Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 58, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 March 1919 — 700,000 Men of Draft Age in the United States Who Cannot Read or Write Any Language [ARTICLE]

700,000 Men of Draft Age in the United States Who Cannot Read or Write Any Language

The war revealed an extent of illiteracy in America almost unbelievable, notes a writer in Leslie’s. Secretary of the Interior Lane points out that there are 700,000 men of draft age in the United States who cannot read or write in English or in any other language. There are 5,500,000 persons over ten years of age who cannot read or write in any language. The regular army never enlisted Illiterates, but the draft act brought into the army approximately 35,000 illiterates and as many more who were almost illiterate. These soldiers could not sign their names. They could not read the manual of arms. They could not read their letters or write home. They could not read their daily orders posted on bulletin boards in camp. They could not understand signals in time of battle. The economic loss through illiteracy is estimated at $825,000,000 a year, on the conservative assumption tiffitthe productive labor value of an illiterate is less by only 50 cents a day than that of an educated person. Ten per cent of our country folk cannot read or write a word, Jn view of these fact's, Secretarw-Lane urges an appropriation for a systematic campaign to eradicate adult illiteracy.