The proportion of male employees who read is larger at Omaha than at either Kansas City or Chicago for the native-born of native father, white, the native-born of foreign father and the foreign-born, and larger at Chicago than at either Omaha or Kansas City for the native-born of native father, negro. The Croatians, Greeks, South Italians, and Magyars have a larger proportion of individuals who read at Chicago than at either Kansas City or Omaha. The Bohemians and Moravians, Germans, Lithuanians, and Russians have a larger proportion of individuals who read at Omaha than at Chicago or Kansas City, and the English, Irish, Poles, Servians, Slovaks, and Slovenians have a larger proportion of individuals who read at Kansas City than at either of the other cities specified. All of the Swedes in all localities are able to read. The table next presented shows the per cent of persons in the households studied, 10 years of age or over, who were able to read. The exhibit is made according to locality, sex, and general nativity and race of individual. TABLE 94.-Per cent of persons 10 years of age or over who read, by locality, by sex, general nativity and race of individual. (STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.) and by [This table includes only races with 40 or more persons reporting in each of two or more localities. The totals, however are for all races.] Both males and females of foreign birth, in the table above, in each locality and in the industry as a whole, show a proportion of persons smaller than that of the total native-born of native father and nativeborn of foreign father who are able to read. The employees of native birth and of native father, and of those of native birth but of foreign father, indicate about the same general degree of literacy in each locality. Among the Germans and Poles, who are represented in each locality, the largest proportion of both males and females who read is found in Kansas City, excepting the Polish males, who show a still larger proportion in Chicago. In all three localities the Poles, as compared with the other two races, show the smallest proportion of employees of either sex who are able to read. The tendency toward a higher degree of literacy among persons of foreign birth as the period of residence in this country is extended may be seen from the following table, which shows, by years in the United States and race of individual, the per cent of foreign-born persons 10 years of age or over who were able to read, and the per cent who were able to read and write. TABLE 95.-Per cent of foreign-born persons 10 years of age or over who read, and per cent who read and write, by years in the United States and by race of individual. (STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.) This table includes [By years in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States. Upon information secured from a total of 2,215 persons the above table shows that a slightly larger proportion read than read and write, with regard to each specified. period of residence in the United States, the largest proportion with ability to read, as well as to read and write, being shown by those with a period of residence of ten years or over, and the smallest by those with a period of residence of under five years. As regards the several races it will be seen that, with the exception of the English, Irish, Japanese, and Swedish, each race shows a certain proportion of their number who have had a period of residence in the United States of under five years who can neither read nor read and write, the Slovak showing the largest and the Bohemian and Moravian the smallest. With the exception of the Bohemian and Moravian, Irish, Japanese, and Swedish, each race shows a certain proportion of their number who have had a period of residence in the United States of from five to nine years who can not read-the Lithuanian showing the largest and the German the smallest-and, with the exception of the Irish, Japanese, and Swedish, a proportion who can not read and write the Lithuanian showing the largest and the Bohemian and Moravian the smallest. With the exception of the English, South Italian, Japanese, and Swedish, each race shows a certain proportion of its number who have had a period of residence in the United States of ten years or over who can neither read nor read and write, the Croatian showing the largest and the German the smallest. The table next submitted makes a comparison of the present literacy of persons of foreign birth according to age at time of coming to the United States and race of individual. It includes all persons in the households studied, ten years of age or over, for whom information was received. TABLE 96.-Per cent of foreign-born persons 10 years of age or over who read, and per cent who read and write, by age at time of coming to the United States and race of individual. (STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.) [This table includes only races with 40 or more persons reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.] The preceding table shows that 95.4 per cent of the persons who were under 14 years of age at the time of coming to the United States and 84.4 per cent of those who were 14 years of age or over at the time of coming to this country can read. Of those who were under 14 at the time of arrival 94.9 per cent can both read and write, while only 82.7 per cent of those who were over 14 at the time of coming to the United States have this ability. All of the English, Irish, North Italians, Lithuanians, and Swedes, and over 90 per cent of the Germans, Poles, Bohemians and Moravians, and South Italians who were under 14 years of age at time of coming here can read and write. While the Croatians and Slovaks show only 76.9 and 57.1 per cent, respectively, who can read and write, the English, Japanese, and Swedes show 100 per cent of persons who were 14 years of age or over at the time of coming to the United States who read and write, and the Bohemians and Moravians and Germans show over 95 per cent of persons who were 14 years of age or over at the time of arrival who read and write. The Irish show over 90 per cent of persons in this class who read and write, the North Italians following with 86.7 per cent, while the Poles, Slovaks, South Italians, Lithuanians, and Croatians follow in the order named. The proportions of Croatians, Lithuanians, Poles, and Slovaks who can both read and write are somewhat smaller than the proportions who can read. CONJUGAL CONDITION. The proportion of employees 20 years of age or over who were in each conjugal condition is set forth in the following table according to sex and general nativity and race: TABLE 97.-Per cent of employees 20 years of age or over in each conjugal condition, by sex and general nativity and race. (STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.) [This table includes only races with 80 or more persons reporting. The totals, however, are for all races.] |