,compliments of   ,,booker ,t4          
,,washington   ,principal ,tuskegee     
,normal and ,industrial ,institute      
,tuskegee ,institute1 ,alabama          
,,tuskegee ,,and ,,its ,,people         
,illustration3 ,,booker ,t4             
,,washington4      ,,tuskegee  ,,its    
,,people3 ,,their ,,ideals ,,and        
,,achievements    ,,edited ,,by         
,,booker ,t4 ,,washington     ,d4       
,,appleton ,,and ,,company  ,,new ,,york
  #aijf      ,,copyright1 #aije1 ,,by   
,d4 ,,appleton ,,and ,,company          
,published ,june1 #aije     ,,preface   
,in a general way the reading public is 
fairly well acquainted with the work of 
the ,tuskegee ,normal and ,industrial   
,institute1 but there is continued      
demand for definite information as to   
just what the graduates of that         
institution are doing with their        
education4  ,that inquiry is partly     
answered by this book4 ,the scope of the
 ,tuskegee ,institute work is outlined  
by the chapters contained in ,part ,i1  

while those of ,part ,,ii evidence the  
fact that the graduates of the school   
are grappling at first-hand with the    
conditions that environ the masses of   
the ,negro people4  ,at the school1 in  
addition to the regular ,normal ,school 
course of academic work1 thirty-six     
industries are taught the young men and 
women4 ,these are3 ,agriculture2        
,basketry2 ,blacksmithing2 ,bee-keeping2
 ,brickmasonry2 ,plastering2            
,brick-making2 ,carpentry2 ,carriage    
,trimming2 ,cooking2 ,dairying2         
,architectural1 ,freehand1 and          
,mechanical ,drawing2 ,dressmaking2     
,electrical and ,steam ,engineering2    
,founding2 ,harness-making2             
,housekeeping2 ,horticulture2 ,canning2 
,plain ,sewing2 ,laundering2 ,machinery2
 ,mattress-making2 ,millinery2 ,nurse   
,training2 ,painting2 ,sawmilling2      
,shoemaking2 ,printing2 ,stock-raising2 
,tailoring2 ,tinning2 and               
,wheelwrighting4  ,since the founding of
 the institution1 ,july #d1 #ahha1 seven

 hundred and forty-six graduates have   
gone out from the institution1 while    
more than six thousand others who were  
not able to remain and complete the     
academic course1 and thereby secure a   
diploma1 have been influenced for good  
by it4  ,the school has sought from the 
very beginning to make itself of        
practical value to the ,negro people and
 to the ,south as well4 ,it has taught  
those industries that are of the ,south1
 the occupations in which our men and   
women find most ready employment1 and   
unflinchingly has refused to abandon its
 course2 it has sought to influence its 
young men and women to live unselfish1  
sacrificing lives2 to put into practise 
the lessons taught on every side that   
make for practical1 helpful every-day   
living4  ,in the main those who go out  
from ,tuskegee ,institute1 7#a7 follow  
the industry they have been taught1 7#b7
 teach in a public or private school or 
teach part of the year and farm or labor
 the rest1 7#c7 follow housekeeping or  

other domestic service1 or 7#d7 enter a 
profession or the ,government service1  
or become merchants4 ,among the teachers
 are many who instruct in farming or    
some industry2 the professional men are 
largely physicians1 and the professional
 women mostly trained nurses4 ,dr4      
,washington1 the ,principal of the      
school1 makes the unqualified statement3
 ,after diligent investigation1 ,i can  
not find a dozen former students in     
idleness4 ,they are in shop1 field1     
schoolroom1 home1 or the church4 ,they  
are busy because they have placed       
themselves in demand by learning to do  
that which the world wants done1 and    
because they have learned the disgrace  
of idleness and the sweetness of labor4 
,no attempt has here been made to       
represent all of the industries2 no     
attempt has especially been made to     
confine representation to those who are 
working at manual labor4 ,the public1 or
 at least a part of it1 somewhat        
gratuitously1 has reached the conclusion

 that ,tuskegee ,institute is a servant 
training school1 or an employment       
agency4 ,that is a mistaken idea4  ,the 
object of the school is to train men and
 women who will go out and repeat the   
work done here1 to teach what they have 
learned to others1 and to leaven the    
whole mass of the ,negro people in the  
,south with a desire for the knowledge  
and profitable operation of those       
industries in which they have in so     
large a measure the right of way4       
,tuskegee students and graduates are    
never urged not to take such service1   
especially not to refuse in preference  
to idleness1 but it all involves a      
simple1 ordinary1 economic principle4   
,capable men and women1 skilled in the  
industrial arts1 are like those of all  
races--they seek the most profitable    
employment4 ,a blacksmith1 a tailor1 a  
brickmason1 a harness-maker1 or other   
artisan1 who can find work in shops and 
factories1 or independently1 and make   
thirty to seventy-five dollars a month1 

and even more1 will not1 simply because 
he is black1 leave those chances to     
accept service in private employment for
 fifteen dollars per month1 and less1   
and board himself4 ,no school could     
covenant to train servants for an       
indefinite tenure2 it can at best only  
promise to train leaders who shall go   
among the masses and lift them up2 to   
train men and women who shall in turn   
reach hundreds of others4  ,those who   
write the following chapters represent1 
in the main1 this class4 ,they have     
written simply1 with perfect frankness1 
have dealt with the significant things  
of their lives1 and have demonstrated1  
the writer believes1 that from humble   
origin black men and women may          
confidently be counted upon1 with proper
 encouragement1 to win success4 ,the    
chapters are autobiographical1          
significantly optimistic1 with just     
pride in what has been done1 and        
outlining1 as did ,up from              
,slavery--which was commended as a      

proper model--experiences from          
childhood1 the school-life of the       
writer1 and the results achieved in the 
direction of putting into practise what 
was learned in school4 ,through this    
symposium it is hoped that the public   
may learn1 in the best possible way1    
some of the finer results already       
accomplished by the ,tuskegee           
,institute4                             
,e4 ,j4 ,s4               ,,tuskegee    
,,institute1 ,,alabama1 ,april #a1      
#aije4     ,,contents                   
,,page   ,,general ,,introduction       
#a   ,by ,booker ,t4 ,washington4       
,,part ,i   ,,the ,,school ,,and ,,its  
,,purposes   ,i4--,,present             
,,achievements ,,and ,,governing        
,,ideals                        #ai     
,by ,emmett ,j4 ,scott1 ,mr4            
,washington's ,executive ,secretary4    
,,ii4--,,resources ,,and ,,material     
,,equipment                             
#ce   ,by ,warren ,logan1 ,treasurer of 
the ,school4   ,,iii4--,,the ,,academic 

,,aims                                  
#ef   ,by ,roscoe ,c4 ,bruce1 ,director 
of the ,academic ,department4           
,,iv4--,,what ,,girls ,,are ,,taught1   
,,and ,,how                             
#fh   ,by ,mrs4 ,booker ,t4 ,washington1
 ,director of ,industries for ,girls4   
,v4--,,hampton ,,institute',s ,,relation
 ,,to ,,tuskegee                        
#hg   ,by ,robert ,r4 ,moton4    ,,part 
,,ii   ,,autobiographies ,,by           
,,graduates ,,of ,,the ,,school         
,i4--,a ,,college ,,president',s ,,story
                                        
#aja   ,by ,isaac ,fisher1 of ,pine     
,bluff1 ,arkansas4   ,,ii4--,a ,,school 
,,principal',s ,,story                  
#aaa   ,by ,william ,h4 ,holtzclaw1 of  
,utica1 ,mississippi4   ,,iii4--,a      
,,lawyer',s ,,story                     
#ada   ,by ,george ,w4 ,lovejoy1 of     
,mobile1 ,alabama4   ,,iv4--,a ,,school 
,,treasurer',s ,,story                  
#aeb   ,by ,martin ,a4 ,menafee1 of     
,denmark1 ,south ,carolina4   ,v4--,,the

 ,,story ,,of ,a ,,farmer               
#afd   ,by ,frank ,reid1 of ,dawkins1   
,alabama4   ,,vi4--,,the ,,story ,,of ,a
 ,,carpenter                            
#agc   ,by ,gabriel ,b4 ,miller1 of     
,fort ,valley1 ,georgia4                
,,vii4--,,cotton-,,growing ,,in ,,africa
                                        
#ahd   ,by ,john ,w4 ,robinson1 of      
,lome1 ,togo1 ,west ,africa4            
,,viii4--,,the ,,story ,,of ,a ,,teacher
 ,,of ,,cooking                         
#bjj   ,by ,mary ,l4 ,dotson1 of        
,tuskegee ,institute1 ,alabama4         
,,ix4--,a ,,woman',s ,,work             
#baa   ,by ,cornelia ,bowen1 of ,waugh  
7,mt4 ,meigs71 ,alabama4                
,x4--,,uplifting ,,of ,,the ,,submerged 
,,masses                                
#bbd   ,by ,w4 ,j4 ,edwards1 of ,snow   
,hill1 ,alabama4   ,,xi4--,a            
,,dairyman',s ,,story                   
#bec   ,by ,lewis ,a4 ,smith1 of        
,rockford1 ,illinois4   ,,xii4--,,the   
,,story ,,of ,a ,,wheelwright           

#bfd   ,by ,edward ,lomax1 of ,tuskegee 
,institute1 ,alabama4   ,,xiii4--,,the  
,,story ,,of ,a ,,blacksmith            
#bgf   ,by ,jubie ,b4 ,bragg1 of        
,tallahassee1 ,florida4   ,,xiv4--,a    
,,druggist',s ,,story                   
#bhe   ,by ,david ,l4 ,johnston1 of     
,birmingham1 ,alabama4   ,,xv4--,,the   
,,story ,,of ,a ,,supervisor ,,of       
,,mechanical ,,industries               
#bii   ,by ,james ,m4 ,canty1 of        
,institute ,p4 ,o41 ,west ,virginia4    
,,xvi4--,a ,,negro ,,community ,,builder
                                        
#cag   ,by ,russell ,c4 ,calhoun1 of    
,eatonville1 ,florida4   ,,xvii4--,,the 
,,evolution ,,of ,a ,,shoemaker         
#cch   ,by ,charles ,l4 ,marshall1 of   
,cambria1 ,virginia4     ,,list ,,of    
,,illustrations                         
,,facing                                
,,page  ,,booker ,t4 ,,washington       
,frontispiece  ,,emmett ,j4 ,,scott     
#bj  ,mr4 ,washington's ,executive      
,secretary4  ,,the ,,collis ,p4         

,,huntington ,,memorial ,,building      
#bf  ,,warren ,,logan                   
#cf  ,treasurer of the ,school  ,,the   
,,office ,,building ,,in ,,process ,,of 
,,erection                              
#ej  ,student carpenters shown at work4 
,,roscoe ,c4 ,,bruce                    
#ef  ,director of the ,academic         
,department4  ,a ,,portion ,,of ,,the   
,,school ,,grounds                      
#fd  ,,another ,,portion ,,of ,,the     
,,school ,,grounds                      
#ff  ,,mrs4 ,,booker ,t4 ,,washington   
#fh  ,director of ,industries for       
,girls4  ,a ,,class ,,in ,,millinery    
#gf  ,,the ,,executive ,,council        
#id  ,standing1 left to right3 ,p4 ,c4  
,parks1 ,superintendent of ,farm2       
,george ,w4 ,carver1 ,director1         
,agricultural ,department2 ,j4 ,n4      
,calloway1 ,land ,extension2 ,john ,h4  
,palmer1 ,registrar2 ,charles ,h4       
,gibson1 ,resident ,auditor2 ,edgar ,j4 
,penney1 ,chaplain4  ,seated1 left to   
right3 ,lloyd ,g4 ,wheeler1 ,business   

,agent2 ,robert ,r4 ,taylor1 ,director  
of ,mechanical ,industries2 ,john ,h4   
,washington1 ,general ,superintendent of
 ,industries2 ,warren ,logan1           
,treasurer2 ,booker ,t4 ,washington1    
,principal2 ,miss ,jane ,e4 ,clark1     
,dean of ,woman's ,department2 ,mrs4    
,booker ,t4 ,washington1 ,director of   
,industries for ,girls2 and ,emmett ,j4 
,scott1 ,secretary to the ,principal4   
,the ,director of the ,academic         
,department1 ,roscoe ,c4 ,bruce1 and the
 ,commandant of ,cadets1 ,major ,j4 ,b4 
,ramsey1 also members of the ,executive 
,council1 were absent when photograph   
was taken4  ,,the ,,carnegie ,,library  
,,building                              
#ajh  ,,morning ,,at ,,the ,,barns ,,on 
,,the ,,school ,,farm                   
#abb  ,teams of horses and cattle ready 
to start for the day's work4  ,,students
 ,,pruning ,,peach-,,trees              
#adf  ,a ,,silo ,,on ,,the ,,farm       
#aff  ,students filling it with fodder  
corn1 steam-power being used4  ,a       

,,model ,,dining-,,room                 
#bjh  ,from the department where        
table-service is taught4  ,,the         
,,culture ,,of ,,bees                   
#bbj  ,students at work in the apiary4  
,,in ,,the ,,dairy                      
#bed  ,students using separators4       
,,students ,,at ,,work ,,in ,,the       
,,harness ,,shop                        
#bgj  ,,at ,,the ,,hospital             
#bid  ,a corner in the boys' ward4  ,,in
 ,,the ,,tin ,,shop                     
#cjj  ,,students ,,canning ,,fruit      
#cjh  ,,starting ,a ,,new ,,building    
#cad  ,student masons laying the        
foundation in brick4  ,,girls           
,,gardening                             
#cdd     ,,tuskegee ,,and ,,its ,,people
     ,,general ,,introduction  ,,by     
,,booker ,t4 ,,washington               
,institutions1 like individuals1 are    
properly judged by their ideals1 their  
methods1 and their achievements in the  
production of men and women who are to  
do the world's work4  ,one school is    

better than another in proportion as its
 system touches the more pressing needs 
of the people it aims to serve1 and     
provides the more speedily and          
satisfactorily the elements that bring  
to them honorable and enduring success  
in the struggle of life4 ,education of  
some kind is the first essential of the 
young man1 or young woman1 who would lay
 the foundation of a career4 ,the choice
 of the school to which one will go and 
the calling he will adopt must be       
influenced in a very large measure by   
his environments1 trend of ambition1    
natural capacity1 possible opportunities
 in the proposed calling1 and the means 
at his command4  ,in the past           
twenty-four years thousands of the youth
 of this and other lands have elected to
 come to the ,tuskegee ,normal and      
,industrial ,institute to secure what   
they deem the training that would offer 
them the widest range of usefulness in  
the activities open to the masses of the
 ,negro people4 ,their hopes1 fears1    

strength1 weaknesses1 struggles1 and    
triumphs can not fail to be of absorbing
 interest to the great body of ,american
 people1 more particularly to the       
student of educational theories and     
their attendant results4  ,when an      
institution has1 like ,tuskegee         
,institute1 reached that stage in its   
development that its system of          
instruction has aroused very general    
discussion1 and has given to the world  
of varied industry an army of workers1  
numbering not less than #f1jjj1 there is
 a natural curiosity on the part of the 
public to learn all that is possible of 
such an institution1 and of the         
personality and methods of those        
administering its affairs4 ,they wish to
 ascertain the actual truth concerning  
its resources and equipment2 they want  
figures detailing the degree of         
pecuniary productiveness and moral      
efficiency attained by those who have   
received the prescribed training2 and   
they are eager to hear the whole story  

from the lips of both the instructors   
and the instructed as to how the        
recorded results have been accomplished4
  ,in several volumes already published1
 bearing upon ,tuskegee ,institute and  
what it stands for1 an endeavor has been
 made to present a truthful account of  
the ,principal's early strivings and    
life-work2 an honest attempt has been   
made to analyze and impress the basic   
principles upon which ,tuskegee         
,institute was founded4 ,it has been the
 aim to write a history of individual   
yearnings for the light of knowledge    
that would stir the inner consciousness 
of the humblest of the race and arouse  
him to the vast possibilities that lie  
in the wake of solid character1         
intelligent industry1 and material      
acquisition4 ,he has tried1 with all    
earnestness1 to hold up the future of   
the ,american ,negro in its most        
attractive aspect1 and to emphasize the 
virile philosophy that there is a       
positive dignity in working with the    

hands1 when that labor is fortified by a
 developed brain and a consecrated      
heart4  ,though much has been said of   
the spirit and purpose of this center of
 social and economic uplift in the famed
 ,black ,belt of the ,south1 there is   
still a wide-spread demand for a more   
specific recital of what is being done  
here1 by whom1 under what conditions1   
and the concrete evidences of the       
benefits that are growing out of the    
thrift1 industry1 right thinking1 and   
right living taught by our faculty4  ,in
 response to this insistent call1 ,mr4  
,emmett ,j4 ,scott1 ,executive          
,secretary of the ,tuskegee ,institute1 
presents to the public a further        
contribution1 ,tuskegee and ,its        
,people3 ,their ,ideals and             
,achievements1 with authentic           
accompanying autobiographies of a number
 of typical students of the school4  ,to
 this work ,mr4 ,scott brings a peculiar
 fitness1 unequaled by any other person 
who might have been chosen to perform   

it4 ,he is closely knit to the          
,southland and her great masses by the  
common sympathy of nativity and the     
mutuality of hopes4 ,the ,south has     
always been his home1 but he has        
traveled so extensively and mingled so  
freely that he has acquired most ample  
breadth of vision as regards men and    
things4  ,for many years now ,mr4 ,scott
 has served the school with rare        
fidelity and zeal1 and has been to the  
,principal not only a loyal assistant in
 every phase of his manifold and        
frequently trying duties1 but has proved
 a valuable personal friend and         
counselor in matters of the most        
delicate nature1 exhibiting in          
emergencies a quality of judgment and   
diplomatic calmness seldom found in men 
of even riper maturity and more extended
 experience4  ,as ,i stated in one of my
 books published several years ago1 as  
far as one individual can fill the place
 of another1 ,mr4 ,scott has acted in   
the ,principal's stead1 seeing with the 

,principal's eyes and hearing with the  
,principal's ears1 counting no sacrifice
 too great to be made for ,tuskegee's   
well-being4 ,he is in perfect accord    
with the fundamental principles and     
practical policies through the          
persistent adherence to which ,tuskegee 
,institute has won its conspicuous place
 in the educational world4  ,the volume 
here presented has been edited by ,mr4  
,scott with the utmost care1 he         
preferring to have the contributors     
understate rather than overstate the    
results that have come from the labors  
of ,tuskegee and its people4 ,it has    
been the ,principal's pleasure and      
privilege to examine and critically     
review the manuscript after its         
completion1 and the volume is so        
praiseworthy that it is given his       
cordial approval4 ,the task of editing  
he had expected to perform has been so  
well done that it has only been         
necessary to review the manuscript after
 its preparation for the publishers1 and

 to forego the strict editorial         
revisioning planned4 ,the book is an    
accurate portrait of the ,tuskegee of   
to-day1 and reasonably forecasts the    
hopes for the institution of to-morrow4 
,it tells with forceful directness and  
graphic precision the formative work    
that is being done for this generation1 
and supplies a fulcrum upon which there 
may justly rest a prophecy of greater   
things for the generations that are to  
follow4  ,a ,tuskegee book1 whatever its
 primary motive1 is invariably expected 
to deal broadly with the entire problem 
of the ,negro and his relationships of  
every kind4 ,it must be more than a mere
 flesh-and-blood narrative1 descriptive 
of the material progress of the men and 
women the ,institute has produced and is
 producing4 ,it must be a book free from
 ostentatious pretension1 breathing the 
atmosphere of the life of the earnest   
people it describes4 ,it must1 of       
course1 exhibit not only the            
achievements1 but also the ideals1 the  

possibilities of the ,tuskegee trained  
man and woman4 ,this1 ,i feel1 is       
adequately done in this volume4         
,tuskegee and ,its ,people possesses    
ideals in thought1 morals1 and          
action--and they are lofty4 ,in these   
respects the symposium will not prove a 
disappointment4 ,this instinct for the  
ideal1 however1 lies not in idly sighing
 for it1 but is born of an abiding      
belief that worth is intrinsic1 and that
 applied common sense1 practical        
knowledge1 constancy of effort1 and     
mechanical skill will make a place for  
the patient striver far more secure than
 the artificial niche into which some   
one may thrust him4 ,the masses who are 
most helpfully reached by the ,tuskegee 
,institute are coming to realize that   
education in its truest sense is no     
longer to be regarded as an emotional   
impulse1 a fetish made up of loosely    
joined information1 to be worshiped for 
its mere possession1 but as a practical 
means to a definite end4 ,they are being

 taught that mind-training is the       
logical helpmeet of hand-training1 and  
that both1 supplemented and sweetened by
 heart-training1 make the high-souled1  
useful1 productive1 patriotic1          
law-loving1 public-spirited citizen1 of 
whom any nation might well be proud4    
,the outcome of such education will be  
that1 instead of the downtrodden child  
of ignorance1 shiftlessness1 and moral  
weakness1 we shall generate the         
thoroughly rounded man of prudence1     
foresight1 responsibility1 and financial
 independence4 ,he will cease to be the 
gullible victim of the sharper who plays
 upon vanity1 credulity1 and            
superstition1 and learn to value only   
that which is real and substantial4 ,it 
is of the highest importance to the     
,negro1 who must make his way amid      
disadvantages and embarrassments of the 
severest character1 that he be made     
aware of the vast difference between    
working and being worked4 ,in carrying  
this inspiring message and impressing   

these fundamental truths1 the new       
,tuskegee book renders a splendid       
service4  ,industrial training will be  
more potent for good to the race when   
its relation to the other phases of     
essential education is more clearly     
understood4 ,there is afloat no end of  
discussion as to what is the proper kind
 of education for the ,negro1 and much  
of it is hurtful to the cause it is     
designed to promote4 ,the danger1 at    
present1 that most seriously threatens  
the success of industrial training1 is  
the ill-advised insistence in certain   
quarters that this form of education    
should be offered to the exclusion of   
all other branches of knowledge4 ,if the
 idea becomes fixed in the minds of the 
people that industrial education means  
class education1 that it should be      
offered the ,negro because he is a      
,negro1 and that the ,negro should be   
confined to this sort of education1 then
 ,i fear serious injury will be done the
 cause of hand-training4 ,it should be  

understood rather that at such          
institutions as ,hampton ,institute and 
,tuskegee ,institute1 industrial        
education is not emphasized because     
colored people are to receive it1 but   
because the ripest educational thought  
of the world approves it2 because the   
undeveloped material resources of the   
,south make it peculiarly important for 
both races2 and because it should be    
given in a large measure to any race1   
regardless of color1 which is in the    
same stage of development as the ,negro4
  ,on the other hand1 no one            
understanding the real needs of the race
 would advocate that industrial         
education should be given to every      
,negro to the exclusion of the          
professions and other branches of       
learning4 ,it is evident that a race so 
largely segregated as the ,negro is1    
must have an increasing number of its   
own professional men and women4 ,there  
is1 then1 a place and an increasing need
 for the ,negro college as well as for  

the industrial institute1 and the two   
classes of schools should1 and as a     
matter of fact do1 cooperate in the     
common purpose of elevating the masses4 
,there is nothing in hand-training to   
suggest that it is a class-training4    
,the best educational authorities in the
 world are indorsing it as an essential 
feature in the education of both races1 
and especially so when a very large     
proportion of the people in question are
 compelled by dint of circumstances to  
earn their living in manufactures and   
agricultural and mechanical pursuits in 
general4 ,it so happens that the bulk of
 our people are permanently to remain in
 the ,south1 and conditions beyond their
 control have attached them to the soil2
 for a long time the status of the      
majority of them is likely to be that of
 laborers4 ,to make hard conditions     
easier1 to raise common labor from      
drudgery to dignity1 and to adopt       
systems of training that will meet the  
needs of the greatest number and prepare

 them for the better things that        
intelligent effort will surely bring1   
form a task to which the wisest of the  
race are addressing themselves with an  
eager enthusiasm which refuses to be    
chilled by adverse criticism4  ,tuskegee
 emphasizes industrial training for the 
,negro1 not with the thought that the   
,negro should be confined to            
industrialism1 the plow1 or the hoe1 but
 because the undeveloped material       
resources of the ,south offer at this   
time a field peculiarly advantageous to 
the worker skilled in agriculture and   
the industries1 and here are found the  
,negro's most inviting opportunities for
 taking on the rudimentary elements that
 ultimately make for a permanently      
progressive civilization4  ,the         
,tuskegee ,idea is that correct         
education begins at the bottom1 and     
expands naturally as the necessities of 
the people expand4 ,as the race grows in
 knowledge1 experience1 culture1 taste1 
and wealth1 its wants are bound to      

become more and more diverse2 and to    
satisfy these wants there will be       
gradually developed within our own      
ranks--as has already been true of the  
whites--a constantly increasing variety 
of professional and business men and    
women4 ,their places in the economic    
world will be assured and their         
prosperity guaranteed in proportion to  
the merit displayed by them in their    
several callings1 for about them will   
have been established the solid bulwark 
of an industrial mass to which they may 
safely look for support4 ,the esthetic  
demands will be met as the capacity of  
the race to procure them is enlarged    
through the processes of sane           
intellectual advancement4 ,in this      
cumulative way there will be erected by 
the ,negro1 and for the ,negro1 a       
complete and indestructible civilization
 that will be respected by all whose    
respect is worth the having4 ,there     
should be no limit placed upon the      
development of any individual because of

 color1 and let it be understood that no
 one kind of training can safely be     
prescribed for any entire race4 ,care   
should be taken that racial education be
 not one-sided for lack of adaptation to
 personal fitness1 nor unwieldy through 
sheer top-heaviness4 ,education1 to     
fulfil its mission for any people       
anywhere1 should be symmetrical and     
sensible4  ,a mastery of the industries 
taught at ,tuskegee presupposes and     
requires no small degree of academic    
study1 for competency in agriculture    
calls for considerable knowledge of     
chemistry1 and no mechanical pursuit can
 be followed satisfactorily without some
 acquaintance with the three ,r's4      
,likewise1 the individual of liberal    
academic or college preparation         
possesses a stronger equipment for      
constructive work who has trained his   
hands to supplement his brain4  ,after  
all1 the final test of the value of any 
system of education is found in the     
record of its actual achievements4 ,in  

,tuskegee and ,its ,people heads of the 
several departments have not only given 
a succinct account of the history1      
resources1 and current labors of the    
school1 but deal most happily with the  
governing ideals behind the institution1
 and vindicate its claim to the approval
 of the world's thinkers and moving     
forces4 ,besides treating rather        
elaborately the structural efficiency of
 the work of the teachers1 the editor   
has not neglected to emphasize the      
spiritual and ethical virtues that      
spread over a wider range of influence  
here and among our people throughout the
 ,southland than those familiar with the
 purely academic phases have adequately 
understood4  ,tuskegee's germ principle 
is to be found in its unboasted ideals1 
in the things that of necessity can not 
be listed in catalogue or report1 rather
 than in its buildings1 shops1 farms1   
and what not4 ,the school dwells upon   
the saving power of land1 and learning1 
and skill1 and a bank-account--not as   

finalities in themselves1 but as        
tangible witnesses to the ,negro's      
capacity to compete with others4        
,perhaps the newest and most refreshing 
feature of the book is its vivid        
pen-portraits of the young men and women
 who have gone out of ,tuskegee carrying
 into diversified lives the principles  
and precepts imbibed from their parent  
school4 ,the pictures are drawn by the  
originals themselves1 and they          
illustrate by honorable achievement the 
wholesome and evangelizing influence of 
,tuskegee's preachments1 and the        
far-reaching effect of placing before   
them as teachers the highest example of 
what the ,negro of morals and manners   
may become4 ,they tell their story at   
first-hand1 modestly and sincerely1 and 
the foundations of inspiring lives1 laid
 in the ,christian virtues and          
conscientious service of their fellow   
men1 foster a firm belief that the      
school is doing a work that will live4  
,these types of ,tuskegee's graduates1  

picked out at random from hundreds of   
equal scholarship and ability1 represent
 distinctive channels of activity1      
including the president of a leading    
college1 principals and teachers of     
thriving schools1 a lawyer1 a tinner1 a 
school treasurer1 farmers1              
cotton-growers1 master builders and     
contractors1 a dairyman1 and a          
blacksmith4 ,no element contributing to 
the racial uplift is overlooked4 ,the   
scenes of their labors are scattered    
over a vast area1 showing convincingly  
the diffusive character as well as the  
rich harvest garnered through the       
,tuskegee ,idea4 ,these rough-hewn      
sketches of a sturdy pioneer band in    
staking out a larger life and a wider   
horizon for later generations are worthy
 of the most careful perusal4  ,the     
immeasurable advancement of the ,negro1 
manifested in character1 courage1 and   
cash1 vitalized by valiant service to   
the republic in education1 commerce1 and
 religion1 and crowned by an            

enlightened1 vigorously efficient1      
sensibly ambitious1 and law-abiding     
citizenship1 is confirmation strong as  
proofs of ,holy ,writ that the gospel of
 industry1 as exemplified by ,tuskegee  
and its helpers1 has exerted a leavening
 influence upon civilization wherever it
 has been brought within the reach of   
those who are struggling toward the     
heights4 ,under this new dispensation of
 mind1 morals1 and muscle1 with the best
 whites and best blacks in sympathetic  
cooperation1 and justice meaning the    
same to the weak as to the strong1 the  
,south will no longer be vexed by a race
 problem4 ,peace and prosperity for all 
will come with the strength to rise     
above the baser self4 ,civic            
righteousness is the ,south's speediest 
thoroughfare to economic greatness4  ,a 
book that opens the inner chambers of a 
people's heart1 and sheds a light that  
may guide the footsteps of both races   
along the upward way1 should meet with a
 hearty welcome at the hands of all     

lovers of mankind4     ,,part ,i  ,,the 
,,school ,,and ,,its ,,purposes     ,i  
,,present ,,achievements ,,and          
,,governing ,,ideals  ,,by ,,emmett ,j4 
,,scott   ,so much has been said about  
,tuskegee ,institute as a               
training-school in which to prepare     
young colored men and women for earning 
a living in the world of trade and      
business1 that the ideals and spirit    
behind all this training are to a very  
large extent lost sight of4  ,tuskegee1 
with its hundreds of acres of farm-land 
under intelligent cultivation1 with its 
ever-increasing number of well-appointed
 buildings and its equipment1 and the   
many things on the grounds included in  
the name of handicrafts1 is always in   
the public eye1 and continually appeals 
to the interest of those who are deeply 
concerned in the well-being and progress
 of the ,negro people4  ,yet behind all 
of these more tangible manifestations of
 work1 skill1 and achievement1 there is 
an unseen1 persistent groping after the 

higher ideals of life and living4 ,no   
one can remain long on the grounds as an
 intelligent observer of all that is to 
be here seen and felt1 without          
recognizing that the things that are not
 written in the catalogue and not a part
 of the daily program of activities are 
real1 vital1 and of far-reaching        
importance4  ,principal ,booker ,t4     
,washington and the men and women who   
have helped him to build ,tuskegee      
,institute are constantly looking beyond
 the present to a future filled with the
 evidences of a better living for all   
those who have felt the transforming    
spirit of the hidden forces at work4    
,how the perspective widens and deepens6
 ,far1 far beyond the confines of the   
,tuskegee ,institute community the light
 of this new life is seen and felt and  
has its salutary effect4 ,the stagnant  
life of centuries has awakened1 and is  
casting off its bonds4 ,a new term1     
intelligent thrift1 has come into its   
possession4 ,wherever this term has gone

 and taken root1 there has gone with it 
the thought that unless the idea make   
for character1 as well as for more      
cotton or corn1 it is not of much value4
  ,the ,tuskegee ,idea always asks one  
question1 and that is1 ,what are you8   
and not1 ,what have you8 ,the man who   
does not rise superior to his           
possessions does not measure up to the  
,tuskegee idea of manhood4              
,illustration3 ,,emmett ,j4 ,,scott4    
,mr4 ,washington's ,executive           
,secretary4   ,in other words1          
character-building is the ,alpha and    
,omega of all that ,tuskegee stands for4
 ,from the moment the new student comes 
on the grounds until he leaves1 he is   
appealed to in ways innumerable to      
regard life as more than bread or meat1 
as more than mere mental equipment4     
,cleanliness1 decorum1 promptness1      
truthfulness--these are old-fashioned   
virtues1 and are more properly taught in
 the home1 but in ,tuskegee they mean   
everything4 ,tuskegee not only acts as a

 teacher1 but assumes the rle of parent1
 and lays emphasis on the importance of 
these virtues every moment of the time  
from the entrance of the student until  
,commencement ,day4 ,the cleanliness    
that is next to godliness is one of the 
,tuskegee ideals1 and a student can     
scarcely commit a more serious          
misdemeanor than to appear slovenly1    
either in dress or manners4 ,the        
facilities and requirements for bathing 
are quite as complete and exacting as   
the equipments in the laboratories and  
recitation-rooms4 ,the result is that   
,tuskegee has the reputation of being   
one of the most cleanly and sanitary    
institutions in the ,south4  ,as for    
good manners1 ,lord ,chesterfield       
himself would scarcely ask more than is 
insisted upon by ,tuskegee precision4 ,a
 man must first be conscious of being a 
gentleman before he can be recognized as
 such by others1 and a girl's good      
manners are only outward evidences of   
her individual worth and passport to    

