Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1894-09-19
IllIteracY in the United States.

From the statistics Of il~literacy in the
United States in 1900, it appears that,
OF the total population 10 years of age
and over in 1890, 1874 per cent, or n
eighth, were illiterate. Ten years
earlier a similar proportion was II per
cent, or about one sixth showing an
immense reduction in the proportion of
illiterates. This reduction has taken
place in the ranks of the native born
whites and of the colored, while among
the foreign born the proportion has
increased. Thus, the proportion of il.
literates among the native whites was
In 1890 go per cent, and in 1880 81
per cent. Among the colored the cor.
responding proportions we're &c. per
cent, and 70 per cent. Among the
foreign born, on the other hand, the
proportion of illiterates in 1890 was 1871
per cent, and in 1880 10 per cent, an
increase to be accounted for by the
excessive immigration OF the decade
and by the character of much of that
immigration, which consisted Of the
lower classes of Southern and Eastern
Europe-Italians, Huns, Poles and 30.
hemians. The illiteracy of the country
is therefore mainly represented by the
foreign born and the colored elements,
and by the latter in much greater de-
gree than the former. Considering the
entire population, the States in which
illiteracy is most PREVALENT are those
OF the South. Mason and Dixon's line,
the Ohio river, and the thirty seventh
parallel of latitude separate the l~iterate
from the illiterate States. North of that
line the proportion of illiteracy ranges
from 81 in Nebraska up to 10 8 in Ne
vada. South of that line it ranges
from 14.6 in the District of Columbia
to 1873 in Louisiana, if we except Okla
homa, which vas largely settled from
Kansas and CARED Kansas education
with it. Indeed, throughout the cotton
States the proportion ranges high,
being 40 per cent. in Mississippi, Al in
Alabama, nearly 40 in Georgia, and 40
In South Carolina. In the Northern
States, throughout New England and
the upper Mississippi valley, the aver
age is between 8 and 8 per cent.
Analysis shows that the colored peo-
pie Of the South measurably offset the
foreign born of the North. The distri.
button Of ~illiteracy among the native
whites is in its broader features quite
similar to that of the total population.
The North contains a very small pro-
portion of illiterates, ranging from 0.8
per cent. in Nevada up to 6.8 in Mis-.
souri,, while in the South, again leav-
ing Oklahoma out of consideration,
the population ranges from so in
Maryland up to 23.1 per cent. in North
Carolina. The proportion of illiterates
among the native whites OF the Western
States and territories is smaller than
anywhere else, with the exception of
New Mexico, where it is larger than in
any other State or territory, being not
less than 42.S per cent, owing, of
course, to the presence Of the large
Mexican population. Among the for
eign born the proportion ranges in
those States where this element is sig
nifcsnt from Z per cent. In Washing
ton up to 20 in New Hampshire. 1t is
very high in New England-much
higher than in other of the Northern
States, owing to the large number of
French Canadians. 1t is low in the
West and Northwest, where the foreign
element mainly consists of Germans
and Scandinavians. The colored in
h~abitants Of the Northern States have
a much smaller proportion of illiterates
than those of the Southern States. In
the North the average is not far from
30 per cent while in the South it ia
probably nearly.or quite double that
proportion. Among the cotton States
it ranges from so per cent. in Florida
to 70 in Louisiana. In Mississippi,
Georgia, Alabama, and the Carolinas
it ranges between go and 10 per cent.
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