Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1902-02-27
White Illiteracy in the South.
Philadelphia Press.

philadelphia Press.
The statement of o. A. Hillyer, of the
Atlanta theological Seminary that there
are twice the faculties for the education of
the colored people in the South that there
are for the white people may be over
drawn, but there is some ground for the
assertion. If Prof. Hillyer had been more
definite in saying what he called facilities
for education" it would be possible to
Judge better of the truth of his statement.
In the number of common schools in pro-
portion to population the colored people
may have more than the whites, but the
standard of the former class Of schools does
not come up to the average Of the latter
class. And in academies and colleges the
whites have long lead, although North
ern generosity has founded and sustained
some colored colleges of high class in the
South.
But Prof. Hillyer is undoubtedly right
when he says that the education OF the
Southern whites has been neglected and
that it is to the advantage of good citizen
ship that attention be paid to this phase
of development in the South, The census
of 1900 showed that thirty-five years after
the close of the war for the Union over
one-seventh of the white males of voting
age in Alabama were illiterate. About
onetenth of the white males of voting age
in Arkansas also were illiterate, one-sev-
enth of the white Kentucky voters, about
one fifth of the white North Carolina vot-
ers and little less than one seventh OF the
white Tennessee voters. Many Of these
are survivals of the period before the war
when schools were rare in the Southern
States. 1t is impossible to make an exact
comparison with previous conditions as
the census of 1890 did not give the literacy
of voters. but as near as a comparison can
be made there was no marked decline OF
white illiteracy in the South during the
J last decade.
Illiteracy among the colored population,
however, shows an encouraging reduction.
In 1890 the number of male illiterate ne
groes in the country over twenty years of
age was l ,O25, 956, and in 1900 the number
of illiterate male negroes over twenty'one
years of age was 1,078,008. AS the former
enumeration began with negro males one
year younger than the latter enumeration
it is safe to conclude that there were about
one-tenth more illiterate negro males OF
voting age in the country in 1900 than in
1890 But while the illlterate negro males
of voting age increased about 10 per cent,
the negro population increased about 10
per cent. So the increase in illiteracy did
not keep up with the increase in popula-
ton. 1t is notable fact also that thirty
five years after the war 52.7 per cent. of
the negro males of voting age in the coun-
try are illiterate and 47.3 per cent. liter
ate With the bad start they had and all
the disadvantages with which they had to
contend this is a notable achievement.
But while there should be no slackening
in the effort to reduce negro illteracy there
should be a more vigorous effort made to
reduce white illiteracy in the South. The
movement started in the North recently
and which, it is said, will attract the lib
crafty of Mr.. John D. Rockefeller and
other rich men, gives promise that the
near future will see something done in this
way. If the effort is well directed it ought
to bear fruit quickly and the result be- seen
in an appreciate reduction of white Hitter
acy in the South in the next census.