Arizona republican., 1912-05-06
PEOPLE MAKE
 GOOD SHOWING
Figures Given Out By the Census Bureau Show That Illiteracy Is on the Decrease in the United States

WASHINGTON. May ], 1912-A i prelImlnalN statement of initeracy 1 for continental United States as shown by the returns of the thir- 1 teenth decenni3l census. was issued i yesterday by Director Durand of thc | bureau of the census. department 1 of commerce and labor. These pre- liminarN statistics are based upon
 tabulations prepared under the direc- ] tion of William C. Hunt chief statis- ucian for population in the census l bureau. and are subject to revision. 1 The statement also gives comparatiy, ! figures for 1900.
 The census bureau treats as iIlit- | crate any person unable to write re- l gardless of his ability to read: the l statistics relate only to persons 10 years of age or over.
 The number of niterate persons ! in continental United tSates at the l census of 1910 was 5.516.G93 as com ! pared with G.1S0.O69 in 1900. de- l crease in 10 years of more than GOO : | GOO in numbcr and a decline from ] l0.1 to - per cent in the propor- ton of the population 10 years of 1 age and over SO reported.
 The proportion of iHterates was less in 1910 than Tn 1900 in each of the nine geographic divisions and
 in all bat two states, namely, Con- necticut and New York In these two states, in which the percentage Twas substantially the same at both ccn-us"s. the number of literatcs was llrger in 1910 than in 1900 mainly as the result of the heavy immigration to this country during the last ten years. owing to tho same cause the number of ilitcratcs has increased in a considerable mum Der of other states. although th, proportion of illterates in each cas,
 has decreased during the decade.
 For the states comprising the three southern divisions the statistics O
 iHiteracy are presented separately fo
 the white and negro population.
 The number of illiterttcs anon:
 the white poulation of contincnta
 United States as whole is less il 1910 than in 1900 and there has als been a decline in the proportion Q iliteratcs from 6.2 in 1900 to pc cent in 1910. There has been. sim \ iarly d very material decrease il | both the number and proportion Q \ 1 illitcratcS among the negro pOpula | tiOn in the country decrease i ! number by 625.107 and in percentag 1 from 445 in 1900 to BOA in 191' l In each of the three southern div 1 isions, and in each of the state | l comprising them. there WAS q smalle \ percentage of iHiterates among bot
 the white and negro poulation i ! 1910 than there was in 1900 More | over. among the white population tn | number of iIliterates has increased i | only two states-TeXas and Louisian ! and in the District of Columhi; while among the negro populatio there is only one state-Oklahoma- in which the number has increase, | These numerical increases are the re \ suit largely of the migration whites to Texas and the District | Columbia and of negroes to Okla homa, while in Louisiana it is due | d considerable increase in the numbC NJ of iIlitcrates among the native white | of native parentage, although for tn II element there is also decrease II the percentage of iIliterates for Il white population tS q whole.