respectful treatment4 ,tuskegee         
,institute1 then1 insists upon these    
things because they make for character1 
and are a part of the ideals toward     
which all training tends4  ,but how are 
all these things taught and enforced8   
,the first requisite1 of course1 is the 
character of the teachers and           
instructors themselves1 the men and     
women who are the embodiment of the     
ideals that ,tuskegee ,institute stands 
for4 ,while it can not be claimed that  
the best teachers in the ,south are all 
at ,tuskegee1 it can be said that no    
other school has so large a number of   
colored men and women who have had the  
advantage of the highest industrial and 
intellectual1 moral and religious       
training4 ,the teaching force is made up
 largely of graduates from nearly every 
first-class educational institution in  
,america4 ,these teachers have been     
carefully sought out and brought to     
,tuskegee1 not only for their teaching  
ability1 but that the students may have 

the benefit of the best examples before 
them of what the highest culture can do 
for men and women of their own race4    
,for the majority of our students the   
perspective of life is narrow3 many of  
them have never lived out of the        
community in which they were born4 ,that
 was their only world2 their ideals of  
life were shaped by their mean and      
narrow environments4 ,they have learned 
to believe1 and act accordingly1 that   
the best people are all of one          
complexion1 and the worst and poorest   
people are all of another complexion4   
,there is no such thing as creating a   
sentiment of race pride in such people  
unless they have set before them living 
examples of their own race in whom they 
can feel a sense of pride4  ,it is      
scarcely too much to say that one of the
 best things about the ,tuskegee        
,institute is that it wins our young men
 and women from mean and sordid         
environment and brings them in contact  
with teachers whose minds1 hearts1 and  

lives have been enlarged and graced by  
the highest learning in the best        
educational institutions of the country4
 ,the school teaches no more important  
lesson than that of cultivating a sense 
of pride and respect for colored men and
 women who deserve it because of their  
character1 education1 and achievements4 
,pride of race1 though not so written in
 the courses of study1 is as much a part
 of ,tuskegee's work as agriculture1    
brick-making1 millinery1 or any other   
trade1 and quite as important4 ,this may
 be called sentiment1 but it makes for  
race development quite as much as any of
 the material things taught in the      
class-room or shop4 ,to borrow a line   
from ,george ,eliot3       ,because our 
race has no great memories1     ,i will 
so live1 it shall remember me     ,for  
deeds of such divine beneficence     ,as
 rivers have1 that teach men what is    
good     ,by blessing them--     ,and   
make their name1 now but a badge of     
scorn1     ,a glorious banner floating  

in their midst1     ,stirring the air   
they breathe with impulses     ,of      
generous pride1 exalting fellowship     
,until it soars to magnanimity4   ,that 
self-respect demands race pride2 that   
virtue is its own reward2 that character
 is the greatest thing in human life1   
are taught and emphasized in other ways 
also4 ,dr4 ,washington has succeeded1 to
 a remarkable degree1 in developing the 
,tuskegee ,institute by insisting that  
this institution must have nothing less 
than the best within and without it1    
everywhere4 ,what is not best is only   
temporary4 ,those who have done most for
 the school have been made to feel that 
the character of the work done here and 
the ideals striven for are deserving of 
the best4 ,the idea that anything is    
good enough for a ,negro school has     
never been allowed to have any part or  
exert any effect in ,tuskegee's         
expansion4  ,for example1 when ,mr4     
,carnegie donated the money for a       
library for ,tuskegee1 a building was   

erected of classic outline--a noble     
structure of artistic symmetry and      
beauty that must appeal to every one who
 has any appreciation of architectural  
beauty4 ,the ,collis ,p4 ,huntington    
,memorial ,building1 just completed1 a  
gift of ,mrs4 ,c4 ,p4 ,huntington1 used 
for the academic classes of the school1 
would be a credit and delight to any    
municipality4 ,there is everything about
 the exterior and interior that must    
awaken a sense of pride in every pupil  
who enters its portals4 ,its facilities 
are sensible and unostentatious1 yet    
they meet every requirement of the      
department4 ,what is true of the new    
,academic ,building is likewise true of 
the various dormitories for girls and   
boys4 ,the cleanliness and the          
sanitation to be found at ,tuskegee are 
in delightful contrast to the poor      
environment to which many of the        
students have been accustomed2          
especially is this contrast heightened  
when these same students have1 under    

competent direction1 installed the      
plants which yield these comforts4 ,thus
 it is that in dormitory1               
recitation-room1 shop1 dining-hall1     
library1 chapel1 and landscape1 the idea
 that only the best is worth having and 
striving for is emphasized as an        
object-lesson and principle with such   
insistence that it becomes an actual    
part of a student's training and life4  
,the student at ,tuskegee is constantly 
being trained to look up and forward4   
,he learns how the idea of beauty can be
 actualized in home and social life2 how
 faithful performance of every duty     
means nobility of character2 how the    
value of achievement is determined by   
the motive behind it4 ,but besides      
these1 the one aim1 thought1 or anxiety 
around which all others revolve is the  
high honorableness of all kinds of work 
intelligently done4  ,in a section where
 those who work with their hands are    
marked off by the inexorable line of    
caste from those who work with their    

brains or not at all1 this idea of      
making intelligent work more honorable  
than intelligent idleness is of         
constructive value in race development4 
,the problem that the ,tuskegee         
,institute is helping to solve is not   
only that the colored people shall do   
their proportionate share of the work1  
but that they shall do it in such a way 
that the benefits will remain with those
 who do the work4 ,who can measure the  
transforming effect and influence when  
it can be said that the best mechanics  
and the best agriculturists in the      
,south are ,negroes8 ,certainly1 if such
 a time ever comes1 there will be no    
such painful thing as a race problem1 as
 ,negroes now see it and feel it4       
,illustration3 ,,the ,,collis ,p4       
,,huntington ,,memorial ,,building4     
,this is one of ,tuskegee's largest     
ideals2 not that ,tuskegee alone can    
bring about a consummation so devoutly  
to be wished1 but it is ambitious to be 
a potent factor in all the tendencies   

that make for such a condition of life  
in the heart of the ,south4 ,so         
important is this aim and idea of       
,tuskegee1 that it allows no criticism  
to affect1 interfere1 or obscure its    
vision4 ,tuskegee says to the world that
 it is determined not only to be a      
school1 but an agent of civilization1 a 
missionary for a better life1 that shall
 stand for a kindlier relationship      
between the races4  ,the school         
enthusiastically seeks to live up to the
 ideal of its ,principal1 that education
 in the broadest and truest sense is    
designed to influence individuals to    
help others2 is designed1 first1 last1  
and all the time1 to transform and      
energize individuals into life-giving   
agencies for the uplift of their        
fellows4 ,principal ,washington's whole 
educational creed1 accepted by ,tuskegee
 ,institute teachers and students alike1
 was recently declared in one of his    
familiar ,sunday-evening talks to the   
students of the institution4 ,said he3  

,education in the broadest and truest   
sense will make an individual seek to   
help all people1 regardless of race1    
regardless of color1 regardless of      
condition4 ,and you will find that the  
person who is most truly educated is the
 one who is going to be kindest1 and is 
going to act in the gentlest manner     
toward persons who are unfortunate1     
toward the race or the individual that  
is most despised4 ,the highly educated  
person is the one who is most           
considerate of those individuals who are
 less fortunate4 ,i hope when you go out
 from here and meet persons who are     
afflicted by poverty1 whether of mind or
 body1 or persons who are unfortunate in
 any way1 that you will show your       
education by being just as kind and     
considerate toward those persons as it  
is possible for you to be4 ,that is the 
way to test a person with education4    
,you may see ignorant persons1 who      
perhaps think themselves educated1 going
 about the street1 and when they meet an

 individual who is unfortunate--lame1 or
 with a defect of body1 mind1 or        
speech--are inclined to laugh at and    
make sport of that individual4 ,but the 
highly educated person1 the one who is  
really cultivated1 is gentle and        
sympathetic to every one4 ,education is 
meant to make us absolutely honest in   
dealing with our fellows4 ,i do not care
 how much arithmetic we have1 or how    
many cities we can locate2 it is all    
useless unless we have an education that
 makes us absolutely honest4 ,education 
is meant to make us give satisfaction1  
and to get satisfaction out of giving   
it4 ,it is meant to make us get         
happiness out of service for our        
fellows4 ,and until we get to the point 
where we can get happiness and supreme  
satisfaction out of helping our fellows1
 we are not truly educated4444          
,education is meant to make us          
appreciate the things that are beautiful
 in nature4 ,a person is never educated 
until he is able to go into the swamps  

and woods and see something that is     
beautiful in the trees and shrubs       
there--is able to see something         
beautiful in the grass and flowers that 
surround him--is1 in short1 able to see 
something beautiful1 elevating1 and     
inspiring in everything that ,god has   
created4 ,not only should education     
enable us to see beauty in these objects
 which ,god has put about us1 but it is 
meant to influence us to bring beautiful
 objects about us4 ,i hope that each one
 of you1 after you graduate1 will       
surround himself at home with what is   
beautiful1 inspiring1 and elevating4 ,i 
do not believe that any person is       
educated so long as he lives in a dirty1
 miserable shanty4 ,i do not believe    
that any person is educated until he has
 learned to want to live in a clean room
 made attractive with pictures and      
books1 and with such surroundings as are
 elevating4 ,in a word1 ,i wish to say  
again that education is meant to give us
 that culture1 that refinement1 that    

taste1 which will make us deal          
truthfully and sympathetically with our 
fellow men1 and will make us see what is
 beautiful1 elevating1 and inspiring in 
what ,god has created4 ,i want you to   
bear in mind that your text-books1 with 
all their contents1 are not an end1 but 
a means to an end--a means to help us   
get the highest1 the best1 the purest1  
and the most beautiful things out of    
life4  ,the ,tuskegee trained boy or    
girl has set before him every hour in   
the day1 and every day in the year1 the 
substantial educational ideals here set 
forth4 ,books1 valuable as they are1 and
 nowhere more thoroughly reckoned as    
such than here1 are only a means to an  
end3 this is the gospel preached by the 
,tuskegee teacher4 ,life is the great1  
the eternal thing2 the serving of one's 
fellows1 the ministering unto the needy 
of a groping1 developing people--this is
 the thing not forgotten1 but ever      
constantly enforced by precept and by   
example4  ,the many old and time-worn   

frame buildings are being replaced by   
finely built and imposing brick and     
stone structures2 the tallow dip and    
antiquated oil-lamp and gas-jet1 as     
illuminators1 have paled before the more
 brilliant white light of electricity1  
installed by ,tuskegee students and     
operated by them4 ,patience and         
faith6--these are ,tuskegee's watchwords
 and her standard virtues4 ,what can not
 be accomplished to-day will certainly  
be accomplished to-morrow4  ,so1 in its 
larger outlook and household anxieties1 
,tuskegee ,institute teachers are       
confident that the things taught and    
enforced by example and precept will    
justify their efforts in helping to make
 a dependent people independent1 a      
distracted people confident1 and an     
humble people to thrill with pride in   
itself and in its best men and women4   
,thus it is that ,tuskegee ,institute   
has never been satisfied with being     
merely a school1 concerned wholly with  
its recitations and training in shop and

 field4 ,every student who carries a    
diploma from these grounds is urged not 
to hang that diploma on the wall as an  
ornament1 as an evidence of individual  
superiority1 but to make it mean        
something constructive and life-giving  
to every one in the community where he  
must live and work4  ,the young men and 
women who are trained for mission work  
in foreign countries are not more       
carefully trained in the spirit of      
consecration than are these young men   
and women trained at ,tuskegee for the  
work of creating better economic and    
social conditions among their own       
people4 ,it is not necessary to state   
here what has already been accomplished 
in many parts of the ,south by ,tuskegee
 graduates4 ,the selected examples set  
forth in this book are evidence enough4 
,it is sufficient to say that the       
,tuskegee ,institute is determined to   
become more and more a distinctive      
influence among the regenerative        
agencies that are gradually bringing    

order out of chaos1 and justice1 peace1 
and happiness out of the wretched       
disorders of a painful past4 ,it is easy
 to trace the influence of such         
well-established institutions as        
,harvard and ,yale in the progressive   
life of the ,american people4 ,the sons 
of ,harvard and ,yale almost dominate   
civilization in ,america4 ,in another   
sense1 it is possible for ,tuskegee to  
have a like influence in the many things
 that must be accomplished in the       
,south1 before love and justice shall   
supplant race prejudice and race        
antagonism4  ,this reaching out         
helpfully in all directions where help  
is needed is the distinguishing feature 
of ,tuskegee4 ,this race-loving spirit  
gives it a largeness of view and purpose
 that saves both its teachers and pupils
 from being narrow and self-centered4   
,take from ,tuskegee all this vision    
splendid1 and it will at once shrink    
into common-place insignificance4 ,set  
your ideals high1 says the distinguished

 man who here is ,principal as he was   
founder1 and in your efforts to reach   
them you become strong for greater      
things4 ,it is but truth to say that no 
institution in all the land1 whether for
 white or black education1 stands for   
higher and more generous ideals4        
,unless the young man who goes away from
 ,tuskegee as blacksmith1 carpenter1    
printer1 or as any other mechanic1 is   
something more than these1 he has been  
incapable of perceiving and taking in   
the ideals that go with these           
accomplishments4 ,he has been taught    
over and over again to hitch his wagon  
to the stars1 and if he fail to do so1  
the fault is in himself1 and not in     
,tuskegee4  ,as between a poor doctor   
and a poor carpenter1 there is but scant
 choice4 ,they are both failures and to 
be avoided4 ,honor in one is as precious
 as in the other4 ,honor and            
efficiency--these1 therefore1 are the   
ideal test of every son and daughter    
that passes out of these grounds into   

the larger world of work and            
responsibility4  ,what a terrible task  
it has been and still is to teach the   
lessons of the upward spirit3 ,god's in 
,his heaven1 all's well with the world4 
,hope is strength and discouragement is 
weakness4 ,everything that is false and 
unjust and wrong is transitory4 ,those  
who are brave enough to solve problems  
shall be more honored of mankind than   
those who create problems which they    
make no effort to solve4  ,there can be 
no liberty without intelligence1 no     
independence without industry1 and no   
power for man1 and no charm for woman1  
without character4  ,these are some of  
the ideals toward which all our teaching
 leads2 without these there would be no 
,tuskegee2 with them1 as its very life  
and spirit and inspiration1 ,tuskegee   
shall lead into more ways of peace1     
happiness1 and power than we of this    
generation have yet dreamed of1 or      
realized4     ,,ii  ,,resources ,,and   
,,material ,,equipment  ,,by ,,warren   

,,logan   ,when the ,alabama            
,legislature in #ahha passed an act to  
establish a ,normal ,school for colored 
people at ,tuskegee and appropriated for
 it #b1jjj yearly1 it made no provision 
whatever for land or buildings2 these   
were left to be provided for by the     
people who were to be benefited by the  
school4 ,here was almost a case of being
 required to make bricks without straw4 
,but as matters have turned out1 this   
neglect was the best thing that could   
have happened to the school4 ,first it  
gave opportunity for the employment of  
those splendid qualities of pluck1      
self-help1 and perseverance which have  
distinguished ,mr4 ,washington so       
preeminently in the building of         
,tuskegee4 ,moreover1 the ,state has    
contributed nothing to the school in the
 way of land or buildings2 it has not   
sought to control the property of the   
institution1 leaving it free to be      
managed by the ,board of ,trustees4     
,the school was opened on the #dth of   

,july1 #ahha1 in an old church building 
in the town of ,tuskegee1 which lies    
nearly two miles from the present       
school-grounds4 ,later in the same year 
the growth of the school made it        
necessary to obtain additional room1    
which was found in a dilapidated shanty 
standing near the church and which had  
been used as the village schoolhouse    
since the war4 ,these buildings were in 
such bad condition that when it rained  
it was necessary for the teacher and    
students to use umbrellas in order to   
protect themselves from the elements    
while recitations were being conducted4 
,students who came from a distance      
boarded in families in the town1 where  
the conditions of living were very much 
like those in their own homes1 and these
 were far below proper standards4 ,mr4  
,washington1 understanding the great    
need for colored people to be trained in
 correct ways of living as well as to be
 educated in books1 determined to secure
 a permanent location for the school1   

with buildings in which the students    
might live under the care and influence 
of teachers day and night1 during the   
whole period of their connection with   
the school4   ,illustration3 ,,warren   
,,logan4  ,treasurer of the ,school4    
,it so happened at this time that there 
was an old farm of #ajj acres in the    
western part of the town of ,tuskegee1  
well suited to be the site of such a    
school1 which could be had for #ejj4    
,but where was the money to be found to 
pay for it8 ,mr4 ,washington himself had
 no money1 and the people of the town1  
much interested as they were in the     
enterprise1 were wholly unable to give  
direct financial assistance4 ,general   
,j4 ,f4 ,b4 ,marshall1 then treasurer of
 the ,hampton ,institute in ,virginia1  
was appealed to for a loan of #bjj with 
which to make the first payment4 ,this  
he gladly made1 and the farm was        
secured4 ,in a few months sufficient    
money was raised from entertainments and
 subscriptions in the ,north and ,south 

7one friend in ,connecticut giving #cjj7
 to return the loan of ,general         
,marshall and pay the balance due on the
 purchase of the property4  ,the land   
thus secured1 preparations were at once 
begun to put up a school building1      
toward the cost of which ,mr4 ,a4 ,h4   
,porter1 of ,brooklyn1 ,n4 ,y41 gave    
#ejj1 the structure being named ,porter 
,hall in recognition of ,mr4 ,porter's  
generosity4 ,in this building1 which has
 three stories and a basement1 all the  
operations of the school were for a time
 conducted4 ,in the basement were a     
kitchen1 dining-room1 laundry1 and      
commissary4 ,the first story was devoted
 to academic and industrial class-rooms2
 in the second was an assembly-room1    
where devotions and public exercises for
 the whole school were held1 while the  
third was given up to dormitories4      
,from this small beginning has grown the
 present extensive plant at ,tuskegee1  
comprising #b1cjj acres of land1 on     
which are located #abc buildings of all 

kinds devoted to the uses of the        
institution4 ,some idea of the          
impression which the size of the school 
makes upon one who sees it for the first
 time may be gathered from the remark of
 a ,northern visitor1 who1 upon         
returning to his home from a trip       
through the ,south1 was asked by a      
friend if he had seen ,booker           
,washington's school4 ,school8 he       
replied4 ,i have seen ,booker           
,washington's city4  ,about #aej acres  
constitute the present campus1 the rest 
of the school-lands being devoted to    
farms1 truck-gardens1 pastures1         
brick-yards1 etc4 ,running through the  
grounds proper and extending the entire 
distance of the farms for two or three  
miles is a driveway1 on either side of  
which1 and on roads leading from it1 are
 located the buildings of the           
,institute4 ,these1 for the most part1  
are brick structures1 and have been     
built by the students themselves under  
the direction of their instructors in   

the various building trades4 ,the plans 
for these buildings have been drawn in  
the architectural-drawing division of   
the ,institute4 ,while not as ornate as 
the buildings of some other             
institutions1 they are substantial and  
well adapted to the uses for which they 
are intended4 ,the newer buildings1     
constructed in the last ten years1 are  
more artistic and imposing1 showing     
great improvement in matters of         
architectural design and finish4 ,not   
only have the students performed the    
building operations that entered into   
the construction of these buildings1 but
 they have also manufactured the brick1 
and have prepared much of the wooden and
 other materials that were used4 ,we    
sometimes speak of a man as self-made1  
but ,i have never known another great   
educational institution that could be so
 described4 ,tuskegee1 itself1 is       
distinctively self-made4  ,porter ,hall 
was completed and occupied in the spring
 of #ahhc4 ,the following year a brick  

building for girls was undertaken1 and  
two years later completed4 ,this        
building1 named ,alabama ,hall1 is      
rectangular in shape and four stories   
high4 ,it contains a kitchen and        
dining-room1 reception-rooms1 apartments
 of the ,dean of the ,woman's           
,department1 and sleeping-rooms4 ,there 
was no special gift made for this       
building1 the money required for its    
erection being taken from the general   
funds of the ,institute as they could be
 spared4 ,a wing added later gave more  
space for dining-rooms and provided a   
number of sleeping-rooms4  ,the money   
used in putting up the buildings at     
,tuskegee is made to do double duty4 ,in
 the first place1 it provides the       
buildings for which it was primarily    
given1 and1 in the second place1        
furnishes opportunities for young men to
 learn the trades which are employed in 
their construction4 ,following closely  
upon the completion of ,alabama ,hall1  
there was begun another brick structure 

to be used as a dormitory for young men4
 ,olivia ,davidson ,hall bears the      
honored name of the school's first and  
only ,assistant ,principal4 ,miss       
,davidson performed a conspicuous part  
in establishing the school and placing  
its claim for support before the public4
 ,this building is a four-story         
structure1 and the first of the school's
 buildings for which the plans were made
 by the teacher of architectural        
drawing4 ,the plans for all the         
buildings put up by the ,institute are  
now made in the division of             
architectural drawing in charge of ,mr4 
,r4 ,r4 ,taylor1 a graduate of the      
,massachusetts ,institute of            
,technology1 who is ably assisted by    
,mr4 ,w4 ,s4 ,pittman1 a graduate of    
,tuskegee and of the ,drexel ,institute 
in ,philadelphia4  ,the need for a      
building to house the mechanical        
industries which1 until #ahib1 had been 
conducted in temporary frame buildings  
on different parts of the grounds1 led  

to the erection of ,cassedy ,hall1 a    
three-story brick building standing at  
the east entrance to the grounds4       
,cassedy ,hall1 together with a smaller 
building devoted to a blacksmith shop   
and foundry1 was used for the purpose   
mentioned1 until three years ago1 when  
all the industries for men were moved   
into the ,slater-,armstrong ,memorial   
,trades ,building1 at the opposite end  
of the grounds4 ,through the generosity 
of ,mr4 ,george ,f4 ,peabody1 of ,new   
,york1 ,cassedy ,hall has since been    
converted into a dormitory for young    
men1 and serves admirably for this      
purpose4  ,phelps ,hall1 which is the   
,bible ,training ,school ,building1 is  
the gift of two ,new ,york ladies who   
desired to do something to improve the  
,negro ministry4 ,the building is of    
wood and has three stories1 containing a
 lecture-hall1 recitation-rooms1        
library1 and sleeping-rooms for young   
men4 ,a broad veranda extends entirely  
around the building4 ,last year there   

were enrolled fifty-six students for the
 course in ,bible ,training1 and among  
them were a number of ordained ministers
 who have regular charges4 ,phelps ,hall
 was dedicated in #ahib1 ,dr4 ,lyman    
,abbott preaching the dedicatory sermon 
and ,general ,samuel ,c4 ,armstrong     
delivering an address1 which was among  
his last public utterances4  ,in the    
next year ,science ,hall 7now called    
,thrasher ,hall1 after the lamented ,max
 ,bennett ,thrasher7 was built4 ,this is
 a handsome three-story building1 with  
recitation-rooms and laboratories in the
 first two stories1 and sleeping-rooms  
for teachers and boys in the third      
story4 ,about this time a frame cottage 
with two stories and attic was built by 
the school as a residence for ,mr4      
,washington4 ,this he occupied until the
 gift of two ,brooklyn friends enabled  
him to erect on his own lot1 just       
opposite the school-grounds1 his present
 handsome brick residence1 where he     
dispenses a generous hospitality to the 

school's guests and to the teachers of  
the ,institute4 ,the cottage which he   
vacated was afterward utilized for a    
time as a library1 but now is the home  
of ,director ,bruce of the ,academic    
,department4  ,alabama ,hall1 already   
mentioned1 soon proved inadequate to    
meet the needs of the ,woman's          
,department4 ,a long one-story frame    
building1 having the shape of a letter  
,t1 was then erected just in the rear of
 ,alabama ,hall4 ,it has been used for  
girls' sleeping-rooms until this year1  
when it was taken down to make room for 
a park and playground for young women4  
,there were also successively built for 
the growing demands of this department1 
and in the vicinity of the original     
girls' building1 ,willow ,cottage1      
,hamilton ,cottage1 ,parker ,memorial   
,home1 ,huntington ,hall1 and only this 
last year ,douglass ,hall4 ,huntington  
,hall is the gift of ,mrs4 ,collis ,p4  
,huntington4 ,in design1 finish1 and    
appointments it is one of the best      

buildings owned by the school4  ,three  
years ago a wealthy but unostentatious  
gentleman1 who would not permit his name
 to be used in connection with his      
benefaction1 gave the school #be1jjj for
 a building for girls1 suggesting that  
the structure should bear the name of   
some noted ,negro4 ,douglass ,hall was  
erected with this money and named in    
honor of that great leader of the race1 
,frederick ,douglass4 ,it is a two-story
 brick building1 with a basement in its 
central section1 and contains #dj       
sleeping-rooms1 a reception-room1       
bathrooms1 and a large assembly-room    
with a seating capacity or #dej4 ,in    
this room the ,dean of the ,woman's     
,department holds meetings with the     
girls on questions of health1 morals1   
and manners4 ,the building is heated    
with steam and lighted by electricity4  
,all in all1 ,douglass ,hall is the best
 of the buildings so far built by the   
,institute1 and is a fitting monument to
 the man whose name it bears4  ,the     

,slater-,armstrong ,memorial            
,agricultural ,building was completed   
and dedicated in #ahig4 ,hon4 ,james    
,wilson1 ,secretary of ,agriculture of  
the ,united ,states1 honored the school 
by his presence and an address on the   
occasion of the formal opening of this  
building4 ,it is a brick structure of   
two-and-a-half stories1 with            
recitation-rooms1 laboratory1 museums1  
library1 and an office for the use of   
the ,department of ,agriculture4 ,in    
addition to its appropriation of #c1jjj 
for the general work of the school1 the 
,state of ,alabama makes an annual      
appropriation of #a1ejj for the         
maintenance of an ,agricultural         
,experiment ,station4 ,the plots of the 
,station and the school-farm are in     
close proximity to the ,agricultural    
,building1 and on these the young men   
taking the course in ,agriculture put in
 practise the theories which they learn 
in the class-room4 ,many important      
experiments have been undertaken by the 

,station1 of particular interest being  
those relating to soil building1 the    
hybridization of sea-island cotton with 
some of the common short-staple         
varieties1 fertilizer tests with        
potatoes1 by which it has been shown    
that it is possible to raise as much as 
#bff bushels per acre on light1 sandy   
soil such as that comprising the        
school-lands1 while the average yield in
 the same part of ,alabama is not more  
than #dj bushels to the acre4  ,the next
 building of importance to be put up    
after the ,agricultural ,building was   
the ,chapel4 ,another gift from the two 
,new ,york ladies who gave the money for
 ,phelps ,hall made possible this       
magnificent structure1 admittedly one of
 the most imposing church edifices in   
the ,south4 ,it is built of brick1      
#a1bjj1jjj bricks entering into its     
construction1 all of which were laid by 
student masons4 ,it has stone trimmings1
 and in shape is a cross1 the nave with 
choir having a length of #aed feet1 and 

the distance through the transept being 
#ajf feet4 ,there are anterooms and a   
study for the ,chaplain of the          
,institute4 ,including the gallery the  
seating capacity is #b1djj4 ,here all   
gatherings of the school for religious  
and other purposes are now held4 ,the   
great ,tuskegee ,negro ,conference that 
assembles in ,february of each year     
holds its meetings in the ,chapel4 ,near
 the ,chapel are the ,barracks1 two     
long1 roughly constructed one-story     
frame buildings1 which are used as      
sleeping quarters for young men until   
they can be better housed in permanent  
buildings4  ,until #aijj the mechanical 
industries at ,tuskegee were conducted  
in ,cassedy ,hall and some adjoining    
frame buildings4 ,in that year they were
 moved into the commodious quarters     
which the then just completed           
,slater-,armstrong ,memorial ,trades    
,building furnished4 ,this building is  
rectangular in shape1 is built about a  
central court1 and covers more space    

than any other of the school buildings4 
,in its outside dimensions it is #bhc   
feet by #cae feet4 ,the front half of   
the building is two stories high1 the   
rear half one story4 ,it is constructed 
of brick1 with a tin roof1 and1 like the
 other larger buildings at the          
,institute1 has steam heat and electric 
light4 ,the money for this building came
 in part from the ,j4 ,w4 and ,belinda  
,l4 ,randall ,charities ,fund of ,boston
 and the steadfast friend of the school1
 ,mr4 ,george ,foster ,peabody1 of ,new 
,york4 ,there is a tablet in the        
building bearing the following          
inscription3 ,this tablet is erected in 
memory of the generosity of ,j4 ,w4 and 
,belinda ,l4 ,randall1 of ,boston1      
,massachusetts1 from whose estate       
#bj1jjj were received toward the        
erection of the building4  ,the various 
shops in this building are fairly well  
equipped with tools and apparatus to do 
the work required of them and to teach  
the trades pursued by the young men4    

,taking the ,machine ,division as an    
example1 we find it supplied with one   
#ah-;inch lathe1 one #ad-;inch lathe1   
one #bj-;inch planer1 one #ab-;inch     
shaping-machine1 one #bj-;inch          
drill-press1 one #f-a_/b-;inch          
pipe-cutting and threading machine1 one 
,brown and ,sharpe tool-grinder1 one    
sensitive drill-press1 and1 of course1  
the customary tools that go with these  
machines4 ,the ,electric-,lighting      
,plant is also located in this building4
 ,not only does this ,division light the
 buildings and grounds of the           
,institute1 but it furnishes light to   
individuals in the town of ,tuskegee1   
which is1 at present1 without other     
electric-lighting facilities4  ,in #ahie
 the school suffered the loss by fire of
 its well-appointed barn1 together with 
some of its finest milch cows4 ,this is 
the only serious fire that has occurred 
in the history of the school--a record  
almost unparalleled in an establishment 
so large4 ,this fact has led to the     

school being able to get insurance at a 
lower rate than is generally given to   
educational institutions4 ,it was not   
until #aijj that the school fully       
recovered from the loss of its barn4 ,in
 this year friends in ,brooklyn gave the
 money with which to rebuild the barn on
 a larger scale4 ,it was deemed wise not
 to put all the money into one building1
 but to erect numbers of smaller ones   
and locate them so as to minimize the   
fire risk4 ,accordingly1 plans were made
 to build a hennery1 creamery1          
dairy-barn1 horse-barn1 carriage-house1 
tool-house1 piggery1 silos1 and         
slaughter-house4 ,all these buildings   
were at once put up1 and are now giving 
effective service4 ,at present the      
school owns #dg horses and colts1 #gf   
mules1 #die cows and calves1 #fja pigs1 
and #igg fowls of different kinds4      
,these animals are all of good stock1   
some of them being thoroughbreds1 and   
are cared for by the students who work  
in the ,agricultural ,department4       

,dorothy ,hall1 the building which      
accommodates the ,girls' ,industrial    
,department1 was built in #aija on the  
side of the driveway opposite the ,boys'
 ,trades ,building4 ,this building is   
the gift of the two ,new ,york ladies   
who gave the ,chapel and ,phelps ,hall4 
,it serves its purpose admirably1 the   
rooms being large1 well lighted1 and    
airy4 ,here are conducted all the trades
 taught to young women1 including       
sewing1 dressmaking1 millinery1         
laundering1 cooking1 housekeeping1      
mattress-making1 upholstering1          
broom-making1 and basketry4 ,as with the
 boys' trades1 there is a very fair     
equipment of accessories for proper     
teaching4  ,in point of time1 the next  
important building provided was the     
,carnegie ,library1 ,mr4 ,carnegie      
giving #bj1jjj for the building and     
furnishings4 ,the structure is two      
stories high1 with massive ,corinthian  
columns on the front4 ,it contains1     
besides the library proper1 a large     

assembly-room1 an historical room1      
study-rooms1 and offices for the        
,librarian4 ,the building and the       
furniture are the product of student    
labor4  ,in #aija1 with #b1jjj given by 
,mrs4 ,quincy ,a4 ,shaw1 of ,boston1 and
 #ajj contributed by graduates of the   
,institute as a nucleus1 the ,children's
 ,house was built4 ,this is a one-story 
frame building of good proportions1 in  
which the primary school of the town is 
taught4 ,it is the practise-school for  
students of the ,institute who mean to  
teach4 ,a kindergarten has also been    
established4  ,mr4 ,rockefeller has     
given a dormitory for boys1 which was   
completed and occupied last year4 ,the  
lack of adequate sleeping quarters for  
young men1 from which the school has    
suffered from the beginning1 was very   
materially supplied in ,rockefeller     
,hall1 which is a three-story brick     
structure1 furnishing accommodations for
 #aej students4 ,this need for          
dormitories has been still further met  

through the gift of three brick cottages
 by ,miss ,julia ,emery1 an ,american   
now living in ,london4 ,two of these    
buildings were finished last year1 and  
young men are now living in them4 ,the  
third is nearing completion4 ,all are   
two stories high1 with a hall running   
through the middle1 and contain #dj     
rooms of good size4  ,until last year   
the offices of the ,institute were      
scattered over the grounds wherever room
 could be found4 ,a ,new ,york friend1  
who does not permit the use of his name1
 seeing the need of the school for a    
building in which the offices might be  
concentrated1 thus greatly increasing   
the efficiency of its administrative    
work1 gave #ai1jjj for this purpose4    
,the ,office ,building1 completed in the
 latter part of #aijc1 is the result of 
this benefaction4 ,it is two-and-a-half 
stories high1 and contains the offices  
of the ,principal1 the ,principal's     
,secretary1 ,treasurer1 ,auditor1       
,business ,agent1 ,commandant1          

