The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1921-10-25
GEORGIA ILL|TERACY
FIVE PER Gent. NOW
THERE ARE IN THE UNITED
STATES NEARLY SEVEN MIL
LION WITHOUT EDUCATION.
is GREATEST In NEW MEXICO
Group in Nine Commonwealth Has
More Than 100000 Illiterates, One
Third of Them Native Whites, the
Census Report Shows.


Census Report Shows.
The United States is still one OF the
most illiterate of the civilized nations
OF the world, census figures for 1920
now available in some detail for 28
states reveal The figures show more
than 100000 illiterates in a group of
nine southern states, one-third OF
them native whites.
Five western states-Montana, Ida
no, Wyoming, Utah and Washington
had less illiteracY among their native
white population III 1920 than any 9TH
er states, it was shown in figures made
public by the census bureau.
The native white population OF those
FIVE states classed as illiterate-namely,
unable to write-amounted to three
tenths of one per cent. The District
of Columbia had the same percentage
and South Dakota, Nevada and Ore
gon ranked next, each with tour
tenths of one per cent.
The state of New Mexico had the
greatest illiteracy among its native
white population in 1920, the percent
age being ITO. Louisiana was next
with a percentage OF los Other states
ranging high, according to the bureaus
figures, were North Carolina 8.2, Ken
lucky 20. Tennessee 7.3, South Car
DINA 65, Alabama o., Virginia SO,
and Georgia 81.
Among the foreign white population
the largest percentage was 35.88 Tor
Texas and the smallest AZ for South
Dakota and Washington. The percent
age of illiteracy among negro popula-
ton ranged from 1875 per cent in Lou
isiana to 20 per> cent in New York.
Arizona led all states in decreasing
its illiteracy between 1910 and 1920,
having reported AZ per cent in 1910
and 81 per cent last year.
Indications are that the army OF IL
literates in the United States will not
fall far short of 100000 or 100000.
There has been progress, however, and
notably in the southern states. Georgia,
for example, has 328,838 illiterates, but
the percentage of illiteracy is 1853, as
compared with 20.7 in 1910.
South Educating It's People.
Alabama has reduced its illiteracy
from 22.9 per cent in 1910 to 16.1 per
cent in 1920; Louisiana from 20 per
cent to 21.9 per cent; Mississippi from
I22.4 per cent to III per cent; South
Carolina from PSI per cent to 1873
per cent, and North Carolina from
1870 per cent to 1871 per cent. The
high percentage of illiteracy in the
south is due to the large negro popu--
lation.
At this rate, even without the pro-
I'LL, & +La faJaraf crnuarnt11efaf
the south should be virtually free from
illiteracy in 80 years. In the meantime
the states that have a large foreign
born population are faced with even
greater problems than the south. The
New York school authorities last year
had copied from the census lists the
names of adults reported as lll1terate
and have used this list as the begin
ming for systematic drive on lllitera-
| cy.
One OF the striking revelations of
| the war was the large amount OF native
white illiteracy, and the 1920 figures
| tell very much the same story. While
in states likes Alabama, Georgia, Lou
isiana and South Carolina the problem
! is mainly one of the negro in Ken
lucky and Tennessee the native white
| llllterateS actually outnumDer the col
ored, due to the comparatively small
number OF negroes in those states.
The 1910 census gave the United
States an illiteracy record Of seven and
lseven-tenths per cent. Indications are
that the 1920 figure, unless the immi-
grant states of the east show up too
badly, will run around FIVE and one
half and six per cent-still consider
ably above the illiteracy figure for
England, France, Germany and some
of the smaller nations of Europe.
For the most part illiteracy in the
rural districts continues to be much
worse than in the centers of popula-
ton. In Alabama rural illiteracy is 20.4
per cent and illiteracy in the towns
and cities only 65 per cent.
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