health conditions were found to be so bad, that the state board of health was visited and it gave its approval to the work of the proposed clinic. The aid of ministers was solicited and the plan of starting the clinic was discussed in many churches. White people operated nearily in the efforts being made to get the work underway, and after some weeks, it was broadcast that the first clinic would be held at the Zion Baptist church- this being largely for the purpose of vaccination. 
  It was not known how the Negroes would respond to the invitation to send or bring their children to the clinic. It was hoped, with some misgivings, that 150 or 200 would come. 
    Throng of Children. 
  When the day for clinic arrived, Doctor Evans and those who had agreed to assist her were at the church. The response to the invitation was overwhelming. More than 700 children gathered about the church, according to representatives in the clinic. The place was nearly swamped with them- some crippled- some blind, many on crutches, scores showing evidence of undernourishment- hundreds needing some simple treatment what would put them back on the road to sturdy health. The sight of the great multitude of children, many of them with their mothers, was a most moving one. There was no denying the need for the work and the eagerness of the parents and children for it. So great was the press, that but little could be done in the way of examinations, but names and addresses were taken..
  The next day, more workers were secured- the children were examined and cards containing information setting forth their condition were filed. On the second day, even more children than on the first day swarmed about the church, seeking medical examination and on the third day, the crowd was so great that traffic on the street was brought to a standstill and police officers investigated the cause of the congestion.
  All doubt as to whether the people wanted a clinic was removed. There was no denying the appeal of the great throng of children, 98 per cent. of whom were suffering from one or more ailment, and all eager for the assistance the clinic offered. Over three thousand were given examinations at the first series of clinics. 
  The leader in tis work was Doctor Evans who was ably assisted by several others of her race who had been touched by the appeal of the children and who realized the need of such an institution as was proposed. The work grew rapidly and became so heavy that Doctor Evans, who was giving a great deal of her time to it, was prevailed upon to leave Columbia for a while in order to rest and while she was away- engaged in clinic study in New York city- the house at Harden and Lady streets was rented and equipped with various pieces of apparatus for carrying on the work. 
   Since that time, the clinic had gone forward steadily. A constant stream of humanity has poured through its doors and its influence has been felt in many sections of Columbia- indeed other municipalities in Richland county have been touched. Aside from an appropriation of $500 by the Richland county legislature delegation, the clinic has operated private subscriptions. Voluntary helpers have come forward and the work is expanding. 
THY MDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 29, 1931
  Today the clinic stands as a thoroughly alive and active unit, working for the upbuilding of th health and strength of the Negro people of the city and country. When its meager financial resources are considered, its work is nothing short of remarkable. Adequately finance, its wholesome influence would be increased manifold. 
  Officers of the Evans Clinic association are: W. C. Johnson, president; the Rev. J. P. Reeder, vice president; Alberta Simons, secretary-treasurer. 
 Executive board: C. A. Johnson: Matilda A. Evans and J. T. Starks.

Transcription Notes:
Damage done to the bottom of the page makes certain words harder to read, and it would appear that a line or two of text on the bottom of the second column is cut off. The word before Morning, October 29, 1931, may be Thursday, but from the damage to the document this is hard to tell.