Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-08-04
ILLlTERACY IN Tue United STATES.

Inc common SCHOOL SYSTEM VI llliS 'uuntiy
has long been our pride and boast and yet
the extent 10 which it fails Of educating all
the people, rs shown by the census reports.
Is al once surprising and alarming, Out of
total population of fifty million nearly five
million (ovcr ten years OF age or almost one
tenth, can not read and over six million, or
1914 per cent can not write. These great
percentages are, of course, largely due to the
millions of uncducated colorcd people At the
South but even for the white population the
figures are by no means ila,tcriDg OF to-
tai white population of 43,400,0OO, no less
than 5000, 900 can not writc-a proportion
altogether too large. of our colored popu-
laiion nearly onc-half-3, 200, 900 ont Of
total Of G,750000 unable to write.
And the. showing does not seem TO
greatly improve with the progress OF the
years Thus according to the census OF
1870, of a total population Of 3S,55S,O00,
4,52S, 600 were unable to read and 5,G5S, 700
70 write. In our own State, according to the
last census of the 332.2sG inhabitants, 49,
093 were unable to read and 1881 to write
proportions larger, probably, than most
persons imagined. Vermont, by the way,
shows decided gain since 1870. Then d.
1876 OF her people were unable to read and
17,7OG to write-showing conclusively that
the schoolmaster was abroad in our Common
wealth during the decade. But after making
al Ia tbn nrti pE p1
people in our land is alarmingly large. The
education of the masses is the cornerstone OF
our Government. There is no truth better
established or more generally admitted than
that the Republican form of Government
can not exist unless the people are compe-
tent to govern themselves AS has been well
said "What is the Republican form of gov
ernment of the people by the people? But
how can the people govern, how exercise
sovereignty, except they have the knowledge
requisite to that end ? Sovereignty requires
as much intelligence when exercised by the
people as a whole as when exercised by q
single individual 1t requires more. The
monarch governs according to his will, not
necessarily with that broad intelligence de.
handed by the public good. Government FOL
the people by the people implies that degree
of popular intelligence which will enable thu
masses of men to comprehend the principles
and to direct the administration of govern
ment in such way as to promote the general
welfare Republican government therefore
requires higher degree of intelligence OF
the part OF the sovereign than any other form
That sovereign is the whole body of the peo
pie. How, then, can the Republican fern o
government exist and continue to exist unless
sovereigns are educated''
In most of the Northern and Western
States this question of illiteracy is one tina
ought 10 be easily settled, All that they re
quirc is more schools and better schools ant
more stringent laws compelling attendance
upon them. But in other States the case |
difIerent-the States into which foreign i'm
migration is pouring with such enormous vol
ume, the States of the South where the pop
ulation Is so largely iliterate and where tn
general poverty prevents the establishment o
a complete and comprehensive school system
Nearly half million of the white and almos
a million of the colored voters in the Soutl
can not read the ballots which they cast. Blu
thirteen years have elapsed since the latte
class was given the ballot. At that time al
of them were grossly ignorant not only OF let
tiers, but also absolutely devoid of all knowl
edge Of the rights and obligations of citizen
ship. During the last ten years the number