Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1922-01-25
FIGHT AGAINST HLITERACY
Shows Good Results According 10 the
Report Made to Public.

our State, and now that the census
figures for 1920 have been published
1t ts matter OF Just pride that South
Carolina leads the Union in reduc-
ing her percentage from 25.7 per
cent in 1910 to 1871 per cent in 1920.
In rank among the States, South
Carolina still maintains the next to
the bottom place, ranking below
every Slate save Louisiana. In white
illiteracy the State has climbed from
third place from the bottom in 1910
to sixth place In 1920, now ranking
above New Mexico, Louisiana, North
Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky.
In negro illiteracy the State ties with
Mississippi for third place, maintain
ing the same position Of 1910 While
this record testifies to the work
which the public schools and the
schools for adults have been doing,
there is yet much work to be done
before we can rank with many of our
sister States. Iowa records the low
est illiteracy (1.1 per cent?, while
Louisiana records the greatest cts
per cent? In.nine States less than .
per cent Of the population was illit-
crate, while in ten States (South
Carolina included) the per cent was
ten and over.
Pickens county now registers The
least illiteracy in the State t10.7 per
cent? Greenville county comes sec
ond, with l 1 per cent while Berke-
ley registers the highest illiteracy--
3S.4 per cent--with Jasper county
next highest (33 per cent? The data
for Oconee county are as follows:
Total number Of illiterates, 2,sS2,
or 1926 per cent.
Number Of white illiterates, 100,
or 90 per cent.
Number of negro illiterates, 1,16O,
or 25.2 per cent.
According to the 1920-192. re-
port Of the State Superintendent: Of
Education, 1880 pupils were en-
rolled in the 42S schools during the
past year. Thirteen counties CAiken,
Anderson, Cherokee, Colleton, Dar-
lington, Greenville, Greenwood, Pick
ems, Spartanburg, Richland, Sumter
and York; enrolled over 800 pupils.
Spartanburg led the State with an
enrolment of 1,349. Anderson came
next with 933 pupils, while G:een-
uS1lf ,hG'. tf,irI lo with o,,rn11-
ment OF ,3o pupils. Only seven Of
The counties Of the state reported no
WDrk.
Practically Two thousand pupiis
were perfect in attendance. In the
first grade there We're 4.13O pupils,
while 3,436 Of this number learned
to read. For instruction Of these pu-
! pills the State paid Sass per white
pupil and $1.36 per negro pupil.
Some schools were in session
throughout the entire year. During
| the winter the work was pushed
| among the mill villages and in small
towns. while the summer months
were largely devoted to the "lay-5y
schools" in country districts. rhe
teaching in the winter was princi-
pally done by day teachers at night,
while during the summer special
teachers were employed to devote
their entire time to the work. The
schools were usually taught in the
public schools, although some were
held in churches and some in homes.
| Wherever a group Of pupils and a
teacher could meet, there a school
was formed.
The figures just given for State
and county demonstrate the worth
Of the adult work. The fact that two
thousand pupils did not miss ses-
sion signifies the keen desire of the
adult to acquire learning. They came
to school after a hard days work
through winters cold and summers s
heat and struggled good naturedly
over their lessons Often a teacher
or visitor would hear them express
genuine regret that they had been
deprived Of an education in youth,
but they rejoiced in the opportunity
NcDIPIM