The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-08-22
THE SCHOOL CENSUS.
GEORGIA HASGO4 ,0c1 CHILDREN BE-
TWEEN THE AGES OF AND is.
Illiteracy is Rapidly Decreasing, In Albania
the Percentage Among the Whites is Only
One-Savannah Leads-Other Notes.

The new school census of Georgia con-
| tains much valuable and interesting lnlof-
| nation.
AS previously stated in The Constitution,
| the figures show an incretse Ill the schooi
| population in the last five years OF nearly
s per cent. The statistics also show that
there are more male than female school
children in Georgia. The increase mas
been more rapid among the colored popu-
lation than among the whites and by l-o
per cent since 1883.
The most important fact of all is the
decrease in illteracy. No accurate Figures
are in existence for 1888, but the last nation
al census showed that 10000 men i'll Geor-
gia could not read their votes.
Today the percentage Of illiteracy among
the whites is Ill.
That is eleven whites between the ages of
| ten and eighteen cannot write and read.
| Among the blacks the percentage Is two and
| onc-half times as great, or u per cent. Inc
| average illteracy for Georgia both blacks
and whites is is per cent.
| In some counties the increase in popula-
| ton has been fast. Wilcox county for
instance shows an increase of GIL per cent.
| There is peculiar thing about the increase
| in population. Beginning at the upper part
| of the state there is a tier of counties which
| have increased in school population. Then
right below this tier is one running across
| the state which has not much more than
held its own. Take the tier on a line pass
! ing through Fulton and these have grown
considerably. The next tier lying between
| here and Macon makes Il poorer showing,
while the wire grass counties have passed
all the rest. To Illustrate Berrien has
grown SO per cent, Applng %. Bullock
%, Coffee 40, Dooy40, Emanuel u. Irwin
81, Laurens ~, Montgomery 40, Tattnal
46, Ware 81 Wilcox CT and Worth 10.
Fulton's school children have increased
IL per cent outside of the city or pei
cent more than the general average for thu
| state.
Atlanta makes a fine showing, her schoo
population having grown % per cent il
the last five years.
Atlanta makes capital showing on hel
white children who can read and write
the percentage of illiterates being only
per cent. Among the colored it is II pei
cent, giving a general average for the city
OF per cent. Only five chill
dren in every one hundred in At
lanta between ten and eighteen years oil
age cannot read and write. With the
whites it is only one in Il hundred
This is testimonial to the school system
| Of the city.
Savannah beats the whole country though
on her iliterate showing, the percentage
| being only one white child in 400 that can
not read and write. Captain Bradwell, the
state school commissioner, says that he
| doubts if there is any city in the United
States which can begin to approach Savan-
nah. That city has an old and excellent
| public school system. Evidently it reaches
practically white children and compulsory
education could hardly produce as good re-
/ suits. Among the colored population the
percentage of illiteracy in Savannah is
nine, making for the city general average
| of 4 per cent.
Here are some of the figures for the
| state:
| School population 1888 :. -. :. . $50 2S1
School population 1898 :. :. =. ;. .6o4,071
| Increase. :. :. e. =. =. :. =. Al, 600
| Percentage of increase. E. :. :. =. :. s
| Ivo WHITES.
! @rtes Pennies. Total
= 1913 1876 $1,000
ar COIORED.
@vhta..4 144.G21 $50, ,3l
rrnf