The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1854-08-05
Education In the Free and Slave States Com
pared,

Noucauen II the Free and Slave States Com
| pared
We find (says the Philadelphia North Ameri
can) in the Friends Review, some interesting
calculations from the census of 1850. exhibiting
the relative condition ofthe free and slave States
as to education. The writer notices the position
of Chancellor Harper, Of South Carolina, in bis
elaborate vindicatiou of slavery, delivered in
1887, that the holding Of slaves tends to elevate
the free, by giving them leisure and means oil
improvement; and he shows by careful COM
parison of the official statistics, that the States
which, by the Chancellor's theory, ought to
rank highest in the scale of intelligence, are
distanced by their free rivals to an almost in
credible extent. We give the principal portion
Of the article below:
In Virginia, the number of whites over TWEEN
ty years of age appears by the census, to be
ABB IA, and the number of adults who cannot
read and write, 1905. Hence it appears that
more than one in six of the white adult popu-
lation of Virginia. cannot read and write.
In Pennsylvania and New Jersey. the whites
over twenty, amount to l,l2s.513; of whom
81, or little more than one in sixteen, are
reported as unable to read and write. But
here we must remember that the emf grants
from foreign countries are located chiefly in the
free States. In Pennsylvania and New Jersey,
we find the number born in foreign countries,
set down at $4,000, of whom we may conjec-
ture much the greater part to be adults. Esti-
mating then, four tiiths of the emigrants from
foreign countries to be adults, we shall have
290, 1926 foreigners among those who furnish the
81, l76 who cannot read and write. As many
OF the emigrants are nearly destitute of educa-
ton. our Virginia brethren will probably agree
that l am not treating them unfairly by sup
posing those of this description, who reside in
Pennsylvania and New Jersey. to be no better
educated than the whites of Virginia. taking
natives and foreigners collectively. Upon that
supposition, our foreign population would sup
ply 81, 1885, leaving 2G,9S7 natives over twenty
years of age who cannot read or write.
This estimate would make about one totally
unlearned person in thirty among the
native population in Pennsylvania and New
Jersey.
AS the foreigners in Virginia amount to only
about $4,000, the state of education there is
probably very little affected by including them
in the general mass If, however, we suppose
the amount of apparent ignorance swelled in
Virginia. by including them, we ought likewise
to make greater allowance for that ignorance
in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
That this is not an accidental circumstance.
is evidently shown by comparing the state of
education in the other States.
In South Carolina, Chancellor Harper's own
State, where the number of slaves bears a great
err ratio to the number of whites than in any
other State in the Union, and where of course,
the whites have enjoyed all the means of a lib
eral education which slavery and slave labor
can bestow, the whites over twenty number
l25, 49, and the number of white adults who
cannot read or write, stand in the census 1854
or about one in eight In North Carolina the
whites of twenty years and upwards number
l54.796, of whom it appears 1866, or about
two in seven, cannot read and write. The TO
reigners in the former State, amounting to
about nine thousand, and in the latter to be-
tween two and three thousand. the result of our
estimate would be very little varied by their
exclusion.
Pursuing the comparison, we find in the six
Eastern States. Maine, New Hampshire. NAUSEA
chusetts. Connecticut. Rhode Island and Yer
mont, l.49S.l5S white persons over twenty
years of aye. of whom 509ll are reported as
unable to read aud write. This makes one in
29.4 of the adult white population ucable to
read and write. But we find in these six States
3O5.404 white persons. including all ages, born
in foreign countries. These foreigners furnish,
no doubt. more thai their proportion of uncdu
Gated. In tho same six States, we find l3.476
free colcIed persons of twenty years and up
wards, with 1878 adults, who cannot read and
write This is about one in seven. From this
and the facts stated shove. it appears that the
adult colored population in New England do
not furnish so large a ratio of totally uneducat-
cd, as the whites of Virginia and North Caro-
lima and fall little, and but very little, be-
low the whites of South Carolina.
The three States, New York, New Jersey and
Pennsylvania, contain whites over twenty
years of age. 2,9ll 04l. among whom are l72.-
AGO adults who cannot read aud write. This
is one in 1863. The white foreigners in these
three States number OILS, 1873. The free color
ed of twenty years old number 6S,G24 of whom
Fl, l9O or one out of 80, are reported as unable
to read and write. This shows great want OF
education among this class. There is. howe
yer, no law in either of these States to prohibit
their instruction. 1t can afford no rational
consolation to them or their friends to learn
that the whites in North Carolina and Arkan-
sas appear to be almost equally neglected.
| The six new free States, Ohio, Indiana, Hi
nos, Michigan, Wisconsin aud Iowa, have
whites over twenty years of age, 2,0S4 235, of
! whom 4,Ol7, or one in l0.7 cannot read and
write. OF these Indiana furnishes the greatest
relative number of uneducated of any Free
State in the Union. The white foreigners in
these States. number 81 52S. The free color
ed over twenty years. are 33,OS4, of whom
1888, or one in 81. cannot read and write
The old slave States, Delaware. Mary land,
! Virginia. North Carolina South Carolina and
Georgia, contain over twenty years ofage,
1,25l, 7S5 whites, and SS,042 free colored, a
mong whom are 232 SOC of the former, and 46,
! 1926 Of the latter who cannot read and write.
Thus it appears the uneducatcd are among the
whites nearly one in "a. and among the free
colored one in 10 or rather more than half
The white foreigners in these six States are
stated at 9G,732.
The nine new slave States, Kentucky, Tenn
essee, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas Missou-
ri. Mississippi, Florida, and Texas contain
l,494, 4Ol whites over twenty years, of whom
2S0, 0S6 or one in ga cannot read and write.
The free colored over twenty, are 2l,5S9 in
Guiding S,SO5 or one in "a, who cannot read
and write. The white foreigners in those nine
States are 225.025.
1t hence appears that the whites over TWEEN
ty years of age in the free States, number G,
493, Asa, and in the slave States, 2746. lS6. the
former exceeding double the latter by more
than million; yet in the free States the total
ly iiterate are 81 1897, aud in the slave States