The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1872-01-26
Illiteracy in the United StaicS-Interest.
ing Facts from the Census Returns.

The United States Commissioner of
Education, Gen. John Eaton, Jr., in his
annual report, has prepared from adj
vanced sheets of the census, a variety
of statistics ofiliteracy. A table giving
the nativity OF illiteracy in the United
States in 1870 shows that there is an
aggregate of ,S64 foreign illiterates,
of whom Cos, 9S5 are in the Northern
States 30,496 in the Pacific States and
Territories, and 1888 in the Southern
States; that there is an aggregate OF
4,SS2,2l0 native illiterates, of whom
69O,ll7 are in the Northern States;
4,504 in the Pacific States and Terri
tories, and 4,ll7,5S9 in the Southern
States, making grand total of 5,660,074
illiterates in the entire country. A
second table shows that of every 10000
inhabitants in the whole Union there
are Sill whites, 1906 colored, Is
Chinese, and 7 Indians; the celored
race being in excess only in the States
Of Louisiana, 2,l45; South Carolina,
l26, l47, and Mississippi, ,305. A table
showing the illiteracy of the white race
and colored race gives total of 2,879,54
of the former, and 2,763,99l of the
latter
The aggregate adult illiteracy of both
sexes is 1861 ,422, of whom 2,4S9,59l
are in the Southern States. The aggre-
gate of minor illiterates between ten
and twenty. one years. is 2,006, ll2,'sof
whom 1893, l44 are in the Southern
States, North Carolina having the largest
number-222,l 59. OF the Northern
States of minor illiterates, Ohio has the
largest number-47,654
A table of ratios of illiteracy is given,
showing that in proportion TO the total
population of the grand divisions, North
ern, Pacific and Southern, the total
illiteracy of the Northern is about one
half of that of the Pacific, and less than
one-tifth of that Of the Southern that
the native illiteracy of the Northern
division is less than one-tenth of that of
the Southern that the white iliteracy
OF the Northern is less than one-half of
that of the Southern that the colored
illiteracy of the Northern is about one
forty-eighth part of that in the South
ern and that in the Southern division,
the adult male illiteracy is nearly four
and one-half times, and the total minor
illiteracy more than ten times as great
IL
Some curious facts in regard to the
influence OF education upon the revenue
are also presented. 1t appears that the
number of patents issued to the inhabi-
tants of Arkansas was one to every
37,267 persons, while IN Connecticut
there was one patent issued to every 966
persons. In Arkansas there are sixteen
adults unable to write to every 100 in
habitants in Connecticut there are
four adults unable to write to every 100
inhabitants. In Arkansas the receipts
OF internal revenue are twenty-six cents,
and nine mills per capita; IN Connecticut
the receipts are 1874 per capita. In
Arkansas there resulted during the last
year to the Post-office Department loss
OF over torty-nine cents for each inhabi
tant in the State, loss in amount al
most double the internal revenue re-
ceipts from the State. In Connecticut
there accrued a net profit to the Post
office Department of twenty-six cents
per capita. In Florida there are twenty
three adults unable to write to every 100
inhabitants. In that State one patent
was issued to every 81 ,29l inhabitants,
or only six in the entire State. The in
ternal revenue collected amounted to
siXty-four cents per capita (of the entire
population.) From that State the Post
office Department suffered loss of
ninty-two cents per capita. Contrast
this with California, where the number
of patents issued was one TO every ?, 422
inhabitants, and the amount of internal
revenue collected was $643 per capita
There was loss to the Post office of
Sl.5O per capita, but this deficit is &C
counted for in part by the long lines of
transportation, to the cost of which the
thinly settled intervening sections do
not greatly contribute. But in Cali
fornia there are only four adults unable
to write to every 100 Of the inhabitants.
In Tennessee twelve adults are unable
to read and write to every 100 of the
inhabitants, and the State pays internal
revenue at the rate of sixty-nine cents
per capita, while Ohio, in which there
are four illiterate adults to every 100 in
habitants, pays 1868 internal revenue
per capita. In Massachusetts,, where
there are three adult illiterate persons
out of every 100 inhabitants, the excess
of Post Office receipts above expendi.
lures was over $4,000.