Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1900-05-29

! How are we to know whether oui
civilization is advancing or reced
ing whether the condition Of tn,
present generation is more comfort
able and refined than that Of the
preceding generation, whether. as
a nation, we are better off than we
were fifty years ago?
Statesmen and economists have
suggested several standards by
which to Judge; The per capita
wealth. the percentage of illegiti-
mate births, the position and treat.
ment of women, the rate of litter
acy, and the ownership Of property,
particularly of farm and homes. OF
these standards the last two seem
by far the most practicable and ac-
cordingly Congress has directed the
Census Office to ascertain how
many months each scholar has at
tended school during the preceding
year, what proportion of the people
can read, write, and speak Eng
lish, how many families own their
homes or farms, how many rent
them, how many own them subject
to mortgage or other incumbrance.
In the coming census, every terri
torial division of the country and
every separate element of the pop
ulation will have chance to show
what proportion of their number
own their homes and what proper
tion can read or write.
Impractical applications of these
tests orstandards are found in their
employment as suffrage quali6ca-
tions. People differ about the rela-
tive merits, as suffrage qualifca-
tions, Of the ownership Of property
and the ability to read and write,
but there is no doubt Of the immense
significance and Importance of the
two classes of facts. In France, in
1891, there were about 1850, 900
owners of land; England, with
about the same population, had
only 325, 200 land owners, while the
United States occupied an interme-
diate position with a population
about 70 per cent greater than that
of France and little over 5000, 900
families who owned their homes or
farms. No one can doubt the sgnif-
icance of these figures in explain
ing social conditions in France and
England and the United States.
They represent the difference be-
tween our land system, the system
of large land holding in England,
and that of small proprietorship in
France.
1t is hard to overestimate the
value of such information or the in
terest felt in it by statesmen and
social students in general, Take
the race question, Tor instance, as
a single illustration of large class
of similar questions. In 1880, 20
per cent. Of the colored population
was illiterate, while in 1890 this
proportion was less than 81 I per
cent. Not only did the proportion
of colored llliterates decrease be-
tween 1880 and 1890, but the abso-
Lutte number OF such persons di-
minished. Whether the colored
VIII make as admirable
a showing in l900is d question Of
the most significance.
The territorial distribution of thu
illiterate population is another
question of great interest. In 1890
the percentage of iHiteracy in the
North Atlantic States was 6l9, in
the South Atlantic States 5000; in
the North Central States the rate
was 5.T0, in the South Central
group 29.73. In the last ten years
the South has had q magnificent
industrial Development Whether
this material progress has resulted
in higher state of education;
whether the benefits Of progress
have been shared by the masses,
or have been secured mainly by
the richer classes, are questions
which will be partly answered by
the statistics Of iliietacg in the
Southern States for 1900.
Another problem Of great Inpor.
tance il tie increase Of tenancy, as
opposed to the ownership of real
! FRO )erty. From 1880 to 1890 the
num 1er of farm tenants in the