,registrar1 and the ,post-,office and   
,savings ,department4   ,illustration3  
,,the ,,office ,,building ,,in ,,process
 ,,of ,,erection4  ,student carpenters  
shown at work4   ,the most pretentious  
building owned by the ,institute is the 
,collis ,p4 ,huntington ,memorial       
,building1 the new home of the ,academic
 ,department1 which is the gift of ,mrs4
 ,huntington as a memorial to her       
husband1 who was one of ,tuskegee's     
stanchest supporters4 ,it is built near 
the site of the original building1      
,porter ,hall1 which it displaces as the
 center of the academic work of the     
school4 ,the outside dimensions are #ahc
 feet by #ajc feet4 ,it is four stories 
in height4 ,besides recitation-rooms for
 all the classes1 it contains a         
gymnasium in the basement for young     
women1 and an assembly-room on the top  
floor capable of seating #hjj persons4  
,the finishing is in yellow pine4 ,the  
buildings of the ,institute show a      
steady progression in quality of        

workmanship1 materials1 and             
architectural design and efficiency1    
from the rather rough1 wooden ,porter   
,hall erected by hired workmen in #ahhb 
to the stately ,huntington ,hall built  
by students in #aijd4  ,located at      
different points on the grounds and on  
lots detached are cottages occupied as  
residences by teachers and officers of  
the ,institute4  ,the furnishings for   
all the buildings1 as well as the       
buildings themselves1 have been made by 
the students in the various shops1 who  
at the same time were learning trades   
and creating articles of use4  ,the     
annual cost of conducting the           
institution is1 in round numbers1       
#aej1jjj4 ,this may seem high1 but when 
certain facts in regard to the work are 
borne in mind it will not appear        
exorbitant4 ,in the first place1 there  
are really three schools at ,tuskegee--a
 day-school1 a night-school1 and a      
trade-school4 ,such a system makes      
necessary the employment of a larger    

number of teachers than would be needed 
in a purely academic institution holding
 only one session a day4 ,teachers in   
the trade-school1 with special technical
 training1 can be obtained only by      
paying them higher salaries than are    
paid to those who simply teach in the   
class-rooms4  ,secondly1 and            
principally1 it is expensive to employ  
student labor to do the work of the     
school4 ,by the time students become    
fairly proficient in their trades and   
reach the point where their services    
begin to be profitable1 their time at   
the institution has expired1 and a new1 
untrained set take their places1 so that
 the school is constantly working on new
 material or raw recruits4 ,then1 too1  
,tuskegee is still in the formative     
period of its growth as to buildings1   
laying-out and improvement of grounds1  
and equipment of its various            
departments4 ,when the school's needs in
 these directions shall have been met1  
and the ,negro parent shall become able 

to pay a larger share of the cost of    
educating his children1 the expenses to 
the public of running the school may be 
materially reduced4  ,money for the     
support of the school is derived        
principally from the following sources1 
viz43 ,the ,state of ,alabama1 #d1ejj2  
the ,john ,f4 ,slater ,fund1 #aj1jjj2   
the ,general ,education ,board1 #aj1jjj2
 the ,peabody ,fund1 #a1ejj2 the        
,institute's ,endowment ,fund1 #dj1jjj2 
contributions of persons and charitable 
organizations1 #hd1jjj2 a total of      
#aej1jjj4 ,the individual contributions 
are1 for the most part1 small1 and come 
from persons of moderate means4 ,yet the
 institution annually receives some     
large gifts toward its expenses from    
those who are blessed with wealth4      
,especial appeals are made by the       
institution for scholarships of #ej     
each1 in order to pay the tuition of    
students who provide for their other    
expenses themselves largely by their    
work for the school1 but who are unable 

to contribute anything toward the item  
of teaching4 ,these scholarships are not
 turned over to the students1 but are   
held by the institution and assigned for
 their benefit1 the aim being to do     
nothing for students which they can do  
for themselves1 and thus help to develop
 in them a spirit of manly and womanly  
self-reliance4  ,the majority of the    
large donations1 aside from those for   
endowment1 have been for buildings and  
the purchase of additional farm-lands   
made necessary by the enlargement of the
 school's agricultural work4  ,what may 
be regarded as the greatest need of the 
institution is an adequate endowment    
which will put it upon a permanent basis
 and make its future certain4  ,a       
gratifying beginning in the building up 
of an endowment has already been made4  
,it is a fact1 still well remembered by 
the public1 that ,mr4 ,andrew ,carnegie 
has given to the endowment fund the     
princely sum of #fjj1jjj4 ,before that  
time #djj1jjj had been collected from   

other sources for the same purpose1 the 
largest single contribution toward this 
amount being #ej1jjj from the late      
,collis ,p4 ,huntington4  ,as already   
stated1 the income from the present     
endowment is #dj1jjj1 out of which      
several annuities are paid4 ,this is    
only a little more than one-fourth of   
the amount that must be had each year to
 pay the expenses of the school4 ,it    
will require an endowment of at least   
#c1jjj1jjj to yield an income adequate  
to the present needs of the institution 
alone4     ,,iii  ,,the ,,academic      
,,aims  ,,by ,,roscoe ,,conkling ,,bruce
   ,the ,negro needs industrial training
 in eminent degree1 because the capacity
 for continuous labor is a requisite of 
civilized living2 because1 indeed1 the  
very first step in social advance must  
be economic2 because the industrial     
monopoly with which slavery encompassed 
black men has fallen shattered before   
the trumpet-blast of white labor and    
eager competition2 and1 finally1 because

 no instrument of moral education is    
more effective upon the mass of mankind 
than cheerful and intelligent work4     
,these ideas powerfully voiced1 together
 with an unusually magnanimous attitude 
toward the white ,south1 have set the   
man who toiled doggedly up from slavery1
 upon a hill apart4 ,these things are   
distinctive of this man2 they suggest   
his temper1 his spirit1 his point of    
view2 but they do not exhaust his       
interests4 ,similarly1 the distinctive  
feature of ,tuskegee--adequate provision
 for industrial training--sets it upon a
 hill apart1 but by a whimsical         
perversity this major feature is in some
 quarters assumed to be the whole       
school4 ,a moment's reflection shows    
such a view to be mistaken4             
,illustration3 ,,roscoe ,c4 ,,bruce4    
,director of the ,academic ,department4 
,the very industries at ,tuskegee       
presuppose a considerable range of      
academic study4 ,tuskegee does not      
graduate hoe-hands or plowboys4         

,agriculture is1 of course1             
fundamental--fundamental in recognition 
of the fact that the ,negro population  
is mainly a farming population1 and of  
the truth that something must be done to
 stem the swelling tide which each year 
sweeps thousands of black men and women 
and children from the sunlit monotony of
 the plantation to the sunless iniquity 
of the slums1 from a drudgery that is   
not quite cheerless to a competition    
that is altogether merciless4 ,but the  
teaching of agriculture1 even in its    
elementary stages1 presupposes a        
considerable amount of academic         
preparation4 ,to be sure1 a flourishing 
garden may be made and managed by       
bright-eyed tots just out of the        
kindergarten1 but how can commercial    
fertilizers be carefully analyzed by a  
boy who has made no study of general    
chemistry8 and how can a balanced ration
 be adjusted by an illiterate person8   
,similarly1 the girl in the laundry does
 not make soap by rote1 but by          

principle2 and the girl in the          
dressmaking-shop does not cut out her   
pattern by luck1 or guess1 or instinct1 
or rule of thumb1 but by geometry4 ,and 
so the successful teaching of the       
industries demands no mean amount of    
academic preparation4 ,in this lies the 
technical utility of ,tuskegee's        
,academic ,department4  ,then1 too1 a   
public service has been rendered by     
,hampton and ,tuskegee in showing that  
industrial training--the system in which
 the student learns by doing and is paid
 for the commodities he produces--may be
 so managed as to educate4 ,among the   
excellencies of industrial training1 ,i 
would state that the severe commercial  
test in which sentiment plays no part is
 applied as consistently to the         
student's labor as is the force of      
gravitation to a falling body4 ,here we 
must keep in mind the unavoidably       
concrete nature of the product1 whether 
satisfactory or not2 the discipline such
 training affords in organized endeavor2

 the stimulus it offers to all the      
virtues of a drudgery which1 though it  
repel an unusually ardent and sensitive 
temperament1 yet wears a precious jewel 
in its head2 and an exceptionally keen  
sense of responsibility1 since on       
occasion large amounts of money and the 
esteem of the school at large and the   
lives of a student's fellows depend upon
 his circumspection and skill4 ,such    
training educates4  ,but that would     
indeed be a sorry program of education  
which blinked the fact that the student 
must be rendered responsive to the      
nobler ideals of the human race1 that   
his eyes must be opened to the immanent 
values of life4 ,if a clear title to    
forty acres and a mule represents the   
extreme upper limit of a black man's    
ambition1 why call him a man8 ,if a     
bank-account represents the sum of his  
happiness1 that happiness lacks         
humanity4 ,if you would educate for     
life1 you must arouse spiritual         
interests4 ,the life is more than meat1 

and the body than raiment4 ,through     
history and literature the ,tuskegee    
student is brought to develop a         
criticism1 an appreciation of life and  
the worthier ends of human striving4 ,to
 such a discipline1 however elementary1 
the critic will not1 ,i take it1        
begrudge the name education4  ,and if   
the reader wavers in contemplating the  
problems of trudging ,negroes1 remember 
that the type of ,negro who is a menace 
to the community is he who1 in moments  
of leisure1 responds to somewhat grosser
 incentives than the poetry of          
,longfellow1 the romance of ,hawthorne1 
and the philosophy of ,emerson4 ,i would
 reassure your idealism with this       
counsel of prudence4  ,another question 
presses3 ,does the value of ,tuskegee   
lie in the fact that the school equips  
for happy lives merely as many persons  
as are subjected to the immediate play  
of its influences2 that its circle of   
efficiency includes only as many as are 
enrolled in its various courses8 ,to    

that question every teacher in the      
school and the mass of graduates and    
students would give an emphatic1 a      
decisive1 ,no6 ,the real value of the   
school lies in the service rendered to  
the people of the communities where our 
young folks go to live and labor4 ,now1 
work in wood and iron1 however          
assiduously prosecuted1 never erected in
 any human being's heart a passion for  
social service2 a finer material must be
 used1 a material finer than gold4 ,and 
so the plan and deeper intent of        
,tuskegee ,institute are incapable of   
realization without the incentives      
supplied by history and literature4     
,finally1 there is a trade for which the
 academic studies1 supplemented by      
specific normal instruction1 are the    
direct preparation--teaching school4 ,in
 the census year there were over #ba1jjj
 ,negro school-teachers in the ,united  
,states1 and in the decade #ahij-aijj   
the ratio of increase was more than     
twice as rapid as that of the ,negro    

population2 but1 nevertheless1 there    
were in #aijj more than twice as many   
teachers in the ,south per #aj1jjj white
 children as per #aj1jjj colored4 ,but  
such data can not even approximately    
indicate the relative amounts of        
teaching enjoyed by these two classes of
 children1 for the statistical method   
can not express the incalculable        
disparity in teaching-efficiency4  ,a   
friend of mine--a graduate of ,brown    
,university--was for several years a    
member of a board which corrected the   
examination-papers of ,negro candidates 
for teachers' certificates in a certain 
,southern ,state where the school       
facilities for the ,negro population are
 exceptionally good2 but he confessed to
 me that repeatedly not a paper         
submitted deserved a passing mark1 but  
the board was simply compelled to grant 
certificates in order to provide        
teachers enough to go around4 ,nor is   
such a dearth of black pedagogues in the
 least extraordinary4 ,the mission of   

,tuskegee ,institute is largely to      
supply measurably well-equipped teachers
 for the schools--teachers able and     
eager to teach gardening and carpentry  
as well as grammar and arithmetic1      
teachers who seek to organize the social
 life of their communities upon         
wholesome principles1 tactfully         
restraining grossness and unobtrusively 
proffering new and nobler sources of    
enjoyment4 ,and so the academic studies 
are wrought into the essential scheme of
 ,tuskegee's work4  ,let us inspect with
 some closeness the organization of the 
institution4 ,the student-body is       
fundamentally divided into day-students 
and night-students4 ,the night-students 
work in the industries1 largely at      
common labor1 all day and every day1 and
 go to school at night1 thus paying     
their current board bills1 and          
accumulating such credits at the        
,treasurer's office as will later defray
 their expenses in the day-school4 ,the 
day-school students are divided         

perpendicularly through the classes into
 two sections1 section ,no4 #a working  
in the industries every other day for   
three days a week and attending academic
 classes the remaining three days1 while
 this situation is exactly reversed for 
section ,no4 #b4 ,thus every week-day   
half of each day-school class is in the 
,academic ,department1 while the other  
half is in the ,industrial4 ,this       
arrangement induces a wholesome rivalry 
between the students of the two         
sections1 and effects an equal          
distribution of the working force and   
skill over every week-day4  ,the        
day-school students consist1 then1 of   
two classes of persons3 those who1 as   
night-students1 have accumulated credits
 sufficient to pay their way in the     
day-school1 and those whose families are
 able to pay a considerable part of     
their expenses4 ,the earnings of a      
student in the day-school can not be    
large enough to pay his current board   
bill1 but such a student is ordinarily  

enjoying the valuable advantage of      
working at one of the more skilled      
trades4  ,the night-school student1     
perhaps1 because of greater maturity in 
years and experience1 may be relied upon
 to apply himself with the utmost       
diligence to his academic studies2 so1  
in much less than half the              
time-allotment1 he advances in his      
academic studies about half as fast as  
the day-school student4 ,this schedule  
did not spring full-fledged from the    
seething brain of any theorist2 it is no
 fatuous imitation of the educational   
practise of some remote and             
presumptively dissimilar institution2 it
 has1 so to say1 elaborated itself in   
adjustment to the actual needs of the   
particular situation4 ,this provision   
boasts not of novelty1 but of utility2  
though not ideal1 it is practicable4    
,but the central fact is that this      
,tuskegee ,plan1 while clearly securing 
ample time for the teaching of the      
industries1 makes possible no mean      

amount of academic study4  ,in order    
more clearly to exhibit the grounds of  
this proposition1 ,i shall refer in some
 slight detail to the course of study in
 ,english and in ,mathematics4          
,mathematics represents the group of    
academic studies which possess direct   
technical value for the industries2     
moreover1 it is a pretty good index of  
the grades comprehended in the ,academic
 ,department4 ,in the lowest class in   
the day-school--there is one lower in   
the night-school--the arithmetical      
tables are mastered1 and fractions      
introduced and developed with the use of
 liquid1 dry1 surface1 and time         
measures2 whereas in the ,senior class  
algebra is studied through quadratics   
and plane geometry through the area of  
polygons4 ,that is to say1 the lowest   
day-school class is about equivalent to 
a fourth grade in the ,north1 and the   
,senior to the first or the second year 
7barring the foreign languages7 in a    
,northern high school4   ,illustration3 

,a ,,portion ,,of ,,the ,,school        
,,grounds4   ,despite a much smaller    
time-allotment1 our students1 roughly   
speaking1 keep pace with ,northern      
students because they are older and     
somewhat more serious1 because the      
course is shortened by the elimination  
of uselessly perplexing topics in       
arithmetic like compound proportion and 
cube root1 but chiefly because the      
utility of mathematics is made vivid1   
and vigorous interest aroused by its    
immediate application in class-room and 
shop to problems arising in the         
industries4 ,our students are not       
stuffed like sausages with rules and    
definitions1 mathematical or other2 they
 ascend to general principles through   
the analysis of concrete cases4         
,english serves to represent the group  
of studies that exert a liberalizing    
influence upon the student1 that possess
 a cultural rather than a technical     
value4 ,from oral lessons in language in
 the lower classes1 the students advance

 to a modicum of technical grammar in   
the middle of the course1 and hence to  
the rhetoric of the ,senior year4       
,moreover1 an unusually large amount of 
written composition is insisted upon1   
the compositions being used not merely  
to discipline the student in chaste     
feeling1 consecutive thinking1 and      
efficient expression1 but also to       
sharpen his powers of observation and to
 stimulate him to pick out of his daily 
experience the elements that are        
significant4 ,school readers are used in
 the lower classes because the readers  
present economically and compactly a    
whole gamut of literary styles and      
forms4 ,these readers are importantly   
supplemented and gradually superseded by
 certain classics appropriate to the    
grades4 ,the classic1 whether ,robinson 
,crusoe1 or ,ivanhoe1 ,rip ,van ,winkle1
 the ,house of ,seven ,gables1 or ,the  
,merchant of ,venice1 presents an       
artistic whole1 and permits the students
 to acquire some sense of literary      

structure4 ,the dominant motive in      
literary instruction is1 perhaps1       
esthetic1 but ,i am convinced that the  
ethical influence of this instruction at
 ,tuskegee is profound and abiding4     
,however liberal the provisions of the  
academic curriculum1 the value of the   
department is finally determined by the 
devotion and ability of the teachers4   
,universities and normal schools1 and   
the seasoned staffs of public-school    
systems--from these sources1 whether in 
,massachusetts1 ,california1 or         
,tennessee1 ,principal ,washington has  
gathered a force of academic teachers of
 rare ability and devotion4 ,eminent for
 personality rather than for method1    
these teachers are no tyros in method4  
,in such hands the excellent features of
 the curriculum are raised to the ,n-th 
power4  ,finally1 academic and          
industrial teachers are animated with a 
sentiment of solidarity1 with an esprit 
de corps1 which solves many a problem of
 conflicting duty and jurisdiction1 and 

which must impress the student with the 
essential unity of ,tuskegee's endeavor 
to equip men and women for life4 ,the   
crude1 stumbling1 sightless             
plantation-boy who lives in the         
environment of ,tuskegee for three or   
four years1 departs with an address1 an 
alertness1 a resourcefulness1 and above 
all a spirit of service1 that announce  
the educated man4   ,illustration3      
,,another ,,portion ,,of ,,the ,,school 
,,grounds4     ,,iv  ,,what ,,girls     
,,are ,,taught1 ,,and ,,how  ,,by ,,mrs4
 ,,booker ,t4 ,,washington   ,we wants  
our baby gal1 ,mary ,lou1 to come up to 
,tuskegee to git eddicated and learn    
seamstress2 kase we doesn't want her to 
work lak we is1 says the farmer4 ,i wish
 to help you plant this new industry1   
broom-making1 writes ,miss ,susan ,b4   
,anthony1 because you are trying so     
earnestly to teach your girls other     
means of livelihood besides sewing1     
housework1 and cooking4 ,this is the    
problem we have been trying to solve at 

,tuskegee for over twenty years3 ,what  
handiwork can we give our girls with    
their academic training that will better
 fit them to meet the demand for skilled
 teachers in the various avenues of the 
industrial and academic world now       
opening so rapidly to women8            
,illustration3 ,,mrs4 ,,booker ,t4      
,,washington4  ,director of ,industries 
for ,girls4   ,learning to sew1 with the
 ultimate end of becoming a full-fledged
 dressmaker1 has been the height of     
ambition with the major part of our     
girls when brought to the institution by
 their horny-handed fathers and mothers 
fresh from the soil of ,alabama1        
,georgia1 ,tennessee1 or ,florida4      
,after the last gripless hand-shake1    
with the tremulous1 ,take care of       
yourself1 honey1 the hard-working father
 and mother have turned their faces     
homeward1 visibly affected by the       
separation1 but resolved to shoulder the
 sacrifice of the daughter's much-needed
 help on the plantation1 which          

oftentimes is all that they are able to 
contribute toward her education4  ,not  
infrequently the girl has begun in the  
lowest class in night-school4 ,her      
parents send her articles of clothing   
now and then on ,christmas2 but the     
largest contributions to her wardrobe   
come from the boxes and barrels sent to 
the institution by ,northern friends4   
,she has remained in school during the  
summer vacation1 and within two years   
has entered day-school with enough to   
her credit to finish her education4     
,when the happy parents return to see   
their daughter graduated1 after six or  
seven long years1 their faces are       
radiant because of their realized hopes4
 ,when they see their white-robed       
daughter transformed from the girl they 
brought here clad in the homespun of the
 old days1 and receiving her            
certificate1 the tears come unchecked1  
and the moving lips no doubt form a     
whispered prayer4  ,in a recent class   
there was graduated a young woman of    

twenty-five4 ,she came to the school in 
her eighteenth year from the piney woods
 of ,alabama4 ,she entered the lowest   
preparatory class in night-school and   
was assigned to work in the laundry4    
,she was earnest and faithful in work   
and study4 ,she passed on from class to 
class1 remaining at school to work      
during the vacation4 ,after two years in
 the laundry she was given an           
opportunity to learn plain sewing in    
that division4 ,she was promoted to the 
,dressmaking ,division at the end of the
 year1 and received her certificate at  
the close of two years1 after working   
every day and attending night-school4   
,she spent the last two years of her    
school life in the ,millinery ,division1
 and received her certificate from that 
division with one from the ,academic    
,department on her graduation4 ,during  
these two years she taught the          
sewing-classes in the night-school of   
the town of ,tuskegee4 ,at the outset   
she bought the materials used with #a1  

left over from the sales of the previous
 year4 ,from this small nest-egg as a   
starter1 seventeen girls were supplied  
with work4 ,but so efficient and frugal 
was the young teacher that she sold     
articles1 bought supplies for her class1
 and ended the year with #c4de in the   
treasury4  ,this is just a leaf from the
 history of one girl4 ,of the #ebj girls
 entering the institution during this   
year 7#aijc-'jd71 #deh have remained for
 the full scholastic year4 ,about #ej   
per cent came from country districts all
 over the ,united ,states4 ,a large     
majority of them asked to enter the     
,dressmaking ,division to learn that    
trade2 but1 after the field of          
industries was opened to their view1    
they were scattered about in the        
different divisions1 a very large per   
cent still leaning to the side of       
dressmaking and millinery4  ,taking into
 account the number of girls working    
their way through at their trades by day
 and attending night-school1 they were  

distributed as follows3 ,horticulture1  
#d2 training-kitchen1 #ac2 housekeeping1
 #ch2 dining-room1 #bi2 hospital1 #bj2  
kitchen-gardening1 #h2 poultry-raising1 
#g2 tailoring1 #ad2 dairying1 #aj2      
printing1 #f2 broom-making1 #bf2        
mattress-making1 #ah2 upholstering1 #ah2
 laundering1 #ed2 plain sewing1 #gb2    
millinery1 #ea2 dressmaking1 #fi4 ,all  
the girls were required to take cooking 
twice a week and #bji of the girls in   
the normal classes took basketry4  ,as  
the trades were the great attraction in 
the school curriculum1 it was deemed    
necessary to separate the school into   
two divisions1 that students might have 
an opportunity to receive instruction   
equally in the ,academic and ,industrial
 ,departments4 ,this year this scheme   
worked successfully by an arrangement   
that placed one division in the         
,academic ,department on ,mondays1      
,wednesdays1 and ,fridays1 while the    
other was at work1 and the other        
division in the ,trades ,department on  

,thursdays1 ,fridays1 and ,saturdays1   
while the other was in school1 and so on
 regularly4  ,girl life at ,tuskegee is 
strenuous4 ,though study and work are   
constantly to the fore1 character is    
effectively developed with brain and    
muscle1 and the well-earned             
recreation-hour comes just frequently   
enough to lend the highest source of    
pleasure4 ,though the girl usually comes
 with a hazy conception of what the days
 in school will really mean for the     
ripening of those powers that she       
earnestly intends to use for the best   
development of herself1 there is always 
a spirit of learning1 that she may be of
 service to others4 ,that is what counts
 in the school-days of the average girl 
in her struggle for more light4  ,the   
girl1 coming a stranger from her home in
 the city or country1 is lost in a crowd
 of girls new to dormitory life4 ,new   
surroundings and new conditions are     
everywhere4 ,new emotions1 new purposes1
 new resolutions chase one another in   

her thoughts1 and she becomes a stranger
 to herself only to find her bearings   
first in her own room4 ,here ,maine and 
,california1 far-away ,washington and   
,central ,america1 meet on common       
ground4 ,alabama and ,georgia alone feel
 kinship from geographical propinquity4 
,beds1 one double and one single1       
chairs1 a table1 mirror1 bookcase1      
wardrobe1 wash-stand1 and screen1 all   
manufactured on the grounds1 compose the
 simple furniture of the room4 ,but a   
few pictures1 a strip of carpet before  
each bed1 a bright table-covering1 soon 
give the room the appearance of home1   
and the untried life has begun4 ,the    
duty-list assigns to each girl her work1
 and perhaps the first lessons in order 
and system will be fairly instituted4   
,how many and varied are the            
associations that cluster about the life
 of the girl in her room1 that refuge   
from a day of discouragement in         
schoolroom or workshop1 and a haven of  
peace during the quiet hours of the     

,sabbath6 ,roommate meets roommate1     
quick to resent and as quick to         
forgive--and the petty strife and envy  
suppressed at birth only serve to       
discipline them for the coming days4    
,up with the rising bell at five1 the   
duties of the room are almost finished  
when the girl leaves her beds to air    
while she takes her six o'clock         
breakfast4 ,social amenities1 the       
niceties of table-training1 and the     
tricks of speech that betray the        
sectional birthright1 proclaim to the   
ever-observant table-mates the status of
 each newcomer1 and she rises or falls  
in estimation just so far as her metal  
rings true4 ,thus another element enters
 into her life1 one that will prove a   
potent force in balancing character2 for
 the frankly expressed criticisms of    
schoolmates play no small part in the   
development of students4  ,if a girl be 
one of the forty-five waitresses on the 
eighty-nine tables of the dining-room1  
she eats her breakfast as the other     

students march out1 then finishes her   
room-duties and is ready for work at ten
 minutes of seven wherever she happens  
to be assigned4 ,if she is a dishwasher1
 she does that work1 waits for          
inspection of the table that she has    
set1 finishes her room-duty1 and is     
admitted into her work division at half 
past seven4  ,gardening and greenhouse  
work are becoming so attractive through 
the ,nature-,study classes of the       
,academic ,department that there are    
constant applications for transfers from
 the sewing divisions to this outside   
work4 ,equipped in an overall gingham   
apron and sunbonnet of the same         
material1 the girl begins her duties1   
and no prouder girl can be found than   
she who takes her first basket of early 
spring vegetables to the ,teachers'     
,home4  ,if the day is to be spent with 
the whole agricultural force of girls   
picking strawberries for the tables of  
the ,boarding ,department and the local 
market1 the stage takes the group out to

 the patch two miles back on the        
farm--and that is happiness unalloyed   
for the schoolgirl4 ,when she correlates
 her outing with her school work on the 
day following1 there is seen nature at  
first-hand in the class-room4  ,if other
 classmates have been working in the    
,plain-,sewing ,division turning out    
cotton underwear and plain articles of  
clothing to supply the demand of the    
,salesroom of the institution1 the      
lesson in ,english has a natural1       
practical bearing1 arising from the fact
 that one hour has been spent with the  
theory class of the workroom studying   
the warp and woof of the materials used1
 perhaps the sixth or seventh lesson in 
a series on cotton1 introduced to the   
class first in its native heath4        
,correlation comes in wherever it may1  
and the association of ideas obtained in
 class-room and workroom is closely     
joined4  ,the large class of the        
,dressmaking ,division1 spending the day
 from seven until half past five making 

the blue uniform dresses1 filling orders
 for tailor-made dresses in silk and    
cloth1 measuring1 drafting1 cutting1 and
 fitting1 has many a representative in  
the schoolroom the succeeding day2 and  
still more is the lesson varied by the  
practical illustrations in ,mathematics 
or the recital of the experiences of the
 day in the ,english classes4  ,the girl
 in the millinery work1 shaping forms1  
trimming hats1 blending colors1 drawing 
designs1 studying textiles and fabrics  
for analysis in her theory classes twice
 during her three days of work1 finds   
added inspiration for her three days of 
class-room study4 ,if she is in the     
,senior class1 she specializes in       
geometry on her school-days and         
mechanical drawing on her work-days4    
,when our girl has finished her course  
in drawing and begins one of the uniform
 hats worn by the hundreds of girls1 she
 ranks among the first milliners of the 
land in the estimation of the beginners4
 ,she completes hat after hat1 drapes   

them until the number meets the         
requirement1 and then comes her own     
creation1 a pattern hat1 undersized of  
course1 but a real dress hat and a thing
 of beauty4 ,it usually finds its way to
 the old home for her mother and        
neighbors to admire4 ,the commendation  
that comes back to the school is worth  
its weight in gold4   ,illustration3 ,a 
,,class ,,in ,,millinery4   ,but there  
are backward learners4 ,some there are  
who excel in embroidery1 crocheting1    
making ties and other fancy articles1   
but who have no aptitude for shaping and
 trimming hats4 ,they plod on1 and win  
at last4 ,then there is the girl whose  
parents wish her to open a millinery    
establishment in their town4 ,she tries1
 but finally agrees with her            
long-suffering instructor that she would
 succeed at mattress-making and         
upholstering instead4  ,the work in the 
,mattress ,division begins with sheet1  
pillow-case1 table-linen1 and           
comforter-making for the endless demands

 of the lodging division of the boys and
 girls4 ,pulling shucks for the mattress
 is the next step in advance1 and when  
shucks are covered by the cotton layers 
in the making1 they prove an excellent  
substitute for the hair filling of a    
more expensive manufacture1 and they    
have an advantage in the matter of      
cleanliness4 ,covering screen frames    
made in the ,carpentry ,division for the
 numerous rooms1 caning couches1        
rockers1 and stools1 help add to the    
variety of work in the division4 ,the   
girl is not awarded her certificate     
until she has completed the round of    
work1 including the fashioning of a     
bedroom suite from barrels finally      
covered with neat-figured denim4 ,the   
semiweekly theory classes are not unlike
 those of the plain-sewing division1 and
 the girl is as proud of her achievement
 with needle1 hammer1 and saw as if she 
were an adept in lighter work4  ,when   
the machinery was introduced for        
,broom-making1 the girls looked askance 

at the appliances4 ,but when the        
broom-corn was delivered from the farm1 
and the pioneer girl broom-maker began  
threshing of the seed in the cleaner1 an
 interest was evinced that has increased
 with the knowledge that the work1      
study1 or manufacture 7call it what you 
will7 is very productive1 especially in 
the confines of the girls' broom-factory
 at ,tuskegee ,institute4 ,the          
poultry-yard bought the seeds threshed  
off the broom-stalks2 the hundreds of   
old handles collected cost nothing1 and 
when the wiring1 stitching1 and clipping
 were finished and the girl saw the     
first broom turned out1 there was       
triumph in the fact that the industry   
was the most inexpensive and still the  
most productive of credit of all the    
girls' industries under the roof of     
,dorothy ,hall4 ,the evolution from the 
flag-straw broom used in cabins of the  
,south to the ones now completed and    
labeled1 creates the sensation of the   
girl-world in the trades school4 ,the   

wonders brought out in the theory class 
in connection with broom-making were    
marvelous4 ,broom-making has come to    
remain with our other girls' industries4
  ,work in the ,laundry presents another
 aspect to the onlooker1 and he         
doubtless decides on the spur of the    
moment that all is drudgery here4 ,girls
 are then assorting countless pieces    
received on ,mondays from students and  
teachers4 ,they are placing the assorted
 articles in cages in the basement4 ,two
 boys are filling three washers with    
bed-linen1 and in another apartment two 
girls are weighing and measuring        
materials to make more soap to add to   
the boxes standing in the soap-room4    
,girls up-stairs in the wash-room are   
busy rubbing at the tubs4 ,some girls   
are starching1 and others are sending   
baskets down on the elevator for girls  
below to hang in the drying-room4       
,others are in the assorting-room       
putting away clothes-bags into numerous 
boxes4 ,the ironing-room farther on is  

filled with busy workers4 ,days come    
during every week when time is spent in 
the study of laundry chemistry4 ,rust   
and mildew stains and scorching are some
 of the problems of the ,laundry1 and   
they find solution4 ,soap1 starch1      
water1 and bluing have their composite  
qualities and are analyzed1 and no more 
interesting correlation is there than   
that of the laundry with the class-room4
  ,although each ,tuskegee girl is      
expected to become proficient in one    
trade at least1 all are required to     
attend the cooking classes4 ,girls      
belonging to certain classes are        
scattered in the various divisions1 each
 busily engaged at her chosen trade4 ,at
 the ringing of the bells in each       
division at stated hours1 classes form  
and pass to the training-kitchen for    
their lesson in cooking4 ,both          
night-school and day-school girls report
 every day until every girl has received
 her lesson weekly4 ,the normal classes 
have theory and practise one hour each1 

the preparatory girls one hour weekly   
for their trades4  ,this is true also of
 girls in the normal classes4 ,they     
spend one hour in basketry study1 making
 in all three hours away from their     
individual trades each week4 ,theory is 
combined with practise1 and many a      
fanciful thought is woven in with the   
reed and raffia of the ,indian baskets1 
,african purses1 belts1 and pine-needle 
work-baskets4 ,the shuck hats and       
foot-mats are so foreign in design that 
one often wonders how it were possible  
to utilize the same material in so      
widely different purposes4 ,but our girl
 is progressive1 and not a few instances
 have occurred when one has been        
informed of the presence of a ,tuskegee 
student in a remote country district1 by
 the inevitable shuck hat prettily      
designed and worn by an utter stranger4 
,so remunerative has been the work that 
many have earned money enough from the  
sales of these hats to purchase books   
for the school year and pay their       

