The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1904-05-10
STARTLING FIGURES.

.. . STARTLING FIGURES.
We pride great Republic upon teracy,
this justified but the statistics teracy startling
than the nonobservant well believe Recently Chapman
Gait the retiring president of the National American Womn Suffer
age Association gave address upon this subject which rather
startled educators the mainland their compaency
voting age the United States who could neither read nor
write, per number eligible
these nearly million negroes but the larger amount
1254ooo whites This in itself surprise has always
imagined that the bulk the eracy with the negro Thirty years
before the OF 1870 the e exceeded the eae
whites by During the time elapsed persistent effort giving
the negro educational facilities has turned the scale and the litter
whites ounpuber the leae negroes by 277ooo This itself
startling 1t brings light that greater effort should be made
bring the standard ote white and that possibly trying raise
neglected
promptly put down the erate foreigners No Amcanborn
be utterly terae With the school system of the United
States every born in the land must be able read and write And
here one apt @ get second shock Out OF the 25ooo hee
white voting age is that $4,000 foreignbom, but
the number OF native born still greater viz 688ooo or more
than foregn-bon erae This unbelievable but there
figures tables they be ontroved
large number born within the United States
right birth who may help swing elections
wherever there is educational grow up ignorance
dense that they neither read write This is certainly startling
revelation and which should and educators think
curious startling brought by Mrs
Gait in the course Of her address The official figures show that the
per terate among the natebom of native Co. So
nearly three times great naveborn of foreign
parents The Der cent the former class is five and half the
only The foreign parent better OF the public
schools than the hatyebon Mrs Gait asks is the degen
Grating? Figures certainly blow pride
In summing up Mrs Gait During the sixty the
terate white population voting the United States has
increased from 2o43 I25ooo and the proportion Of erates
the whole number increased from six and feen-hun
dreds and hdredhs 1t startling fact that
despite boosted system free schools the ea
has increased during the past sixty years. and that have larger
proportion than any history 1t less startling dis
them native parents
Mrs Gait offers the general proposition that the terac
purcasab this especially of the she and
her the fact the NOh Indifference toward the
Souths acknowledgment the negroes She that the
negroes began moving large numbers the North better under
stands the Sous opposition to negro suffrage debasng element
the electorate.
While Of the white teracy the large cities and in the
southern confined them alone For example the
to OF New Mexico with population nearly all white has nearly
twenty-five Of eraes among her natvebon In the
shadow of Yale University the city of New Haven with population
of little above there nearly lterate
OF Mrs Cats object getting these figures together
show that have such large male would be bet
replace by of cultivated In fact she the
educational which would throw all who read or
write and receive without regard That question open
great deal has been successful in New Zealand and
has also been adpdn of states 1t has the most ardent
and has the bitter opponents chiefly from the
and deb though among the opponents who base their
position principle But the ordinary reader the figures will give
unpleasant shock muca has been shbboeh that the ILL
Of the United States decreasing whereas find
ing among the native-born sons 1t a dream dspeled