New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-18
STATE [LLITERACY.
Facts and Suggestions in Commits
siOner Draper's Report.

Albany Jan. 1.-THE report of DR.. Andrew s.
Draper, Commissioner Of Education, on interacy
in this State contains some important statements
He says in part:
AS the people of New-York are better informed
concerning iieracy in the State they will sustain
efforts to reduce the quantity Of it. The ngures
stee e s are 9 at least
ten years of age unable to write any language, the
n isS the iiiterates We're II per cent Of the
ten in i 81 lS and 5 they We're 81 per- cent
exactly the same in the three censases In the
United States the tlllterates were 20 per cent IN
$50 II per cent ad in 1850 5 s6 cent in 1899 and 19
pes lh Of her Faey mas the last thirty
years, but in the country at large that percentage
New-York has more to meet in the way OF new
S In her 3 5ha o any
liz; between 1880 1890 it increased 1882, ana
rgs pa aqd u t S 0sn
centage. Of foreign born white ilIterates has not
or in the country in forty years. :. t.
We would probably expect pee to find pro-
the city Of New-Tor than the farming districts
Which RRf oom n9f So the cy Of
that in that city there are about sixty iiterates
counties in which the number is larger; There
humber Of iiteTatas per Of population IS larger
than in Brooklyn or Buffalo Monroe and Onon;
above the middle of the list; The better and more
oSn eFacy more @
is being done in the country districts
WHERE ILLITERACY PREVAILS
In all classes there is more iInteracy above TWEEN
tyfve years Of ege than below.
Illiteracy among children Is decreasing IL all
niiteracy is much less prevalent in cities Of
$1,000 inhabitants than in smaller cities and coun-
There is more female than male illiteracy. The
contrary is true in the age period ten to twenty
is the least is frightening. In time 1t will probably
be less than male illiteracy as to all ages
In New-York the iiterates ten to fourteen years
old decreased from l3 LOCO IN in 1000 in
1900 In the country the decrease was from 104
Notwithstanding the decrease of percentage in
child ilteracy in New-York between 1890 and 1900
states from the eighth to the fourteenth place;
in 1900 but &c a 1000. Yet in comparison with
other States we fell from the seventh to the
In 1900 there not many iliterate negro
voters in New York in 1870. although the negro
there 26S illiterate negro voters 1000 in the
State of New-York; in 1900 it had fallen to 113 a
In 1900 there were 565 COO literate white voters in
the United States who were foreign born. but there
born. The percentage of ilterate voters among
the native born sons OF native parents IS nearly
three times as great as among the native born
In New-York in 1900 there were 1921 tllterate
parents and only $40 illiteTate white voters who
were the sons of foreign born parents There were
native parents and but Is a thousand who were
the of foreign born parents.
In New-YOrk in 1900 the white fllterate voters
were 50 in loo in cities of 5000 or more inhabi-
tants, and SO in 1000 outside of such cities.
our widely exposed and attractive northern from
tier, the percentage Of illteracy in the State of
Including every one of the England States ex-
cept Maine. which stands next above New-York But
reason to know that It is really ten times greater
in ell OF the states than 1t ought 10 be-