It will be noted that the emphasis in the following pages has been placed on rural problems. This does not mean that there are more social problems in the country than in the towns, but so little has been done regarding country problems, and the course for which this material was used as a basis being devoted to rural social problems, no attempt was made to take up a discussion of the many topics which might be found in the urban situations. Special acknowledgment is made for the material used from the reports of Drs. Ashford and Gutierrez, and for the data from the reports of the Insular Bureau of Labor while under the direction of Mr. J. Clark Bills, Jr. Some of this material is quoted verbatim from the reports, and the author does not wish to claim it as his own. FRED K. FLEAGLE, _University of Porto Rico_ CONTENTS PAGE POPULATION 1 THE JÍBARO 6 OVERPOPULATION 19 THE FAMILY 28 RURAL HOUSING CONDITIONS 37 WOMAN AND CHILD LABOR 50 INDUSTRIES 56 THE LAND PROBLEM AND UNEMPLOYMENT 61 POVERTY 68 SICKNESS AND DISEASE 76 CRIME 84 INTEMPERANCE 93 JUVENILE DELINQUENTS 97 RURAL SCHOOLS 105 THE SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY 112 RELATION OF THE TEACHER TO THE COMMUNITY 119 PRESENT-DAY RURAL SCHOOL MOVEMENTS 125 PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT AND LONGEVITY 130 SOCIAL PROBLEMS IN PORTO RICO 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, many of the people classified as rural inhabitants do not fall strictly within this class, as by urban centers we mean towns with a population of 2,500 inhabitants or more, and thus many of the smaller towns, which really have the advantages of town life, are classified officially as rural centers.