Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-18

gree it Is due to a lack OF opportunity,
because of poverty or negligence of the
state or communities in which they spent
their childhood
DR.. Claxton brings out many interest
ing facts connected with the iiliteracy
problem in the
Not Question OF United States.
De-. He makes the
- ~ point that the
problem of adult illiteracy is no longer
one Of race or of section. Although the
percentage of illiteracy among native
white persons OF the United States is
only 4.S per cent, as contrasted with 40
per cent of the negroes of ten years of
age and over who are illiterate, Commits
sioner Claxton shows. however. that the
total number of white illiterates is great
er by nearly $751; 900 than the total
number Of negro illterates. He brings
| out the fact that illiteracy is not confined
to any one section of the country, and on
this point he says:
Massachusetts has I, 400 more illiterate
men OF voting age than Arkansas: Micht-
gan has 1903 more than West Virginia;
Maryland has 1852 more than Florida.
and Pennsylvania has $3.50 more than
Tennessee and Kentucky combined. The
per cent of illiterates in population in
New Bedford. Mass, is 12.1; in Dallas.
Tex. 4; in Passaic, N. j., 1t is 1873; in
Augusta, Ca, 1919: in Utica, N. Y, it is
81: in Roanoke. Va. SO. These figures
indicate clearly that If all classes Of
| claim to be free from adult illiteracy.
"Of the total number Of illiterates
lies 600 live in cities, and 3,74S,Oo0 in
rural communities. small towns and open
country. OF the city population 81 per
cent were illiterate and of the rural pop
ulation 101 per cent.
ITO solve the problem Of illiteracy is
the great task which educators OF the
country must work for to-
Seeking day. To wait for a gem
c.,-4: Grafton of illiterate men,
solution. women and cb;,dr.n -
die is a slow and painful process. That
| there is a shorter way to the reduction
and elimination of illiteracy has been
proven by some European states. and
many sporadic attempts in this country
have indicated that tpFe is better way
there, and this Is to teach grown-ups, in
| read and write, and possibly something
more.
lone of the most notable recent at
| tempts to do this is that which was be-
gun last fall a year ago by Mrs. Cora
Wilson Stewart, superintendent of schools
in Rowan county, KY, who established
what we now call moonlight schools be-
cause they were held on moonlight nights.
The success of the men and women
studying in these Kentucky schools has
proven that it is not SO difficult for il
literate grown-ups to learn to read and
| write as is generally supposed. They
learn TO read in a very short time. II
given an opportunity. The experience OF
! teachers In adult schools is that reading.
| writing and arithmetic are simple sub
| jects when mature minds are concentrat-
ed upon them.
"One of the significant facts brought
| out in this experiment with moonlight
schools Is that adults of limited education
have taken advantage OF the opportunity
| to return to school and to increase their
| knowledge. OF the 1,600 adult pupils at
| tending the moonlight schools during the
second term, 300 were unable to read and
write at all, 300 were of those who had
learned the previous year and 1000 were
men and women Of meager education
y
According to the officers of the United
States public health service. one Of the
longest steps that has
| Seeking for ever been made to in
| W. sure a pure water
AuAe "oCci. supply for 100000
people in this country is the order of the
| Secretary Of the Treasury which pro-
yides that all water and ice used in In
terstate traffic shall be certified as to its
| purity. Surgeon General Blue of the
public health service during the past
| week has issued the first instructions
| relative to this certification of the water
and ice. which will guide public health Of
fcers in enforcing the governments pure
| water regulation.
The effect of the regulation, making II
necessary for az railroad companies to
| obtain certificates as to the purity OF
| water and ice used on cars engaged In IN
terstate traffic. will be far more WIDE
| spread than the public first expected
| The primary purpose of making the order
/ was to protect persons travelling inter-
| state Compliance with the regulation
will. however mean an examination into
the water supply of practically every
community of the United States which
| IS touched by a railroad or other common
| carrier community for whose wa
| ter or ice railroad finds it impossi-
| bic to secure a certificate will naturally
/ do the very best to purify the water sup
JAPAN and The UNITED STATES