New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-05-03
SOUTHERN ILLITERACY
One of the Great Euils-Eforts to
OCercome This Handicap.
tFrom a stan Correspondent Of Th. Tribune. ]


journed yesterday, has passed into history, it may
be well 10 try indicate briefly the point TO which
! the development of education in that part of the
country attained, it appeared OF
those attending it. 1t would seem that the inertia
| which retarded the movement for years has been
and that at last the forces of the state
county and city governments, as well of private
citizenship, being swung into line for more
and better schools. Prohibition is burning social
and economic problem in the South, but 1t does
not exceed in popular interest the school problem
A traveller through the South finds the latter a
common topic OF general conversation
One Of the features OF this years conference was
the attitude of frsnkness with which actual con-
ditions discussed While there pride in
what has been accomplished, it was subordinated
to realization of the shortcomings and great
needs of the school systems and spirit of de-
termination to attack with increasing zeal the
great work yet to be done
When consider what conditions a
few years ago. am proud OF what we have done"
was the way of the state superintendent
pressed it. But when L think Of how wofully
deficient our school system IS, am not inclined to
boast"
that. while the. old lines of work should be kept
up special attention and emphasis in the ipnmedi-
ate future be given to these points:
Improvement in county supervision the strate-
The establishment and adequate maintenance and
equipment of public high schools efficient
With the colleges and uniVerSities and OF proSns
the scholarship OF public school teachers and the
intelligence and efficiency OF the entire citizenship
Industrial and agricultural education In the ele-
mentary and secondary public schools.
The education and professional training OF teach
to the just demand for more ef1cient SER
vice
systematizng and unifying of the work OF the
schools from the elementary schools through the
Increased attendance by urging the Importance of
education, and also by conservative legal require
ment in such communities as are prepared for this
The last It will be noticed is somewhat guard
ed reference to compulsory education. which is
Of the live topics coming rapidly to the front in the
South. There were those who argued strongly for
compulsory education in every Southern state
Some believe that all the states not ready for
such law-hsve not the necessary equipment to
carry out its provisions and have not educated the
sentiment of the people to obey it. But the
fact remains that at the afternoon session yester
day, which was devoted to the subject every of
the speakers representing many different states
made strong pleas for compulsory education as
one of the great factors for the decrease OF Hit
eracy- DR.. Wickliffe Rose OF Nashville. arguing
that education pays commercially declared that
the iliteracy of the South stood for her inevitable
handicap. Some say We have TWO races to edu-
cate and cannot afford TO do it,. he said. but that
argument has nothing TO do with it. as both are
economic factors and welfare depends our
economic efficiency"
Clarence H. Poe editor of The Progressive
Farmer OF Raleigh. advocated the preaching Of
the doctrine that 1T pays in dollars and cents
Education is not only going to produce men who
will develop our commercial resources said pro-
fessor OF prominent Southern university in the
lobby OF the Hotel Gayoso last night. is
going to improve political life. 1t will produce
thinking OF independence to lessen the power
OF the demagogue. who has been responsible for
recent legislation that has hurt the South COM
mercially.'
Only of the commonly cIassed as
Sou hax-e
these only in local option form. The states are
Virginia. which passed its law this year and North
Carolina, which has given similar law a trial for
two years In South Carolina such bill de
feated by only few votes this year. A general
compulsory education law passed by the Ala
bama Senate, failing, however. in the lower house
But the indications that it will go through at
the next session. Similar bills will also be intro
duced in other
A suggestion that state appro priatons to school
districts be made the basis of attendance rather
than of school population is also suggested a
good means o stimulate increased attendance
Professor W H. Hand. of the University South
Carolina, presented comparative figures
which showed in startling way the high per
centage of illiteracy in the Southern states One
table showed that the percentage OF native white
illiterates of voting age in the Northern and West
ern states (Which have compulsory education) va
ried between 81 and $.5, while in the Southern
states the average was from 1f.5 to 12.2
HIhe truth fs that i'll some of the Southern
the total white illiteracy has remained practically
unchanged for thirty years" declared Professor
Hand. Other speakers challenged this broad state
Inent. but the exact truth of the situation will not
be known until the census Of 1910 The claim is
repeatedly made that the younger generation of he
whites in the South is going school, continued
Professor Hand. That is not true. Statistics
show that more than % per cent OF the white chill
drcn between the ages of ten and fourteen that
crucial period are not in school at all The South
has than a quarter of a million iIIiterate
white children between ten and nineteen years of
age. Tennessee alone has SSH such white bows
and girls. while her neighbor Ohio. has only 1888
and Minnesota only 242
Professor Hand received applause when he an
swered the question TO the right OF the
enforce school attendance follows: The state
has the unquestioned right 10 carry the aw-break-
Ing child TO the reformatory the jail to protect
society. Has not the state much right to carry
the child to the sch2phouse to save him from the
reformatory the Jail and to train him to benefit
society"
For several years the state appropriations for
schools in the South have been growing In the
last five years the taxes raised for schools have
been increased between SIS 900 and SIS oco0o0
largely through the good work done by the Confer
ence for Education in the South. But the increase
the last year has been particularly marked Educa-
ton has become political issue and the egisa tor
who stands in the way of its advancement is not
likely to last long. Most Of the states this year
have given all they could afford, and some even
more. And most of the money has been given In
way to stimulate the raising of money by local tax
or community subscription.
Take Virginia for example, J. D. Esgeston,
State Superintendent OF Public Instruction, re-
ported that the General Assembly. which meets b.
annually appropriated $4,000 a year for high
schools two years ago. This year that appropria-
ton was doubled. This money goes for salaries.
The local communities raised $500 .000 from the
stimulus Of the first .5oooo OF the III super
viso-s education eleven get only 500 a
year. In the North that would be almost unthink-