MISSOURI 



3855 



MISSOURI 



mountains are rich in minerals, and the forests 

 D the south furnish a considerable part of the 

 lardwood supply of the country. With the 

 unction of the two greatest rivers of the United 

 States on its eastern border, and situated in 

 the heart of the agricultural and stock-raising 

 country, Missouri has become an industrial and 

 3ommercial center of great importance. 



The state is named for its great river, which 

 the Indians called the Missouri, meaning 

 Muddy Water. It is popularly known as the 

 Bullion State from the nickname, Old Bullion, 

 applied to Senator Thomas Hart Benton of 

 Missouri, that ardent friend of Western inter- 

 ests and supporter of gold and silver currency. 

 Like several of the other states of the Union, 

 Missouri has chosen the North American gold- 

 mrod as its flower emblem. 



Size and Location. Ranking eighteenth in 

 size among the states of the Union, Missouri 

 tias an area of 69,420 square miles, of which 

 f50 square miles are water surface. .The state 

 is slightly smaller than Oklahoma, but larger 

 than the total area of all of the New England 

 states, with Delaware added; it is over three 

 times the size of Nova Scotia and about one- 

 tenth that of Quebec. 



Missouri lies about midway between the At- 

 iantic Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, and 

 British America and the Gulf of Mexico. 

 Added to the advantage of this central position, 

 is the fact that it is bordered by eight states, a 

 greater number than touch any other state in 

 the Union but Tennessee. The entire eastern 

 boundary is formed by the greatest of the 

 country's rivers the Mississippi; the Missouri, 

 its mightiest tributary, crosses almost through 

 the center of the state and forms the northern 

 part of the western boundary. 



The People. The earliest settlers of Missouri 

 were the Spanish and French, but the present 

 native population is largely descended from 

 the emigrants from Kentucky, Tennessee, 

 North Carolina and Virginia. In the last 

 twenty-five years the population has increased 

 over twenty per ceut. The Germans are by far 

 the most numerous of foreigners, but there are 

 also many Irish, Russian and English immi- 

 grants in the state. 



In 1910, having 3,293,335 inhabitants, Mis- 

 souri ranked seventh in population among the 

 states. The estimated population January 1, 

 1917, was 3,420,143. There are over 160,000 ne- 

 groes in the state, who enjoy many of the 

 privileges of the Northern negro, but are less 

 ambitious and assertive. They form a large 



part of the laboring class, and many are in do- 

 mestic service. About forty- three per cent of 

 the inhabitants live in cities, the largest of 

 which is Saint Louis, which ranks fourth in 

 population among the great cities of the Union. 

 Kansas City, Saint Joseph, Springfield, Joplin, 

 Hannibal, Sedalia, Jefferson City, the capital, 

 Webb City and Moberly are among the other 

 important cities. 



The Baptist, Methodist and Roman Catholic 

 denominations are the largest religious bodies. 

 The Church of the Disciples of Christ has re- 

 cently shown the greatest increase in members, 

 and the Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopal and 

 Congregational bodies are also prominent. 



Education. Although the illiteracy of Mis- 

 souri averages higher than that of the other 

 states in the west north-central group, it is 

 less than that of any of the states* which have 

 as large a negro population, and is exceeded in 

 all the west south-central states as well as in 

 the east south-central and south Atlantic 

 groups. There is an excellent system of public 

 schools, controlled by the state superintendent 

 of public instruction and the state board of 

 education, which is composed of the superin- 

 tendent of schools, the governor, secretary of 

 state and attorney-general. 



Free separate schools for white and colored 

 children are required by law for every district, 

 and attendance is compulsory for all between 

 the ages of six and fourteen years. Agricultural 

 instruction is given in the high schools, and in 

 1914 an extra appropriation was made for rural 

 high schools and seven junior colleges, special- 

 izing in technical or undergraduate courses. 

 Graduates from these junior colleges are ad- 

 mitted to the third-year class in the university. 



The state maintains normal schools at Cape 

 Girardeau, Kirksville, Warrensburg, Spring- 

 field and Maryville. In 1915, $200,000 was 

 given by the state to erect a library with a ca- 

 pacity for 210,000 volumes, at the state uni- 

 versity at Columbia (see MISSOURI, UNIVERSITY 

 OF). 



. The private coeducational colleges in the 

 state include: Washington University at Saint 

 Louis ; Missouri Wesleyan College at Cameron ; 

 Christian University at Canton; Central Col- 

 lege at Fayette; Pritchett College at Glasgow; 

 Missouri Valley College at Marshall; Drury 

 College at Springfield; Park College at Parks- 

 ville; Wesleyan College at Warrenton; Tarkio 

 College at Tarkio; Scarritt-Morrisville College 

 at Morrisville; William Jewell College (Bap- 

 tist) at Liberty. There are also numerous sepa- 