entrance fees4  ,few girls work at      
typesetting4 ,those learning the trade  
are in the ,boys' ,trades ,building4    
,the same is true of the girl tailors1  
who are as capable workers in the trade 
as the boys4 ,the majority of these     
girls are in night-school1 and of late  
years have not earned much for their    
work4 ,in former years the greater body 
of the students were working their way  
through school1 and by their labor would
 earn enough to complete their education
 in the ,academic ,department and the   
,industrial as well4 ,last year the pay 
schedule was reduced1 and many appeals  
for assistance came from those battling 
their way through4 ,a young girl whose  
monthly statement warned her that she   
owed the school #ae1 at the end of the  
school year wrote the following3        
,,dear ,,mrs4 ,,washington3 ,i write to 
inform you of the enormous sum     that 
,i owe on my board bill4 ,i am not      
satisfied1 because ,i want to     earn  
something in life1 but it seems that    

means and opportunity     will not      
permit me4 ,i can't help from crying    
when ,i think how     anxious and       
willing my people are to help me to be  
something1 and     yet they are unable  
to help me4      ,my mother has         
struggled to bring up eight of us1 and  
now is to the     point where she can   
give me no more help1 and that leaves me
 alone     to be something by myself4 ,i
 am anxious to enter day-school so ,i   
may finish my course of study and my    
trade1 and at last let my     mother see
 me a good1 noble woman1 who will take  
care of her4      ,i will thank you very
 much for your kindness1 if you will    
look     into my board bill and help me 
as soon1 and as much1 as possible4      
,yours gratefully4   ,as the day girls  
have put in so many hours of work       
recently under the new system1 it       
eliminates the necessity of so many     
night-school girls being paid for their 
work4 ,it is to the interest of the     
school and its day-students that fewer  

work their way through school1 and the  
time has come to teach this fact4 ,the  
boy or girl for a time will stagger in  
the attempt to gain education1 but will 
be all the more able1 later1 to reach   
the desired goal4  ,all girls are taught
 housekeeping incidentally in the care  
of their rooms2 but the number assigned 
to the regular division yearly are      
instructed in all branches of home      
industry4 ,the course covering two years
 is mapped out thoroughly1 and when the 
girls reach the ,senior class1 all have 
their turn at housekeeping in the       
,practise ,cottage of four rooms4 ,no   
girl is graduated from the school       
without the finishing touch of the      
little home4 ,marketing1 the planning of
 meals1 table-setting1 the care of      
table- and bed-linen1 dusting1 sweeping1
 and everything else pertaining to a    
well-kept house1 are taught by the      
teacher in domestic science who is in   
charge of the training-kitchen where the
 senior girls received their first      

lessons in cookery4 ,the young          
housekeepers have reached the stage of  
efficiency when they may prepare a meal 
for a distinguished guest4  ,a          
red-letter day in the history of the    
cottage came when a warm-hearted and    
much-beloved trustee of the institution 
expressed a wish to dine with the girls 
during one of his visits to the         
institution4 ,the flowers that graced   
the small table on this day were brought
 by the distinguished visitor1 who came 
from a stroll in the piney woods4 ,the  
girls1 apprehensive of their success in 
preparing the dinner for one with so    
cultured a palate1 felt visibly relieved
 on the disappearance of the roast1 the 
vegetables1 and the dessert4 ,the corn  
bread was voted the best ever eaten1 and
 the dinner1 as a whole1 a delicious    
preparation4 ,if ever1 in the years to  
come1 any of the four forgets the kindly
 heart that made all forget station or  
condition1 the right hand will forget   
its cunning4  ,days pass all too quickly

 in work and study4 ,after the supper at
 six1 the girls in the normal classes go
 to their rooms or the ,carnegie        
,library for study1 the girls in the    
preparatory classes go to the           
study-hour1 and those who have been     
working at the trades during the day    
spend two hours in night-school covering
 half as much ground as those in        
day-school1 and consequently spend a    
longer period in school4 ,at the ringing
 of the bell at half past eight all the 
girls form in line to pass to the       
,chapel for prayers4  ,school and work  
over for the day1 every girl seems to   
lose her personality in her blue braided
 uniform1 with her red tie and turnover 
on week-day evenings at ,chapel1 and her
 white ribbon on ,sundays when she      
passes the platform as she marches by   
out of the ,chapel to her room4 ,her    
carriage at least identifies her        
class-standing1 and one may easily note 
the difference in the manner of her who 
has newly arrived and another who has   

been in school with the advantages of   
several years4  ,friday afternoons mark 
an hour for lectures1 girls' clubs1 and 
circle entertainments4 ,saturday        
evenings are spent optionally4 ,time for
 class gymnastics or sewing or swimming 
is always spent pleasantly on schedule  
time during the week4 ,our girl attends 
the ,christian ,endeavor ,sunday        
mornings at nine1 ,chapel at eleven1    
,sunday-school at one1 and1 after dinner
 is out of the way1 spends the enforced 
quiet hour in her room from three until 
four o'clock reading4 ,the band concert 
on the lawn calls all to listen1 some   
walking1 some sitting on the seats on   
the green1 but all presenting a         
picturesque appearance in the blue      
skirts and white waists of the spring   
season4  ,thus the days and weeks pass1 
mingled with the sorrows and joys of    
school-life1 its encouragements and     
disappointments4 ,the months and seasons
 come and go1 and1 before one is        
scarcely aware of the fact1 the         

,commencement ,week is here and the     
hundreds of young people whose lives    
have come in touch with one another pass
 on to their homes4 ,some go out as     
helpful workers1 giving useful service  
to others2 many will return to complete 
the course begun1 but all1 we hope1 will
 give out the light that will not fail4 
,some are workers with ten talents1 some
 with five1 some with one2 but all1 we  
trust1 will be using them for the       
upbuilding of the kingdom here on earth4
     ,v  ,,hampton ,,institute',s       
,,relation ,,to ,,tuskegee  ,,by        
,,robert ,r4 ,,moton   ,in his eloquent 
address in ,may1 #aijc1 at the memorial 
services of ,general ,samuel ,chapman   
,armstrong1 ,founder1 and for           
twenty-five years ,principal1 of        
,hampton ,institute1 ,dr4 ,booker ,t4   
,washington said3 ,a few nights ago1    
while ,i was driving through the woods  
in ,alabama1 ,i discerned in the        
distance a large1 bright fire4 ,driving 
to it1 ,i soon found out that by the    

glow of this fire several busy hands    
were building a nice frame cottage1 to  
replace a log cabin that had been the   
abode of the family for a quarter of a  
century4 ,that fire was lighted by      
,general ,armstrong years ago4 ,what    
does it matter that it was twenty-five  
years passing through ,hampton to       
,tuskegee and through the ,tuskegee     
,conference to that lonely spot in those
 lonely woods6 ,it was doing its work   
very effectually all the same1 and will 
continue to do it through the years to  
come4  ,the relations existing between  
,tuskegee ,institute and ,hampton       
,institute are much like those existing 
between a son and the father who has    
watched the growth and development of   
his child through the formative         
transition periods of his youth1 and    
looks with pride upon him as he stands  
forth in the full bloom of manhood1     
enumerating successes already achieved1 
with large promise of greater and more  
far-reaching achievements for the       

immediate future4 ,the child never      
reaches the point where he does not seek
 the approval and blessing of the       
parent1 or where he refuses to accept   
advice and assistance if needed4  ,in   
the early days of ,tuskegee ,mr4        
,washington turned naturally and        
properly to ,hampton for anything that  
was needed1 as he so beautifully and    
repeatedly testifies in his             
autobiography1 ,up from ,slavery4 ,for a
 long time the men and women who helped 
him were from ,hampton1 more than fifty 
such having been there4  ,while there is
 a large number of ,hampton graduates in
 the ,industrial ,departments of        
,tuskegee1 the teaching force1          
especially in the ,academic ,department1
 represents a dozen or more of the best 
colleges and universities in this       
country4 ,the same may be said of       
,hampton4  ,up to about eight or ten    
years ago we at ,hampton spoke of       
,tuskegee as a small ,hampton1 but small
 no longer describes ,tuskegee1 and ,i  

doubt seriously if large ,hampton would 
be altogether proper4  ,while ,tuskegee 
was founded on the ,hampton plan1 and   
has consistently followed that plan as  
far as possible1 and while these two    
great ,industrial ,universities are very
 much alike in spirit and purpose1 they 
are1 on the other hand1 very dissimilar 
in external appearance as well as in    
internal conduct4 ,each sends out into  
the benighted districts of the ,south1  
and ,hampton also into the ,indian      
country of the ,west1 hundreds of men   
and women who are living influences of  
civilization and ,christianity in their 
deepest and most far-reaching sense1    
adding much to the solution of the      
perplexing questions with which the     
nation has to deal4  ,the conditions    
surrounding the two schools have        
necessitated certain differences in     
their evolution4 ,the personnel of the  
two institutions is different4 ,hampton 
has always been governed and controlled 
by white people1 and its teachers have  

come from the best families of the      
,north4 ,tuskegee was founded by a      
,negro1 and its teachers and officers   
have come from the best types of the    
,american ,negro and from the best      
schools opened to them4 ,hampton deals  
with a different class of student       
material1 including the ,indian1 who is 
almost as different in traits and       
characteristics from the ,negro as he is
 in feature and origin4 ,these are1 in a
 sense1 external differences which must 
of necessity affect the character and   
internal machinery of the two           
institutions4  ,this is no reflection   
upon either school1 for each is unique  
and complete in its way1 and any marked 
ethnic change in the management of      
either would be unfortunate4 ,hampton is
 a magnificent illustration of          
,anglo-,saxon ideas in modern education4
 ,tuskegee1 on the other hand1 is the   
best demonstration of ,negro achievement
 along distinctly altruistic lines4 ,in 
its successful work for the elevation   

and civilization of the children of the 
freedmen1 it is also the most convincing
 evidence of the ,negroes' ability to   
work together with mutual regard and    
mutual helpfulness4 ,when ,tuskegee was 
started there was a serious question as 
to whether ,negroes could in any large  
measure combine for business or         
educational purposes4 ,the only         
cooperative institutions that had been  
successful among them were the ,church  
and1 perhaps1 the secret societies4  ,in
 material development1 in the rapid and 
steadily improving accession of student 
material1 in enlarging powers for       
greater usefulness1 in influence upon   
the educational methods of the country  
and the civilized world1 and in the     
sympathy and respect it has gained for  
the ,negro through the writings and     
speeches of its ,founder and ,principal1
 the ,tuskegee ,institute has without   
doubt passed beyond the expectations of 
those who were most sanguine about its  
future4  ,the ,tuskegee torch1 from the 

,hampton fire started so many years ago 
by ,general ,armstrong1 has spread and  
is spreading light to thousands of homes
 and communities throughout the ,south1 
and is the greatest pride and glory of  
,hampton ,institute1 and a constant     
source of inspiration and encouragement 
to the devoted men and women who have   
always made ,hampton's work possible4   
,at the conclusion of an address in a   
,northern city in the interest of       
,hampton1 in which ,i had quoted ,dr4   
,curry's saying that1 if ,hampton had   
done nothing more than to give us       
,booker ,washington1 its history would  
be immortality1 a ,new ,england lady of 
apparently good circumstances and well  
informed1 in the kindness of her heart1 
took me to task for distorting my facts 
in saying that ,tuskegee had grown out  
of ,hampton4 ,she was sure that it was  
just the other way--that ,hampton was an
 offshoot of ,tuskegee4 ,she certainly  
could not have paid a higher tribute to 
,hampton1 and likewise to ,tuskegee4    

,for the past few years ,mr4            
,washington's deserved popularity and   
prominence have brought ,tuskegee       
conspicuously and constantly before the 
public4 ,this has in no sense been a    
disadvantage to ,hampton1 but has been a
 distinct gain in enabling ,hampton to  
point to the foremost man of the ,negro 
race1 and to the largest and most       
interesting and in many ways the        
best-managed institution of the race1 as
 the best and most conspicuous product  
of the peculiar kind of education for   
which ,hampton stands4  ,while ,tuskegee
 is1 perhaps1 in many respects1 better  
known than ,hampton1 its antecedent1    
,hampton1 is without doubt much better  
known and more highly thought of because
 of the existence of ,tuskegee4         
,tuskegee in its present state of       
development would be one of the marvels 
of the age1 even if the personality of  
its ,principal were left out of         
consideration4  ,two thousand ,negroes  
who are scarcely a generation removed   

from bondage1 being trained1            
disciplined1 controlled by #bjj or more 
of the same racial type2 #b1jjj ,negroes
 being educated1 morally1 industrially1 
intellectually2 an industrial university
 with #ajj large buildings well equipped
 and beautifully laid-off grounds1 with 
a hum and bustle of industry1           
scientifically and practically conducted
 by a race considered as representing   
the lowest ethnic type1 upsetting the   
theories of many well-meaning people who
 believe the ,negroes incapable of      
maintaining themselves in this          
civilization1 incapable of uniting in   
any successful endeavor without being   
under the direct personal control of the
 dominant ,aryan--this is one of the    
greatest achievements of the race during
 its years of freedom4  ,hampton1 though
 a dozen years older1 the pioneer in    
industrial education1 equally well      
equipped1 quite as well conducted1 doing
 as great a work in the elevation of the
 races it represents1 and holding just  

as important a place in the scheme of   
modern education1 is not so interesting 
or so wonderful1 because its conception 
and execution are the product of ,aryan 
thought and ,aryan ingenuity4 ,new      
ideas1 new discoveries1 new inventions  
and organizations1 new methods and new  
institutions1 have been conspicuous     
among the white race for a thousand     
years4 ,general ,armstrong's wisdom and 
foresight were truly wonderful1 as      
indeed are also those of his worthy     
successor1 ,dr4 ,h4 ,b4 ,frissell1 under
 whose direction the school's influence 
and usefulness have steadily increased1 
and along lines that ,general ,armstrong
 would approve2 but had ,hampton been   
founded and brought to its present state
 of proficiency by a ,negro1 and its    
dominating force been of the ,african   
race1 it would be a more wonderful and  
interesting institution4 ,in other      
words1 the white race has long since    
passed its experimental period4 ,it now 
is the standard of measurement for all  

other races4 ,the ,negro's achievements1
 then1 are considered largely with      
reference to the impression which they  
make upon the race of whose civilization
 and government he is a part4           
,illustration3 ,,the ,,executive        
,,council4   ,tuskegee1 therefore1      
stands out more prominently than        
,hampton as an exponent of industrial   
education1 and has been more severely   
questioned because of the imagined      
disloyalty in a ,negro's aggressive     
attitude for this particular kind of    
education for his race4 ,there are      
people of both races who1 while they do 
not on the whole oppose ,hampton and    
,tuskegee in their educational methods1 
are honestly afraid that1 because of the
 growing importance and influence of    
these two schools and others of a       
similar kind1 the idea will be          
thoroughly established that the ,negro  
needs only and is capable only of the   
narrowest sort of industrial            
training--such as is represented by the 

rule-of-thumb carpenter and the         
one-suspender mule-driver1 who work by  
rule and rote rather than by principle  
and method1 not in the slightest degree 
comprehending the science underlying the
 work in which they are engaged1 whose  
mathematical knowledge is bounded by the
 distance between two corn or cotton    
rows4  ,to fix such an idea in the minds
 of the people of this country--which is
 not likely to be done--would1 no doubt1
 be disastrous to us for generations to 
come1 and make it much more easy than it
 is now to deprive the ,negro of the    
civil and political rights which are    
guaranteed by the ,constitution4 ,it    
would1 without question1 defeat the     
objects for which ,hampton and ,tuskegee
 have persistently stood1 and for which 
they have ever worked and are still very
 successfully working4  ,no one familiar
 with the curricula of these two schools
 would for a moment raise such a        
question4 ,general ,armstrong saw1 as   
few people did1 the moral and           

intellectual value of industrial        
training aside from its merely economic 
importance4 ,he founded a school on an  
entirely different basis from any that  
had been known before--the basis of     
character-building through practical    
education1 industrial training1 and     
self-help4  ,during the thirty-six years
 of its history1 ,hampton has sent into 
the world about #a1bjj graduates and    
#e1jjj undergraduates1 many of whom have
 taken with them the spark that has     
started many other ,hamptons1 large and 
small1 among the ,negroes of the ,south 
and the ,indians of the ,west4          
,hampton's success1 and indeed the      
success of any institution1 depends not 
so much upon the scholastic attainments 
of its pupils as upon the work that     
those who have received its instruction 
accomplish4 ,hampton glories1 and       
justly1 in the loyalty of its graduates 
and in the faithfulness with which they 
have inculcated and exemplified the     
traditions and principles for which it  

stands4 ,hampton glories in ,tuskegee1  
because ,tuskegee has started in so many
 communities the spark of true life and 
real civilization2 in the impetus and   
inspiration it has given1 so beautiful  
and so perfect a consummation of the    
prophetic vision of ,hampton's founder4 
,can the relations between the two      
institutions be better stated than in   
the words of their two founders8 ,after 
a visit to ,tuskegee1 ,general          
,armstrong said3 ,the ,tuskegee school  
is a wonderful work and ,mr4 ,washington
 is a remarkable man4 ,he has carried   
out the idea of training the head1 hand1
 and heart in a wonderfully complete and
 perfect way4 ,this school is very much 
like the one at ,hampton1 and any one   
can recognize the similarity1 but he has
 made many improvements4 ,it is not     
merely an imitation4 ,it is the ,hampton
 ,idea adapted and worked into a most   
sensible and efficient application to   
the needs of the ,alabama ,negroes4 ,in 
the same memorial address at ,general   

,armstrong's funeral from which ,i      
quoted at the beginning of this paper1  
,mr4 ,washington said1 ,the rose ,i     
place on his grave is his work at       
,tuskegee4  ,hampton and ,tuskegee1     
striving along common lines for common  
ends1 intimate in relationship1         
interdependent1 each frankly criticizing
 and freely advising1 each profiting by 
the failures of the other1 each         
benefiting by the successes of the      
other1 are both working as best they may
 toward that far-off divine event to    
which the whole creation moves4         
,,part ,,ii  ,,autobiographies ,,by     
,,graduates ,,of ,,the ,,school     ,i  
,a ,,college ,,president',s ,,story     
,,by ,,isaac ,,fisher   ,i was born     
,january #ah1 #ahgg1 on a plantation    
called ,perry's place1 in ,east ,carroll
 ,parish1 ,louisiana1 and was the       
sixteenth and last child of my parents4 
,my early childhood was uneventful1 save
 during the year #ahhb1 when1 by reason 
of the breaking of the ,mississippi     

,river levee near my home1 ,i was       
compelled1 together with my parents1 to 
live six months in the plantation       
cotton-gin1 fed by the ,federal         
,government and by the determination    
never to live so close to the ,big      
,muddy again2 and during #ahhf1 in which
 year my mother died4  ,up to this      
latter year my life had been nothing    
more than that of the average ,negro boy
 on a cotton-farm4 ,while ,i had been   
too young to feel the burden of         
farm-life toil1 ,i had not been spared a
 realization of the narrowness and the  
dwarfing tendencies of the lives which  
the ,negro farmers and their families   
were living1 and1 in my heart1 ,i cursed
 the farm and all its environs as being 
in verity an inferno on earth4 ,a       
broader knowledge of the causes which   
operated to produce the cheerless life  
against which my child-nature rebelled1 
and a clearer insight into the          
possibilities of rural life1 have       
altered this early impression2 and      

to-day ,i find myself thinking some     
thoughts relative to the life lived near
 to nature's heart which are not at all 
complimentary to the bustle and         
selfishness of city life4  ,the death of
 my mother furnished the opportunity to 
leave the farm and go to a city2 and ,i 
took advantage of this1 going to        
,vicksburg1 ,miss41 to live with an     
older sister4 ,i had always desired to  
go to school1 and had spent four terms  
of six months each in the country school
 near my home2 but for some reason1     
which ,i can not now remember1 ,i       
attended the city school in ,vicksburg  
but one year1 after which ,i was        
employed as a cake-baker's assistant and
 bread-wagon driver4 ,a short time      
before this ,i was a house-boy in the   
city4 ,i was1 at the time of my         
employment in the bakery1 an omnivorous 
reader of the newspapers1 and1 in fact1 
of all kinds of literature2 but my hours
 of labor at both places were so long   
and incessant that ,i found it almost   

impossible to do any reading during my  
employment at either place4  ,finally ,i
 saw and took advantage of an           
opportunity to secure employment with   
the drug firm of ,w4 ,h4 ,jones         
,brother2 and ,i count my work in this  
store1 and with these gentlemen as      
employers1 as the turning-point in my   
life1 because there my work demanded    
some intelligence above the average4 ,i 
had some chance to study1 and in        
addition1 when it was found by these    
white men that ,i loved to read1 all    
magazines1 newspapers1 and drug         
journals1 not needed by the firm and the
 physicians whose offices were with     
them1 were given to me4 ,i never make   
any mention of my life in ,vicksburg    
without mentioning1 in particular1 ,mr4 
,w4 ,h4 ,jones2 for not only was he a   
kind and considerate employer1 but ,i   
learned from his actions that a white   
man could be kind and interested in a   
,negro--a fact which no amount of       
reasoning could have driven into my     

stubborn understanding previous to that 
time4  ,there came a time when ,i       
learned that at the ,tuskegee           
,institute1 in ,alabama1 any poor ,negro
 boy who was willing to work could pay  
for all his education in labor4 ,to hear
 was to act4 ,i wrote to ,mr4           
,washington1 asking if my information   
was correct4 ,the affirmative answer    
came at once4 ,it was the middle of     
,august1 and school began in ,september1
 but ,i determined to be present at the 
opening of the school year4 ,i was then 
a boy wearing short trousers1 but ,i    
immediately set about preparing to      
deliver a lecture to help raise funds   
for my trip4 ,with a knowledge of the   
subject1 and an assurance which ,i have 
never since assumed1 ,i spoke to a large
 audience in ,vicksburg on the question1
 ,will ,america ,absorb the ,negro8 ,i  
settled the question then and there to  
my own satisfaction1 even if ,i did not 
convince the nation that my affirmative 
conclusion was rational4 ,the lecture   

netted me my fare to ,tuskegee1 with a  
few dollars over1 and brought me from   
,rev4 ,o4 ,p4 ,ross1 pastor of the      
,african ,methodist ,episcopal ,church  
in ,vicksburg1 the offer of a           
scholarship at ,wilberforce ,college at 
the expense of his church4 ,i           
respectfully declined the offer1 feeling
 that ,i did not want to bind myself to 
any particular denomination by accepting
 so great a gift2 but ,i have always    
felt very kindly toward that church ever
 since4  ,my first glimpse of ,mr4      
,washington was had in the depot in     
,montgomery1 ,ala41 where a friend and  
,i1 on our way to ,tuskegee1 had changed
 cars for the ,tuskegee train4 ,two     
gentlemen came into the waiting-room    
where we were seated1 one a man of      
splendid appearance and address1 the    
other a most ordinary appearing         
individual1 we thought4 ,the latter1    
addressing us1 inquired our destination4
 ,upon being told that we were going to 
,tuskegee1 he remarked that he had heard

 that ,tuskegee was a very hard place--a
 place where students were given too    
much work to do1 and where the food was 
very simple and coarse4 ,he was afraid  
we would not stay there three months4   
,we assured him that we were not afraid 
of hard work1 and meant to finish the   
course of study at ,tuskegee at all     
hazards4 ,he then left us4 ,very soon   
after1 the gentleman who had so         
favorably impressed us1 and whom we     
afterward found to be the capable       
treasurer of the ,tuskegee ,institute1  
,mr4 ,warren ,logan1 came back and told 
us that our interlocutor was none other 
than the ,president of the school to    
which we were going4  ,arriving at      
,tuskegee1 ,i found what it meant to be 
in a school without a penny1 without    
assurance of help from the outside1 and 
wholly dependent upon one's own         
resources and labor2 and ,i found       
further that in the severe1 trying      
process through which ,mr4 ,john ,h4    
,washington1 superintendent of          

industries1 brother of ,mr4 ,booker ,t4 
,washington1 and familiarly though very 
respectfully known to the students as   
old man ,john1 put all students who     
offered to work for their education1    
only the fittest1 and the fittest of the
 fit at that1 survived4  ,i was assigned
 work with the resident physician1 a    
very efficient woman doctor from        
,philadelphia2 and ,i have a            
recollection1 by no means dim1 that when
 this good woman made her monthly report
 to the treasurer1 she could write1     
,health ,department to ,isaac ,fisher1  
,dr41 #ab4ej--value received4 ,every    
morning before breakfast it was my duty 
to go to the rooms of six hundred young 
men to see if any were ill1 have those  
who were1 carried to the hospital1      
report all such to four departments1    
take meals to those confined in the     
hospital1 attend to all their wants1    
keep their building heated and supplied 
with fuel1 and-- ,but space will not    
permit the full catalogue of duties4 ,at

 the end of such a day's work ,i would  
attend the night-school during its      
session of two hours4  ,desiring to     
learn a trade1 ,i asked permission to   
enter the printing-office for the next  
year4 ,this was not granted until it was
 found that ,i would not leave the      
school during the summer1 but would     
remain and work until the beginning of  
the next school year4 ,accordingly1 when
 my second year began ,i entered the    
printing-office as an apprentice4       
,during that year ,i suffered actual    
want and privation in the matter of     
shoes and clothes2 but later came under 
the notice of ,mrs4 ,booker ,t4         
,washington1 who made arrangements by   
which ,i could procure some of the      
second-hand clothes and shoes sent from 
the ,north to the school for just such  
cases4 ,at the end of this year my      
health1 as a result of my work in the   
office1 was so poor that the resident   
physician recommended my removal        
therefrom4 ,to the surprise of ,mr4 ,j4 

,h4 ,washington1 ,i asked to be         
transferred to the farm2 and ,i think ,i
 proved while working on the school-farm
 that ,i was sincere when ,i said that  
,i would work wherever ,i was placed4   
,it was during this summer that ,mr4    
,booker ,t4 ,washington showed me that  
,i had come favorably under his notice4 
,at one of the weekly prayer-meetings1  
conducted by the chaplain1 ,mr4 ,penney1
 and at which ,mr4 ,washington was      
present1 ,i made some remarks relative  
to the agnosticism of the late ,col4    
,robert ,g4 ,ingersoll4 ,the following  
day ,mr4 ,washington sent for me1       
inquired my age and class in the school1
 and then said some very kind things    
about the talk which ,i had made in the 
prayer-meeting1 and made me a           
conditional promise of his friendship1  
which1 despite my oft-proven            
unworthiness1 he has ever since given me
 in unstinted measure4 ,after that      
second year my hardships as a           
work-student were practically over4  ,in

 my third year ,i entered the           
day-school1 working one day in every    
week and every other ,saturday1 and     
going to school the remainder of the    
time4 ,while the school made compulsory 
the earning of some money on the part of
 all students1 it set no maximum limit  
on the amounts to be earned4 ,i elected 
to earn as much as ,i could under the   
circumstances1 earning1 by reason of the
 many odd jobs which ,i did1 often as   
much as #bj per month1 going to school  
every day in the meantime4 ,the average 
amount usually earned is #e and #f per  
month4 ,at one time ,i worked eight days
 per month on the farm1 sent notes of   
the school to #abg ,negro newspapers1   
cleaned one laboratory every day1 played
 in both the brass band and the         
orchestra1 blew the bugle for the       
battalion1 and taught two classes in the
 night-school1 for each of which duties 
,i received pay2 and even though ,i     
broke down under the accumulated strain 
soon after my graduation1 ,i carried my 

point and completed the course of study 
as ,i had planned4   ,illustration3     
,,the ,,carnegie ,,library ,,building4  
,in my fourth year ,i won the ,trinity  
,church 7,boston7 ,prize of #be for     
oratory2 and in my senior year won the  
,loughridge ,book ,prize for            
scholarship1 and also the valedictory of
 my class1 graduating in #ahih4  ,i was 
immediately sent to the ,schofield      
,school1 a ,quaker institution for      
,negroes in ,aiken1 ,s4 ,c41 to organize
 farmers' conferences on the order of   
those conducted by the ,tuskegee        
,institute1 and to serve as a teacher in
 the school4 ,after one year's service  
in that position ,mr4 ,washington asked 
me to accept the position of ,assistant 
,northern ,financial ,agent for         
,tuskegee4 ,i accepted1 and remained two
 years in ,new ,england1 helping to     
interest friends in my alma mater4 ,at  
my own request ,i was transferred from  
the ,northern work to the ,south1 being 
assigned this time to the ,negro        

,conference work in ,alabama4 ,before   
beginning this work ,i was married to a 
,tuskegee girl1 ,miss ,sallie ,mc,cann4 
,within a few months a principal was    
needed for the ,swayne ,public ,school  
of ,montgomery1 ,ala41 and this in the  
middle of the school year4 ,mr4         
,washington recommended me for the work1
 and ,i was elected to the position4 ,at
 the close of the term ,i went to ,new  
,york to study the public-school system 
of that city as far as possible4 ,while 
there ,i was reelected principal of the 
,swayne ,school1 and a notice of the    
election reached me one morning4 ,three 
hours later ,i received a letter from   
the secretary of the ,university of     
,arkansas 7white7 informing me that my  
name had been presented to the board of 
trustees of that institution1 and ,i had
 been elected to the presidency of the  
,state ,branch ,normal ,college at ,pine
 ,bluff1 ,ark4 ,i was not a candidate   
for the position1 but seeing in it an   
opportunity for greater usefulness1 ,i  

accepted the position in my twenty-fifth
 year1 and have just been reelected to  
serve a third term as president of the  
school4 ,the ,branch ,normal ,college   
was established in #ahge as one of the  
,land ,grant colleges1 and has a        
property valuation of #ajj1jjj4  ,over  
my desk hangs a picture of the          
,principal of ,tuskegee2 and in my desk 
are views of the institution which he   
has built4 ,but these may be removed4   
,in the book of my memory and in the    
secret chambers of my heart ,i have     
enshrined the two names which1 with ,god
 and the parents now on the other side  
of the ,great ,divide1 have shaped and  
given direction to my whole             
life--,tuskegee and ,booker ,t4         
,washington4     ,,ii  ,a ,,school      
,,principal',s ,,story  ,,by ,,william  
,h4 ,,holtzclaw   ,i was born in        
,randolph ,county1 ,ala41 near the      
little town of ,roanoke4 ,the house in  
which ,i first saw the light--or that   
part of it which streamed through the   

cracks1 for there were no windows--was a
 little log cabin #ab by #af feet4 ,i   
know very little of my ancestry1 except 
that my mother was the daughter of her  
mother's master1 born in the days of    
slavery1 and up to #ahfd herself the    
slave of her half-brother4 ,she was born
 in the ,state of ,georgia4 ,my father  
was born in ,elmore ,county1 ,ala4 ,he  
never knew his father1 but remembered   
his mother and eleven brothers4 ,my     
mother was married twice before she     
married my father4 ,she married first at
 the age of fifteen4 ,i am the fifth of 
fifteen children1 and my father's oldest
 child4 ,neither my father nor my mother
 could read or write2 mother could get a
 little out of some pages of the ,bible 
by spelling each word as she came to it4
  ,my early years were spent on a farm4 
,when only four years old ,i was put to 
such work as ,i could do--such as riding
 a deaf and blind mule1 while my brother
 plowed him in order to make him go     
forward1 for he cared nothing for       

assault from the rear4 ,we worked for a 
white man for one-fourth of the crop4   
,he furnished the stock1 land1 and      
seeds1 and we did the work1 although he 
was supposed to help4 ,he furnished     
money to run us at fifteen to a hundred 
per cent1 according to the time of the  
year4 ,he grew wealthier2 we grew1 if   
possible1 poorer4 ,before ,i was fifteen
 years old ,i instinctively felt the    
injustice of the scheme4 ,when the crop 
was divided he got three loads of corn  
to our one1 and somehow he always got   
all the cotton3 never did a single bale 
come to us4  ,those were hard times for 
us2 for it must be remembered that this 
was in the days of reconstruction and   
the ,ku-,klux-,klan1 and if to this be  
added the fact that my father1 a young  
and inexperienced man1 had started out  
with a family of six on his hands1 some 
idea of the situation may be had4 ,i can
 recall having been without food many a 
day1 and the pangs of hunger drove me   
almost to desperation4 ,but mother and  

father would come late at night from a  
day of depressing toil and excruciating 
inward pain1 the result of their        
inability to relieve our suffering1 and 
pacify us for the night with such things
 as they had been able to get4 ,when ,i 
awoke the next morning they were gone   
again on a food mission4  ,hunger would 
sometimes nearly drive us mad4 ,my      
brother and ,i were given a meal of     
pie-crusts from the white folks' table  
one day1 and as we ate them1 ,old ,buck1
 the family dog1 who resembled an       
emaciated panther1 stole one of the     
crusts4 ,it was our dinner4 ,we loved   
,old ,buck1 but we had to live first2 so
 my brother lit on him1 and a battle    
royal took place over that crust4       
,brother was losing ground1 so ,i joined
 in1 and1 coming up from the rear1 we   
conquered and saved the crust1 but not  
till both of us were well scratched and 
bitten4  ,i was put to school at the age
 of six4 ,both mother and father were   
determined that their children should be

 educated4 ,school lasted two months in 
the year--,july and ,august4 ,the       
schoolhouse was three miles from our    
house1 but we walked every day1 my      
oldest sister carrying me astride her   
neck when ,i gave out4 ,sometimes we had
 an ear of roasted green corn in our    
basket for dinner1 or a roasted sweet   
potato1 but more often simply           
persimmons1 or fruit and nuts picked    
from our landlord's orchard and from the
 forest4  ,when cotton began to open1 in
 the latter part of ,august1 the        
landlord wanted us to stop school and   
pick cotton1 and ,i can distinctly      
remember how my mother used to          
outgeneral him by slipping me off to    
school through the woods1 following me  
through the swamps and dark places1 with
 her hand on my back1 shoving me on till
 ,i was well on the way1 and then       
returning to try to do as much in the   
field that day as she and ,i together   
would be expected to do4 ,when the      
landlord came to the quarters early to  

look for me1 my mother would hide me    
behind the cook-pot and other vessels4  
,when ,i was a little older ,i had to   
play my part on the farm4 ,mother now   
worked another scheme4 ,i took turns    
with my brother at school and at the    
plow4 ,what he learned at school on his 
school-day was taught to me at night1   
and vice versa4 ,in this way we got a   
month of schooling each during the year1
 and got the habit of home study4  ,our 
family was increasing rapidly1 and to   
keep the children even roughly clothed  
and fed was about all that could be done
 under the circumstances4 ,when the     
school exhibition took place and every  
girl was expected to have a white dress 
and every boy a pair of white           
pantaloons1 my mother was often put to  
her trumps to get these things4 ,father 
would not trouble himself about them1 as
 he said they were useless4 ,but the    
teacher said they were necessary1 and   
his word was law and gospel with most   
parents in our community4 ,an exhibition

 was near at hand and three of us had no
 white pantaloons4 ,mother manipulated  
every scheme1 but no cloth yet to make  
them6 ,finally the day arrived1 but not 
till mother solved the problem by       
getting up before dawn that morning and 
making three pairs of white pantaloons  
for us out of her ,sunday petticoat4    
,mother was of a determined disposition1
 and seldom failed to solve a domestic  
problem4 ,we looked about as well as    
other people's children in that         
exhibition--at least we thought we did1 
and that was sufficient4 ,but it must be
 remembered that there is just so much  
cloth1 and no more1 in a petticoat4 ,so 
our suits were necessarily made tight4  
,i had to be careful how ,i got around  
on the stage4  ,i usually had different 
teachers every year1 as one teacher     
seldom cared to stay at a place for more
 than a session4 ,i well remember the   
disadvantages of this custom4 ,one      
teacher would have me in a ,third       
,reader and fractions1 another in ,fifth

