The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-03-17
RURAL CHIlD
GETTING Ills RIGl
High Percentage Of Iliitcracy DisCo1
cred I'm North Carolina survey.

High Percentage Of Iliitcracy DisCoSx
cred In North Carolina survey. an
Three-fifths of the children in tltNM
United States are rural children. This
fact lends broad interest TO the ans
nounced results OF recent study NH
the everyday life Of the rual chilli.
his needs and opportunities tas typ3~#
fed by conditions found to exist In ~
lowiand--or .cotton-raising county
and IN a nelisatair. cpuntx QfsNoft6E
>+aron,,n, svt{Ash Ls.ss .>,.sss rarnue.aSs,S
the Cniidren's Bureau. United StatN1T
Department Of Labor.
The high proportion Of iIiitcraCx
found to exist. both among Children
and adults, draws sharp attention t0%
the obvious need for Increased atten~s
ton to a stricter enforcement OF this
compulsory school attendance law
the building of more and bette
equipped schools, longer school term1s
and higher salaries for teachers.
In the areas chosen for investsga
ton every home in which there wass
a child rnpdsr sixteen years 49,
visited. The survey in the l0wland3s
county included 127 white families
with $40 children; and 12s negrol
families with 404 children under six-s
teen. In the mountain county 23E
white families with 697 children un-
der sixteen years were visited.
OF the lowland families visited. ap-A
proximately one white child out o.
every ten, and one negro child out 15s
every three, between the ages OF ten
and twenty, had never learned to-
read or write. One out of every six
white mothers, and one out OF every
three negro mothers were also found
to be illiterate.
In the mountain county surrey
over two-thirds of the children be-
years were unable TO either read or
write.
A too short school terms usually
from four to FIVE months only, and
extremely irregular attendance even
during this brief period are given AZ
among the contributing causes OF itss
literacy, The yearly average OF att
tendance for this section. for instances
varies from so to So per cent OF the
total enrolment, The fact that fewer
children attend school In Novemner,s
the cotton picking season, and that in4
March many OF the Older boys are
kept at home to help with the spring
planting, goes to prove that the ex-s
tensive use made of child labor ON
the farms in this neighborhood does
much to interfere with the chiid's
proper education. Bad weather. rough
roads and long distances between
homes and school buildings all help to
lower the attention. Thirteen whitss
families, and twentyseven negro
families with children Of school age
have no school nearer than two and
a half miles. and by law no child 1iv-s
ing at that distance Is required to att
tend school.
The North Carolina school law, a.
amended in 1917. requires children
between eight and fourteen years Ut
age to be in school at least four
months of the term. But exceptions
are made In the cases of children ~
handicapped mentally or physically
as TO make attendance impracticable.
of those whose parents are too poor
to provide them with suitable clothes.
or necessary books. or who need their
services at home. and OF those who
live more than two and half miles
from the nearest school house. Since
the child Is only assured by law 81
twenty months of schooling In.
preparation for his life's work, IL II
pointed out that with these numerous
exemptions, the difficulties surrounds
ing school attendance and the de-
mands for the child.p help on the
farm. his schooling fx apt to be far
too brief and irregular.