OCR Text |
Show UTAH ILLITERACY A COMPARISON. Judge Boreman in his recent ehurgo to tho graud jury of this district dis-trict referred to the educational condition con-dition of this territory in terraa of reproach. re-proach. He spoke ol our women as tho moat degraded in tho United States, and &aid that the "bitterest hostility is exhibited to free Bchools and the general advanceaient of the people in tliis territory." The judge Bought to convey the information that tho citizens of Utah were tho moBt miserably illiterate of any population pop-ulation to be found in tho country. At the same time he endeavored to ' iaipres9 upon tho grand jurors the necessity of Btrict truthfulness in a court of justice, a tribunal whoae object ob-ject is to illicit the truth. The judge's theory is a good one, but unfortunately unfortunate-ly he docs not at all times practtco it. lie ia either ignorant of the facta in regard to Utah's condition, con-dition, or ha chooses to misrepresent mis-represent them. We have taken pains since hearing his charge to the graud jury to investigate the subject of Utah's illiteracy as compared with the other territories of the United States, according to tho census of 1870, and append tho approximate result. The following table gives the total population of each territory, the number of persons of ten years of age and upward who could not read and the approximate percentage of such illiterates to the population: TOT A L, CA S NOT FER POP. - IIBa I). CENT Arizona - 41,710 2,lii0 6 Colorado - 47,10-1 C,li'J7 13 DakoU - 40,0111 1,219 i!l Diet, of Col, - 13l,7 0 '2tt45 17 Idaho - - :0,Ly3 ,3 10 Montana - 39,fclJo GOT 2 jNw Mexico. 111,303 JG 45 Huh - - 99,671 2.515 21 i "Washing'on. 32,-iliJ 1,018 3 "Wyoming - 11,518 408 4 Average illiteracy for tho ten territories territo-ries 11 per Ojnl., Utah illiteracy 2i per cent, Tho following table shows the proportion pro-portion of persons above ten years of age in the various territories, according accord-ing to the census of 1870, who could not writo, and the approximate percentage per-centage of auch illiterates in each tcr-ritorv tcr-ritorv to the nonulatinn. TOTAL CAN'XoT PER PUP. "WHITE. CENT. Arizona - - 41 710 2,753 7 Colorado - - 47,lt4 G,b2i 14 Uikola - - 40,."jOI ),oJ 4 Dis, ot Col. 7110 1,719 22 Idaho - - - 1!0,;::J iiMiS lb Moulin a - - :-9,bii5 91 S 21. Kew Alexic i - 11I,:J01 02 2M 47 Uuh - - - 9,1, 5SI 7,iJU3 1. Washington - 37 432 1,307 si Wyoming - - 11 518 002 5 Avcrsgo illiteracy for tho 10 territories 12 9-10 pjr coat.; Utah illiteracy, 71 per con t. Judge Boreman should study the United States census reports beforo he makes his next charge to a grand jury; and if ho does so ho may find lees to say in the future about tho conspicuous ignorance of tho people of Utah, If, as he says, " tho tiuth and nothing but the truth is what the court is after," he should set an example ex-ample in Ihia respect worthy of imitation. imi-tation. While we admit that the record of illiteracy in this territory is not a creditable one, it presents a better average than its sister territories, terri-tories, and buows that tho church system of Utah has not kept the people peo-ple in the gross ignorance which it is the fashion of some federal officials, writers and lecturers to froely assert . |