The Bismarck tribune., 1922-03-16
! Hitter ] !. | / "A .A|C'Y, HOW
TO COMBAT IT,
IS D.ISCU SSED,
Same Spirit That Prevailed
Among Our Men In Time Of
War, Must Prevail Now
MRS. THORBERG'S ADDRESS

\ Fargo, N. D., March 16-The same
spirit that prevails among men in
war, of volunteering, of going willing
ly where sent, must prevail in the
present campaign against illiteracy,
Mrs. E. A. Thorberg of Bismarck
told the memberse of the North Da-
kota Chapter of the Daughters Of the
American Revolution at their third
annual meeting here today. Mrs.
Thorberg concluded her address with
a challenge to the descendants of the
men who won independence for the
United States that the greatest work
for them in this reconstruction per-
iod was to do anything they might
be called upon to do in the illiteracy
campaign.
"Why should we be alarmed at all
over these figures?" Mrs. Thorberg
Questioned after she had presented the
illiteracy statistics of the nation, of
the army and of North Dakota. why
indeed because of the illiterate and
near illiterate twenty-five per cent Of
our population cannot share properly
in our national life. They form the
drag on labor, contribute largely to
our criminal classes, fill our state in
stitutions as detectives. They are the
examples of radical movements,
spread disease, corrupt the ballot,
limit commerce and earning power,
hamper religion, break up our nation
al home life. Seventy per cent OF our
industrial accidents occur to persons
requiring services of an interpreter
in presenting claims. In most cases
these people are unable to read q dan
ger sign or understand ordinary safe
ty instructions. A quarter Of million
dollars a day is moderate estimate
in the United States of the cost of
the illiterate to industry in acct
dents alone. One can go on and on
with figures to prove the need to OBJ
literate illiteracy. :.
"Now comes the HOW to combat IL
literacy. Let us see that there are
no more new recruits by compulsory
school laws and a truant officer to
see that they are enforced. Raise the
standards of our school, make them
an interesting place. See that the
students are properly housed in
schools with room for all. Raise the
standard of our teachers"
Mrs. Thorberg then explained the
night schools, the moonlight schools
of Kentucky, the night school work
in North Dakota of schools in manu-
featuring plants, during working
hours where the schools paid for
themselves by the larger output be-
cause of working knowledge.
Volunteers Needed
"The same spirit that prevails
among our men in time of war must
prevail in the illiteracy campaign
Mrs. Thorberg continued. Volunteer,
go where you are sent willingly, do
not give up until your purpose is car
ried out. If your charge becomes un-
interested or more often discouraged,
try a new avenue Of approach. In
talking with Miss Nelson, State Su-
perintendent of Public Instruction,
after her return from the Illiteracy
Conference of the Northern and Mid
die States, she told me that the SEN
timent there was that this was the
year to promote interest, arouse our
selves to action, to hunt the high
ways and byways for our material,
then next year with full program in
force get to work in earnest. Pub
licity is needed, people are willing to
teach, who have not thought of it un-
til aroused"