When did they learn to read?

[Kalimac]

Hope this isn't too light a topic for the Books forum, but thought I'd try it. My husband and I just finished reading through ROTK (preparation for the movie, naturally!) and I noticed something in "The Scouring of the Shire." What's up with all the signs - the sign on the gate, and the lists of Rules inside the Shirriff-house? Early on in FOTR, Tolkien refers to "their letters" as being something that many hobbits never reach, and yet the Shirriffs (many of whom are semi-willing new recruits) are assumed to be able to read all of these - what's more, when unfamiliar hobbits arrive at the gates, the Shirriffs take it for granted that they can read. And since the inns are out of business and travellers can only stay at the Shirriff-houses, well, they seem to be taking their literacy as at least likely.

So how does this work? Obviously the signs are a nasty symptom of the overindustrialized place that Saruman would like to see Hobbiton become, but wasn't it rather impractical? Or perhaps they just didn't care if people couldn't read, and the signs were a device to force them into learning their letters and getting in step with the times? I do find it hard to believe that the hobbit literacy rate skyrocketed in the space of one year, especially since Lotho and Sharkey's Men don't seem like the kind of people who would have schools for the public high on their respective agendas.

Anyone have any ideas? Because right now I'm consumed with curiosity [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img].