CHAPTER VIII.

SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS.

Literacy-Conjugal condition-Visits abroad-Age classification of employees and members of their households-[Text Tables 123 to 134 and General Tables 82 to 91].

LITERACY.

The degree of literacy of the mine workers and their households is significant as showing the possibilities of the population in the way of industrial progress and efficiency, and is also significant in its bearing upon the problem of assimilation. In this connection the following table is first submitted, which shows, by general nativity and race, the per cent of male employees who could read and the per cent who could both read and write.

TABLE 123.—Per cent of male employees who read and per cent who read and write, by general nativity and race.

(STUDY OF EMPLOYEES.)

[This table includes only races with 40 or more males reporting. The totals, however, are for all races.]

The preceding table shows that 90.1 per cent of males reporting can read and 88.5 per cent can read and write. All employees who are native-born whites of native father can read and write and 99 per cent of employees who are native-born of foreign father are able to read and write, as contrasted with 89.2 per cent of employees of foreign-birth who can read and 87.4 per cent who can both read and write. Of employees of foreign-birth, the English and Finns show over 95 per cent who can read and write and the Slovenians over 90 per cent who can read and write. The Slovaks, Croatians, and North

Italians show over 80 per cent who can read, the percentage who are able to both read and write being somewhat smaller in each instance. The Montenegrins and Poles exhibit between 76.1 per cent and 74.7 per cent, respectively, who can read, the per cent who can both read and write being somewhat lower in each case. The South Italians show only 59.7 per cent who can read, the same proportion being able both to read and write.

The table next presented shows, by sex and general nativity and race of individual, the percentage of persons 10 years of age or over in the households studied who could read and the percentage who could both read and write.

TABLE 124.-Per cent of persons 10 years of age or over who read and per cent who read and write, by sex and general nativity and race of individual.

(STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[This table includes only races with 40 or more persons reporting. The totals, however, are for all races.]

Of the 537 persons for whom information was obtained, 83.1 per cent can read and 81.2 per cent can read and write, the proportion of males in each instance being slightly in excess of the proportion of females. A comparison of the native-born of foreign father with the foreign-born shows that 100 per cent of both males and females of the former can read and both read and write, while of the latter 82.1 per cent of the males and 76.6 per cent of the females can read, and 79.6 per cent of the males and 74.6 per cent of the females can both read and write. On the other hand, the native whites born of native father report only 96.4 per cent of the males who can read and both read and write, as compared with 100 per cent in each instance for the females.

Among the foreign-born the highest percentage of literacy is shown by the Swedes, all males being able to read and both read and write, and all females can read, while 4.5 per cent of the females are unable to write. On the other hand, the Croatians show the smallest per cent of literacy, only 58 per cent of the males being able to read and both read and write, as compared with 34.7 per cent of the females. With the exception of the South Italians, each of the other races not previously mentioned show a proportion of males and

females who can read and both read and write in excess of that shown by the total for all foreign-born. The only two instances among the foreign-born races in which the proportion of females who both read and write exceeds that of the males occur among the Finns and the Slovaks.

The extent to which the ability to read or to read and write is acquired by employees of foreign birth or the members of their households is set forth in the table next presented, which shows, by years in the United States and race of individual, the per cent of foreignborn persons in the households studied 10 years of age or over who could read and the per cent who could both read and write.

TABLE 125.-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 race of individual. (STUDY OF HOUSEHOLDS.)

[By years in the United States is meant years since first arrival in the United States. This table includes only races with 40 or more persons reporting. The total, however, is for all foreign-born.]

It will be seen from the above table that of the 440 foreign-born. persons for whom information was obtained, a slightly smaller proportion in each period of residence group can both read and write than read only. Of those who have been in the United States under five years, 65.3 per cent can read, as compared with 87.7 per cent of those who have been in the United States from five to nine years, and 89 per cent of those who have been in the United States ten years or over. Thus, it will be seen that the ability to read increases with the length of residence, the greatest gain, however, being noted among those who have been in the United States from five to nine years. over those who have been in the United States under five years. similar gain will be noted in this five to nine year residence period among those who both read and write, while of those with a residence of ten years or over, who both read and write, the proportion is slightly below the proportion of those with a residence of from five to nine years.

A

All of the Slovenians and Finns who have been in the United States under five years are literate, and all of the Slovaks and Swedes who have been in the United States from five to nine years can read. The Slovaks who have been in the United States under five years show a considerably higher per cent of literacy than the South Italians and a very much higher per cent of literacy than the Croatians.

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As regards these same races, the representatives of which have been in the United States from five to nine years, the Slovaks show a considerably larger proportion than either of the other races who can read and a slightly larger proportion who can both read and write. These races maintain the same relative position where their representatives have been in the United States ten years or over. In each period of residence group, it will be noted, the Croatians show the smallest proportion who read and both read and write. As regards those who have been in the United States under five years who can both read and write the Slovenians and Finns, with 100 per cent each, show the largest proportion, while of those who have been in the United States from five to nine years and ten years or over the Swedes show the largest proportion with ability to both read and write.

A comparison is made in the table next submitted of the literacy of persons of foreign birth on the basis of their ages when they arrived in this country. The table shows, by age at time of coming to the United States and race of individual, the per cent of foreign-born persons ten years of age or over in the households studied who could read and the percentage who could both read and write.

TABLE 126.-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.]

sons.

a Not computed, owing to small number involved.

Information was obtained in this locality for 440 foreign-born perOf those who were under 14 years of age at time of coming to the United States, 92.5 per cent read and both read and write, while of those who were 14 years of age or over at time of coming, 77.8 per cent read and 75.2 per cent both read and write. All of the Swedes who were under 14 years of age at time of coming to the United States are literate, and all who were 14 years of age or over can read, while 97.1 per cent of those 14 years of age or over can both read and write. It will also be noted that all Finns who were under 14 years of age at time of coming to the United States are literate, while of those 14 years of age or over, 94.2 per cent can read and 89.5 per cent can both read and write. As between the Slovaks and South Italians, it will be noted that the former, who were both under 14 and 14 years of age or over at time of coming to the United States, show a con