New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-06-11
The Illiteracy of the Women of the United
states.

StateSs
| From the Hartford Courantl
| This fearful and ill-omened caption is not
| ours. We find it in the third number OF
| the publication of the Transactions of the
| American Association of Social Science"
But the caption is not SO startling as the
facts that we find under it, 1t appears by
| paper in the Report of the Commissioner
| of Education" for 1870 on the illiteracy in
the United States, that there is large ex-
cess of female illiteracy. This fact will
| surprise great many people, and espe-
| cially is it remarkable in this day of what
is called the elevation of woman. And it
is still more remarkable when we see in
what States of this Union this illteracy is
increasing 1t seems by the tables of this
| report that while there are differences in
the different parts of the country, the gen.
eral rule is that there is preponderancy
of ignorant women everywhere. The aver
age is from one hundred and forty to one
hundred and fifty women to every one hun
dred men, among the illiterate. But this
is not the most surprising thing. ="
Although the proportion Of illiterate
women decreased six per cent throughout
the country, from 1850 to 1860 the proper
ton increased eleven per cent in Maine,
fifty three in New Hampshire, twenty-seven
in Vermont, thirty four in Massachusetts,
thirty three ill Rhode Island, sixteen in
Connecticut, ten in New York, ten in Della
ware, thirty seven in the District of Column
bia, nine in Georgia, three in Alabama,
three in Florida, five in Mississippi. five in
Louisiana, five in Texas, five in Arkansas,
thirty-three in Wisconsin and thirty-two in
Minnesota. 1t will be observed that these
figures relate to a period before the war,
so that the education of the cOlored women
at the South does not help to account for
the difference in favor of that section in the
improvement in the intellectual condition of
women. Is the retrograde movement in the
Northern States due TO immigration 1t
would seem not; for New Hampshire, which
heads the list in degeneracy, has certainly
fewer immigrants than Connecticut and
New York.
And Wisconsin and Minnesota, which de-
crease in intelligence as alarmingly IS Mas
sachusetts, are largely settled by men and
women of Scandinavia, who can generally
read and write. What, then is the trouble
The Social Science Association say that
"these are significant figures, and they point
even more directly than the needle to the
pole to the necessity of taking a fresh start
in the sO-called development of women. 1t
is plain enough that the first thing they
need is not the suffrage, not the professions,
not the public offices, but the alphabet
In my opinion says one OF Miss Austens
heroes, nature has given women so much
tndG lHty never Huu IL necessary 10 use
more than half That's Just the trouble.
and until women learn that they, as well as
men, must use the whole, they will continue
to suffer. We commend to women's clubs.
women's journals and wOmen's platforms,
education, simple education, as the one
thing needful to the sex, and as needful in
the United States as throughout the civil
lied or uncivilized world"
There is hope that this state of things
Al III
ment of such schools as Vassar; for it is ad-
mitted that besides this illiteracy, and no
doubt related to it, is an indifference among
women to general affairs which interest men.
We do not mean political affairs. for too few
men are intelligently interested in politics.
but in the goings on of the world at large:
in the life that is represented in the daily
newspaper The number of women who
read, except in the most cursOry manner. |
the newspaper, is small. We suppose that |
it will not be disputed that the women are |
few who read or converse with each other |
as men do with each other, concerning the |
larger questions of life, the new things in |
literature, travel, the social prob |
lens the constitutions of foreign people, |
the general life of the globe, in short lex |
elusive of home politics, let us say, in order |
to make the distinction clearer). There is |
still more hope for women in the establish
ment of such schools as the Simmons Fe- |
male College in Boston, where women are
to be taught medicine, music. draw
ng, designing, telegraphy, and other
branches of science, art and industry, best
calculated to enable the scholars to acquire
IN independent livelihood. For Mr.. John
who endowed the school. was an
employer of women in the manufacture of
'eady made clothing, and he discovered that
what women most require is not employ
nent" but training" There is work
,nough for women TO do if they were fitted
% do it; at least their chances for paying
work are as good as the chances of men
EQUAL strength and training being granted.
Upon this point FLORENCE Nightingale.
who has had much experience, speaks with
authority. She says: People cry out and
teplore the unremunerative employment for
women. The true want is the other way.
Women really trained and capable for good
work. can command any wages or salaries.
Ne can't get the women. The remunerative
employment is there, and in plenty. The
want is the women fit to take it, Three
Ourths of the whole mischief in women's
ives arises from their excepting themselves
rom the rules of training considered need
ul for men," 1t seems, therefore, that there
5 great work for women who are we'll
informed and sensible of the need of their
ex generally, to do. Are they doing it,