Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/616

 564 UNITED STATES: — MISSISSIPPI

In 1910 the population by sex and birth was : —

-

White

Negro

Asiatic Indian

Total

Male

Female

i 402,056

! 384,055

502,796 506,691

908 608

905,760 891,354

Total

786,111

1,009,487

263 1,253

1,797,114

The foreign-born inhabitants in 1910 numbered 9,389, of whom 1,665 were German, 2,137 Italian, and 747 Irish. In 1910 the urban population was 11 "5 per cent, of the whole ; the larger cities (with population in 1915) being : Meridian, 23,436 ; Vicksburg, 17,931 ; Hathesburg, 13,270.

About half the church-going inhabitants of Mississippi are Baptists and one-third are Methodists. The remainder are mostly Roman Catholics, Presbyterians and Christians.

There is no law for compulsory attendance at school ; white and coloured children are taught in separate schools. In 1918 the public elementary schools had 11,611 teachers (2,560 men and 9,051 women), 540,756 enrolled pupils. In 1918 172 public high schools had 1,041 teachers and 29,139 pupils. One public normal school in 1918 had 27 teachers and 837 students. For higher education Mississippi has 6 universities and colleges. These institutions comprise the University of Mississippi, established 1848, which in 1919 had 36 instructors and 601 students ; Mississippi College (1826), Clinton (Bapt.), with 16 professors and 495 students; Rust University, for coloured students (1872), Holly Springs (M.E.), with 16 professors and 463 students ; and Millsaps College (1892), Jackson (M.E.So.), with 15 professors and 320 students. The Agricultural and Mechanical College (founded 1880) has 61 professors and 1,200 students. The Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College for coloured youths has 25 professors and 456 students. The Mis- sissippi Industrial Institute and College, founded in 1885 at Columbus for the education of the young women of the State, has 62 teachers and 816 students.

Charity. — Within the State are (apart from almshouses, &c.) 17 benevolent institutions, of which 13 have been provided by private persons or ecclesiastical bodies. They comprise six hospitals (two public), six orphan- ages, three homes, mainly for adults, a school for deaf, and one for blind children (both public). On January 1, 1910, the number of paupers in insti- tutions was 436, being 24 '3 per 100,000 of the population, and of prisoners in penal institutions, 2,283, being 127 per 100,000 of the population.

Finance. — The receipts and disbursements for the year ending Sept. 30,

1919, were as follows : —

Dollars Balance in hand Oct. 1, 1918. . . 1,705,401 Receipts to Sept. 30, 1919. . . 5,529,988

Total 7,235,339

Disbursements to Sept. 30, 1919. . 5,837,692

Balance in hand October 1, 1919. 1,397,647

In 1919 the bonded debt of the Stale amounted to 8,443,254 dollars. According to the Council of the Corporation of Foreign Bondholders the State has a defaulted debt of 7,000,000 dollars. For 1919 the assessed valuation of real property and personal property amounted to 649,644,340.