TABLE IV.-The States and the problem of illiteracy among native-born minors, 1920 Census, Volume III TABLE V.-The States and the problem of illiteracy among the foreign-born white population, 1920 census, Volume III Now, let us consider the next problem-Americanization. I have some of the striking facts that are brought out from our census reports. There are practically 14,000,000 foreign-born citizens in the United States at the present time. Mr. ROBSION. You say that many foreign-born citizens. You mean foreign-born residents, do you not that many foreigners in the country? Mr. NORTON. Yes; residents, I should have said. The next line, 8,000,000, represents the number that comes from nations where the percentage of illiteracy is comparatively high, from 25 to 80 per cent. THE AMERICANIZATION PROBLEMS 1,488,948- NON-ENGLISH The figures given above refer to foreign-born population only. The "8,218,223-Part illiterate," is the number of foreign-born citizens in the United States from countries where 25 to 80 per cent of the total population is illiterate. You might describe this 8,000,000 as people coming from countries where education is at a very low ebb and where there is a likelihood that a large percentage of the people are not fitted for citizenship in a democracy; 8,000,000 from countries in which practically no schooling is given except to a few elite. In 1920, of the 14,000,000 foreign born, 1,763,000 confessed that they were illiterate. Of course, the census does not give a test, it merely inquires: "Have you had any schooling can you write?" If the answer is "yes" it is accepted. And this, many (1,763,000) of the foreign born confessed. When one realizes the stigma given illiteracy I think it would be safe to include a good many more who really belong in that class, but who did not confess to it. Anyway, that is what the census shows. The CHAIRMAN. Are you connected with the National Education Association? Mr. NORTON. I am director of the research division of the Nation al Education Association. The CHAIRMAN. Have you ever given any thought as to the advisability of requiring that foreigners must be able to read and write in the English language before they come over here? Mr. NORTON. Yes. Not a great deal of thought to it. The CHAIRMAN. I mean before they land on our shores? Mr. NORTON. I have been interested, as all citizens are, in that problem in a general way; yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. When you say "illiterate," you mean they can not read or write in any language, do you? Mr. NORTON. Yes. That is, if they can write in German or French or Italian, for instance, they are not included in this figure. Those are some of the outstanding figures dealing only with people born in foreign countries. I have a series of tables dealing with this problem in all the States, arranged by States. If you wish the exact facts as based on the figures of the census, you can get them from these tables, which will also appear in the record. THE AMERICANIZATION PROBLEM The following four tables give figures pertinent to a consideration of the Americanization problem in the United States. |