The 80 or 90 dots in New Mexico show that nearly all the population is illiterateall but 10 or 15 per cent. The 50 or 60 dots in most of the cotton or plantation States show that about half or more than half the population cannot read. In a few other slave States it is about one-third, in some a quarter, and in some of the Northwestern States, from a fourth to a tenth of the people. Quite a number of the Northern States, east and west, have from five to ten per cent.; while Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Nevada, and Utah are the only States having but three per cent., or less. Of course, this includes the illiterate of all classes-foreign and slave, as well as native white. It shows how great a work each State has to do in proportion to the number of its inhabitants; but it does not show anything definitely of the causes operating to increase or perpetuate illiteracy among our own free people, born and educated in our own land. View 10 shows us that the per cent. of illiteracy increased from 1840 to 1850, not only in the whole country, but especially in New England, (chiefly from foreign sources,) and in some of the Western and Southern States. View 11, on the contrary, shows how it was diminished in the next decade, not only in the whole country, but in most of the Southern and Western States, though still increasing in New England, in Mississippi, and on the Pacific slope. View 12 shows that during the whole twenty years there was some improvement in respect to the per cent. of total illiteracy in the whole country, and in what States and parts of the country it was most marked. But a great increase of the evil is seen in New England and the Middle States, as also in Michigan and in one or two other States, for the main causes of which we need not go beyond the fact of ignorant immigration from Canada and Europe, and of slave migration toward the extreme South and Southwest. It is not so important or instructive to investigate minutely here the improvement in the percentage of some of the States, as it will be in connection with the views of native white illiteracy. It is here complicated so much with the relative increase of slaves and whites, as well as with the influence of foreigners, that it teaches but little. Mississippi, for instance, lost, on the whole, 3 per cent. between 1850 and 1860, (View 11;) but this was due to the greater increase of the slave population-the ratio of white illiteracy actually diminished one per cent. It may, however, be noticed here that the improvement was not confined to particular States. It was very general throughout the South and West-almost everywhere except in New England. It is noticeable particularly in the northern tier of slave States, and in some Western States. It must have been due to some common cause or causes operating over those vast areas and large sections and groups of States. But this is not the best place to consider it in detail. Another thing strikes us on looking at these three maps, and that is the comparative harmony and uniformity of the results of the three census reports of 1840, 1850, and 1860. We have already noticed (page 19, View 3) the bearing of this upon the question of the reliability of the census statistics on this subject. It is very manifest here. Whether we look at these three maps with reference to the whole country, or look at larger or smaller sections, or groups of States, or at individual States, the conviction becomes irresistible that these corresponding and harmonious results of the three successive census reports are due to the fact that they are substantially correct; that there are no irregularities or inaccuracies in them that can in any way materially affect the general conclusions to which they lead, and the great lessons which they teach. It only remains for us to do the work to which they point us. CAUSES AND REMEDIES. It would be premature to enter upon a full discussion of the causes and remedies of this evil before we come to the Views of percentage of native white illiteracy, which show its density (its proportion to the whole adult native white population of each State) and bring out its relations to the special local influences which have been operating to produce or remove it. Indeed, maps of some of the States, showing its distribution in the several counties, and thus bringing us more directly to see its relations to general and special causes, ought first to be studied. Views of such minute geographical distribution by counties would be as much more instructive than these maps of its distribution among the States as these maps are more instructive than the single group of dots for the whole United States, to be seen in the lower right-hand corner of Views 6, 7, 10, or 12; and such county Views need to be prepared, and shall be, as soon as circumstances will permit, and the necessary means can be obtained. But already the maps we have been looking at and studying point to several important causes; the influx of ignorance from Canada, and through Canada, and to the great Atlantic ports, by immigration; the influence of slavery