The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1909-01-20
KFNTucKY.s 111ITERAoY.


yon ever Thought bf Kentucky's IL
hseracy as compared with other
STATES, other commonwealth no more
qualified 10 make a better Bhpwing?
Have you ever stopped tor guess
about how many native-born whte
chIldren-lehving the coIpreh ones IN
a crowd by themselves-residents %
Kentucky and having ,heiG hpmes
here, who can neither read nor write,
who are absolutely flliterhte and un-
educated, many Of whom never saw,
inside Of a book in their lives? Does
the matter interest you? Do you feel
for the welfare OF your State In this
respecs? The matter is grave one;
the subject very important
Kenncky is wofully and Shame
fully behiud many other Sntes In the
mater Of her educated citizenship.
With educational facilities and OPP
portunities In some vicindties Of the
very best, yet her record as whole
is one of the worst Take, for in
stance. tie cold fact thht there are
ia Kentucky 21,OOO white children VIII
are absolu, ely illiterate and 100000
children Of school age who do mot
attend any scthpl, public or private.
How does that record sound fen a
scctton Of country sometimes oafltd
the proud old Commonwealth" OF
what is she proud? Surely not Of her
Ignorant and neglected children!
AS compared with some Other State
this nncrd Ct $1,000 illiterate chill
dren stands as fellows: Indiana, l.
367; Illinois, 3,712; Mnssachuse isl l.
512: Ohio, 1910, Iowa, 1923; Missouri,
9,S72. 1t must be remembered 'Iand
these figures are a comparison ~
white CT dldlEn only. between he.
ages of ten and fourteen years
Is NIT TIC record a sranhllcns bne?
Does +. nc5 fairly make your face
burn - think e it? Surely, here is
s0melNsng WIRING s mewhere-ts.re is
somebody TO bIlme, sme fault s-me
where. It wculd seem l,ht th.lre could
be no grelter cffense Gg-irst tie
body pol.tic # cur general citizenship
that the neglect # cur children in
the mGtter Il lreir education, 1t robs
them If IT Which is i,iir by right
of inheritance and by edicl IL lw
II units ulem FIR any Nv c2iCn, II
life, and is a str-ng incentive Is GRIM
inality. Nyring tat goes intc re
great scheme Cf Lum1n welfare is
more important to the race, individ-
ually Ct as a w1-le.
WHAT is tie remedy? It W uld be
indeed rard 30 be specific in this
matter. Like the subic itself, it is
beth personal and general. In the
first place, Kentucky should provide
ample facilities for tire pr-Per sc,bol-
ing Of her children. THIS SC, eme
should Include COED buildings, Gun
fOrtably, seated and with the prcper
accessories OF apparatus. Ttere ssl,uld
be enough school buildings III make
them convenient. In TIE second place,
the talent employed to teach SHOULD
be Of the hist, and the pay commen-
eurate with the services rendered 1t
is a notorious fact THAT many cf cur
good teachers are very much under
paid. TIE third and final remedy
should be the rmpbcyment Of some
means TO cOerce TT induce all chill
dren # schocl age tl1 attend Sc Ia.
This is often an individual matter
with familt.s, but it would seem that
it could be circumven' ed OF accom-
plished. There ami perhaps tier rem
edies but these seem most pertinent
But the impor ance II this subject
cannot b., over-estimated OF light
ly avoided. 1t is Stped thhl every
citizen Of the State may see this
Importance and guage, his action nc
oordingly. Talk TIE matter ever
Think up remedies. Agitate TIE ques-
ton. ANY hing is better than the 1ear-
full blot of illiteracy and ignorance
that now a taG.es To- cur State, hmd
which appears to grow little or no
be ter as the years go by.