The United States compares very favorably with most of the European countries in the method of education. The preponderance of illiterates in the Southern States is largely owing to the presence of a dense colored population.

The 1880 census enumerates 36,761,607 persons of ten years of age and upward. Of this number 4,923,451, or 13.4 per cent., are returned as unable to read, and 6,239,958, or 17 per cent., as unable to write. The following States show over 40 per cent, of their population as unable to write. Alabama, 60; Florida, 43; Georgia, 50; Louisiana, 49; Mississippi, 50; New Mexico, 65; North Carolina, 48; South Carolina, 55, and Virginia, 41; and the following States with less than 5 per cent, unable to read: Connecticut,.4; Dakota, 3; Illinois, 4; Indiana, 5; Iowa, 2; Kansas, 4; Maine, 4; Michigan, 4; Minnesota, 4; Montana, 5; Nebraska, 21/2; New Hampshire, 4; New Jersey, 5; New York, 4; Ohio, 4; Oregon, 4; Pennsylvania, 5; Utah, 5; Virginia, 5, and Wisconsin, 4.