Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1923-10-25
OBSTACLE TO THE
ADVANCEMENT OF
THE NATION


THE NATION
/ Illiteracy is not only a serious bar
to good citizenship, but it is an OBJ
stacle to the industrial and agricul-
tural advancement of nation.
National resources are worthless
without education. Fertile soil, tim
| bered land, water power, and miner
al deposit lie idle or are ignorantly
squandered by an illiterate people.
, Iliteracy is costing the Nation mil
lions of dollars. The late Franklin
K. Lane stirred by the revelations of
the draft in the Great War, stated
that OF the productive labor value of
an illiterate is less by only so cents
day than that of an educated man
or woman the country was losing
SS25, 100000 year through Hitter
acy.
Illiteracy could be wiped ont by a
comparatively small expenditure,
leaving a net balance of millions of
dollars of national wal +.
For the intelligent mobilization Of
the American Army it became neces-
sary for the Government to know ac-
cuTately whether our soldiers could
read orders and write orders before
they could be assigned to effective
service. Our Government therefore
gave to the mill:Cu and half men
VINO were taken in the first draft
men from every State in the Union
and from every class of people-an
actual test of ability to read and
write.
What the Army Test Showed
When this test was given it was
found that of 1,566,011 men examin-
ed those who were unable to "read
and understand newspapers and
write letters home" amounted to
asa per cent. We discovered, there
fore, that at the time of the World
War probably 20 per cent of our pop
lation could not use the English
language as a vehicle for information
or expression.
Illiteracy statistics are usually
quoted from the United States CEN
sus. These figures are collected by
inquiry in which citizens are asked
whether they can write. The results
naturally show a much less degree Of
illiteracy than the actual tests given
in the Army, because many answer
the question without knowing what
it means, while others who are able
to write their names or copy few
words consider themselves as liter
ate. The census of 1920 shows that
in the 10 preceding years the drop in
the percentage of illiteracy was from
II to per cent. The reduction in
illiteracy during the past 10 years
has been mainly in the rural districts
hut the number of illiterates in rural
districts still exceeds those in urban
communities by 100000.
The Effect on the Farmer
What does illiteracy mean to the
native white farmer? 1t means that
he is shut in behind the walls of
medievalism. He lives in the days
of primitive agriculture. For him,
the printing press has never been in
vented. Many of the farmers OF the
Nation can not read any one Of the
vast numbers of bulletins which the
United States Department of Agri-
culture has at great cost prepared
follow intelligently the instructions
of agricultural agents which, at still
greater cost, the Nation and the
States in cooperation send. to them.
The average production might easily
be made two or three times as large
and millions of acres might be used
for other crops were the farmers edu-
Gated to diversified farming. Millions
of dollars are lost to the Nation be-
cause native-born American farmers
are living in ignorance, As Cora Will
son Stewart, originator of the moon
light schools of Kentucky, says, zig
norance never plowed furrow
straighter nor produced an extra
bushel of corn to the acre. Only
intelligence can increase production
on the farm"