 ,reader and addition4 ,when ,i reached 
the point where the teacher ordered me  
to get a ,united ,states ,history1 the  
book-store did not have one1 but sold me
 a biography of ,martin ,luther instead1
 which ,i studied for some time1        
thinking that ,i was learning something 
about the ,united ,states4 ,i did not   
know what the ,united ,states was or was
 like1 although ,i had studied geography
 and knew something about ,south        
,america and ,africa2 and my teacher did
 not tell me4 ,my teacher at this time  
was a good man1 but that was all4 ,many 
of my teachers knew very little1 but ,i 
thought they knew everything1 and that  
was sufficient1 for their teaching was  
wholesome4 ,i remember one or two1      
however1 whose work1 under the          
circumstances1 would be hard to match   
even now4  ,as soon as ,i was old enough
 ,i was hired out for wages1 to help    
support the family4 ,my school          
opportunities were now almost gone1 and 
for this reason1 together with a desire 

for more excitement1 ,i began to grow   
restless on the farm4 ,i grew morose4 ,i
 pulled myself loose from all public    
functions1 ceased to attend any public  
meetings1 save regular monthly church   
meetings1 and betook me to the woods1   
where ,i read everything ,i could get4  
,it was during this time that           
accidentally1 ,i may say providentially1
 ,i got hold of a book containing the   
life of ,ignacius ,sancho2 and ,i have  
never read anything that has given me   
more inspiration4 ,i wish every ,negro  
boy in the land might read it4 ,i read  
and worked1 and helped to support the   
family4 ,i had vowed that as soon as ,i 
was twenty-one ,i would leave for some  
school and there stay until ,i was      
educated4 ,i was already a little in    
advance of the young people in my       
community1 so ,i spent my long winter   
evenings teaching a little night-school 
to which the young people of the        
neighborhood came4  ,all my life up to  
this time my father had been working as 

a tenant4 ,he now determined to strike  
out for himself--buy stock and rent     
land4 ,the mule he bought soon became   
hopelessly lame in the back4 ,it was a  
peculiar sort of illness4 ,once upon his
 feet1 he could work all day without    
difficulty1 but when he lay down at     
night he had to be helped up the        
following morning4 ,during that entire  
season the first thing ,i heard each    
morning was the voice of my father1     
,children1 children1 get up6 let's go   
and help up the old mule4 ,a neighbor   
also was called in each morning to help4
 ,toward the end of the season the      
school opened4 ,we were so anxious to   
enter1 that we determined to help the   
old mule4 ,my brother and ,i hitched    
ourselves to the plow1 and sister did   
the plowing4 ,early each morning we     
plowed in this way1 and soon finished   
the crop and entered the little school4 
,my father and some others had built a  
little school out of pine poles which   
they had cut1 and hauled to the spot on 

their shoulders4 ,the teacher1 a married
 man1 easily won all his pupils1 but ,i 
could never forgive him for winning and 
finally eloping with his pretty         
assistant teacher4  ,christmas eve1     
#ahhi1 ,i went to bed a boy4 ,just after
 breakfast the next morning ,i became a 
man--my own man4 ,sandy ,claw did not   
come that night1 although ,i had hung up
 my stocking1 and ,i was feeling bad    
about it4 ,after breakfast my father    
called me out into the yard1 where we   
seated ourselves on the protruding roots
 of a large oak-tree1 and there he set  
me free4  ,son1 said he1 you are nearing
 manhood1 and you have no education2    
besides1 if you remain with me ,i will  
not be able to help you when you are    
twenty-one4 ,we've decided to make you  
free1 if you'll make us one             
promise--that you will educate yourself4
  ,by that time my mother had joined the
 party4 ,i cried1 ,i know not why1 and  
my mother cried2 even my father could   
not conceal his emotion4 ,i accepted the

 proposal immediately1 and although we  
usually took ,christmas till ,new       
,year's day1 my ,christmas that year was
 then at an end4 ,manhood had dawned    
upon me that morning4 ,i tried to be    
calm1 but inwardly ,i was like a fish   
out of water4  ,i struck out to find    
work1 that ,i might make money to go to 
school4 ,one mile across the forest     
brought me to a man who hired me1 and   
promised me #i4be a month for nine      
months4  ,at the end of six months ,i   
came across the ,tuskegee ,student1     
published at the ,tuskegee ,normal and  
,industrial ,institute4 ,i read every   
line in it4 ,on the first page was a    
note3 ,there is an opportunity for a    
limited number of able-bodied young men 
to enter the ,tuskegee ,normal and      
,industrial ,institute and work their   
way through1 provided application is    
made at once4 ,booker ,t4 ,washington1  
,principal4  ,work their way through6 ,i
 had never heard of such a thing before4
 ,neither had ,i heard of ,tuskegee4 ,i 

sent in my application4 ,i did not know 
how to address a letter1 and so only put
 ,booker ,t4 ,washington on the         
envelope4 ,somehow he received it and   
gave me permission to come4  ,there     
ensued a general scramble to get ready  
to go by the opening of school4 ,i broke
 off relations with my employer by      
compromising for a suit of clothes and  
#h in money4 ,my chum1 a man of about   
forty years of age1 seeing the struggle 
,i was making to get off1 offered to    
help me1 or rather to show me how to get
 the money easily by stealing a few     
chickens and selling them4 ,it was a    
tempting bait1 but against all the      
previous teachings of my mother4 ,he    
argued1 and my mother1 who was not      
there1 also argued within me4 ,i could  
not consent4 ,my friend pitied me and   
offered to do the job himself4  ,to get 
a supply of clothes to take to ,tuskegee
 was the question4 ,up to that time ,i  
had never worn an undershirt1 or a pair 
of drawers1 or a stiff-bosom shirt1 or a

 stiff collar4 ,all these ,i had not    
only to get1 but had to learn to wear   
them4 ,my shirts and collars were bought
 second-hand from a white neighbor and  
were all too large by three numbers4    
,the last day of ,september1 #ahij1 ,i  
left for ,tuskegee4 ,when ,i reached    
there1 although ,i was a young man1 ,i  
could not tell what county ,i lived in1 
in answer to ,mr4 ,washington's         
question4 ,i was admitted1 after some   
hesitancy on the part of ,principal     
,washington1 and sent to the farm to    
work for one year in the daytime and to 
attend school at night4  ,i was dazed at
 the splendor of ,tuskegee4 ,there was  
,armstrong ,hall1 the most imposing     
brick structure ,i had ever seen4 ,then 
came ,alabama ,hall1 where the girls    
lived4 ,how wonderful6 ,i could hardly  
believe that ,i was not dreaming1 and ,i
 was almost afraid ,i should awake4     
,when ,i went to bed that night ,i got  
between two sheets--something ,i had not
 been accustomed to do4 ,about twelve   

o'clock an officer came in1 threw the   
cover off me1 and asked some questions  
about nightshirts1 comb and brush1 and  
tooth-brush1 with all of which ,i was   
but meagerly acquainted4 ,he made me get
 up1 pull off my socks1 necktie1 collar1
 and shirt1 and told me ,i would rest   
better without them4 ,i didn't believe  
him1 but ,i obeyed4  ,the next morning  
,i saw more activity among ,negroes than
 ,i had ever seen before in my life4    
,not only was everybody at work1 but    
every soul seemed to be in earnest4 ,i  
heard the ringing of the anvil1 the     
click of machinery1 the music of the    
carpenters' hammers4 ,before my eyes was
 a pair of big fat mules drawing a piece
 of new and improved farm machinery1    
which literally gutted the earth as the 
mules moved4 ,here was a herd of cattle1
 there a herd of swine2 here thumped the
 mighty steam-engine that propelled the 
machine which delivered up its many     
thousand of brick daily2 there was      
another machine1 equally powerful1      

turning out thousands of feet of pine   
lumber every day4 ,then there were the  
class-rooms1 with their dignified       
teachers and worthy-looking young men   
and women4 ,amid it all moved that      
wonderful figure1 ,booker ,t4           
,washington4  ,i began at once a new    
existence4 ,i made a vow that ,i would  
educate myself there1 or ,i would die   
and be buried in the school cemetery4   
,when ,mr4 ,washington stood at the     
altar in the first service which ,i     
attended and uttered a fervent prayer   
asking for guidance1 and for spiritual  
and financial strength to carry on that 
great work1 ,i felt that the ,lord would
 surely answer his prayer4 ,since then  
,i have traveled practically all over   
this country1 and in one foreign        
country1 without once seeing anything   
that made so deep an impression on me4  
,illustration3 ,,morning ,,at ,,the     
,,barns ,,on ,,the ,,school ,,farm4     
,teams of horses and cattle ready to    
start for the day's work4               

,simultaneously with this opportunity   
for self-education came many real       
hardships--to say nothing of imaginary  
hardships--which nearly resulted        
disastrously to my health4 ,i was poorly
 clad for the extraordinary winter then 
setting in4 ,i had only one undershirt  
and one pair of drawers4 ,i could not1  
of course1 put these articles in the    
laundry1 and therefore had to pull them 
off on ,saturday nights1 wash them1 and 
get them dry enough to wear by breakfast
 on ,sunday morning4 ,it followed that  
many ,sunday mornings found me sitting  
at the table wearing damp underwear4 ,i 
could do no better1 without leaving     
school1 and this ,i was determined not  
to do4 ,i was earnest in my work1 and   
was promoted from a common laborer to be
 a hostler in charge of all boys dealing
 with horses1 and then to the           
much-sought position of special         
assistant to the farm manager4  ,i was  
beginning to see the mistakes of my     
former life1 the time ,i had lost1 and  

now applied myself diligently4 ,i       
carried a book with me everywhere ,i    
went1 and not a second of time would ,i 
lose4 ,while driving my mules with a    
load of wood1 ,i would read until ,i    
reached the place of unloading4 ,mr4    
,washington took note of this1 and upon 
one occasion1 while admonishing the     
students to make good use of their time1
 said3 ,there is a young man on the     
grounds who will be heard from some day 
because of his intense application to   
study and diligence in his work4 ,i     
listened4 ,i knew he was speaking of me1
 and the fact that ,i was to be heard   
from later made me double my            
resolutions4  ,in ,september1 #ahia1 ,i 
had to my credit in the treasury of the 
institution #ajj1 and ,i was now ready  
to enter the day-school1 to measure arms
 with the more fortunate students4 ,but1
 alas6 sickness overtook me1 and when ,i
 emerged from the hospital1 after about 
two months' sickness1 my doctor's bill  
was exactly #ajj4 ,my accumulated credit

 went to pay it4  ,this was the penalty 
for making the transit from a lower to a
 higher civilization4 ,when ,i went     
without undergarments at home1 my health
 was saved because of uniformity of     
habit4 ,now it was injured because ,i   
could wear them this week1 but might not
 be able to do so the next--irregularity
 of habit4 ,then1 too1 ,tuskegee gave me
 such living-rooms as ,i had never lived
 in1 or hoped to4 ,i had lived in log   
houses1 which are self-ventilating4 ,now
 ,i had either overventilated or failed 
to ventilate my room4 ,it is a difficult
 matter to make the transit from a lower
 to a higher civilization4 ,there are   
many obstacles1 and many have fallen by 
the way4  ,i went home to recuperate1   
but returned to ,tuskegee in a few      
weeks1 and as ,i had no money ,i was    
again permitted to enter the            
night-school and work during the day4   
,this time ,i took up the printers'     
trade4 ,here ,i broke over the          
conventional rule of acting devil six   

months1 and began setting type after one
 month in the office4 ,in six months ,i 
was one of the school's regular         
compositors2 and in one term ,i had     
sufficient credit with the treasurer to 
enter the day-school4  ,but ,i was not  
yet to enter4 ,a letter came from my    
father1 saying1 ,if you wish to see me  
again alive1 ,i think it would be well  
to come at once4 ,i went4 ,my father    
died a few days after ,i got home1 ,june
 #bg1 #ahic4  ,all hope of future       
schooling seemed now at an end4 ,my only
 concern was to do the best ,i could    
with the exceedingly heavy load now left
 on my hands4 ,i pulled off my          
school-clothes1 went to the field1 and  
finished the crop father had left4      
,there was a heavy debt1 and ,i began to
 teach school to pay this debt4 ,of     
course ,i knew very little1 but ,i      
taught what ,i knew--and1 ,i suppose1   
some things ,i didn't know4  ,i think   
even now that ,i did the people some    
good4 ,i had not learned much at        

,tuskegee in books1 but ,i had learned  
much from ,mr4 ,washington's ,sunday    
evening talks in the chapel4 ,i had     
listened carefully to him and had       
treasured up in my heart what he had    
said from time to time4 ,now ,i was     
teaching it to others4 ,i felt ,i was to
 this little community what ,mr4        
,washington was to ,tuskegee4 ,so ,i    
made the people whitewash their fences  
and fix up their houses and premises    
generally4 ,they were very poor1 and    
when the school closed they could not   
pay me4 ,i told them ,i would take corn1
 peas1 potatoes1 sirup1 pork1 shucks1   
cotton-seed--in fact1 anything with     
which they wished to pay me4  ,wagons   
were secured and loaded1 and for several
 days all sorts of provisions were      
hauled to my mother's house and stored  
away for winter4 ,i went to the house of
 one good widow1 who said3  ',fesser1 ,i
 ain't got nothin' to pay you wid but   
dis 'ere house-cat1 and he's a good'n4  
,i owes you twenty-five cents1 and ,i   

wants to pay it4 ,you done my little gal
 good--more'n any teacher ever did4 ,she
 ain't stop' washin' her face yit when  
she gits up in de mornin'4  ,very well1 
,i said1 ,i'll take the cat with thanks 
and call the debt square4  ,another     
said3 ',fesser1 ,i heard you was coming1
 and ,i hid all my meat in de           
smoke-house1 and says3 ',i'll tell him  
,i ain't got none2' but when ,i seed you
 coming ,i tole de chillen to go open de
 smoke-house4 ,anybody who do my        
chillens as much good as you1 can get   
every bit de meat ,i got4 ,from that    
woman ,i got fifty pounds of meat4      
,another good woman wanted me to take   
her only pair of scissors1 and when ,i  
refused to do so1 she put them into my  
coat-pocket1 saying the man who taught  
her child so much must be paid4  ,for   
three years ,i taught school with one   
personal object in view--the support of 
my mother and her family4 ,mother was   
not satisfied with this2 she wanted me  
educated4 ,finally she married again1   

for no higher reason than to permit me1 
and the other children growing up1 to go
 to school4 ,my hope for an education   
was again renewed1 and ,i went back to  
,tuskegee4  ,nearly everybody had       
forgotten that ,i had ever been there4  
,notwithstanding ,i had been out nearly 
three terms1 ,i had kept pace with my   
class1 making one class each year1 the  
same as if ,i had been in school4 ,upon 
a very critical examination1 in which ,i
 averaged ninety-three for all subjects1
 ,i entered the ,b ,middle class in the 
day-school4  ,financially ,i was very   
little better off than when ,i left1 but
 ,i had learned how to manipulate things
 in such a way as to make it possible to
 remain in school4 ,i knew a trade at   
which ,i could easily make a dollar a   
day in credit1 and ,i could teach during
 the vacation4 ,things went smoothly for
 one year4 ,then my brother came1 and ,i
 had to support him in part4 ,just about
 the time ,i was getting myself adjusted
 to this1 my sister came4 ,i knew ,i    

should have to support her almost       
wholly1 so ,i felt like giving up under 
such a triple burden2 but ,i held on4 ,i
 had to deny myself many of the         
pleasures of school life in order to    
make two ends meet4 ,i had to wear two  
pairs of pantaloons and one pair of     
drawers2 and ,i remember one ,sunday1   
while the school was enjoying a good    
sermon by a great bishop1 ,i was in the 
shop melting some glue1 with which ,i   
glued patches on my only pair of        
pantaloons1 which had reached a         
condition where thread would no longer  
hold the patches on4 ,i will not tell   
what happened when the patches had been 
on for a few days4  ,but amid all these 
conflicting affairs of my school-days   
ran an immense amount of pleasure1 more 
than ,i had ever known before4 ,i was   
gradually coming to see things as they  
are in the affairs of men4 ,i thought   
then1 and ,i still think1 that no       
sacrifice was too great when there was  
such a golden opportunity4 ,to sit and  

listen to one ,sunday evening talk by   
,principal ,washington was worth all the
 trouble one had to undergo for a year4 
,two years before ,i graduated ,i began 
to inquire what ,i was made for--what   
calling should ,i follow8 ,it was hard  
to decide4 ,mr4 ,washington's teaching  
had impressed me that ,i should do      
something to help those less fortunate  
than myself1 and that in the very       
darkest place ,i could find4 ,my father 
had called me to his death-bed and said 
to me3 ,son1 ,i want you to become a    
teacher of your people4 ,i have done    
what ,i could in that direction4 ,the   
people need your services4 ,i recalled  
how in his last moments ,i had promised 
him ,i would carry out his wishes4      
,there was nothing else left for me to  
do but to go into those dark places4    
,but there was the rub2 and every       
,sunday evening ,mr4 ,washington        
thundered that same theme3 ,go into the 
darkest places1 the places where you are
 most needed1 and there give your life  

with little thought of self4 ,i knew    
about those dark places4 ,i had been    
born in one of them4 ,i had been        
spending my vacations teaching in them4 
,once1 while teaching in the ,state of  
,georgia1 ,i boarded with a family where
 there were fifteen besides myself1 all 
sleeping1 eating1 and cooking in the    
same room4 ,there were three young women
 in the family4 ,when bedtime came ,i   
had to go out of doors and amuse myself 
with the stars till all the women were  
in bed2 then they would extinguish the  
hearth-light by putting some ashes on it
 and let me come in and go to bed4 ,i   
had to keep my head under the cover the 
next morning while they got up and      
dressed4 ,i used to sleep with my nose  
near a crack in the wall in order to get
 fresh air4 ,one little girl in the     
family1 while saying her prayers one    
night1 begged the ,lord to let the      
angels come down and stay with them that
 night4 ,her little brother promptly    
interrupted her by saying that she ought

 to have sense enough to know that there
 was no room in that bed for angels1 as 
there were already five persons in it4  
,i was used to the country and its worst
 conditions4 ,i prayed over the matter  
till finally ,i gave myself1 heart and  
mind1 to whatever place should call me4 
,during my last year at ,tuskegee ,i was
 made a substitute salaried teacher in  
the night-school4 ,my financial burdens 
were now lifted and my school life      
became one great pleasure4 ,toward the  
end of my ,senior year ,i decided to try
 for the ,trinity ,prize of #be for the 
best original oration4 ,i remembered    
what ,mr4 ,washington had so often said3
 that a man usually gets out of a thing 
what he puts into it4 ,i determined to  
put #ajj worth of effort into this      
contest4 ,i was awarded the prize4  ,a  
place was offered to me at ,tuskegee as 
academic teacher1 but ,i declined it4 ,i
 had settled in my mind that ,i would go
 to the ,state of ,mississippi1 which ,i
 had found by two years of investigation

 was the place where my services were   
most needed4 ,i could not go to         
,mississippi at once4 ,i had not money  
to pay my way1 so ,i accepted a position
 with my friend1 ,william ,j4 ,edwards1 
at his school in ,snow ,hill1 ,ala41    
where ,i worked for four years1 never   
losing sight of my ,mississippi object4 
,while at ,snow ,hill ,i married ,miss  
,mary ,ella ,patterson1 a ,tuskegee     
graduate of the ,class of '#ie4 ,we put 
our earnings together and built us a    
comfortable little home4 ,one child1    
,william ,sidney1 was born to us1 but   
lived only six months4  ,it took me just
 two years to convince my wife that     
there was any wisdom or judgment in     
leaving our little home and going to    
,mississippi1 where neither of us was   
known4 ,but finally she gave herself1   
soul and body1 to my way of thinking4   
,the way was now clear for me to make   
the start4 ,just before ,i left for     
,mississippi1 one of my old teachers    
from ,tuskegee visited me4 ,he inquired 

about my going to ,mississippi1 and when
 ,i explained the scheme to him1 he said
 jestingly1 ,you know there is no ,god  
in ,mississippi4 ,i simply replied that 
then ,i would take the one that ,alabama
 had with me4  ,i could not take my     
wife1 for she was under the care of a   
physician at that time4 ,i decided to   
leave nearly all my ready cash with her4
 ,i did not take quite enough for my    
railroad fare1 for ,i had expected to   
sell my wife's bicycle when ,i reached  
,selma1 the nearest town1 and thus      
secure enough money to finish my trip4  
,but when ,i got to ,selma the wheel    
would not sell1 so ,i boarded the train 
without money enough to reach ,utica1   
the place in ,mississippi to which ,i   
was bound4  ,i had not got far into the 
,state of ,mississippi when my purse was
 empty4 ,i stopped off at a little town1
 late at night1 where there were no     
boarding-houses1 and no one would admit 
me to a private house to sleep4 ,i      
wandered about until ,i came upon an old

 guano-house1 and crawled into this and 
slept until the break of day4 ,then ,i  
crawled out1 pulled myself together1    
jumped astride my bicycle1 and made my  
way toward ,utica1 through a wild and   
unfrequented part of ,mississippi4 ,but 
before ,i could reach ,utica my wheel   
broke down1 whereupon ,i put it upon my 
shoulder1 rolled up my trousers1 and    
continued the journey to ,utica4 ,i soon
 met a young man who relieved me of my  
burden by trading me his brass watch for
 the wheel and giving me #b to boot4  ,i
 had previously got myself elected      
principal of the little county school1  
which1 if ,i could pass the ,state      
examination1 would pay me a little      
salary1 which would be a great help to  
me while ,i worked up the ,industrial   
and ,normal ,school which ,i had come to
 build4 ,much depended on my ability to 
pass the examination4 ,tuskegee's       
reputation was at stake--my own         
reputation was at stake2 for1 if ,i     
failed1 the people would certainly lose 

confidence in me1 and make it impossible
 for me to accomplish my purpose4  ,i   
was out of money1 and this was the only 
way ,i could see to get any for a long  
time4 ,if ,i failed1 my wife--who was   
still in ,alabama1 and who believed in  
my ability to do anything--would perhaps
 lose respect for me1 and1 most of all1 
the failure to pass the examination     
might upset all my plans and blast all  
my hopes4 ,i confess ,i went to that    
examination with a sort of anxious      
determination4 ,i did not1 however1 find
 it half so difficult as ,i had         
expected4 ,i soon succeeded in obtaining
 the necessary license to teach in the  
public schools of the ,state4  ,the     
little schoolhouse where the school had 
been heretofore was so much out of      
repair that we could not risk having    
pupils under its roof4 ,i had hoped to  
open in the church1 but the good deacons
 would not permit this4 ,so the few     
pupils who came the first day were      
gathered together under an oak-tree1 and

 there were taught4 ,after some time a  
temporary cabin was fixed up1 and in    
this we taught the entire winter4 ,the  
cabin was practically no protection     
against the rain1 and less against the  
winter winds4 ,the wind literally came  
through from all directions--from the   
sides1 ends1 above1 and beneath4  ,we   
soon had the floor stopped up with clay4
 ,this brought about another            
disadvantage3 when it began to rain     
through the roof1 the water would       
collect on the floor until it was two or
 three inches deep4 ,two young women    
were helping me to teach4 ,they often   
amused me by trying to maintain their   
dignity and keep out of the water at the
 same time4 ,they would stand upon      
stools and fire questions at their      
pupils1 who were standing in the water  
below while answering them4 ,on such    
days as this ,i usually wore my overcoat
 and rubber shoes4 ,i would then stand  
in the water and teach with as much     
indifference as possible4 ,we bored     

holes in the floor to let the water out1
 but it usually came through the roof   
faster than it could escape4 ,there was 
much suffering at this time on the part 
of both teachers and students1 but it   
was all a joy and pleasure to me1 for ,i
 felt that ,i had found my life-work4   
,i was a stranger to the people1 and    
they had very little confidence in me4  
,some of them questioned my motives in  
every direction4 ,at the first meeting  
of the patrons for the purpose of       
raising money1 seventy-five cents were  
collected and were turned over to me to 
hold4 ,in a couple of days some one     
demanded that the collection be taken   
out of my hands4 ,i quietly turned it   
over to them4 ,then they got up a       
scramble as to which one should hold it4
 ,they settled the quarrel by selecting 
a white man in the town of ,utica1 in   
whom all of them had confidence4 ,i then
 went out canvassing and got #aj1 which 
,i promptly turned over4 ,immediately   
they wanted to turn it back to me to    

hold1 together with what the white man  
had4 ,they never again questioned my    
sincerity4  ,my wife1 who was still in  
,alabama1 kept writing me to let her    
join me4 ,explanations would do no good4
 ,she laid aside all the comforts of    
home life and came to live in a hovel4  
,we rented a little room1 bought a      
skillet and a frying-pan1 a bed and two 
chairs1 and set up housekeeping4 ,i did 
the cooking1 for my wife was a city girl
 and did not know how to cook on the    
open fireplace4 ,we never contrasted our
 condition in ,mississippi with that in 
,alabama2 we simply made the best of    
what we had4  ,at first there was       
difficulty in securing land for a       
location1 and many of the patrons began 
to feel that nothing would be           
accomplished4 ,to offset this idea ,i   
purchased lumber for a building1 had it 
put in the churchyard1 and cut up ready 
for framing4 ,the enthusiasm had to be  
kept up4 ,land was soon bought and the  
building started4 ,everybody felt now   

that something was going to be done4 ,at
 the end of the first year's work ,i was
 able to make to the trustees a         
creditable report1 from which the       
following is taken3       ,as soon as we
 secured a cabin to teach in1 the young 
people came in     great numbers4 ,we   
soon had an attendance of #bjj4 ,one    
teacher after     another was employed  
to assist1 until seven teachers were    
daily at     work4 ,after three months  
in our temporary quarters conditions    
were     very trying4 ,there was no     
money to pay teachers or to meet the    
grocery bills for teachers' board4 ,the 
winter was well on1 and the             
structure in which we were located was  
little protection against     it4 ,the  
rain easily came through the roof1 and  
water was often two     inches deep on  
certain parts of the floor4 ,several    
teachers and     students were suffering
 with pneumonia or kindred disorders1 as
 a     result of all this exposure4 ,i  
confess that during this dark period    

only a carefully planned system and much
 determination prevented     despair4   
,during all this time ,i was trying to  
secure the interest of the     people4  
,i went from door to door1 explaining   
our efforts2 then ,i     made a tour of 
the churches2 after riding or walking   
five or ten     miles at night ,i would 
return1 and then teach the next day4    
,after a     protracted struggle of this
 kind1 and after visiting almost        
everybody for many miles1 ,i found that 
,i had secured about #fjj4     ,this    
greatly relieved us4 ,forty acres of    
land were purchased1 and a     part of  
the lumber for a good1 comfortable      
building was put upon     the grounds4  
,some of our trustees in ,new ,york city
 and ,boston now     came to our        
assistance1 and with this1 and          
contributions from a few     other      
friends1 we were able to get through the
 year4 ,although it     was a great     
struggle1 ,i found in it some pleasure4 
,to know that     you were doing the    

work that the world needs1 and must have
 done1     is a pleasure even under     
trying difficulties4      ,starting last
 ,october without a cent1 in the open   
air1 we have     succeeded in           
establishing a regularly organized      
institution     incorporated under the  
laws of the ,state of ,mississippi1 with
 #bbe     students and seven teachers1  
and with property valued at #d1jjj4     
,forty acres of good farm-land about a  
mile from town have been     secured4 ,a
 model crop is now growing on this farm4
 ,we have erected     a building--a     
two-story frame--at a cost of something 
over #b1jjj4      ,i hope you will not  
get1 from what ,i have said1 an idea    
that ,i am     measuring the success of 
my efforts by material advancement4 ,i  
am     not4 ,there are forces which our 
labors have set to work here1 the       
results of which can not be measured in 
facts and figures4 ,one year     ago    
religious services were held once a     
month1 at which time the     day was    

spent in singing1 praying1 and shouting4
 ,the way some of     the people lived  
for the next twenty-nine days would     
shock a     sensitive individual to read
 about it4 ,young people would gamble   
with the dice1 etc41 in a most          
despicable way1 within a short          
distance of the church1 during services2
 others would discharge     revolvers at
 the church door during services2       
ignorance1     superstition1 vice1 and  
immorality were everywhere present1     
notwithstanding the handful of          
determined ,christian men and women     
who were trying to overcome these evil  
tendencies4 ,i do not     maintain that 
these evils have been crushed out4 ,they
 have not4 ,but     what ,i do maintain 
is that the general current has been    
checked4     ,the revolution is on2 and 
if we continue the work here1 as we     
surely will1 these evil tendencies will 
soon be crushed out4   ,during this year
 the people themselves furnished #a1jjj 
toward the support of the school4 ,they 

have never before spent a tenth as much 
for education4 ,the second year eleven  
teachers were employed and #djj students
 were admitted4 ,the cost of operations 
was #aj1jjj1 all of which was raised    
during the year4 ,we are now entering   
into our third term4 ,fifteen teachers  
have been employed1 and the expenses of 
operation will be about #ae1jjj1 all of 
which ,i must raise by direct effort4   
,our property1 all deeded to a board of 
trustees1 is valued at #aj1jjj4  ,i can 
not feel that ,i have accomplished much 
here in ,mississippi1 because ,i see all
 around me so much to be done--so much  
that ,i can not touch because of lack of
 means4 ,but1 being in the work to stay1
 ,i may1 in the end1 contribute my share
 to the betterment of man4 ,if ,i have  
suffered much to build up this work1 ,i 
can not feel that it is a sacrifice4 ,it
 is a colossal opportunity4 ,the greater
 the sacrifice1 the more extensive the  
opportunity4 ,whatever may have been    
accomplished already is certainly due   

more to my wife's superior judgment than
 to my own activity4 ,whatever ,i have  
been able to do myself here in          
,mississippi for my people has been due1
 first1 to the teachings of my mother1  
and1 second1 to the all-important       
life-example and matchless teachings of 
,booker ,t4 ,washington4     ,,iii  ,a  
,,lawyer',s ,,story  ,,by ,,george ,w4  
,,lovejoy   ,i can give no accurate date
 as to my birth1 as my mother was a     
slave and thus it was not recorded1 but 
,i think ,i was born in the month of    
,february1 #ahei4 ,i was born in ,coosa1
 one of the middle counties of ,alabama4
  ,i am the third child and the second  
son of eleven children1 seven of whom   
are still living4  ,my father ,i do not 
remember1 as he died when ,i was very   
young1 but ,i most vividly remember my  
stepfather1 the only father ,i ever     
knew4  ,childhood to me was not that    
long season of painless play of which   
,whittier so beautifully sings1 but ,i  
do remember that ,i was early impressed 

