Social Problems In Porto Rico - free ebook by Fred K. Fleagle

SOCIAL PROBLEMS IN PORTO RICO

BY FRED K. FLEAGLE DEAN, UNIVERSITY OF PORTO RICO D. C. HEATH &amp; CO., PUBLISHERS BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO Copyright, 1917, By D. C. Heath &amp; Co. 1 e 7...

11 minute read

Read Chapter

FOREWORD

It would seem presumptuous, even after ten years of residence in Porto Rico, to attempt to classify the social problems of the Island and offer suggestions as to their solution, were it not for the fact that this work does not claim to be a complete and final analysis of the situation, but is designed merely to gather up the material available, and present it in such form that it may be made the basis of class-room study. The absence of such a collection of data was a handicap to the author in h

2 minute read

Read Chapter

POPULATION

The Island of Porto Rico, covering an area of about 3,500 square miles, had in 1910 a total population of 1,118,012. The population was divided between the towns and country as follows: Urban population 224,620, or 20.1 per cent of the total number, and rural population 893,392, or 79.9 per cent of the total number. From these figures it is evident that the greatest problems of Porto Rico—those which affect nearly 80 per cent of the population—are problems connected with rural life. Of course, m

5 minute read

Read Chapter

THE JÍBARO

The rural population of Porto Rico may be roughly divided into the landowners, or planters, and the wage-earning countrymen. The planters are usually people who in many ways closely resemble the country gentleman or squire of England. They are people of considerable importance in their communities, frequently well educated and widely traveled, men who do not hesitate to spend their money freely for their comfort and that of their families when the crops are plentiful and the prices good. They ex

16 minute read

Read Chapter

OVERPOPULATION

When we say that a country is overpopulated we speak in relative terms, inasmuch as the overpopulation of a country does not depend upon the density of the population alone, but also upon the ability of that country to produce a sufficient amount of foodstuffs to maintain its population. Thus a country which has a relatively small population and a still smaller ability to produce foodstuffs would be more overpopulated than a country of similar size with a larger population and a still greater pr

8 minute read

Read Chapter

THE FAMILY

The family is the simplest combination of individuals that we find in organized society and is the basis of social group forms. It ranks in importance as a social institution with the church, the state, and the school, coming into existence before any of these three institutions. It existed in a complete form, consisting of father, mother, and children long before there was such an institution as civil or religious marriage. In the history of mankind, the family and marriage grew up together, th

9 minute read

Read Chapter

RURAL HOUSING CONDITIONS

The housing of a people is always a matter of prime importance in their social life and development. There is little progress until the housing conditions are comfortable and hygienic, and the development of the home and the family life depends to a great extent on the conditions under which a people lives. The housing conditions in Porto Rico, especially for the poorer classes, are far from satisfactory. The dwellings of the country people are described as follows, in the Report on the Housing

15 minute read

Read Chapter

WOMAN AND CHILD LABOR

Fortunately , the factory system has not been introduced to any great extent into Porto Rico, nor in all probability will woman and child labor in factory employment ever constitute a serious problem. The census of 1910 gives only a total of 1912 woman wage earners in various industries of the Island. This, of course, does not include the woman who works throughout the rural districts, and whose condition constitutes the problem which must be studied and remedied in the Island. The average unski

6 minute read

Read Chapter

INDUSTRIES

The principal industries of Porto Rico are necessarily of an agricultural character, and their importance to the Island financially is shown by the fact that during the year 1914-15 exports to the value of $49,356,907 left for the United States and foreign countries. The imports for the same period reached the amount of $33,884,296, thus giving a good surplus to the Island after the total imports had been paid for. The principal classes of imports are the foodstuffs which might be produced in su

5 minute read

Read Chapter

THE LAND PROBLEM AND UNEMPLOYMENT

One of the most difficult problems to solve in the case of a small country such as Porto Rico, and one which has a definite bearing on both the economic and the social life of the people, is the land situation. This is especially true when the chief industries are such as lend themselves more readily to large plantation farming rather than to small industries or crops which can be raised profitably on small areas. The most important products of Porto Rico to-day are large-farm products, and they

7 minute read

Read Chapter

POVERTY

The meaning of the word poverty is relative and depends upon the class of people to whom the word is applied. Poverty, technically, is the lack of an income sufficient to maintain the individual as the society in which he lives demands that he should live. Thus a wealthy man may live in relative poverty if he is in a circle of acquaintances who are much more wealthy than he is. The amount of income necessary to keep one from being classed in the poverty-stricken group decreases with the simplici

8 minute read

Read Chapter

SICKNESS AND DISEASE

The Island of Porto Rico is more free from disease than the average tropical or semi-tropical country, due to the active efforts of the medical profession and of the special commissions and departments created for the elimination of disease within the last few years. Nevertheless, a great deal of sickness which might be avoided, part of which is responsible for death, and part of which merely incapacitates the sufferers or renders them less useful citizens, is to be found. The elimination of suc

8 minute read

Read Chapter

CRIME

Generally speaking, criminals may be divided into three classes: first, those who direct crime but who take no active part in the commission of the crime themselves; second, those who commit crimes which require a considerable amount of personal courage; third, those who commit crimes which do not necessarily involve any great amount of personal courage. There might be added a fourth class, which would consist of those who commit crime through ignorance of the law or carelessness in informing th

