Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1916-09-06
Iowa Leads All States in Lack of
Illiterate Persons.
JUST ONE
in ENTIRE STATE
Census Shows Decrease in Past Ten
Years-ShOwing Most Gratifying
Ever Made, Says Ora Williams,
Editor of Census-SliSht De-
crease Shown in School
Enrolment.

1915 census.
Iowa's percentage of illiteracy is
just one.
This leaves SO per cent who are
ten years of age or over who can
write.
For 1905 the percentage of ILL
teracy was computed at 1.5. The
United States census reported for
1910 illiteracy of II per cent in
Iowa. But that was two-tenths OF
one per cent lower than for any 9TH
or state of the union.
The Iowa census computation for
this year is en- the same basis as that
used by the federal census, namely,
consideration only of persons ten
years of age or over. Ten years ago
the Iowa census took into account
also those between FIVE and ten
years of age. Obviously this placed
Iowa at disadvantage, as mny five
years old had not yet entered school.
The showing for 1915 in regard
to education is the most gratifying
of any ever made declared Ora
Williams, editor Of the census.
There can be no doubt of the &C
curacy of the count and it is doubt
less far more complete IMAM any fed
eral enumeration ever made. No
state of the union will for many
years, be able to equal the Iowa
record for universal education"
The number of illiterate persons
ten years old or over reported for
1915 is 1879. In 1905 the num-
Der reported was 2S,979. OF these
illiterates there are 10,304 males OF
voting age. The number of persons
reported as illiterate, and Of age 10
to p, is LIS, as against 1851 for
1905 of school age.
A very valuable feature of the
census for 1916 is in regard to the
extent of education of all the peo-
pie, or in other words, how much
schooling the people have had.
These facts were found.
Number of Iowans who have at
tended the common schools: Male,
S59,292; female, 757,761; total,
1,617,053.
Number who have attended high
schools: Male, 11S,532; female,
17O,5L7; total, 2S9,109.
Number who have attended collie
ges: Male, 74,145; female, 65, 1854;
total, 10000.
This relates to those who have at
tended school or college for such
length of time as would indicate sub
stantial advancement in education.
The census report also covers the
question of the kind of school attend
ed by those attending in the year
1914. There were SO, S14 persons
attending school or college, and OF
these ADJ, 1924 were reported as hav-
ing, during the year and for part
of the time, attended the common
schools. There were 1S,429 report
ed as attending private or special
schools. In the high schools there
were $3.50 in attendance. The
number of Iowa persons reported as
attending college was 10,0S1, among
those who are of school age. but this
does not include those over school
age attending college.
The number of persons of school
age attending school was less than
in 1904, and the number of persons
of school age in the state has been
decreased The number of persons of
school age in Iowa in 1915 was
736,935 but ten years before there
were 749,496 of school age.
The decrease in the number of per-
sons of school age, and under school
age, showed itself. also, in the fact
that fewer persons were reported as
employed in gainful occupation, of
the younger classes, than in other
years. The total number under Is
years OF age reported employed is
20,693 as against 25,733 ten years
before. This is partly accounted for
by the full operation of child labor
laws, and partly because no account
was taken of persons under IA years
of age. The major part of the de-
crease was in those reported as en-
ployed in agricultural pursuits.
The comparison of persons report
ed employed in the various general
classes of occupations. as between
1905 and 1915, is interesting as fol-
lows:
1905 1915
Agricultural pur-
suits .319, 469 2S6,473
Profassional GER
vice $50. 5s.77O 51,42S
Domestic and per-
sonal service !. 62,s77 54,s75.