Evening capital. [volume] (Annapolis, Md.) 1922-1981, 1922-12-18
MoNpAl. DECEMBER is. 1872.
nI,ITrRAcY COMPARISONS

That the United States has the
highest rate OF illiteracy among
the enlightened" nations OF the
world is the startling conclusion
of the National Education As
ISOLATION. The verdict is arrived
at by the rather ruthless method
of classifying as "unenlightened"
all nations that have higher
rate of illiteracy than has the
United States. That is arbitrary,
but not very convincing TO the
thinking human.
Nevertheless, the educational
association makes an interesting
exhibit. Statistics gathered from
worldwide sources show super
ficially that these countries stand
ahead of America in the matter
of ability to read and write: Ger
many, Denmark. Switzerland, the
Netherlands. Finland. Norway,
Sweden, Scotland. England.
Wales and France.
Unfortunately these statistics
are more interesting than valu
able. 1t Is almost meaningless
to assert hat six in every hun
bred Americans are illitcrate.
while only two in thousand
Germans, or nine in a thousand
Firms. or fewer than FIVE in hun
dred Frenchmen arc illiterate
The bases upon which citizens are
classified as literate or illiterate
in various countries are not COM
parable. In the United States the
classification is made by the cen
sus enumeration and those arc adj
Judged illiterate who confess that
they are unable to write in any
language. not necessarily Eng
lish. In some countries the basis
is ability to read and write; in
others the ability to read. In
ONE countries the classification
is based upon applicants for mar
riage licenses. and in others upon
examination OF army recruits.
We cannot compare statistics
gathered from such different
angles with any very useful re-
suit. Such comparisons. at best.
are approximate.
We have i'll the United States
an outstanding example of the
fact that literacy is only a rela-
tive term. While the census
enumerator finds that six per
cent OF our population 10 years
OF age and older is illiterate. the
army examinations showed that
nearly ~ per cent. OF the draft
recruits were illiterate. This in
consistency is accounted for bv
the fact that the army examiners
held the test of literacy TO be to
read and understand newspa-
perS and to write letters" There
is vast difference between be-
ing able to do that and being able
to tell the census enumerator
with straight face that YOU can
write in some language or other.
Regardless, however. whether
there is warrant for saying that
the United States is the least lit
crate OF the enlightened coun-
tries, IT is true enough that we
have no cause to boast. The fact
that there are more than 100000
persons of 10 years or older
III America who cannot sign
their names is deplorable. Ii
would be disheartening were il
not for the fact that the menace
OF illiteracy is slowly but surely
being overcome. The percent
age drops steadily. decade after
decade. as the blessing OF the
school house comes TO be more
universally enjoyed.
Good schools arc. indeed. the
chief If not the sole weapon inl
stamping out ignorance. Fortu
nately. too, the census reports
supply an Intelligent guide inl
dealing with The problem. for
while the statistics Of illiteracv
may not be comparable as he |
tween one nation and another
they arc comparable in the
United States as betwcen state |
and state and as between one l5-l
cality and another. Tor the stand
ard for this counsiy is Uniform.