Nevertheless, the fact that there are within the State considerable numbers of persons of foreign descent, grouped for the most part in settlements more or less clearly differentiated by language or racial characteristics, inevitably creates special difficulties for the schools. Not only the common schools, but the higher institutions of learning as well, must adapt themselves to the special conditions that exist, if they are to render their full service to the State.

The character of the foreign-born population is shown by the fact that more than one-half of the farm operators are foreign-born, although only 27.1 per cent of the total population are foreign-born. TABLE 1.-Racial composition of population, 1910.

Country of birth.

Native-born white..

Native-born white, one or both parents foreign.
Foreign-born white:

From Norway, Sweden, Denmark..
From Russia, Finland.

From Austria, Germany, Hungary..
From Canada..

From England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales..
From all other countries.

Chinese, Japanese, Negroes, Indians..

Total..

Under 5 years. 5 to 14 years. 15 to 24 years.

25 to 44 years. 45 to 64 years.

65 years and over.

Total.

Age groups.

North
Dakota.

Number.

Per cent.
14.3

22. 4

20.5

29.0

11.3

2.2

100.0

162,461

251, 236

63,452

33,096

24,576

21,507

7,486

6,537

7, 201

577,056

AGE DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION.

According to the United States census figures for 1910, Table 2, presented graphically in Figure 2, the population of North Dakota contains slightly more than average proportions in the age groups under 25 years, and slightly less than the average in the groups above this age. Comparing North Dakota in this respect with the neighboring agricultural States of South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa, it appears that North Dakota contains slightly larger proportions in the age groups under 45 years, and slightly smaller proportions in the groups above this age. (See Figure 3.)

There are apparently no special conditions as regards the age composition of the population which affect the educational problems of the State.

TABLE 2.-Age distribution of total population, 1910.

Average for United States.

Per cent.

Per cent.
11.6
20.5

19.7

29.1

14.6

4.3

100.0

28.2

43.5

10.9

5.8

4.3

3.7

1.3

1.1

1.2

100.0

South Dakota, Nebraska, and lows combined.

Per cent. 11.6 21.0

20.4

27.9

14.4

3.3

100.0

Dakota, but to the fact that the immigration from other States has small percentage of illiteracy is due not only to the schools of North less in both classes than the average for the United States. This

AGE DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL POPULATION: 1910

NORTH DAKOTA COMPARED WITH U.S.

30

20

10

0 PERCENT O

10

20

ear

tens

29.0

30

30

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AND ILLITERACY.

per cent; in the foreign-born white population, 1.7 per cent, much The percentage of illiteracy in the native white population is 1.5

FIGURE 2.

The population of North Dakota contains slightly more than average proportions in the age groups under 25 years, and slightly less than the average in the groups above this age.

ing illiteracy. also the effectiveness of the elementary schools of the State in reducages of 10 and 20 were reported as illiterate in 1910. This shows sal. Only 1.7 per cent of the population of all classes between the

States in which elementary education, at least, is practically univerwhile the foreign immigration has been very largely from European been mostly from those with good school systems of long standing,

Of

Of urban children from 6 to 14 years of age, 84.2 per cent attended school; of urban children from 15 to 20 years, 43.1 per cent. rural children from 6 to 14 years, 80.4 per cent, and of rural children from 15 to 20 years, 37.7 per cent. (See Table 3.)

In 1910, of all children from 6 to 9 years old, 70.6 per cent attended schools; from 10 to 14 years, 90 per cent; from 15 to 17 years, 57.4 per cent; from 18 to 20 years, 17.4 per cent.

MANAGERS 1.7

TENANTS

15.3

FIGURE 4.

In North Dakota 85 per cent of farms and 83 per cent of farm acreage are operated by the owners.

TABLE 3.-Percentages of children of specified ages in North Dakota reported as attending school, 1910.

FIGURE 5.

In 1910 less than 5 per cent of the farms contained less than 100 acres each, and only 20.2 per cent contained more than 500 acres.

FARMING AND OTHER INDUSTRIES.

The nature of the farming in North Dakota is indicated by the following facts from the census of 1910:

Of the whole number of farms, 85 per cent are operated by their owners, 14.3 per cent by tenants, 0.7 per cent by managers. (See Table 4 and Figure 4.)