that my feet must have been made for the
 express purpose of treading the mills  
of toil4 ,when seven years of age my    
stepfather put a hoe in my little hands 
and bade me go and help my mother weed  
the cotton-patch1 and from that day to  
the present time ,i have been constant  
in my application to some form of labor4
  ,when my mind reverts to that early   
period of my life ,i become my own      
photographer and get various pictures of
 myself1 either as picking1 hoeing1 or  
planting cotton1 of pulling fodder or   
splitting rails1 for these were the     
things ,i did from childhood to manhood4
  ,my stepfather had been the foreman1  
or driver1 for his master when he was a 
slave1 and ,i am persuaded to believe   
that he must have been an excellent one1
 for ,i can not remember in all my life 
when a day's work had been so full1 so  
complete1 so well done1 that he would   
not press for a little more the next    
day4  ,mortgaging of crops was then in  
vogue1 as it is to-day1 and my mind     

revolts when ,i think of how my young   
life and the lives of my mother1        
sisters1 and brothers were burdened with
 the constant grind of trying to eke out
 a living and1 if possible1 get even a  
little ahead4  ,some years1 when        
conditions had been favorable1 we were  
able to clear ourselves of debt and     
begin anew4 ,but1 seemingly1 this       
prosperity was not for us1 for these    
years of plenty were almost invariably  
followed by one or two less fruitful    
ones that came and swallowed up the     
whole1 leaving us as forlorn and as     
wretchedly poor as we were before4 ,this
 failure of the crops because of drouths
 unduly long1 wet seasons1 the ravages  
of worms1 caterpillars1 and other       
uncontrollable circumstances1 not only  
meant that the whole of that year's     
labor was to bring no tangible rewards1 
but that much property accumulated in   
more prosperous times was to be         
dissipated as well4 ,i can recall       
repeated instances when all of my       

stepfather's live stock was taken for   
debt under this crushing system4 ,and   
thus it was that my stepfather1 and my  
mother1 and the rest of the farmers for 
miles around existed6  ,during all these
 years my brothers1 sisters1 and myself 
were growing up in ignorance4 ,until ,i 
was ten years old ,i had never heard of 
a school for colored children4 ,even    
after the privilege of attending school 
two months of the year--,july and       
,august--had been accorded me1 ,i am    
certain that the instruction received   
was of that kind that hinders more than 
it helps4 ,year after year the course of
 study would be repeated4 ,perhaps this 
repetition was necessary for more than  
one reason3  ,first1 ten months'        
vacation does not tend to firmly impress
 upon one's mind the knowledge acquired 
in two4  ,second1 the teachers          
themselves had such limited knowledge   
that two months were ample time in which
 to exhaust their store of knowledge1   
and1 as examinations were so easy1 it   

was not imperative that they do more    
than keep school4  ,i remember quite    
distinctly that when ,i did go to school
 we used the proverbial ,webster's      
blue-back speller4 ,the majority of the 
pupils began with the ,a1 ,b1 ,c1 the   
alphabet1 and went as far as horseback1 
while apt pupils might be able to reach 
compressibility4 ,and so for years we   
went from ,a to compressibility on      
horseback4  ,in those days the three    
,r's were not confounded4 ,only one of  
them was given to us1 and that in broken
 doses1 for ,i reached manhood without  
being able to write a single word or to 
work a problem in mathematics4  ,neither
 my mother nor stepfather could read or 
write a line2 not a book1 newspaper1 or 
magazine was ever seen in our home4 ,it 
was most unusual to see a colored man or
 woman who could either read or write4  
,when a mere boy ,i inwardly protested  
against this manner of bringing-up4 ,i  
determined to make my life more useful1 
to make it better than it was4 ,but how 

long these years were6 ,however1 the day
 came when ,i was twenty-one1 and ,i    
began to create a life for myself4  ,i  
immediately went to work doing farm     
labor1 and saved my earnings until ,i   
had twenty-five or thirty dollars ahead4
 ,i then decided to go to school        
somewhere and to learn something4 ,i    
found my first opportunity in           
,montgomery1 ,ala4 ,i went there in     
,november1 #ahhc1 and entered the       
,swayne ,school4  ,everything was new   
and strange to me4 ,i had never seen so 
large a schoolhouse before4 ,i was      
dazed1 bewildered4 ,there ,i was1 a     
great1 grown man1 in the class with     
little children1 who looked upon me as a
 curiosity1 something to be wondered at4
 ,i1 too1 looked at them with amazement1
 for it seemed next to impossible for   
young boys and girls to know as much as 
they seemed to know4  ,i can not say    
that ,i was heartily received by the    
pupils4 ,i was awkward1 and ,i          
discovered that the city children did   

not find me pleasingly companionable4   
,it is probable that at this point ,i   
should have grown discouraged and given 
up had ,i not met that great and good   
man1 ,rev4 ,robert ,c4 ,bedford1 who is 
now1 as he has been for many years1     
secretary of the board of trustees of   
the ,tuskegee ,institute1 and who       
travels among and reports upon the work 
of ,tuskegee graduates and former       
students1 but who was at that time      
pastor of the ,first ,congregational    
,church in ,montgomery4 ,i regularly    
attended his church and the             
,sunday-school connected therewith1 and 
received such help and encouragement    
from him as but few men can impart to   
others4  ,it was he who first told me of
 ,tuskegee and advised me to enter      
there4 ,i felt that this advice1 if     
heeded1 would work for my good4 ,i was  
admitted to ,tuskegee for the session   
beginning ,september1 #ahhd1 three years
 after the school had been opened4      
,when ,i entered ,tuskegee ,i was filled

 with loathing for all forms of manual  
labor4 ,i had been a slave to toil all  
my life and had resolved that1 if it    
were possible for a colored man to make 
a living by doing something besides     
farming1 splitting rails1 or picking and
 hoeing cotton1 ,i would be one of that 
number4 ,i was compelled at the school1 
however1 like the others1 to work at    
some industry4 ,i did some work on the  
farm and was one of the school's boss   
janitors4   ,illustration3 ,,students   
,,pruning ,,peach-,,trees4   ,though ,i 
had no real inclination to learn a trade
 or to perform any kind of manual toil1 
,i did desire to be useful1 and         
throughout my whole school life at      
,tuskegee ,i had visions of myself      
seated in an office pondering over      
,blackstone1 ,kent1 and ,storey1 with a 
shingle on the outside announcing my    
profession to all passers-by4  ,after   
spending some time in ,tuskegee and     
diligently applying myself1 ,i was much 
gratified to find that ,i was able to   

pass the ,state examination for a       
second-grade certificate1 and to teach1 
during the vacation period1 the very    
school in which ,i had so long before   
learned to spell horseback and          
compressibility4  ,i spent four years in
 the ,tuskegee ,institute1 graduating   
with the class of #ahhh4  ,before       
graduating1 ,i divulged to ,mr4         
,washington my long-cherished ambition1 
and was somewhat chagrined to find that 
he did not think much of my dreams4 ,he 
apparently sympathized with this larger 
vision1 but seemed to think ,i ought to 
have more education4 ,i suspect he was  
right4 ,however1 ,i was determined to   
make an effort to realize my ambitions4 
,i insisted that he must help me to find
 a place to read law4 ,after a while it 
was decided that ,i should begin in the 
office of ,mr4 ,william ,m4 ,reid1 of   
,portsmouth1 ,va4  ,with this end in    
view1 ,i taught in the ,state of        
,alabama from ,may1 #ahhh1 until ,april1
 #ahhi4 ,i then left for ,portsmouth4   

,though ,i had worked for eleven months1
 ,i had but #a4be when ,i reached       
,portsmouth4 ,my salary had been meager1
 ,i had paid every cent ,i owed the     
school1 and had met the many obligations
 necessary to living in a decently      
comfortable manner4  ,i found ,mr4 ,reid
 to be an intelligent1 studious1        
hard-working young man1 with a fairly   
good practise1 and in that hour of      
uncertainty and embarrassment he proved 
himself to be the friend in need4 ,with 
his aid ,i was not long in finding work 
by which ,i earned enough to pay my     
board and buy books to help me in my    
study of law at night4  ,i worked during
 the daytime at the ,united ,states     
,navy-,yard in ,portsmouth1 receiving   
#a4be per day4 ,i had never before      
earned so much money4 ,i was able not   
only to meet my regular bills but to    
save something1 and soon began to       
collect a law library4 ,i worked at the 
,navy-,yard for three years4 ,it was my 
privilege to work upon the second-class 

battleship ,texas1 and upon the         
steel-protected cruiser ,raleigh1 both  
of which rendered admirable service in  
the ,spanish-,american ,war4  ,in the   
spring of #ahib ,i felt that ,i had     
sufficient knowledge of law to begin    
practising4 ,i left ,virginia and       
returned to ,alabama4 ,the tug of war   
had now begun4 ,i found it exceedingly  
difficult to get examined4 ,after trying
 for five months1 ,i succeeded in       
getting a lawyer1 a ,mr4 ,thompson1 of  
,macon ,county1 ,ala41 to recommend me  
to the chancery court of that county for
 examination4 ,i was examined in open   
court before all the practising         
attorneys of that bar1 and was given    
license to practise law in the ,state of
 ,alabama4  ,i was elated1 overjoyed--my
 dream was nearing its realization6  ,i 
selected ,mobile1 ,ala41 a city of about
 fifty thousand inhabitants1 as my field
 of labor4 ,i opened my office on       
,september #h1 #ahib1 and have practised
 law there from that time to the present

 date4 ,though ,i have met many         
obstacles and have had many difficulties
 to surmount1 ,i have never had to close
 my office1 or seek other employment to 
make a living4 ,i have done well4  ,i   
have experienced no embarrassment       
because of prejudice4 ,the judges and   
juries have discussed cases with me in  
the same manner that they would with any
 other lawyer at the bar4 ,i have even  
had a few white clients4  ,to get the   
confidence of my own people is the      
hardest problem ,i have had to solve1   
for ,i find that men are still sometimes
 without honor in their own country4  ,i
 am daily confronted with many petty    
difficulties4 ,i sometimes find that    
even a religious difference will come   
between me and a probable client4 ,some 
think ,i should be a ,baptist1 others   
would have me a ,methodist1 and others  
still suggest that ,i should embrace the
 ,catholic faith4 ,i should also belong 
to every secret society in the city1 and
 attend every public gathering no matter

 what the hour1 whether it be called at 
high noon or at dawn of day4  ,despite  
these things to be expected of a people 
but forty years free1 and used to white 
judges1 and juries1 and lawyers1 and    
unused to dealing with one of their own1
 ,i feel that ,i am still winning my    
way4 ,it is my desire to help my fellow 
men1 and in return receive an           
appreciable share of their help4  ,after
 practising my profession for nearly two
 years1 ,i was married to ,miss ,sarah  
,e4 ,ogden1 who was at that time a      
student at the ,tuskegee ,institute4 ,we
 have been happily married for ten years
 and have been blessed with six         
children1 only three of whom1 ,i am     
sorry to state1 are living4  ,i feel    
that ,i can not close this short sketch 
without paying a closing tribute to my  
alma mater--,tuskegee4 ,those lessons of
 thrift1 industry1 and integrity dwelt  
upon by ,principal ,washington and his  
coworkers1 ,i shall never forget4 ,my   
heart thrills and its pulses beat       

whenever ,i think of what it has meant  
to me to come in contact with the       
quickening influences of that school4   
,i lift up my voice and call her        
blessed1 my ,tuskegee6     ,,iv  ,a     
,,school ,,treasurer',s ,,story  ,,by   
,,martin ,a4 ,,menafee   ,i was born on 
a plantation in ,lee ,county1 ,ala41    
and1 as my parents were very poor1 ,i   
was placed in the field and did not see 
the inside of a schoolroom until ,i was 
twelve years old4 ,i then had a chance  
to attend a three months' school for six
 months1 or for two years1 as we usually
 called it4 ,before this ,i had had one 
of my shoulders dislocated through an   
accident and have been able to use but  
one arm since4  ,at this period ,i made 
up my mind to secure an education1 and a
 gentleman who was teaching school at my
 home took me to an ,alabama college1   
thinking that he could perhaps get me in
 school there4 ,i told the president of 
the college that ,i wanted an education1
 and offered him my services in return  

for such opportunities as he would open 
to me1 but seeing my condition1 he soon 
concluded that ,i could render but      
little in the way of services4 ,i       
pleaded with him for a trial1 but he    
refused me admittance1 albeit in a very 
nice and polite manner4  ,i returned    
home1 then at ,oakbowery1 ,ala4 ,very   
soon after my return ,i heard of the    
,tuskegee ,institute1 and ,i think it   
was in ,july of that year when ,i made  
up my mind that ,i would start for this 
school1 which was about forty miles from
 where ,i lived4 ,after walking to      
,auburn1 ,ala41 twelve miles1 ,i waited 
for the train and1 as she glided up1 ,i 
walked in and took my seat4 ,before ,i  
left home ,i knew some walking would be 
necessary1 and preferred doing it at the
 beginning of the journey4 ,i was       
admitted on my arrival1 after some      
parleying1 and was promptly assigned to 
work in the brick-yard4 ,after ,i had   
been there for two days ,i found that   
the sun had no pity on1 or patience     

with1 me2 it seemed to blister me       
through and through4 ,i finally         
concluded that the sun1 together with   
the brick-yard1 was blasting the hopes  
,i had entertained and the determination
 ,i had fostered1 of securing an        
education4 ,i tried to get my work      
changed1 but the ,director of           
,industries did not see it as ,i did1   
and would not do it4  ,the next thing   
that ,i settled upon for relief was to  
get sick1 but a day's trial of that     
showed that would not work4 ,i decided  
that ,i would return home1 where ,i was 
sure ,i would at least find no          
brick-yard to harass or disturb4 ,my    
stay at the school was just about seven 
or eight days4 ,i would like to add just
 here1 however1 that ,i am very glad    
that ,i was put on the brick-yard1 as it
 certainly left in me the spirit of work
 after ,i got over that first affliction
 of heat4  ,very soon after ,i had      
returned home ,i received a letter from 
one of the teachers of ,talladega       

,college1 a ,miss ,s4 ,j4 ,elder1 who   
met me when ,i was there seeking        
entrance1 asking me to go to ,jenifer1  
,ala41 and attend a school there        
conducted by two white ladies2 she said 
she would foot all of my bills4 ,this   
greatly relieved me1 and ,i considered  
it a great thing4 ,very soon thereafter 
,i had my clothes ready1 and was at     
,jenifer4 ,i was there for one year1 but
 ,tuskegee was constantly on my mind2 in
 fact1 ,i had made up my mind to give it
 a second trial4  ,on ,october #bi1     
#ahid1 ,i again went to ,tuskegee and   
asked for admission4 ,i was admitted    
with the understanding that ,i should   
stand up in the ,chapel and make a      
public acknowledgment of the wrong ,i   
had done in leaving the school without  
permission4 ,this seemed like a great   
humiliation1 as ,i could hardly talk to 
one person1 to say nothing of the       
thousand students and teachers then     
there1 as ,i stammered so much4 ,mr4    
,washington seemed to understand the    

situation and was kind enough to help me
 out by asking questions4  ,i was given 
work on the farm1 and started out again 
with renewed vigor and determination to 
complete a course of study4 ,the farm   
manager1 ,mr4 ,c4 ,w4 ,greene1 was very 
kind to me and gave me work that ,i     
could do4 ,after ,i had been on the farm
 about two weeks he placed me at the    
gates to keep out the cows and hogs that
 might be tempted to walk in on the     
school-lawns4 ,this work ,i enjoyed1 and
 very soon established an office under a
 tree near the gate4 ,i held this       
position and kept this office for two   
years4  ,i was then taken from there and
 placed in ,mr4 ,greene's office to help
 him4 ,it was at ,tuskegee that ,i first
 saw a typewriter and shorthand writing4
 ,i made up my mind that ,i would be a  
stenographer and typewriter1 and thought
 that if ,i could learn this1 that would
 be as high up as ,i cared to go in     
life4 ,i borrowed a book on shorthand1  
not being able to purchase one1 and     

began the study without a teacher4 ,very
 soon ,i realized that ,i had learned a 
little1 and my ambition grew4 ,i wanted 
a typewriter4  ,i got up enough courage 
to go to the ,rev4 ,r4 ,c4 ,bedford1 who
 often visited the school1 and who was  
one of my best friends1 and1 in fact1 is
 largely responsible for my being able  
to stay at ,tuskegee as long as ,i did1 
and told him ,i wanted a typewriter2 ,i 
repeatedly told him that my success in  
life largely depended upon my securing  
it4 ,mr4 ,bedford said he would see what
 could be done1 and1 in a very short    
time1 he came from the ,north and       
brought the machine4 ,when he informed  
me that he had brought it1 it did seem  
that ,i could not stay on the grounds4  
,i felt then that ,i had all that was   
necessary to make me a stenographer1 and
 very soon declared myself a member of  
the stenographic world4  ,i advanced    
very well in these new studies and was  
given some work to do in the offices4   
,the regular school stenographers helped

 me all they could4  ,the saddest       
experience ,i ever had in connection    
with the ,tuskegee ,institute was at the
 end of my second summer4 ,i was very   
anxious to remain in the employ of the  
school1 as my people were very poor and 
,i did not care to be home on them      
unless ,i could become a full field     
hand1 and ,i felt that the school had   
much work that ,i could do4 ,i appealed 
to the ,director more than once to let  
me remain1 but he replied each time that
 the work department was closed2 that he
 could not take any more1 and           
furthermore1 that it was best that ,i   
return home4 ,mr4 ,bedford encouraged me
 all he could and told me that ,i might 
find something to do2 that ,i should    
launch out for myself4 ,i went to       
,opelika1 and ,mr4 ,bedford was on the  
same train4 ,he and ,i were in ,opelika 
together for about a half day4 ,he was  
on his way to ,beloit1 ,wis41 his home1 
and ,i was on my way home to ,oakbowery4
 ,about thirty minutes before it was    

time for my train to leave1 ,i noticed a
 man who was very busy superintending   
the hauling of some lumber4 ,this man   
asked my name1 what ,i could do1 and    
where ,i was from4 ,for a moment ,i     
hesitated to tell him1 but finally did4 
,i found that he was the principal of   
the colored city school at ,opelika1    
,professor ,j4 ,r4 ,savage4 ,mr4 ,savage
 proved to be a true friend4 ,he gave me
 work at once in the ,summer ,normal    
,school he was conducting4 ,i went to my
 home that evening1 rejoicing that ,i   
had found work4 ,when ,i returned to    
,opelika ,mr4 ,savage asked me to take  
charge of the business department of the
 ,summer ,normal and teach shorthand and
 typewriting4 ,i worked with him in this
 way for three summers1 my vacation     
periods1 with much success4 ,we worked  
well together and in perfect harmony4   
,at the opening of each school year at  
,tuskegee ,i would be among the first to
 get there to begin my studies4 ,i found
 that1 in order to remain at ,tuskegee1 

students had to have a real purpose4 ,i 
had one1 and ,i think so impressed the  
,faculty before leaving there4  ,i did  
not have all smooth sailing1 and1 at    
times1 ,i would all but give up4  ,i was
 at ,tuskegee for six years1 and ,i     
recall those years with much pleasure   
and satisfaction4 ,during my stay there 
,i made many friends1 and ,i can not    
refrain from mentioning the ,rev4 ,r4   
,c4 ,bedford1 who has helped me in so   
many ways2 ,mr4 ,warren ,logan1 the     
,treasurer of the school2 ,mrs4 ,f4 ,b4 
,thornton1 the ,matron1 who took me as  
her son1 and my dear friend1 the farm   
manager1 ,mr4 ,c4 ,w4 ,greene4 ,many    
others were also very kind to me4  ,i   
completed my course of study in #aijj4  
,by this time ,mr4 ,bedford had secured 
a position for me at ,denmark1 ,s4 ,c41 
as stenographer to the principal1 ,miss 
,elizabeth ,e4 ,wright1 a ,tuskegee     
graduate4 ,i did not hold this position 
very long before it was decided in a    
meeting of the board of trustees to have

 me act as the school's treasurer4 ,on  
being asked to take this place1 ,i      
answered that ,i would do my best4 ,i   
have now been here since the fall of the
 year of my graduation4 ,i like the work
 immensely4  ,a word about the school3  
,it is known as the ,voorhees           
,industrial ,school1 and is located in  
the midst of an overshadowing ,negro    
population4 ,it has just completed the  
seventh year of its existence4 ,miss    
,wright1 the principal1 founded it on   
faith4 ,she is a delightfully spiritual 
woman1 and was at first greatly opposed 
in her efforts by both the black and    
white people of this section4 ,she      
persevered1 however1 and all the people 
are now her friends4 ,her work here has 
been but little short of marvelous4 ,the
 pride of the grounds is a splendidly   
arranged ,central ,building1 which cost 
#c1jjj4 ,it contains offices1           
class-rooms1 and a chapel that will seat
 #fjj persons4 ,a large building for    
girls1 costing #d1jjj1 has also been    

erected4 ,a ,tuskegee graduate drew the 
plans for both of these buildings4 ,a   
barn which cost #hjj we have also been  
able to complete1 and are now using4    
,in our ,faculty1 in addition to ,miss  
,wright1 who is of the ,class of #aijd1 
,tuskegee ,institute1 we have six other 
,tuskegee graduates3 a farm             
superintendent1 a carpenter1 a teacher  
of drawing1 a principal of the primary  
department1 a sewing and cooking        
teacher1 a millinery teacher and        
industrial helper1 and a treasurer and  
bookkeeper1 myself4  ,the day- and      
boarding-pupils number #cjj4  ,voorhees 
is one of the sixteen larger offshoots  
of ,tuskegee ,institute1 manned and     
controlled by ,tuskegee graduates4 ,it  
is a chartered ,state institution1 and  
has on its board of trustees white and  
colored persons1 ,northern and          
,southern4 ,one of its very best and    
most helpful supporters and friends is a
 ,southern white man who has helped it  
in ways innumerable1 and has backed it  

when the courage of all of us has all   
but faltered4  ,by precept and example  
the school is helping the black masses  
of rural ,south ,carolina to help       
themselves4 ,the work we do is far      
different from that done by any other   
school in the ,state2 we provide the way
 for our students1 as at ,tuskegee1     
because of their poverty1 to work on the
 farm and in the shops during the day   
and attend school at night4 ,without    
this help most of them would be without 
any chance to attend school4 ,our       
students are learning to dignify labor4 
,none have yet graduated1 as our school 
is young and most of those who come to  
us can not read or write a word4 ,they  
are wofully ignorant1 but so willing to 
learn1 so earnest1 and so persevering4  
,during the last school year1 #aijc-'jd1
 we received from all sources           
#ah1caj4dc4 ,this will give some idea as
 to the scope and importance of our     
work1 and of my work in disbursing this 
large sum as the treasurer of the       

school4  ,our present property valuation
 is #be1jjj1 and consists of #cjj acres 
of land1 #c large buildings1 a large    
barn1 a schoolhouse for primary         
children1 #d cottages1 an industrial    
building1 #aj mules1 #f horses1 #cj     
cows1 #c wagons1 #c buggies1 etc41 all  
free from indebtedness of any character4
 ,we stay out of debt2 that for which we
 can not pay we do without4  ,we afford 
instruction in the following industries3
 ,farming in its various branches1      
shoemaking1 carpentry1 cooking1 sewing1 
housekeeping1 laundering1 millinery in a
 small way1 printing1 and blacksmithing4
  ,the training received at ,tuskegee   
has been of so much help to me since    
leaving there4 ,i made up my mind after 
graduation that ,i would urge my parents
 and relatives to cease paying five and 
six bales of cotton each year for rent1 
and instead take the same amount of     
cotton and buy a place of their own4 ,i 
am glad to say1 through my efforts in   
this regard1 they have been placed on a 

tract of #afj acres of good land1 and it
 is practically paid for1 they paying   
four bales of cotton a year4 ,they are  
doing well and are making something for 
themselves4 ,this project seemed a      
little strange to them for the first two
 years1 but they are now used to it4    
,he that hath a trade1 saith ,franklin1 
hath an estate1 and he that hath a      
calling1 hath a place and honor4 ,since 
being out in the world ,i have learned  
not to wait for a higher position or a  
better salary1 and have steadily sought 
to enlarge the ones ,i have had4 ,i have
 tried to fill such positions as ,i have
 had as they were never filled before1  
by doing better work1 by being more     
prompt1 by being more thorough1 more    
polite1 and1 in fact1 ,i have filled    
them so completely that no one else     
could slip in by me4 ,i have always laid
 great stress on work as a means of     
developing power2 ,i am called by some  
of my friends a fanatic on this subject4
 ,my experience at ,tuskegee taught me  

that our racial salvation is to come    
through hard1 earnest1 intelligent1     
sincere work4 ,i owe a world of         
gratitude to the ,tuskegee ,institute   
for the training ,i received there and  
for the great work it is doing for the  
,negro people4  ,i repeat1 if ,i        
accomplish anything in life that is     
worth while1 it will be due wholly to   
the ,tuskegee ,institute1 to its        
officers and teachers4 ,no true graduate
 of ,tuskegee ever forgets the lessons  
learned there4 ,i am sure ,i shall not4 
,v  ,,the ,,story ,,of ,a ,,farmer  ,,by
 ,,frank ,,reid   ,i am glad to be able 
to give some facts regarding what my    
brother ,dow and ,i have been able to do
 since leaving the ,tuskegee ,institute4
  ,we did not graduate1 ,i am sorry to  
say1 but the lessons given us have not  
been forgotten4 ,these lessons started  
us on the way to our present success4 ,i
 do not use the word success boastfully1
 but because it really states a fact3 we
 have done much more than we ever hoped 

to do1 and have been the means of       
contributing in some slight measure     
toward the uplifting of the immediate   
community about us4  ,we are located at 
a place called ,dawkins1 not more than  
twelve miles from the ,tuskegee         
,institute1 and immediately within its  
sphere of influence4  ,our mother and   
father were born within a few miles of  
where we now live4 ,both of our parents1
 at the time ,i write1 are living1 and  
are each about sixty-five years of age2 
they were1 for twenty-five years each1  
slaves4 ,neither can read or write4 ,my 
brother and ,i each spent about three   
years at ,tuskegee1 and1 in addition1 he
 attended school for two years at       
,talladega ,college4  ,i had a very     
thorough course in carpentry1 and my    
brother worked on the ,institute farm4  
,we married two sisters1 ,susie and     
,lillie ,hendon4 ,shortly after my      
marriage my beloved wife ,susie died1   
leaving me with one child4 ,my brother's
 wife still lives2 they have three      

children4  ,until ten years ago we1 with
 our father1 were renters1 all of us    
working together4 ,but the ,sunday      
evening talks at ,tuskegee by ,principal
 ,washington1 and his urgent insistence1
 at all times1 that ,tuskegee graduates 
and students should try to own land1 led
 us to desire to improve our condition4 
,we were large renters1 however2 for    
twenty-three years our father and his   
relatives had leased and worked a tract 
of #a1ajj acres of land1 having leased  
it for ten years at a time4 ,we still   
lease this tract1 and1 in addition1 rent
 an additional #dhj acres in the same   
way1 ten years at a time4 ,we subrent   
tracts of this total of #a1ehj acres to 
thirty tenants1 charging one and        
one-half bales of cotton for each       
one-horse farm4 ,we pay twenty-three    
bales for the rent of the #a1ehj acres4 
,my brother and ,i run a sixteen-horse  
farm1 doing much of the work ourselves  
and paying wages to those who work for  
us4 ,a number of others also work for us

 on halves--that is1 we provide the     
land1 furnish the seeds1 tools1 mules1  
feed the mules1 and equally divide      
whatever is raised4 ,this is largely    
done in all the country districts of the
 ,south4  ,about ten years ago we bought
 in our own right our first land1 #cbj  
acres4 ,since that time we have acquired
 by purchase another tract containing   
#bhe acres4 ,the first tract we paid for
 in two years2 the other is also paid   
for4 ,the total of #fje acres1 ,i am    
glad to say1 is without incumbrance of  
any kind4  ,the following statements may
 give some idea as to what we have been 
able to do since leaving ,tuskegee3     
,during the year #aijd alone1 we paid   
out #e1jjj1 covering debts on land1     
fertilizers1 and money borrowed with    
which to carry our thirty tenants4  ,we 
own sixteen mules and horses1 fourteen  
head of cattle1 thirty hogs1 and have   
absolutely no indebtedness of any       
character4  ,my brother ,dow lives in a 
good three-room house4 ,my father and ,i

 live in a good six-room house1 with a  
large1 airy hall1 and kitchen2 it cost  
us to build1 #a1ejj4   ,illustration3 ,a
 ,,silo ,,on ,,the ,,farm4  ,students   
filling it with fodder corn1 steam-power
 being used4   ,we conduct a large      
general store1 with everything carried  
in a country store of this kind4 ,the   
colored ,odd ,fellows use the hall above
 our store for their meetings4  ,the    
,government post-office is located in   
our store1 and here all of the          
surrounding community come for their    
mail4  ,our store does a large yearly   
business averaging about #e1jjj4  ,we   
have a steam-gin and grist-mill4 ,we gin
 about #ejj bales of cotton a season for
 ourselves and others living near2 of   
the #aej bales got from the land owned  
and rented by us1 #ajj are ours1 the    
other #ej belong to our tenants4  ,we   
raise large quantities of corn1         
potatoes1 and peas1 in addition to our  
cotton crop4  ,we are now trying to     
purchase the #dhj acres we have been so 

long renting4  ,the church and the      
schoolhouse are on four acres of land   
immediately adjoining ours4 ,the church 
is roomy1 well-seated1 ceiled and       
painted1 in striking contrast with most 
of those in the country districts of the
 ,south4 ,the schoolhouse has two rooms1
 and is but partially ceiled1 though it 
is nicely weather-boarded4 ,the school  
is regularly conducted for five months  
each year1 and part of the time has two 
teachers4 ,mr4 ,j4 ,c4 ,calloway1 a     
,tuskegee graduate1 ,class of '#if1 is  
principal of the school4 ,we are        
cooperating with ,mr4 ,calloway in an   
effort to supplement the school funds   
and secure an additional two months4 ,we
 helped pay for the land1 and gave a    
part of the money toward the            
schoolhouse1 and have done all possible 
to help1 keeping in mind ,principal     
,washington's oft-repeated statement    
that it is upon the country public      
schools that the masses of the race are 
dependent for an education4  ,my brother

 and ,i1 with our father1 it will be    
noted1 own and rent #b1ahe acres of     
land1 but we try to help our tenants in 
every possible way1 and1 when they      
desire it1 subrent to them such tracts  
as they desire for ten years1 or less4  
,we have established a blacksmith-shop  
on our land1 and do all our own work and
 most of that of the whole community4   
,rev4 ,robert ,c4 ,bedford1 secretary of
 the board of trustees1 ,tuskegee       
,institute1 some time ago visited us1 as
 he does most of the ,tuskegee graduates
 and former students4 ,he is apprised of
 the correctness of the statements set  
forth above4 ,he wrote the following    
much-appreciated compliment to a friend 
regarding our homes and ourselves3 ,the 
homes of the ,reid brothers are very    
nicely furnished throughout4 ,everything
 is well kept and very orderly4 ,the    
bedspreads are strikingly white1 and the
 rooms--though ,i called when not       
expected--were in the very best of      
order4  ,this further statement may not 

be amiss3 ,under the guidance of the    
,tuskegee influences1 the annual        
,tuskegee ,negro ,conferences1 the      
visits of ,tuskegee teachers1 etc41 the 
importance of land-buying was early     
brought to our attention1 but because of
 the crude and inexperienced laborers   
about us1 we found that we could1 with  
advantage to all1 rent large tracts of  
land1 subrent to others1 and in this way
 pay no rent ourselves1 as these        
subrenters did that for us4 ,we could in
 this way also escape paying taxes1     
insurance1 and other expenses that      
naturally follow4 ,we could1 as many    
white farmers do1 hire wage hands at    
from #g4ej to #aj a month1 with rations1
 or arrange to have them work on halves1
 as ,i have already described4  ,but at 
last we yielded to the constant pounding
 received at ,tuskegee whenever we would
 go over1 that we ought to own land for 
ourselves2 and then1 too1 it occurred to
 me that we might not always have the   
same whole-souled man to deal with1 and 

that terms might be made much harder4   
,my brother and father agreed1 and we   
set about to purchase the first #cbj    
acres4 ,as ,i feared1 rental values have
 increased2 formerly we rented the      
#a1ajj acres for three bales of cotton2 
now we give sixteen bales for the same  
land4  ,my brother1 our father1 and ,i  
have worked together from the beginning4
 ,we have had no disputes or            
differences2 we have worked on the basis
 of a common property interest4  ,we    
have encouraged the people of our       
community as much as possible to secure 
homes1 buy lands1 live decently1 and be 
somebody4 ,the following are some       
typical examples of thrift and industry 
in the community about us3  ,turner     
,moore owns #baj acres of land adjoining
 ours4 ,he was born near where he lives 
and was over twenty-five years a slave4 
,he has #aa mules and horses and raised 
#fe bales of cotton last year4 ,his     
property is all paid for4 ,his brother1 
,moses ,moore1 also has #fe acres1 all  

paid for1 and ,reuben ,moore1 a nephew1 
owns #bab acres1 all paid for4 ,their   
farms join4  ,james ,whitlow1           
father-in-law of ,mr4 ,j4 ,c4 ,calloway1
 the teacher referred to1 owns #a1acg   
acres in one body1 only about two miles 
from our place4 ,it is all paid for1 and
 the deeds are all recorded at the      
,macon ,county ,courthouse4 ,he was born
 right where he now lives1 and was      
twelve years old when freed4  ,mr4      
,whitlow rents a gin1 but will own one  
of his own this year4 ,he also carries  
on a store4 ,he has #bj tenants1 who    
will raise over #ajj bales of cotton    
this year together4 ,he has raised over 
#cj himself4 ,he has #bj mules1 #c      
horses1 #cj head of cattle1 and about   
#ge hogs4 ,he does not owe a nickel4    
,his taxes are #fj per year4 ,he has a  
very good four-room house1 besides a    
kitchen4  ,mr4 ,whitlow has fourteen    
children1 ten boys and four girls1 who  
go to school on our place4 ,he himself  
can not read or write1 but he helps the 

