Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1882-07-13
startling IIIiteracy.

The bulletins issued by the census
bureau are of much interest and re-
veal the actual state of the country as
it existed in 1880. The statistics in re-
gard to illiteracy contain some start
ling revelations and show the great
need of the school master abroad in the
land, and the need on the part of the
States to provide N ore facilities Tor the
general education Of the people to the
extent at least originally contemplated
in the establishment of the public school
system. In many of the States, especi.
ally in the South; bad financial doc.
trines and practices have robbed the poor
of the inestimable advantage, and being
told of it is what angered Mr.. Whit
thOrne, of Tennessee, in Congress, the
OF her day, when he ran against Mr.
Robson, of New Jersey, and made such
a ridiculous spectacle of himself. In
other States the scope of the school sys-
tenn has been so changed by the private
methods and preferences of teachers
and school boards, that the poor are
practically excluded. Unfortunately
the tendency in many States is towards
q "higher education" to the neglect Of
the common school education" While
the first Is well enough for those to
" HON time is of little consequence and
who have plenty of money, the second
is all important to those who have no
time to spare, and who have to delve
and build and do the worlds work,
But what 90 we CLEAN from the census
bul letins? Let us see. There are in the
States and territories of the United
States no less than 4,204, 1862 persons
above the age of twenty one ears, who
cannot write. OF these 2,O56, 463 are
whites and 2,147, 900 are colored. In
eluded in the latter are 300, 900 Indians
and 100000 Asiatics or Chinese. The
Indians and Asiatics are not citizens
and are not likely to become so. De-
ductin these it is shown that there are
more illiterate white than black PEG.
pie in the country. Of the total num-
Der Of illiterate persons over twenty-one
yea rs of age, assuming half to be fe
males, which is quite proper estimate,
1t leaves almost 100000 adult males or
about twenty per cent. of the entire
popu lation, which know nothing about
the ballots which they cast except from
hearsay. In the last fifteen years much
has been said and said truthfully too,
Of the dense ignorance of colored voters
of the South. But in the meantime not
enough attention has been drawn to the
Hitter ate white voters of the North.
Even in New England where popular
education is supposed to be more widely
diffused than in any other section, the
illiterate voters hold the balance of
power. In New York, in Pennsyl-I
Vania, in Ohio, in short 1t may be said
shat in every State the illiterate voters
If combined can decide any political is.
sue. Corruption of voters and bribery
in politics must always prevail while
such a condition of affairs exist. In
New York city 30 per cent of the school
p opulation are not enrolled in school,
in Brooklyn AZ per cent. and the per
Centage in Baltimore is as, in Washing. |
ton and Georgetown AZ, and in Albany,
New York it reaches the enormous fig |
ares of 60 per cent. In Philadelphia
and Wilmington it is better, the per-
cottages being about 10. These are
startling facts to thoughtful citizens
who are toiling to educate and make
the world better, and instead of dis
Oouraging them should incite them to
red0ubled efforts to diffuse education,
enlighten the public mind and to lift
higher the standard of general intelli- |
Eence and morality.