The Alaska daily empire., 1921-11-25
Illiteracy and the Nation.
(New York Post


 Efforts to bring down the wrath of the American Legion on the head the United States Comms- Esoner of Education, Dr. John J. Tgert, because he has been calling attention the handicap of lack of education under which many American soldiers went into war, have failed, they deserved to tail. If it is unpatriotic to remind the American people the dsgraceful amount of illiteracy that still prevails in a nation dedicated to universal edl- bcation then pr. Tgert and good many other highly respected Americans will have to run the risk of being so branded
 It is true that the illiteracy figures of the 1920 Census just made public, do not paint quite so dark Ia picture as those of the army But neither did the 1910 Census figures show the situation ugly as it really The Census of 1910 gave an illiteracy ure of 7.7 per cent-much higher than that of any bother civilized nation, but nowhere nearly as high
 s the army revealed. That these figures are optimistic, however, is apparent. The Census emu nerator must rely almost wholly upon the in the household from whom he chances to be getting his information to iliteracy. Can he write? The affirmative reply is likely to be forthcoming in ali cases those of the grossest ilteracy and the man who barely scratch his is listed as 'literate." The Census furtherfore, report per son literate if able to write in any ianguage-not necessary English. The army figure, which Com missioner Tigert and others using, much practical basisusually ability to read newspaper write letter home. They offer much more vital test of citizenship
 Those who would derive comfort from the new lCensus figures invited to try however. We have reduced the illiteracy percentage of TT to in the past years, but there still close to five million
 
 additional millions who may be able to write some Eother language but know nothing of English No one part of the United States monopoly of these lunfortunates. New York State has than four hundred tho,Sand of them chiefly foregn-born New Jersey and Pennsylvania together many again. and Massachusetts 146 000 while Connecticut i-the State of Henry Barnardwith it's 67 000 illit crates has greater percentage of teracy than it Ihad ten years ago The problem is a national one hot merely immigrant problem and not merely Fncgro problem. North Carolina has 133,00O colored illiterates but she also has hundred thousand native whites who iterates-eght in every hun dred. While Louisiana has 206 900 negro iterates I3S in every hundred-she has also S2 900 native whites chased illiterate, in every ten of her native white population.
 It is worth noting that instead of censuring Con- missioner Tigert for his efforts to awaken the Amer ican public to its duty the American Legion has decided to take active part in the campaign for higher school standards. The Legion co-operation with the National Education Association and with the assistance of half hundred other national lganzatons, is sponsoring the American Educa Week." to be held December to 10, whereby com munites throughout the United States to be lheped to understanding of their educational problems and those of the State and nation.