CITIES. The population of the four largest towns in 1900 was: Wilmington, 20,976: char lotte• 18,091; Asheville, 14.694; and Raleigh, 13.643.
RELIGIoN. The leading religions denomina tions are the Baptist and the Methodist, com prising respectively about one-half and two-fifths of all church members. The Presbyterians, Lutherans, Disciples of Christ, Episcopalians, Congregationalists, and Roman Catholics are largely represented.
FInt•cATIoN. Education in the State of North Carolina received a considerable impetus from the immigration of the Scotch-Irish during the second half of the eighteenth century. Classical Yehook were maintained by many of the Pres byterian missionaries, and as these were mostly graduates of Princeton University, that institu tion had a considerable influence on higher educa tion in the State. Moravians and Germans also played a conspicuous part in this development. The first State Constitution eontained a clause providing for priblie education, but, nothing, was done towv:n•d carrying it out before 1525, when the dividends from stocks held by the State in several hanks and navigation companies. and the revenue derived from liquor licenses, et r., as well as the vacant and unappropriated swamp lands of the State, were appropriated for a common school fund. This fund was subsequently aug mented by $1,133.757—the State's share of the surplus revenue among the States by the act of Congress of 1836. The public school system was established in 1840, and the first State Superintendent of Public Instruction was appointed in 1852. 1860 North Carolina was in education the most advanced of the slave hold i ng States.
Only a comparatively small part of the school age population is provided with schools. North Carolina has neither a compulsory attendance law nor uniform requirements for teachers, the professional standing of whom. esperially in the eolo•ed is in many eases very low. .\e cording to the eensus of 1900, the illiterate population of North Carolina amounted to 28.7 per cent. of the total population of ten years of age and over• being 19.5 per cent, for the native whites and 47.6 per cent. for the colored.
The illiteracy of the native whites shows a decrease of 3.6 per cent. for the decade of 1890 1000, as compared with the decrease of 12.5 per cent. for the colored doming the same period.
In 1900 North Carolina had a school population (6 to 21) of 439.431 white and 220.198 colored. The enrollment for the same year was 270,447 white and 130,005 colored; and about one-half each of the colored and white enrollment was in average attendance.
The length of the school term in 1900 was 73 days for the white and 65 days for the colored, o• an average of 70.5 days. the lowest of any State. Of the 7387 teachers employed in 1900, the men constituted 40.4 per cent. The average monthly salaries of white teachers in 1900 were $26.1S for male teachers and $23.41 for female; the average salaries of the colored male and female teachers were $21.14 and $19.S2, respectively, as compared with :;:"24.69 and $20.36. respectively, in 1884. The total revenue for the public schools for 1900 amounted to $1,031.327, and the ex penditure to $050,317, or about $4.60 per pupil in average attendance. The school revenue is derived principally from a general property tax, a general poll tax, liquor licenses, tines, for feitures, and penalties.
Secondary education is provided chiefly by the private high schools and academies. There are seven normal schools for the colored youth, and a State normal and industrial college for white women. The chief institutions for higher education are the University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill; the College of Agriculture and :Mechanic Arts, and Davidson College (Fresh.), at Davidson; Trinity College (M. E.), at Dur ham; Wake Forest College (Rapt.). at. Wake Forest; Elon College (Christian). at Elon Col lege; Guilftoll College (Friends), at Guilford; and Saint Mary's College (11. C.), at Belmont. higher edneation for the colored race is provided by the Agricultural and Mechanical College (State), at Greensboro; Shaw University (Rapt.), at Raleigh; Riddle University (Presb.). at Charlotte; and Livingstone College (.\. M. E. Zion), at Salisbury.