school and church4  ,j4 ,c4 ,calloway   
was born near us4 ,he graduated from    
,tuskegee1 and has continued to work    
near his old home4 ,he married ,james   
,whitlow's daughter4 ,he has a very good
 two-room frame house4 ,mr4 ,whitlow    
gave them #dj acres of land1 and he is  
trying to buy an additional #ajj acres4 
,he raised #ag bales of cotton this year
 and #aej bushels of corn4 ,he has #d   
horses and mules and #g head of cattle1 
besides hogs1 chickens1 etc4 ,he is very
 highly thought of in his school work1  
and is successful as a farmer4  ,i      
believe we are doing well4 ,our         
community is rated high1 and ,i shall   
never fail to praise ,tuskegee for      
starting us in the way we are going4    
,,vi  ,,the ,,story ,,of ,a ,,carpenter 
,,by ,,gabriel ,b4 ,,miller   ,the      
plantation on which ,i was born in #ahge
 is located near ,pleasant ,hill1 ,ga4  
,at that time ,pleasant ,hill was twenty
 miles from any railroad1 and ,i did not
 see a railroad train till ,i was twelve

 years of age4  ,i lived on a plantation
 on which more than two hundred men and 
women worked for the owner4 ,the        
children had no especial educational    
opportunities4 ,few of them were even   
permitted to attend the makeshift public
 school located near4 ,for six months   
only1 of the twelve years my father     
lived on that plantation1 did ,i attend 
any school1 and that a small one taught 
by a ,southern white woman who had owned
 my father4 ,when ,i was twelve years of
 age my father moved from the plantation
 on which he had been working on shares 
and rented land which he and his family 
cultivated4 ,soon there were thirteen   
children in his family1 of which number 
,i was the second4  ,in ,december1      
#ahib1 ,i drove a wagon with two bales  
of cotton to a little ,georgia town4    
,while waiting for the wagon preceding  
me to move off the scales on which the  
cotton was weighed1 ,i heard a colored  
man1 who had heard of ,tuskegee         
,institute1 telling of its advantages1  

and he quite glowingly recounted the    
glories of the place as they had been   
related to him4 ,as he proceeded he     
informed those gathered about him that  
at this school a boy could work his way 
if perchance he could reach the         
institution4 ,i got nearer to him and   
heard and treasured every word he said4 
,especially did ,i remember his         
statement that he had been informed that
 some of the boys graduating from there 
had not paid a single cent in cash for  
their education1 having worked it all   
out4  ,when ,i reached home that night  
,i told my father of what ,i had heard4 
,for three successive years our crops   
had failed and my father was more than  
#ejj in debt4 ,the prospect of          
interesting him in any project that     
meant the expenditure of money was      
discouraging1 but an eager desire to    
secure an education led me to make him a
 proposition1 viz43 that he should      
permit me during the next year1 #ahic1  
to have full and complete charge of the 

farm1 and if ,i succeeded in settling   
all of his indebtedness ,i was to be    
released to attend school at ,tuskegee1 
provided ,i could secure admittance1    
whether he cleared any money or not4    
,this proposition my father readily     
agreed to4 ,he sympathized with my      
ambitions1 but the heavy burden of      
carrying a large family with short-crop 
returns dwarfed whatever good intentions
 he might have4  ,on the first of       
,january1 #ahic1 those of the family who
 could work joined me in starting early 
and working late during the whole of the
 year4 ,we ran a two-horse farm4 ,from  
that year's work we gathered #be bales  
of cotton1 #hjj bushels of corn1 #cjj   
bushels of cow-peas1 #bej gallons of    
sugar-cane sirup1 #e wagon-loads of     
pumpkins1 a great amount of hay and     
fodder1 and picked at night for         
neighbors about us1 white and black1 #be
 bales of cotton4 ,we had rented two    
mules and the wagon used that year1 but 
now at the close bought two younger1    

stronger mules and a new wagon and paid 
cash for the whole outfit4 ,we settled  
our indebtedness with everybody1 and my 
father1 who had earnestly worked under  
my supervision along with the others1   
was very1 very happy4 ,of course1 we had
 a very small balance left--not enough  
to be of any service to me in keeping me
 in school except ,i should be allowed  
to help myself by working4 ,after laying
 the crops by ,i made home-made baskets 
during the summer and sold them1        
realizing about #af4 ,in one year ,i had
 accomplished a task my father thought  
impossible of accomplishment4 ,he       
religiously kept his word1 and was as   
enthusiastic about my getting off to    
school as ,i was4  ,i had now learned   
more of the ,tuskegee ,institute1 and   
was impatient to reach there4 ,others1  
too1 became eager and enthusiastic1 and 
so when ,i started1 ,january #ai1 #ahid1
 it was a red-letter event in our little
 community4 ,i left home with only the  
#af ,i had saved from the sale of my    

baskets4 ,the next morning after        
reaching ,tuskegee ,i was piloted to the
 ,principal's office and my             
recommendations requested4 ,i was       
puzzled4 ,i did not know what was       
wanted4 ,i had not followed the usual   
routine and written for permission to   
enter as students are required to do1   
but had gone ahead1 thinking the        
presentation of myself all that would be
 necessary4 ,i had no recommendations1  
but mustered courage enough to ask for a
 trial before being refused4 ,my request
 was granted1 and ,i became a           
student--proud event in my life6--of the
 famous ,tuskegee ,normal and           
,industrial ,institute4  ,i had always  
wanted to be a carpenter2 as long ago as
 ,i can remember this was my ambition1  
but when carried to the office of the   
director of industries he refused to    
assign me to work there1 as that        
division was filled1 but assigned me    
instead to the sawmilling division4 ,i  
was not angry1 of course4 ,i was too    

glad to be at ,tuskegee2 but ,i was     
bitterly disappointed1 especially after 
,i had seen the carpenter shop1 some of 
the work of the young men1 and the      
imposing buildings on which they had    
been and were working4 ,i was promised  
the first vacancy1 and that temporarily 
eased my sorrow4 ,a vacancy did not     
occur for one and a half years4 ,in the 
meantime ,i had become reconciled1 and  
had worked as earnestly as ,i could to  
please the instructor in sawmilling4 ,i 
tried to learn all there was to learn in
 that division1 and at the end of that  
period could adjust and run proficiently
 every machine in the sawmilling        
division4 ,the school cut then1 as it   
does now1 most of the lumber used in the
 carpentry division1 and efficient      
students were needed and desired4 ,my   
instructor was so well pleased with my  
progress that he recommended1 over my   
protest1 to the director of industries1 
my retention in the division4  ,i had   
kept so busily after the director during

 those eighteen months to allow me to   
enter the shop that he could not well   
refuse to grant my request when a       
vacancy occurred4 ,i was admitted to the
 carpenter shop4  ,for five years ,i was
 an apprentice1 doing work of every     
kind4 ,i also took mechanical drawing   
along with carpentry4 ,when ,i graduated
 in #aijj ,i received not only a diploma
 from the academic department1 but a    
certificate from the carpentry division 
as well4 ,i had improved every          
opportunity1 and had a fair knowledge of
 architectural as well as of mechanical 
drawing4 ,this latter instruction ,i had
 made a place for along with my other   
studies4  ,maj4 ,j4 ,b4 ,ramsey1 the    
,commandant1 had been so well pleased   
with my general deportment that for     
years ,i was commissioned by him to     
command1 as captain1 one of the         
companies of the ,tuskegee ,institute   
battalion of cadets4 ,this had pleased  
and encouraged me very much indeed4  ,to
 my surprise1 three months before my    

graduation ,i was asked to remain in the
 employ of the ,tuskegee ,institute as  
one of the assistant teachers in the    
carpentry division4 ,i had contracted1  
however1 to do some work at ,montgomery1
 ,ala41 and ,i could not accept the     
place offered4 ,i spent about four      
months working at my trade in           
,montgomery1 and was again reminded of  
the offer made me at ,tuskegee4 ,i      
returned to ,tuskegee1 but did not      
remain long1 as the ,executive ,council 
of the ,institute recommended me1 when  
application was made for a competent man
 to take charge of the carpentry        
division of the ,fort ,valley ,high and 
,industrial ,school1 ,fort ,valley1 ,ga4
 ,the terms offered were satisfactory   
and ,i accepted the position4  ,i began 
work here ,november #i1 #aijj1 in a shop
 #cj feet by #fj feet4 ,no tools and no 
work-benches were provided1 only a lot  
of inexperienced boys to whom ,i was    
expected to teach carpentry4 ,i owned a 
chest of tools1 and these ,i used until 

the school could secure some4 ,i        
proceeded at once to make work benches1 
and my boys had their first lessons in  
carpentry in providing these4 ,quite    
often visitors who come to see us ask if
 these benches were not made at some    
factory1 they are so well made4 ,we next
 proceeded to fit out a drawing-room1 as
 ,i intended that my boys should        
work--as ,i had been compelled to do    
from the very beginning at              
,tuskegee--from drawings4 ,everything ,i
 had done there had to be carefully     
worked out in advance1 and1 knowing the 
value of that kind of thing1 ,i did not 
want these boys to have anything less   
than the kind of instruction ,i had had4
 ,we made tables and desks for the      
drawing-room2 next we ceiled and        
finished twelve rooms in the main school
 building that had long been left       
unfinished4 ,all of the work pleased the
 authorities of the school1 ,i have     
reason to know4 ,near the close of my   
first term at ,fort ,valley it was      

decided to erect a dormitory building   
for girls4 ,i was asked to submit plans 
and specifications4 ,my training as a   
carpenter at ,tuskegee had fitted me for
 just that kind of thing1 and ,i set    
about designing a building that would   
meet the requirements of the young women
 attending ,fort ,valley4  ,my plans    
were finally accepted1 and ,i thought to
 go on with the erection of the building
 during the summer1 as had been planned2
 but one or two of the building         
committee began to object1 urging that  
,i was too young1 that ,i had not had   
enough experience1 and that a building  
of that quality should be erected by a  
builder of proved reputation4 ,after    
much delay ,i was permitted to proceed4 
,i began with ten green boys1 and they1 
under my direction as ,i worked side by 
side with them1 did all of the work     
except the hanging of the window-sashes1
 doors1 etc4 ,i had outside help in     
doing this part of the finishing4 ,the  
building is a real pride to all of us   

here4 ,it is #cf feet by #gh feet1      
#b-a_/b stories high1 has #bb           
sleeping-rooms1 a splendidly arranged   
dining-room1 #cf feet by #cf feet1 and  
cost #c1bjj4 ,no one1 hereabouts at     
least1 now doubts that ,i can build     
anything ,i say ,i can4 ,i am glad that 
so soon after beginning the work here ,i
 was able to prove the claims of my     
,tuskegee instructors as to my fitness  
for the position for which they had     
recommended me4  ,unfortunately1 before 
,i had completed the dormitory for      
girls1 a fire destroyed our main school 
building with the contents4 ,this fire  
left us without class-rooms4 ,we took   
refuge in the ,carpenter ,shop1 and held
 classes there until money was secured  
with which to build a training-school   
for the lower grades4 ,this latter      
building ,i also put up entirely with   
student labor4 ,it contains three large 
rooms1 each #be feet by #cj feet4 ,the  
appointments in every way accord with   
approved hygienic laws4 ,dr4 ,wallace   

,buttrick1 ,executive ,secretary of the 
,general ,education ,board1 spoke       
complimentarily of the building when he 
saw it1 as one of the few in the ,state 
he had seen that met all the            
requirements of a class-room4 ,we were  
able to build it for #a1fjj4  ,even     
during the construction of the          
training-school ,i was drawing the plans
 for a large brick building to replace  
the one burned4 ,my plans were submitted
 to friends of the work in the ,north1  
and by the time we had finished the     
training-school we had money enough to  
begin the brickwork on the new building4
 ,by ,april1 #aijc1 the brickwork was   
complete1 and as we had no additional   
money we were compelled to allow the    
building to stand until ,june1 #aijd1 at
 which time we were able to resume4  ,my
 boys did all of the woodwork1 did the  
hod-carrying1 and most of the unskilled 
labor4 ,the building cost #h1jjj1 and is
 #hf feet #h inches by #eb feet #h      
inches in its dimensions1 is #b-a_/b    

stories high1 and has a deckle roof with
 dormer windows4 ,the chapel is on the  
first floor1 #f recitation-rooms on the 
second floor1 and #ac sleeping-rooms for
 boys on the one-half third-story floor4
 ,a basement for storage purposes1 #be  
feet by #ej feet1 is a great            
convenience4  ,of the many contractors  
and builders who have visited our       
school-grounds none have failed to speak
 in praise of the design1 the           
workmanship1 the strength1 and the      
relative relation to each other of the  
school buildings with regard to future  
additions4  ,i need not add that this   
has been very pleasing to me4 ,i was    
married ,december #i1 #aijd1 at         
,atlanta1 ,ga41 to ,miss ,mary ,e4      
,hobbs4  ,to me ,tuskegee has been all  
in all1 and ,i still remember with      
gratitude the man who1 in my hearing1   
spoke so glowingly of the school as ,i  
weighed my cotton in the little ,georgia
 town away back in ,december1 #ahib4    
,,vii  ,,cotton-,,growing ,,in ,,africa 

,,by ,,john ,w4 ,,robinson   ,as all    
autobiographical sketches begin1 so do  
,i begin this one4 ,i was born in       
,bennettsville1 ,s4 ,c41 in #ahgc4      
,neither of my parents could write their
 names2 but my father could read a      
little1 and taught me the alphabet4  ,my
 paternal grandfather was a slave of    
some intelligence4 ,he was a competent  
carpenter1 had charge of his master's   
saw- and grist-mills1 and kept the      
accounts of the two mills4 ,his master1 
who was a member of the ,state          
,legislature1 was very kind to him4 ,he 
allowed him a portion of the savings    
from these industries he was            
controlling1 and even promised him his  
freedom4 ,the latter he delayed so long 
that my grandfather ran away4 ,he       
succeeded in reaching ,charleston1 ,s4  
,c4 ,he had secured a ticket and was    
about to take passage for ,canada1 when 
he was captured and returned to his     
master's home4 ,his master was attending
 the ,general ,assembly of the ,state of

 ,south ,carolina1 and it became the    
overseer's duty to punish the returned  
fugitive4 ,my grandfather never         
recovered from the effects of the brutal
 punishment meted out to him for daring 
to desire freedom in his own right4  ,my
 father was the oldest boy and the      
second child in a family of five4 ,he   
was a farmer and a cobbler4 ,at the age 
of twenty-seven he was married to my    
mother4  ,i suppose the history of my   
mother's life would be monotonous and   
dull to many ears1 but ,i remember that 
,i never grew tired of hearing her      
relate its somber happenings4 ,she often
 told us how her grandmother could      
relate the thrilling story of her       
capture on ,african soil and of being   
brought to ,america1 of the horrors of  
the passage1 and of much else that ,i   
shall always remember4  ,after their    
marriage my parents began farming in    
,bennettsville1 ,marlborough ,county1   
,s4 ,c41 the place where ,i was born4 ,i
 remember most vividly that two-roomed  

log cabin where my parents' ten children
 were born--       ,low and little1 and 
black and old1     ,with children as    
many as it could hold4   ,however1 my   
father soon began working for wages1 and
 received #aj per month and the         
proverbial rations--three pounds of meat
 and a peck of meal per week4 ,what a   
financier he must have been1 for from   
that mean sum he managed to save #ej or 
#ge each year1 and ,i still cherish the 
memory of how fondly ,i felt those crisp
 green-backs once a year4 ,he brought   
them home every ,christmas and allowed  
each member of the family to feel       
them--yes1 even caress them4  ,when ,i  
was about nine years of age ,i entered  
the public school of the community1     
which was in session about four months  
in a year1 opening late in the fall and 
going through the winter4 ,my parents   
were so delighted and gratified at the  
progress ,i made that ,i was            
occasionally privileged to spend one    
month in the subscription school        

conducted near by during the summer4    
,when ,i was fourteen years of age a    
great sorrow visited our home4 ,my      
mother died4 ,i often wonder if any one 
can realize what it means to lose a     
mother without having suffered that     
bereavement4 ,my father did not marry   
again4  ,about this time the authorities
 opened a school nearer us than the one 
,i had been attending1 but the teachers 
were usually very incompetent and my    
progress was seriously hindered4  ,the  
absorbing desire of my life had been to 
some day graduate from some institution 
of learning1 but ,i found myself at     
eighteen years of age far from the goal 
of my ambition4 ,i became alarmed4 ,i   
realized what it would mean to grow to  
manhood in ignorance2 ,i also knew that 
there were seven children younger than  
,i to be cared for4 ,i seriously thought
 the matter over4 ,i finally broached it
 to my father1 and he consented that ,i 
should try to make a way for myself4  ,i
 rented a small farm1 trusting that by  

cultivating it ,i would be able to clear
 enough money to begin my education4 ,i 
began wrong1 for ,i had in advance      
mortgaged my crop4 ,i began with #ge1   
but when the year closed ,i had only    
#aj4 ,however1 my aspirations were not  
to be daunted2 ,i was resolved on going 
to school4  ,with this #aj ,i purchased 
the necessary books1 paid my entrance   
fee1 and entered the village graded     
school4 ,i was poorly clad1 and much of 
the time was without food1 but ,i felt  
that ,i could not even ask my father for
 assistance because of his              
responsibility in caring for the younger
 children4 ,i was constant1 however1 in 
my endeavor to find work1 and finally a 
companion and ,i succeeded in getting an
 old farmhouse about three miles from   
the village in which to live4 ,in a     
measure this suited me1 for ,i loved the
 country4  ,the house was an old1       
dilapidated one1 and ,i do not see now  
how we stood that first severe winter2  
but though ,i was in rags and my food   

was often roasted potatoes or peas with 
a little salt1 ,i did not miss a single 
day's schooling that year1 and great was
 my joy and satisfaction when1 at the   
end of the year1 ,i stood at the head of
 my class4  ,during this time ,i had    
done such work in the surrounding       
neighborhood as could be obtained4 ,my  
,saturdays and afternoons were spent in 
splitting rails1 chopping wood1 driving 
garden palings1 and doing any other work
 that would enable me to exist4         
,although ,i had stinted myself and had 
often gone without food1 at the end of  
the year ,i was #ab in debt4 ,but this  
was not sufficient to make me despair4  
,when vacation came ,i immediately      
sought work1 and though ,i was diligent 
in my application to it when ,i had     
obtained it1 steady employment was not  
to be had4 ,my wages were never more    
than fifty cents a day1 but ,i often    
received less4 ,for two years ,i lived  
in this way4 ,at the expiration of that 
time ,i decided that it would benefit me

 to enter a higher institution of       
learning4 ,i knew that this would mean  
that ,i must have more remunerative     
employment4  ,by some means my attention
 was directed to the orange industry of 
,florida1 and in the summer of #ahid ,i 
regretfully left my companions and      
relatives1 went to ,deland1 ,fla41 and  
secured the desired work4 ,the winter   
proved to be an unusually cold one1 and 
the orange industry was greatly         
hindered2 therefore ,i was soon out of  
employment1 and at the season of the    
year when ,i most needed it4 ,i was not 
long idle1 however1 for the very cause  
of my loss of work opened another       
avenue2 ,i was kept busy chopping wood4 
,though ,i went to ,florida penniless1  
at the end of six months ,i had saved   
#fj4  ,it was at ,deland that ,i learned
 of the magnificent opportunities       
afforded earnest young men and women at 
,tuskegee ,institute4 ,i at once made   
application to become a student4 ,that  
morning ,i did not know that such a     

school existed2 that night1 while ,i    
slept1 the ,southern ,railway was       
bearing my letter of application to ,mr4
 ,washington4 ,my anxiety almost reached
 fever-heat during those few intervening
 days that ,i waited for an answer1 and 
my joy was boundless when it came1      
setting forth the requirements for      
admittance4 ,i sent a portion of the    
money ,i had saved to my father4 ,with  
the rest ,i bought some necessary       
clothing1 and left ,deland far behind   
for ,tuskegee4  ,i shall always remember
 how little and insignificant ,i felt   
when ,i entered the school-grounds and  
was told that all those buildings and   
all those acres of ground were a part of
 the ,tuskegee ,institute4 ,i had read  
of it in the circular of information    
which was sent me when ,i applied for   
admission1 but the realization was1 to  
me1 almost overpowering4 ,after paying  
my entrance fee and purchasing my       
school-books ,i had #ae left4 ,thus ,i  
began what has proved to be a new life4 

,fifteen dollars were1 of course1 an    
inadequate sum with which to pay my     
expenses through the day-school1 and so 
,i was permitted to enter the           
night-school1 as so many others as poor 
as ,i had done4 ,this means that ,i was 
given an opportunity to work at some    
industry during the day and attend      
classes at night4 ,i was not only       
receiving training at an industry1 being
 provided with food1 shelter1 and fuel1 
and receiving instruction at night1 but 
,i was earning enough over my board to  
be placed to my credit in the school's  
treasury to help pay my board when ,i   
should enter the day-school4  ,my first 
term was spent at work on ,marshall     
,farm1 where the greater part of the    
school's farming was at that time done4 
,when ,i entered ,tuskegee ,i had no    
thought of preparing myself for         
returning to farm life4 ,even the word  
farm brought to my mind visions of dull1
 hard work and drudgery without         
comforts4 ,i had not been at the        

,tuskegee ,institute long1 however1     
before ,i was led to know that          
agriculture is the very highest of all  
industrial callings4 ,i had never known 
that agriculture had so many            
subdivisions1 that soils could be       
analyzed and treated1 that rotation of  
crops enriched the soil1 that a certain 
crop planted season after season on the 
same soil made it poor1 because it was  
ridding it of some life-giving chemical4
 ,to me soils simply wore out4 ,but     
through lectures and practical          
experiments my agricultural horizon     
began to expand1 and a sense of the     
beauty of the industry grew upon me4    
,it was to me a marvelous thing to go   
into the dairy and take milk but        
recently milked1 pour it into the       
,sharpless ,separator1 set the machine  
in motion1 and behold a stream of rich1 
sweet cream flow from one avenue of     
escape1 while a foamy jet of milk passed
 from another4 ,there1 too1 ,i learned  
cheese-making and butter-making4  ,my   

school life was filled with difficulties
 because of financial embarrassments4 ,i
 was one of the competitors in the first
 ,trinity ,church 7,boston7 ,prize      
,contest1 founded at the school by ,dr4 
,e4 ,winchester ,donald1 successor of   
,phillips ,brooks1 and rector of        
,trinity until his death1 and ,i        
remember that ,i was greatly discomfited
 because the socks ,i wore had no feet  
in them1 and my shoes had that afternoon
 been sewed with thread blackened with  
soot4  ,however1 ,i was the successful  
contestant1 the first winner of the     
prize of #be4 ,the next day ,i provided 
myself with new shoes and socks4 ,i also
 received my diploma that same year1    
#ahig1 within two days of receiving the 
prize1 and was very happy to receive it 
and the diploma at the same time4  ,two 
summers and one winter after graduating 
,i taught school at ,mamie1 ,ala4 ,when 
,i was not teaching ,i worked on the    
farm of the family with which ,i        
boarded4 ,for this work ,i received very

 little pay1 but ,i had been taught at  
,tuskegee that it was better to work for
 nothing than to be idle--a ,booker ,t4 
,washington precept4  ,the second winter
 ,i was first assistant in the ,ozark   
city school1 ,ozark1 ,ala41 and was     
offered the principalship for the next  
term1 but ,i declined in order to       
further pursue postgraduate studies in  
agriculture at ,tuskegee4 ,i remained   
there for six months4 ,i then went      
,west1 to ,rockford1 ,ill41 to do       
practical work in that section for the  
purpose of strengthening and improving  
the theory and practise already learned4
  ,it was harvesting season and ,i soon 
secured work4 ,i put all my energy into 
the work of the rugged ,western farm and
 succeeded admirably in following the   
threshing-machine1 in husking corn1 and 
in doing the other farm labors common to
 ,western fall and winter seasons4 ,my  
first four months were spent on the farm
 of a widow4 ,after the harvesting was  
over she offered me the farm1 with its  

implements1 barns1 horses1 and dairy    
herd1 if ,i would remain and pay her    
certain percentages of the profits1 but 
,i told her that ,i was only a student  
in search of knowledge4  ,the next      
spring ,i secured work with a very      
progressive ,irishman4 ,he was a farmer1
 as well as secretary and treasurer of a
 modern creamery and butter factory4    
,this work ,i preferred1 because it was 
along my chosen line1 and of a very high
 grade4  ,for one year ,i worked in this
 establishment1 and was not absent from 
duty even one day4 ,my employer once    
said to me that he had heard and also   
read that ,negroes were lazy1 shiftless1
 and untrustworthy4 ,he had not come    
into contact with enough ,negroes to    
draw his own conclusions1 so he asked me
 if there were more like me4 ,i told him
 that ,i did not consider myself an     
exception1 but that ,i had had the      
advantages of superior training at      
,tuskegee4 ,he did not know before that 
,i was a ,tuskegee graduate4 ,he seemed 

surprised to know that a graduate would 
work as a common farm-hand4 ,he said he 
had found no white ones who would4 ,i   
then explained to him that ,i was       
seeking a comprehensive knowledge of    
farming conditions ,north and ,south4 ,i
 value that year on those ,western farms
 next to my training at ,tuskegee4  ,i  
was planning to return to the ,south and
 start a farm of my own1 when ,i was    
asked by ,mr4 ,washington to join a     
company of ,tuskegee young men who were 
wanted to go to ,africa for the purpose 
of experimenting in cotton-growing under
 the ,german ,government4 ,it was a call
 ,i could not resist4 ,here was a chance
 for the largest possible usefulness4   
,here ,i could have a part in a         
monumental undertaking1 and ,i gladly   
agreed to go4 ,the wages offered were   
flattering1 and all expenses in         
connection with the trip were borne by  
the ,kolonial ,komittee of the ,german  
,government4 ,the ,executive ,council of
 the ,institute selected ,shepherd ,l4  

,harris1 ,allen ,l4 ,burks1 and myself1 
all graduates of the school1 and ,mr4   
,james ,n4 ,calloway1 a member of the   
,faculty1 who had had charge of the     
school's largest farm1 and who was      
selected to head the expedition4 ,we    
sailed from ,new ,york on ,november #c1 
#aijj1 and reached ,togo by way of      
,hamburg on ,december #ca1 #aijj4 ,later
 five additional ,tuskegee students     
joined us1 but of the original party ,i 
am the only one left4 ,a report of the  
beginnings of our work was published    
after two years1 with elaborate         
illustrations to commemorate what we had
 been able to accomplish4 ,samples of   
the cotton made into hose and various   
other articles were distributed among   
those interested in the success of the  
experiment4 ,that report may be secured 
from the ,kolonial-,wirtschaftliches    
,komittee1 ,berlin1 ,germany4  ,not long
 since ,i sent to ,principal ,washington
 a summary of the work we have been     
trying to do4 ,he regularly insists that

 ,tuskegee graduates shall send him     
reports of what they are doing1 and my  
letter to him was in response to that   
request4 ,we keep in touch with         
,tuskegee and its work after leaving the
 institution through a correspondence   
prized by every graduate of the school4 
,the summary ,i include here1 as it may 
be of interest to the reader3       ,at 
the outset it was very difficult to     
excite any interest at all     in our   
work on the part of the natives4 ,for   
some reason they     mistrust every     
proposition made them by a foreigner1   
and in the     beginning they would not 
even accept the gift of cotton-seeds    
from     us4 ,they claimed that if they 
should accept our seeds we would come   
again and claim our own with usury4     
,many of the ,europeans here said       
that the natives would never become     
interested in the movement4 ,but     we 
worked on1 and now already in the       
farming districts are hundreds     of   
native cotton farms4 ,now they no longer

 mistrust us1 but they     come and ask 
for cotton-seeds1 and a conservative    
estimate places     the incoming native 
harvest near the thousand-bale mark4 ,of
 course     the native methods are very 
irrational4 ,they cultivate their cotton
     altogether as a secondary crop4    
,but we are content1 at the             
beginning1 to let them cultivate in     
their own way4      ,we find distributed
 through the colony not less than three 
distinct     species of cotton1 with    
some hybrids and varieties2 but none of 
these are indigenous1 and1 having been  
left in a neglected state     for       
centuries1 are consequently not far     
removed from nature and are     not so  
remunerative when put under even the    
best culture4 ,the seeds     imported   
from ,america are not able to survive   
the greatly changed     conditions of   
climate4 ,here is our greatest obstacle4
 ,our course     was plain4 ,if we did  
not have a plant that exactly suited us1
 we     had to make it4      ,the       

production of a commercial plant is very
 important4 ,our present     domestic   
seeds will yield about four hundred     
pounds of seed-cotton     per acre1 and 
the character of the fruit and the      
arrangement upon     the stalk make it  
very expensive to harvest4 ,besides1 the
 stalk     grows too much to a tree and 
is not prolific proportionately1 and    
the quality of the lint is equal to     
,american middling4 ,we are     trying  
to develop a plant that will yield      
#a1jjj pounds of     seed-cotton to the 
acre1 with a lint equal in quality to   
fully good     middling or to ,allen's  
#a-g_/h-;inch staple4      ,now suppose 
we succeed in making this plant as ,i   
have above     outlined2 the #d1jjj     
acres under cultivation would then at   
least     produce #b1jjj bales of       
seed-cotton where they now produce but  
#a1jjj     bales4 ,we can see how       
greatly the annual income of the natives
 will     be increased4 ,such a plant is
 forthcoming4      ,through selection   

and crossing of ,american and native    
cottons we     have obtained a new      
variety1 which is satisfactory in every 
primary     respect4 ,it is more hardy  
than the average ,american plant and    
fifty per cent more productive than the 
average native plant4 ,a     sample of  
the lint of this new1 would-be variety  
was submitted to     the ,chamber of    
,commerce in ,berlin1 and it was        
pronounced good in     every way1 and   
brought in ,january1 #aijd1 about twenty
 cents a     pound4      ,there is one  
feature that ,i would like to speak     
about before ,i have     done with the  
subject1 because ,i know it will please 
you4 ,in one of     the letters you     
wrote me some time ago you advised me to
 labor     earnestly1 quietly1 and      
soberly1 discharging my duty in the way 
that would eventually make me one of the
 most influential persons     in the    
community4 ,being faithful in small     
things is one of the     fundamental    
principles of ,tuskegee1 and is what ,i 

am able to do     without even striving4
 ,it has become natural for me to be    
faithful1     it matters not how small  
or insignificant the service4 ,i find   
myself to-day possessing much influence 
in the work in which ,i am     now      
engaged4      ,in order to make secure  
the work begun and to insure a normal   
and     well-balanced progress for the  
future1 it was recommended to           
institute1 along with the present       
undertaking1 what ,i am pleased to      
call ,a ,cotton-,school and             
,plant-,breeding ,station4 ,at this     
school     are gathered young men from  
all over the colony1 who come for a     
two-years' course in modern methods of  
farming4 ,the boys are to be     taught 
some of the simple rules and practises  
of agriculture4 ,the     boys are #de in
 number1 representing the most          
intelligent classes2     the station    
consists of #bej acres of land1 #h oxen1
 #b asses1 #a     horse1 farm           
implements1 cotton-gin1 press1 etc4     

