Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-03-02
1880 ILLITERATE
CHILDREN IN STATE
SCHOOL CENSUS SHOWS 2s IN
EVERY 200 CHILDREN ARE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS OF 10
PER CENT IN PAST 5 YEARS.

PER CENT IN PAST 8 YEARS.
| That the number of iliterate children
: in Georgia has decreased very consider
ably during the past five years, will be
shown by indisputable figures which
will be incorporated in the annual re-
port OF State School Commissioner
Pound. These figures constitute the basis
| of comparisons In the state school COM
missioner's quincennial school census. or
| the showing that is made every tve
! years of the number of children In the
state between the school ages of and
| Is years
According to those figures, it will be
| shI~n that there were at the close of
! the year 1908, 84.3S0 illiterates out of
total population of 7S5,4n children of
| school age, or that the percentage of
| illiteracy among Georgia children over
the age of 10 years (priOr to which age
| a child cannot be considered illiterate),
is lis of the total number of children
between and IS years of age.
| Twenty-tnree children out of every two
| hundred in Georgia are either unable to
| read and write or can read but not
write! That is what the figures spell.
Decrease Shown
| In 1908 the percentage of iIliteracy was
| determined by computing only those
children who could neither read nor
write. The percentage shown by that
census was 73. Wherefore a true con-
trast with the 1905 showing quoted above
| is impossible, for i'm the 1908 compu-
/ tation the practice of the United States
census is followed and both classes q. G.,
| those children who can neither read nor
write and those who can read but can't
write) are included. If 1908 is to be COM
| pared with 1903 on this point the COM
parison must be made on an even basis.
Computing the number of illiterates who
| can neither read nor write under the
| 1908 census, there are shown to be alto
gether 42,027 white and colored, or only
81 per cent of the whole number of
| children of school age in the state In
| 1903 the percentage of 7.3 was obtained
] by comparing the number 81, SO1, of totally
| illiterate children of school age with the
| whole number.
SO that a fairly estimated comparison
of the census of 1908 with that of 1903
shows a decrease of 16 in illiteracy
among children of Georgia during the
five years Intervening. AS the number
| in the Tread but not write" class, ex-
cluded in 19O3 is in both cases almost
exactly equivalent with that of the other
class, the percentage of decrease in
all illiteracy during the five years is
4 l.
and is probably more, according to the
state school authorities.
The report will show the following to-
tai figures:
Children who can read but cannot
write-white. 1856; oolored, S2,S6S; total,
42,353.
| Children who can neither read nor
write white, 9343; colored, 32.6S4; to-
| tai, 1907. Qn 1908 there were 51,S01 chill
dren of this class, 1859 white and 1922
| colored).
Grand total of illiterates, $780, Total
centage of illiterates, 115 computing
both classes). Percentage of illiterates
on 1903 basis of computation, 81 Per-
centage in 1903, 7S. Decrease in 1905 1.6
per cent. ..-t.a
1t will be seen by a comparison of
the above figures that in both classes
of illiteracy the number of colored chill
dren is about three and one-half times
/ that of the white children.
Lee County, 80 Per Cent. Illiterate
The greatest percentage of illiteracy
among it's children will be shown by
Lee county, which has also the great
est percentage of colored inhabitants
among all the counties of the state. Lee
! county will show 80 per cent of Hitter
| acy.
Epson county. with seven-tenths of one
1
| of illiteracy in the state.
Among the higher counties will be
shown Burke, with 81 per cent; Houston,
| with p Macon, 25.2; Mcintosh, with
1913, and Miller, with %.
| In point of low percentage will rank
Telfair, with only 2.3. Though Telfair
shows an increase of AS in school popu-
lation, 1T shows a decrease of 435 in illit-
crates, or a difference of $50 altogether.
10 OF cd m he ma 0f ho
Methodist college at McRae and of the
! improved condition among schools, which
has moved parents to seek better edu-
cation for their children
| other low counties that will be shown
are Catoosa, with 2.9 per cent; Richmond,
with 4 per cent; Rockdale, with 4, and
Whitfield, with 81 per cent.
Fulton Shows Decrease
Fulton county, though it will show an
| increase of 692 children since 1903, will
show also a decrease by SIS per cent in
hliteracy. This computation does not in
clude Atlanta's, population.
Bibb, inclusive of Macon. has increased
| by S61 in school population, but has de-
creased by 3O7, or SIS per cent, in illit-
eracy.
| Chatham. including Savannah will
show an increase of 1.S20 in school popu-
lation and an increase also in illiteracy
of 100. or 1875 per cent.
Floyd county. exclusive of Rome, will
show a decrease of SAL i'm school popula-
ton and a decrease of Al in illiteracy, or
1914 per cent.
| Muscogee county, exclusive of Column
bus, will show a decrease of 200 in school
population and a decrease of 5O2, or 81
rer cent, in illiteracy.
Sumter county, exclusive of Americas,
will show an increase of 80 in school pop
~ x O
cent, in illiteracy.
The compilation is not yet completed
regarding the seventy independent school
| systems there are in Georgia, in towns
and cities. 1t has gone far enough, how
ever, in the opinion of the state school
| authorities for the conclusion to be
pretty definitely formed that their per-
centage of illiteracy will be shown as
| much smaller than that of the state at
| large-hardly over per cent. in fact. This
| is pointed out as showing the educa-
| tionaI Influence of long school terms.