7 minute read

Read Chapter

INTEMPERANCE

It is unnecessary to say anything about the evil effects of the use of alcoholic drinks, whether it be from the physical, moral, or economic point of view. The recent agitation in favor of the prohibition of the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages in Porto Rico, however, has caused more discussion regarding the situation here than has ever before been the case, and a brief statement of facts may not be unwarranted. The Porto Ricans are not given to the overconsumption of alcoholic drinks

4 minute read

Read Chapter

JUVENILE DELINQUENTS

One of the most difficult problems that faces organized society to-day is the disposal of delinquent children, and in order to meet this problem, the Juvenile Court system has been established in the United States, and by a law approved March 11, 1915, the Juvenile Court system was introduced into Porto Rico to take effect on June 1, 1915. Up to within recent times juvenile offenders have been subjected to the same laws and the same penalties as hardened criminals, and there is no doubt but that

8 minute read

Read Chapter

RURAL SCHOOLS

One of the most perplexing problems which the Department of Education has to face in Porto Rico is the problem of the rural schools. In addition to a school budget too small to provide the number of rural schools necessary for all of the children of school age, there are added difficulties in the way of poverty and sickness among the country people which lead to irregular attendance on the part of the children, poor roads, and the keeping of children out of school in order to help earn money to

7 minute read

Read Chapter

THE SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY

The movement toward using the schoolhouse as a center for the social activities of the community is gaining ground every year and through this movement the school, as an organization consisting of the teacher and pupils, is rapidly coming to have much more influence in the community life than was formerly the case when the school was considered as merely an organization for the teaching of academic subjects. The need of a social center in the country districts is especially marked, inasmuch as t

7 minute read

Read Chapter

RELATION OF THE TEACHER TO THE COMMUNITY

In rural sections the school should be a factor of much more importance than it is in the urban centers for the reason that the country people are almost entirely shut off from other educative institutions such as public libraries, free lectures, and association with their fellow-citizens, privileges which the urban resident is able to use to great advantage. To carry out effectively the mission of the rural school in a community and to make it a center from which there may be spread an influenc

6 minute read

Read Chapter

PRESENT-DAY RURAL SCHOOL MOVEMENTS

Within the last few years, rural education in the United States has received a great deal of attention, and many plans have been suggested for the betterment of rural teaching. Conferences of state and national educators have been held for the purpose of discussing the rural school question, and out of the mass of school movements, discussions, and ideas which have been presented, there are some which might be made applicable to the situation as it exists in Porto Rico. The following ideas seem

5 minute read

Read Chapter

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT AND LONGEVITY

The anthropometric examinations given in the University of Porto Rico during the last two years have provided data from which to determine the physical development of the Porto Rican. A total of 1,412 examinations has been made, including 616 men and 796 women. These students ranged in age from fifteen to thirty years. A comparison of the physical development of American and Porto Rican boys and girls of the same age shows that the Porto Rican surpasses the American in nearly every point, at the

5 minute read

Read Chapter

Education

D. C. HEATH &amp; CO., Boston, New York, Chicago...

3 minute read

Read Chapter

Heath's Home and School Classics

FOR GRADES I AND II Mother Goose : A Book of Nursery Rhymes, arranged by C. Welsh. In two parts. Illustrated by Clara E. Atwood. 36 cents. Craik's So Fat and Mew Mew. Introduction by Lucy M. Wheelock. Illustrated by C. M. Howard. 24 cents. Six Nursery Classics : The House That Jack Built; Mother Hubbard; Cock Robin; The Old Woman and Her Pig; Dame Wiggins of Lee, and the Three Bears. Edited by M. V. O'Shea. Illustrated by Ernest Fosbery. 24 cents. FOR GRADES II AND III Crib and Fly : A Tale of T

3 minute read

Read Chapter

THE HALIBURTON READERS

By Margaret W. Haliburton The author of this series knows children and their interests; schools and their possibilities; pedagogy and its lessons; nature, literature and art, and their resources in education. The series has individuality. Beginning with live phonics and vivid drama, it includes fairy and folk lore, games, stories of school activities, of primitive life, of nature, of child life in other lands, dramatizations, and a wealth of standard literature that appeals to the growing child.

1 minute read

Read Chapter

WINSLOW'S GEOGRAPHY READERS

By I. O. Winslow Superintendent of Schools, Providence, R. I. This series occupies a unique position in that it combines the advantages of the customary text-book with those of the so-called geographical reader. It is thoroughly modern in placing chief emphasis on industrial and commercial aspects, yet ample treatment is given to political geography, which is taught in its relation to economic phases. I—THE EARTH AND ITS PEOPLE Covers the introductory course in geography. Here are given the nece

1 minute read

Read Chapter

INTRODUCTORY AMERICAN HISTORY

By Henry E. Bourne and E. J. Benton Professors of History in Western Reserve University The narrative begins with the European background of American History, and continues through the period of discovery and exploration. A vivid account of the things best worth knowing about the Greeks, the Romans, the development of civilization in Europe, and its transplanting in America, is made of interest to sixth grade classes. The pupil is led to understand that the early settlers from England, Spain, Ho

39 minute read

Read Chapter

HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES

Prominence is given to economic and social history and to the great westward movement; military details are subordinate; matters of mere traditional value have been eliminated, thus leaving space for a more full treatment of matters of present importance. The book is pre-eminently fitted to prepare pupils now in grammar schools for intelligent entrance upon the duties of citizenship. It is noteworthy that the authors have included an adequate treatment of the West, which previous books have gene

39 minute read

Read Chapter