If you couldn’t read you could not get married

The number of people living in Funen’s rural areas doubled during the 19th century. A declining mortality rate combined with a continuing high birth rate, greatly increased the population pressure on the countryside. This trend resulted in extensive migration. Many emigrated from rural to urban areas where industrialization had generated a great need for labour. Others chose to leave Denmark entirely: almost 20,000 Funen residents emigrated to America.

Education and enlightenment had high priority in 19th century Denmark. In spite of occasionally sporadic school attendance, most people had moderate reading skills at the start of the century. The School Act of 1814 stressed the importance of acquiring basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills and knowledge of Christian teachings.

From the mid-19th century, adults could attend folk high schools and technical schools. Folk high schools and agricultural schools were primarily targeted at the youth of farming communities. The adolescents were seeking more knowledge about the surrounding society.