in the plantation States, and even more among the poorer farming population flowing westward from the older and wealthier portions of Virginia and North Carolina to the mountain valleys and to the newly-settled parts of those States, and of Kentucky and Tennessee, and even beyond the northern banks of the Ohio; the peonage and other adverse causes bearing upon the untaught population of New Mexico; the influences which have come down from some of the early settlers and immigrants of New York, Pennsylvania, and some other States, as compared with the school influences inherited in New England; and unfavorable circumstances and difficulties in new and sparse settlements in the pioneer Western States. But there must be-there are, other causes more universal, more fundamental, more permanent, impairing the efficiency of schools, preventing the successful use of maternal and family agencies, aggravating the effect of other adverse circumstances, preventing or taking away the anxiety of the untaught to learn, preventing the beginner's early and speedy success, disheartening him, and deterring him from persevering in his efforts at self culture in this elementary and all-essential branch of study-in this very root of all study and progress. Full investigations of this subject will establish the fact that even in our most favored sections-in New England, in New York, and the Middle States, and in the Northwest-and in the most favored parts of them, in towns and cities where money has been most lavished and pains have been least spared, our schools have not been as efficient as they ought to be; not half as efficient as they can and must be made. It will appear also that, hitherto, home efforts, and self-teaching, and Sunday-school, and neighborly and friendly assistance have been of little or no avail; they have hardly been available or practicable. It is believed that the mother's teaching, home-teaching, teaching by masters and mistresses, by friends and Sunday-school teachers, and with these, after these, and more than these, self-teaching can be made even more effective than schools. EDWIN LEIGH. States. SCHOOL STATISTICS OF THE UNITED STATES, COMPILED FROM THE MOST RECENT INFORMATION. TABLE I.-General Statistics: Statistics of Pupils and Teachers. 1,002, 000 5-21 f336.000 †160,000 3, 804 486, 103 5-21 180,000 100,000 60,000 80,000 40,000 120,000 2,500 5 months 1, 300 556, 208 700 2, 000 $80 00 $60 00 5-15 112, 753 73, 754 49, 802 38, 999 23,925 62,941 1,354 16,273 726 961 Connecticut.. 1870 4, 674 537, 886 4-16 125, 407 105, 313 64, 707 20, 094 40,606 60,700 1, 647 8 mos. 3 days. 679 Delaware 1870 2, 120 2, 134 123, 252 5-21 Florida 1870 59, 268 189,995 4-21 41, 900 7,575 34, 325 *36,000 250 3 months 250 Georgia. 58,000 1, 179, 886 Illinois 1868 55, 405 2,540, 216 6-21 833, 130 706, 780 269, 766 126, 350 Indiana. 1870 55, 809 $655, 521, 479 1, 668, 169 6-21 619, 590 462, 527 281, 912 157, 063 Iowa.... 1870 55, 045 1, 177, 515 5-21 418, 168 296, 138 178, 329 122, 030 Kansas 1869 81, 000 353, 182 5-21 92, 517 58, 681 31, 124 33, 836 Kentucky 1870 37, 680 1, 323, 264 6-20 376, 868 160, 446 112, 630 216, 422 Louisiana.. 1870 46, 431 250,000,000 716, 394 6-21 254, 533 50,000 40,000 204, 533 Maine 1870 32,000 219, 666, 504 630, 423 4-21 228, 167 126, 946 100, 815 90, 335 Maryland. 1869 9, 356 492,653, 472 775,000 5-20 182, 205 99, 315 82, 890 Massachusetts 1869 7, 800 1,503, 816, 504 1, 457, 385 5-15 271, 052 247, 080 203, 468 29, 143 Michigan. 1869 56, 243 1, 184, 158 5-20 374, 774 269, 587 242, 629 104, 787 Minnesota 1870 83, 500 185, 000, 000 460,000 5-21 144, 414 102, 086 45, 497 42, 328 Mississippi.. 47, 156 834, 190 1, 155 5-21 7, 895 10, 249 2, 620 3, 775 47 71 24 35 33 91 22 45 Missouri. 1870 67, 380 1,703, 000 5-21 584, 026 249, 729 334, 297 Nebraska 1870 76,000 50, 523, 390 116, 888 5-21 32, 619 13, 893 18, 726 44, 686 6-18 3,778 2,028 1, 382 1, 170 9, 280 8,320 318, 300 4-21 75, 505 533, 261, 261 900, 000 5-18 258, 227 1870 Ohio 1869 Oregon 47, 156 1, 860, 120, 770 45,000 123, 361, 396 39, 964 1, 157, 180, 455 95, 274 4, 370, 846 5-21 1, 463, 299 1,041, 000 6-21 342, 168 2, 675, 468 5-21 1, 028, 877 52, 190 45, 755 161, 683 78, 612 998, 664 468, 421 49, 302 31, 812 740, 382 434, 865 5, 743 96, 544 464, 635 292, 866 288, 495 90, 776 4-20 21, 626 20 50 18 50 55 63 33 26 Pennsylvania. 1870 46, 000 3, 475, 000 6-21 975, 753 828, 892 555, 941 146, 861 Rhode Island. 1869 1,306 138, 196, 489 217, 356 (‡) 56, 934 South Carolina 1870 | 24, 500 720,000 5-18 168, 819 29, 477 23, 857 15,918 27, 457 152, 901 381 255 273 528 Tennessee 1869 45, 600 1,258, 326 6-20 410, 000 185, 845 224, 155 1 month Texas.. 1870 237, 321 300, 000, 000 850, 000 6-18 Vermont. 1869 9,056 330, 585 4-18 76, 759 74, 140 55, 744 2, 619 18,396 21,015 2, 197 Virginia 41, 352 1, 209, 607 5-21 Wisconsin 1869 53, 924 West Virginia 1869 20,000 §Coin. 134, 714 + Estimated. No person excluded from Average salary of all teachers, $63 36. 100,000 4,735 | 151 days.. school-truant age, 6 to 16; school money distributed on basis of the enumerTeachers pay their own board, which averages $12 per month. |