New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-03-14
NETWORKS ILLITERATES.
Astonishing Statistics of Some Counties in
This State.

With something bordering on CONSERVATION the
members of the Woman's Republican Associa-
ton at Delmonico's yesterday listened 10 the
statistics Of illiteracy in the United states
which District Superintendent Clarence T.
Meeney poured into their astonished ears. AS
Mrs. James Griswold Wentz the president. eX-
pressed II. Il knew we had illiterate foreigners
and nIterate negroes. but I didn't suppose we
had thousands Of native born illiterate Ameri-
cans"
Mr. Meleney based his remarks on the recent
report by Dr. Draper United States Commits
sioner of Education. According to this state
ment which is based the census Of 1900.
New-York stands only nineteenth in the list OF
states in point of literacy. The women WINGED
when they heard that In New-York County 81
of every 1000 persons over ten years Of age
and &c of every 1000 voters were illiterate. OF
these ilIiterates 95 per cent are foreigners 1.6
per cent are native children Of foreign parentage
and fve-tenths of per cent native children
OF native parents.
But this was erudition compared with the sta
tistics Of some of the upstate counties-Alle-
gany, for example, where native children OF
native parents form 49, per cent Of the Hit
crates Delaware, with 80 per cent; Tioga. 65.5
per cent. and-most astounding Of all-Scho-
harie, with 76.9 per cent.
The present generation are more illiterate in
these counties than their fathers We're" said
Mr.. Meleney. IT'S hard to tell what causes the
variations between the different counties. but
all the upstate counties have much to struggle
with educationally. with SMALL few schools.
poorly trained teachers and the rtgors of win
ter What with the summer farming. the win
ter SHOWS and the spring mud, there seven
months in the year when education hardly
be carried on at all. The school year should be
changed in these districts. especially in the case
Of children from four TO twelve years old. and
there should be a school term extending from
April to the end of November Here in New
York ought to have school mornings in sum-
mer. We didn't dare to propose It six years ago
so made the schools play schools. but the
large number Of foreign and backward children
made educational schools desirable Now we
in the midst OF great movement for the
educating OF the backward and defective child
who can't profit by the general school curricu-
lum. but who has just much right TO an edu-
cation the sound, bright child, and an even
stronger claim to IT."
Mrs. Martha s. Gielow. president general of
the Southern Industrial Education Association
told of the splendid work Of the Vanderbilts at
BiltmOre, their estate in North Carolina, in de-
veloping nome industries among the noun
taineers.
I would rather have done that work" she ex-
claimed, than TO build all the libraries in Gre
alton" And the Republican women appauded.
How can any one who has heard Or. Diapers
figures feel apprehensive of immigration" asked
HoDert Natcnorn, commissioner or immigration
at Ellis Island, who was the last speaker. "Edu-
cationally they leave nothing to be said. Over
one million aliens entered this port last year, Of
whom only three hundred thousand could neither
read nor write-an infinitely smaller percentage
than in some Of your New York counties
The difficulty with immigration lies not in guam
tty but in quality. II is a question Of individual
fitness. Immigrants come a flood of gold
bathing your shores. Within fifty years they
have lifted your country from a third or fourth
place to the first place among nations. II YOU
are going 10 ask a diploma from an educational
institution with every immigrant l don't know
! where you going to get your diggers and
! dikers-and cooks and housemaids are going to
/ be scarcer than they are now"