,such an institution     appeared to me 
necessary to the healthy progress of the
     undertaking4 ,there will soon be in
 operation #c ginning- and              
pressing-stations run by steam-power1   
besides a dozen or more     hand-gins4  
,this1 ,i believe1 tells the whole      
story4 ,my health is     very good4 ,i  
hope you will write me often1 because   
your letters are     always so          
interesting and helpful4   ,that my life
 has been as useful and successful as it
 has is due to the training and         
inspiration received at ,tuskegee       
,institute1 perhaps not so much to the  
agricultural department1 for ,i did not 
finish that course1 but to the general  
awakening and stimulating influence     
which permeates and is a part of the    
training of ,tuskegee students4  ,and   
now while ,i write1 and daily as ,i     
work1 ,i am prompted on to better and   
stronger efforts because of the         
,tuskegee in embryo that looms before   
me4 ,and as ,i think1 and work1 and     

write1 ,i am gratified because of the   
assurance that ,i am only one of that   
increasing host whose loyal hearts and  
useful lives shall make ,tuskegee live  
forever4     ,,viii  ,,the ,,story ,,of 
,a ,,teacher ,,of ,,cooking  ,,by ,,mary
 ,l4 ,,dotson   ,i graduated with the   
,class of #aijj1 ,tuskegee ,institute4  
,it was the culmination of an event to  
which my mother and ,i had long looked  
forward4  ,i was born in #ahgi1 in a    
small country village in the            
southwestern part of ,alabama4 ,my      
mother was the exceptional colored woman
 of our community4 ,she was a dressmaker
 and tailoress and had all the work she 
could do4 ,she owned her own home1 a    
quite comfortable one1 and earned       
continuously from her work a tidy sum of
 money4  ,i have always counted myself  
fortunate to have had such a home and   
such a mother4 ,very few of the colored 
people about us owned their own homes2  
the village school was a poor makeshift1
 and it was in session only two to four 

months in a year--that is1 when some one
 could be secured to teach it for the   
very small salary paid4 ,both my father 
and mother had great respect for        
educationally equipped people1 and      
desired that their children should have 
the opportunity to secure educational   
advantages4 ,they tried in every        
possible way to interest the people in  
their own welfare1 at least to the      
extent of supplementing the meager      
public-school fund1 so as to provide    
decent educational facilities for the   
children4 ,this effort failed4 ,my      
mother had a room added to her home1 and
 in it conducted1 with my sister's help1
 a school for the children of the       
community4 ,two of my sisters had been  
sent away to school1 one to ,selma and  
the other to ,talladega4 ,in addition to
 the school conducted at our home1 my   
mother was able to get the cooperation  
of some of the people in other parts of 
the county1 and two other schools were  
started4 ,these schools were afterward  

taken up1 and have since become helpful 
factors in the life of the people4  ,my 
first lessons were given in the home1   
and my mother always claimed that ,i    
learned quite rapidly4 ,as soon as ,i   
was old enough she also made me take    
lessons in sewing4 ,sewing made no      
appeal to me1 however1 but cooking did1 
and whenever possible ,i would steal    
away to my grandmother's to cook with   
her4 ,most of the time ,i was only      
permitted to wash dishes1 but after a   
while ,i was permitted to help with her 
cooking4 ,soon ,i was able to make cakes
 for my father's store4 ,he was always  
very proud that his little daughter was 
able to replenish his stock when it was 
exhausted4  ,at eight years of age ,i   
was sent to ,meridian1 ,miss41 to stay  
with an older sister and attend school4 
,the advantages there were far superior 
to those provided for me at my home4    
,after remaining two years at ,meridian 
,i went to ,memphis1 again in search of 
better school facilities4 ,i have said  

that even at my age ,i had a fondness   
for cooking4 ,at ,memphis ,i had my     
first cooking lesson1 this lesson being 
given along with the eighth grade work  
of the public school4 ,i was delighted1 
but my aunt refused to allow me to      
practise in the home1 however1 and so   
all the practise ,i got was at school4  
,while in ,memphis1 a ,tuskegee         
,institute graduate came there to teach 
in the colored public schools4 ,though  
we had lived in ,alabama1 we had not1   
until that time1 heard of the ,tuskegee 
,institute4 ,the loyalty of that        
graduate to the school1 the stories of  
the opportunities provided1 and all1    
delighted my mother1 my aunt1 and       
myself1 and it was decided that ,i      
should be sent there4  ,i entered the   
,tuskegee ,institute in ,december1      
#ahid1 and was assigned1 after          
examination1 to the ,junior class1 the  
first class of the normal department4 ,i
 remained at ,tuskegee during the       
following summer and worked in the      

students' dining-room as a waitress4    
,the next year ,i was compelled to enter
 the night-school so as to help lighten 
my mother's burden4 ,i knew nothing of  
the science of foods2 nothing at all1 at
 that time1 of anything that indicated  
that cooking is a real science4 ,none   
but girls of the ,senior class were then
 permitted to take cooking lessons1 but 
,i was often able to provide some excuse
 for visiting the very small and        
incompletely furnished room used for    
that purpose4 ,i picked up much useful  
information in that way4  ,when ,i      
reached the ,a ,middle class1 next to   
the ,senior class1 the young women of   
that class were permitted to take       
cooking lessons4  ,now ,i was to learn  
cooking4 ,i had long desired the        
opportunity1 and the chance had come at 
last4 ,the study of foods was among the 
first lessons brought to my attention4  
,while anxious to know all that was to  
be taught1 ,i could never see the       
reasons for knowing4 ,i wanted to cook  

food1 and that1 with me1 was the end4   
,i began to study chemistry in the      
academic department1 and when it was    
applied in my cooking lessons my eyes   
were opened4 ,i now saw much that ,i had
 not dreamed of4 ,a cooking teacher1 a  
noted expert from ,wisconsin1 came to   
the school about that time and lectured 
not only to the cooking classes1 but to 
the young women teachers1 and to the    
married women of the ,institute         
families4 ,i was especially detailed to 
work with her1 and was put to working   
out a diet for the students' boarding   
department4 ,this instruction1 with that
 of my regular instructor1 convinced me 
that here was a real profession4 ,i     
continued until the end of my school    
days to carry1 along with all of my     
academic work1 progressive work in      
cooking4  ,i had made such progress that
 when ,i came to graduate1 ,mrs4        
,washington1 who is in charge of the    
industries for girls1 offered me a      
vacancy in the cooking division4 ,i did 

not feel that ,i was adequate to the    
requirements of the place1 and so       
remarked to ,mrs4 ,washington and my    
instructor4 ,they recommended that ,i   
spend the summer at the ,chautauqua     
,summer ,school1 ,new ,york4 ,i prepared
 to go immediately following the        
,tuskegee commencement exercises4 ,a    
scholarship was secured for me4         
,domestic science teachers of proved    
efficiency are in charge there4 ,they   
were pleased with what ,i had already   
been able to accomplish4 ,my work was   
with the classes taking courses in      
chemistry1 physiology1 bacteriology1    
management of classes1 and cooking      
demonstration4  ,at the end of the      
summer ,i felt stronger than ever1 and  
returned to ,tuskegee in the fall with  
real enthusiasm4 ,i first began my work 
in the little room in which ,i had been 
taught4 ,another academic class of girls
 had now been admitted to the cooking   
classes1 the three upper ones4  ,when   
,dorothy ,hall1 the building in which   

all of the industries for girls are     
located1 was completed1 my division was 
given a suite of rooms1 an assistant was
 provided1 and the work broadened and   
made more useful than ever4 ,under this 
division we now have a model kitchen1 a 
regular kitchen in which the            
practise-cooking of the girls is done1  
two dining-rooms1 a model bedroom1 a    
model sitting-room1 and a bathroom4     
,principal ,washington has insisted from
 year to year that1 since cooking is so 
fundamental1 every young woman1 in the  
day-school at least1 shall take lessons 
in cooking4 ,for the current school     
year1 #aijd-'je1 #deh young women are   
receiving instruction4  ,the course     
covers1 in its entirety1 four years1 but
 is so comprehensive that even one and  
two years fit young women for the       
cooking of ordinary foods4 ,each of     
these girls is required to attend upon  
the outlined catalogue course of        
instruction1 and in addition1 from time 
to time1 upon lectures bearing upon the 

several subjects comprehended under     
domestic science4 ,the furnishing of the
 rooms is simple1 but ample2 the        
furniture1 in the main1 being made by   
the young women in the upholstering     
division4 ,it has been widely praised by
 all who have seen it4  ,after teaching 
for two years1 ,i requested leave of    
absence for one year so as to attend the
 ,domestic-,science ,school of the      
,young ,women's ,christian ,association1
 ,boston4 ,this additional study1 of    
course1 helped me very much4 ,my studies
 were of foods1 of the home1 the        
teaching of demonstration and settlement
 classes1 etc4 ,much other useful       
information also came my way4  ,when ,i 
returned to ,tuskegee the next year ,i  
felt more able than ever to be of       
assistance to the girls who come to us4 
,i was better able to outline my course 
of study4 ,the thing that pleased me    
greatly1 however1 both at ,chautauqua   
and at ,boston1 was the fact that my    
former ,tuskegee training was commented 

on so favorably1 as having been planned 
along properly comprehensive lines4  ,no
 part of the ,tuskegee ,institute work  
is more valuable than that of the       
domestic training4 ,it is the policy of 
the institution to give special         
attention to the training of girls in   
all that pertains to dress1 health1     
physical culture1 and general           
housekeeping4  ,the girls are constantly
 under the strict and watchful care of  
the dean of the woman's department1     
,miss ,jane ,e4 ,clark1 a graduate of   
,oberlin ,college1 a woman of liberal   
attainments and culture1 and an example 
to them in all that makes for the       
development of character2 of ,mrs4      
,booker ,t4 ,washington1 the director of
 industries for girls1 and of the women 
teachers1 a body in every way           
representative of the qualities the     
girls are besought to seek to attain4 ,a
 corps of matrons1 four in number1      
specially assist the dean of the woman's
 department and keep in close individual

 touch with the girls4  ,my own         
connection with the girls is in the     
cooking classes1 as ,i have indicated1  
and in the ,parker ,model ,home and the 
,practise ,cottage4 ,the ,parker ,model 
,home is the home of the young women who
 each year reach the ,senior class4     
,eight large1 conveniently arranged     
rooms are set apart for them1 and they  
are taught things by having to do them4 
,the class1 as a whole1 is required to  
do actual work in the line of general   
housekeeping1 cooking and serving food1 
and laundering4  ,in order to give      
practical demonstration in housekeeping 
and to develop the sense of             
responsibility in the work1 a four-room 
house has been set aside1 in which the  
,senior girls keep house4 ,four girls at
 a time live in this house and have the 
entire care of it4 ,they do all the work
 that pertains to ordinary housekeeping1
 from the ,monday morning's washing to  
the ,saturday's preparation for ,sunday4
 ,they are also charged with the        

responsibility of purchasing the food   
supplies which they consume4 ,three     
dollars are allowed as the weekly       
expenditure for food4 ,in view of the   
low prices that obtain for provisions   
here1 four girls can live comfortably on
 this small allowance and have variety  
and plenty1 and at the same time very   
wholesome food4 ,thus the lesson of     
economy is taught in the most effective 
way4 ,the girls learn to appreciate the 
purchasing power of money1 a kind of    
training which boarding-students1 who   
have so much done for them1 do not get4 
,they acquire the habit of evolving     
their own plans1 of exercising          
unhampered their own tastes4            
,regularity1 system1 exactness1         
neatness1 and the feeling of            
responsibility1 are all developed in    
this way4   ,illustration3 ,a ,,model   
,,dining-,,room4  ,from the department  
where table-service is taught4   ,in    
both the ,parker ,model ,home and the   
,practise ,cottage ,i have charge1 with 

my assistant1 of the oversight of what  
is done in the direction of providing   
food1 cooking it1 serving it1 etc4      
,twenty-one classes a week are now      
taught2 the preparatory classes one hour
 per week1 and the normal classes two to
 three hours per week4 ,the girls are   
required to work in groups1 to wear     
white aprons1 caps1 and sleeves1 and to 
bring to the classes towels and holders4
 ,each girl brings her own blank books  
and keeps1 through the year1 a full     
report of each lesson given4  ,most of  
the girls who come to us know absolutely
 nothing of cooking and housekeeping4   
,they are1 as a rule1 like most         
beginners1 more anxious to make cakes1  
candies1 pies1 etc41 than to make bread1
 to care for utensils1 and learn the    
practical things most necessary4        
,improvement soon follows1 however4  ,we
 do some outside extension work1 in     
addition to what has been enumerated3 a 
cooking class in the town of ,tuskegee  
for those unable to attend the school at

 all1 and classes for the children at   
the ,children's ,house1 the model       
training-school of the institution1     
where they are given understandable     
lessons in cooking and housekeeping4 ,a 
bedroom1 a dining-room1 a bathroom1 and 
a kitchen are also provided in          
connection with the ,children's ,house4 
,i am happy in the thought that ,i have 
a part in this fundamental1             
home-building part of the instruction   
being given the girls who come from     
thirty-six ,states and territories of   
the ,union1 and from ,cuba and ,porto   
,rico and other foreign countries1 to   
attend this famous school1 of which ,i  
am myself a graduate4  ,when the girls  
are fitted to make better homes1 a      
better people are the result4 ,to have  
some part in this work was a fond wish  
while a student1 and is a prized        
privilege now that ,i have the          
opportunity to render some slight       
service in return for all that ,tuskegee
 has done for me4     ,,ix  ,a          

,,woman',s ,,work  ,,by ,,cornelia      
,,bowen   ,of myself and the work ,i    
have done there is not a great deal to  
say4 ,i was born at ,tuskegee1 ,ala41 on
 a part of the very ground now occupied 
by the famous ,tuskegee ,institute4 ,the
 building first used by the school as an
 industrial building for girls was the  
house in which ,i was born4 ,that old   
building 7and two others1 as well7 is   
carefully preserved by the institution  
as an old landmark1 and never do ,i go  
to ,tuskegee that ,i do not search it   
out among the more imposing and         
pretentious buildings which have come   
during the later years of the school's  
history4 ,this building and the two     
other small ones were on the property   
when it was acquired by ,principal      
,washington4  ,my mother lived the      
greater part of her life at this place  
as the slave of ,colonel ,william       
,bowen1 who owned the plot of ground    
upon which the ,tuskegee ,institute now 
stands4 ,the birthplace of my mother was

 ,baltimore1 ,md4 ,she was taught to    
read by her master's daughter in        
,baltimore1 and was never forbidden to  
read by those who owned her in ,alabama4
  ,when a child1 ,i could never         
understand why she read so well and     
could not write4 ,i was very sorry at   
times that she could read and was not   
like other children's mothers whom ,i   
knew4 ,she always knew when ,i did not  
get my lessons1 and often the hours of  
play that were dear to me were taken    
away until my reading lesson was        
learned4 ,sundays1 with my sisters      
gathered about her knees1 we would sit  
for hours listening as mother would read
 church hymns for us4 ,these days were  
days of freedom1 as ,i do not remember1 
and know nothing of1 those of slavery4  
,my mother always refrained from telling
 her children frightful stories of the  
awful sufferings of the slave days4 ,she
 occupied the position of seamstress and
 house-servant in her mistress's home1  
and was never allowed to mingle with    

plantation slaves4  ,my first teacher   
was a good-hearted ,southern white      
woman1 who knew my mother well and lived
 in the town of ,tuskegee4  ,she taught 
me to read from ,mc,guffey's ,first     
,reader4 ,i often read my lessons by    
looking at the pictures1 for ,i did not 
know one word from another--so far as   
the letters were concerned4 ,she        
detected one day1 however1 that ,i was  
looking out into the street and at the  
same time reading what ,i supposed to be
 the lesson4 ,from that time on she     
devoted herself to teaching me so that  
,i should know letters1 and that ,i     
should read properly4 ,she always       
claimed that ,i was an apt pupil4 ,at   
any rate1 at a very early age ,i was    
able to both read and write4 ,as ,i grew
 older ,i was sent with my sisters to   
the public schools of ,tuskegee4 ,it was
 always my ambition1 it is not immodest 
to say1 to excel in whatever ,i         
undertook4 ,that which brought tears to 
my eyes quicker than any other one thing

 was to have some member of my class    
recite a better lesson1 or turn me      
down--that is1 go up ahead of me in the 
class4  ,having been brought up in the  
,methodist ,sunday-school1 ,i later     
joined the ,methodist ,church4 ,mr4     
,lewis ,adams1 a ,trustee of the        
,tuskegee ,institute1 was then          
,superintendent of the ,methodist       
,sunday-school4 ,he was very desirous   
that the young boys and girls of the    
,sunday-school should take an active    
part in the work4 ,i was given a class  
of girls to teach much older than       
myself4 ,they tried to disgust me at    
times by paying no attention to my      
teaching4 ,i was not to be discouraged1 
although ,i cried many times because of 
their conduct4 ,my own sister1 who was a
 member of the class1 also rebelled     
because ,i was younger than she2 she    
thought that she should be teaching me  
instead of having it otherwise4 ,it was 
the common opinion of the girls that    
even if ,i could read better than any of

 them1 they were older and should be    
shown the preference4 ,i owe much of my 
interest in the study of the ,bible to  
my mother and to ,mr4 ,lewis ,adams1 the
 faithful worker and ,sunday-school     
,superintendent4 ,mr4 ,adams was in     
those early days as he is now1 the      
leader of the colored people of the town
 of ,tuskegee in all that went to make  
for the uplifting of his people4 ,i can 
pay no better tribute to him than to    
quote what ,principal ,washington       
himself says in his monumental          
autobiography1 ,up from ,slavery3       
,in the midst of the difficulties which 
,i encountered in getting the     little
 school started1 and since then through 
a period of nineteen     years1 there   
are two men among all the many friends  
of the school     in ,tuskegee upon whom
 ,i have depended constantly for advice 
and     guidance2 and the success of the
 undertaking is largely due to     these
 men1 from whom ,i have never sought    
anything in vain4 ,i     mention them   

simply as types4 ,one is a white man and
 an     ex-slaveholder1 ,mr4 ,george ,w4
 ,campbell2 the other is a black man    
and an ex-slave1 ,mr4 ,lewis ,adams4    
,these were the men who wrote to        
,general ,armstrong for a teacher4      
,mr4 ,campbell is a merchant and banker1
 and had had little     experience in   
dealing with matters pertaining to      
education4 ,mr4     ,adams was a        
mechanic1 and had learned the trades of 
shoemaking1     harness-making1 and     
tinsmithing during the days of slavery4 
,he had     never been to school a day  
in his life1 but in some way he had     
learned to read and write while a slave4
 ,from the first1 these two     men saw 
clearly what my plan of education was1  
sympathized with me1     and supported  
me in every effort4 ,in the days which  
were darkest     financially for the    
school1 ,mr4 ,campbell was never        
appealed to when     he was not willing 
to extend all the aid in his power4 ,i  
do not     know two men--one an         

ex-slaveholder1 one an ex-slave--whose  
advice     and judgment ,i would feel   
more like following in everything which 
concerns the life and development of the
 school at ,tuskegee than     those of  
these two men4      ,i have always felt 
that ,mr4 ,adams1 in a large degree1    
derived his     unusual powers of mind  
from the training given his hands in the
     process of mastering well three    
trades during the days of slavery4   ,i 
did not graduate from the public schools
 as children do nowadays in the cities4 
,mr4 ,booker ,t4 ,washington's coming to
 ,tuskegee and the establishment of the 
,tuskegee ,normal ,school put an end to 
the public-school work on ,zion ,hill1  
where the ,tuskegee public school for   
colored children was located4 ,i was one
 of the first of the students examined  
for entrance in the school4 ,mr4        
,washington gave the examination in     
arithmetic1 grammar1 and history4 ,i    
never knew what a sentence was1 nor that
 it had a subject and a predicate before

 he said so4 ,i doubted very seriously  
the existence of such terms as these new
 ones mentioned by him4 ,i thought ,i   
knew grammar1 and ,i did1 so far as ,i  
had been taught1 but ,i had no insight  
into its real meaning and use4 ,mr4     
,washington decided after my examination
 that ,i would make a good ,junior      
pupil4 ,it was all new to me and ,i     
could not understand all of the new     
words1 even though simple they were1    
used by him4 ,he himself took charge of 
our classes1 and ,i have always been    
very proud that ,i can say that he was  
my teacher4 ,he was most particular in  
regard to spelling and the right use of 
verbs4 ,as a history teacher he was the 
best ,i have had the privilege of       
studying under4 ,i have often said that 
if he could teach the classes in the    
beginning of history and grammar1 and   
give talks on spelling at ,tuskegee as  
he did when ,i was a pupil there1 many  
who finish at ,tuskegee would be        
thankful in the years to come4 ,however1

 he can not do this until he is relieved
 of the great burden of raising funds   
for the school4  ,the industrial        
departments at ,tuskegee were not1 of   
course1 so elaborate and so many while  
,i was a pupil there4 ,my four years at 
,tuskegee were given wholly to          
class-room work4 ,to my class1 that     
graduated in #ahhe--the first one to    
graduate1 we proudly boast--three       
,peabody medals were awarded for        
excellence in scholarship4 ,our diplomas
 were also graded4 ,we took an          
examination for the medals1 as there    
were ten in the graduating class4 ,i was
 awarded one of the medals4 ,the ,class 
of '#he had high ideals and always      
regretted that any member should receive
 a second-grade diploma4 ,i was very    
thankful to learn after two weeks'      
waiting that1 in the opinion of the     
,faculty1 ,i was worthy of a first-grade
 diploma4  ,after graduating1 ,i was    
employed as the principal of the        
training-school--now known as the       

,children's ,house--of the ,tuskegee    
,institute4 ,feeling that ,i could be of
 more service to my people1 and could   
better teach in the outside world the   
principles for which ,tuskegee stands1  
,i resigned my work at ,tuskegee1 after 
several terms1 for a broader field of   
usefulness4  ,a call reached ,mr4       
,washington in #ahhh for a teacher to   
begin a work in the vicinity of ,mt4    
,meigs1 ,ala41 similar to the work done 
at ,tuskegee1 but1 of course1 on a      
smaller scale4 ,mr4 ,e4 ,n4 ,pierce1 of 
,plainville1 ,conn41 had resolved to do 
something in the way of providing better
 school facilities for the colored      
people living on a large plantation1    
into the possession of which he had     
come4 ,mr4 ,washington answered the call
 while in ,boston1 and telegraphed me   
that he thought me the proper person to 
take charge of and carry on the         
settlement work ,mr4 ,pierce and his    
friends had in mind4  ,i found at ,mt4  
,meigs1 after studiously investigating  

conditions1 that the outlook for support
 was far from hopeful4 ,not one person  
in the whole community owned a foot of  
land1 and heavy crop mortgages were the 
burden of every farmer4 ,it became      
evident at once that pioneer work was   
very much needed4 ,homes were neglected1
 and the sacredness of family life was  
unknown to most of the people4 ,the     
prospect was a gloomy one4  ,the little 
,baptist church in which the older      
people gathered for worship two ,sundays
 in each month badly needed repairing4  
,i began first of all to connect myself 
with the ,sunday-school1 and taught     
there every ,sunday4 ,i organized a     
large class of the older people and     
encouraged them in every way to attend  
the ,sunday-school every ,sunday with   
the children4 ,none of these mothers or 
fathers could read or write4  ,i taught 
them ,scripture verses by repeating     
verse after verse till they were able to
 recite them for me4 ,i also sought to  
teach them to read1 and quite a large   

number can read now because of the      
opportunities provided by my            
,sunday-school class4 ,i have kept this 
class of older people together1 and it  
is one of the most active ones of all4  
,we have studied together many other    
things aside from the ,sunday-school    
lessons1 and it has been necessary to do
 so1 because the people have none of the
 opportunities provided for those who   
live in the towns and cities4 ,i was    
early much encouraged to note that my   
efforts were appreciated by the people4 
,i was often called upon to act as      
arbiter in all kinds of difficult and   
unpleasant disputes involving family    
relations and other differences among   
the people4 ,many and many a time did ,i
 take the place of the minister and     
speak to the people when he could not be
 present4  ,to teach the people         
self-help1 the surest sign of progress1 
we decided to plan for a main school    
building which should mark the center of
 our activities4 ,this building we were 

able to erect at a cost of #b1jjj1 and  
it is a satisfaction to the people of   
the community that they alone paid every
 cent of the cost1 not one penny coming 
from the outside4 ,the struggle was a   
long one1 a hard one1 with bad crops and
 other hard conditions interfering with 
our plans4  ,this building is a         
two-story one1 well ventilated1 roomy1  
and accommodates #cjj pupils4 ,from the 
first we have sought to follow in the   
footsteps of the parent institution1 and
 have had the industries taught2        
agriculture was introduced at once4  ,a 
large ,trades ,building was soon erected
 and teachers from ,tuskegee secured to 
help in the work4 ,blacksmithing1       
wheelwrighting1 carpentry1 painting1 and
 agriculture have been provided for the 
young men1 and cooking1 laundering1     
housekeeping1 and sewing for the young  
women4  ,the following buildings we now 
have in addition to those named3 a      
dormitory for girls1 a                  
blacksmithing-shop1 and a teachers'     

home4 ,more than #d1jjj pupils have come
 under the influence of the school4     
,illustration3 ,,the ,,culture ,,of     
,,bees4  ,students at work in the       
apiary4   ,i have continuously1 for     
seventeen years1 with the exception of a
 short period1 been in charge of the    
school2 during the absence referred to  
,i was studying in ,new ,york city1 and 
afterward1 through the generosity of a  
friend1 was able to spend one year in   
,queen ,margaret's ,college1 ,glasgow1  
,scotland4  ,i am pleased with the      
progress the people have made4 ,many now
 own their own homes1 and eight and ten 
persons are no longer content to sleep  
in one-room log cabins1 as was only too 
true during the earlier years of my     
work4 ,i have regularly had mothers'    
meetings1 and these have raised the home
 life of the people to a higher         
standard4 ,i know what ,i am saying when
 ,i state that sacred family ties are   
respected and appreciated as never      
before in this immediate region4  ,the  

emotional church life of the people no  
longer prevails hereabouts1 and the     
minister preaches forty minutes1 instead
 of two hours as formerly4  ,many       
farmers are out of debt1 and a mortgage 
upon a man's crop is as disreputable as 
a saloon4  ,the ,mt4 ,meigs ,institute  
is the first school of its kind in      
,alabama to demonstrate the fact that a 
school planted among the people in the  
rural districts of the ,south will make 
for intelligent1 honest1 thrifty        
citizenship4 ,the success of this work  
made possible the establishment of many 
similar schools that have been planted  
in ,alabama and other parts of the      
,south4  ,of the young men and women who
 have attended my school ,i can not     
speak too highly4 ,sixty have graduated1
 and fifty-seven of the number are still
 living4 ,not only they1 but many who   
could not afford to stay and graduate1  
are at work in an effort to help their  
less fortunate brethren4 ,thirty-six of 
my graduates have taken academic or     

trade courses in other schools1         
twenty-one of them at ,tuskegee         
,institute4 ,ten have graduated from    
,tuskegee1 or from other schools4       
,thirty-eight of them have learned      
trades1 and all of them are at work and 
prosperous4 ,they include dressmakers1  
cooks1 housekeepers1 laundresses1       
carpenters1 blacksmiths1 wheelwrights1  
painters1 etc4 ,several are successful  
farmers1 and one of the girls is a large
 cotton-planter and general farmer4 ,two
 are successful merchants in            
,birmingham1 ,ala42 one is a prominent  
minister1 having also taken a course at 
the ,virginia ,union ,seminary1         
,richmond1 ,va42 one is in charge of an 
orphan asylum1 and several are teachers2
 one taught with me for seven years     
after having also graduated from        
,tuskegee4 ,thirty have married1 fifteen
 have bought homes1 one has property    
valued at #g1jjj1 others have property  
ranging in value from #hjj to #b1jjj4   
,of the sixty1 only four have failed to 

maintain their moral character4  ,six   
teachers are now employed2 we really    
need another4 ,about #cj boarding pupils
 are regularly enrolled1 with #bej      
pupils in daily attendance from near-by 
homes4  ,the school is conducted just as
 economically as it well can be2 the    
annual expense is about #b1jjj1 of which
 sum ,i have insisted that the people   
themselves shall annually meet one-half4
  ,if ,i have been of any service to my 
people1 ,i owe it all to ,mr4           
,washington and to one of the noblest   
women that ever lived1 ,mrs4 ,booker ,t4
 ,washington1 ne ,davidson1 both of whom
 indelibly impressed upon me while      
attending the ,tuskegee ,institute those
 lessons which led me to want to spend  
myself in the helping of my people4     
,x  ,,uplifting ,,the ,,submerged       
,,masses  ,,by ,w4 ,j4 ,,edwards   ,i   
was born in ,snow ,hill1 ,wilcox        
,county1 ,ala41 in the year #ahgj4 ,my  
mother died when ,i was twelve months   
old4 ,about five or six years after     

this1 perhaps1 my father went away from 
,snow ,hill2 the next ,i heard he was   
dead4 ,thus at the age of six ,i was    
left without father or mother4 ,i was   
then placed in the care of my old       
grandmother1 who did all that was in her
 power to send me to the school located 
near us4 ,often for weeks ,i would go to
 school without anything but bread to   
eat4 ,occasionally she could secure a   
little piece of meat4  ,i well remember 
one morning1 when ,i had started to     
school and she had given me all the meat
 that we had in the house1 how it       
worried me that she should have nothing 
left for herself but bread4 ,worrying   
over our cramped condition1 ,i resolved 
that what she did for me should not be  
thrown away4 ,i longed for the time when
 ,i could repay her for all she had done
 for me4  ,at the age of twelve it      
pleased the ,almighty ,god to take from 
me my grandmother1 my only dependence4  
,i was now left to fight the battle of  
life alone4 ,i need not tell of the hard

 times and sufferings that ,i           
experienced until ,i entered school at  
the ,tuskegee ,institute4 ,but knowing  
that ,i was without parents1 and being  
sick most of the time1 my hardships can 
be imagined4  ,through a minister ,i    
heard of the ,tuskegee ,normal and      
,industrial ,institute in the early part
 of #ahhh1 and so favorably was it      
recommended that ,i decided ,i would    
rent two acres of land and raise a crop1
 and take the proceeds and go to        
,tuskegee the following fall4 ,after    
paying my rents and other small debts ,i
 had #bj left with which to buy my      
clothes and start for ,tuskegee1 which  
,i did1 starting on the #bgth of        
,december1 #ahhh1 and arriving at       
,tuskegee on the first day of ,january1 
#ahhi1 with #aj4 ,i had walked most of  
the way4 ,i was at ,tuskegee for four   
and one-half years4 ,i managed to stay  
there for that length of time by working
 one day in the week and every other    
,saturday during the term and all of the

 vacations4  ,during my ,senior year ,i 
was helped by ,mr4 ,r4 ,o4 ,simpson1 the
 owner of the plantation on which ,i was
 reared4 ,i had trouble that year in    
deciding just what ,i should do after   
graduation4 ,it had been my conviction  
that ,i must be a lawyer or a minister4 
,in contemplating the idea of becoming a
 lawyer1 however1 ,i could not see      
wherein ,i could carry out the ,tuskegee
 ,idea of uplifting the masses4 ,the    
ministerial profession was very little  
better1 since the work of the minister  
in our section of the country must be   
limited almost wholly to one            
denomination4 ,so ,i finally decided to 
try to plant an institution similar to  
the ,tuskegee ,school1 an               
undenominational one1 in a section of   
,alabama where such work should be      
needed4 ,i chose1 as my field of labor1 
,snow ,hill1 the place from which ,i had
 gone to enter school at ,tuskegee4     
,the school is now known as the ,snow   
,hill ,normal and ,industrial           

,institute1 and is located in the very  
center of the ,black ,belt of the ,state
 of ,alabama4 ,this is a much-used term2
 it is not applicable1 however1 to every
 ,southern ,state1 neither does it apply
 to every county in any one ,state4 ,it 
is only to certain counties in certain  
,states to which it may properly be     
applied4 ,wilcox and the seven adjoining
 counties constitute one of these       
sections in ,alabama4 ,the latest census
 shows that these eight counties have a 
colored population of #bja1eci1 and a   
white population of #fi1iae4  ,alabama  
has sixty-seven counties1 with a total  
colored population of #hbg1cjg4 ,thus it
 will be seen that one-eighth of the    
counties contain one-fourth of the      
entire colored population4 ,because the 
colored people outnumber the white      
people in such great proportion1 this is
 called the ,black ,belt of the ,state4 
,these counties lie in the valley of the
 ,alabama ,river1 and constitute the    
most fertile section of the ,state4     

,during the early settlement of the     
,state1 white men coming into these     
fertile counties not only would settle  
as much land as a family of four or five
 in number could cultivate1 but as much 
as they were able to buy ,negroes to    
cultivate4 ,quite a few families with   
only five or six in number would have   
land enough to work from #ajj to #a1jjj 
,negroes4 ,one can see from this how a  
few white families would1 as they often 
did1 own a whole county4 ,now the ,negro
 is not migratory in his nature2 having 
been brought to these counties during   
slavery1 he has remained here in        
freedom4 ,he is not1 therefore1         
primarily responsible for his being here
 in such great numbers4 ,these white    
families settled in little villages     
seven or eight miles apart4 ,the        
distances between were made up of their 
plantations1 on which were thousands of 
slaves4 ,only a few ,negroes were       
employed as domestics in comparison with
 the great numbers who worked on        

plantations4 ,it was only these few who1
 in learning to serve the white man1    
properly got a glimpse of real home     
life4 ,the masses had absolutely no idea
 of such a life2 nothing was done that  
would lead them to secure any such      
knowledge4  ,since their emancipation   
the masses of these people have had     
neither competent preachers nor         
teachers2 consequently most of them have
 remained hopelessly ignorant even until
 this day4 ,one hearing the great       
condemnation heaped upon the ,negro in  
these sections for his failure to       
measure up to the standards of true     
citizenship and to proper standards of  
life would get the idea that the proud  
,anglo-,saxon has spent a great deal of 
time in trying to teach him the         
fundamental principles that underlie    
life2 but this is not the case4 ,there  
are exceptions to all rules1 however1   
and here and there one may find noble   
and patriotic white men laboring for the
 uplift of fallen humanity without      

regard to race1 color1 or previous      
condition4  ,during the summer of #ahic1
 after returning from ,tuskegee1 being  
anxious to learn more of the real       
condition of our people in the ,black   
,belt1 ,i visited most of the places in 
,wilcox ,county and a few places in the 
counties of ,monroe1 ,butler1 ,dallas1  
and ,lowndes1 making the entire journey 
on foot4  ,it was a bright and beautiful
 morning in ,june when ,i started from  
my home1 a log cabin4 ,more than two    
hundred ,negroes were in the near-by    
fields plowing corn1 hoeing cotton1 and 
singing those beautiful songs often     
referred to as plantation melodies4     
,notably1 ,i am ,going to ,roll in my   
,jesus' ,arms2 ,o ,freedom6 ,before ,i'd
 be a ,slave ,i'd be ,carried to ,my    
,grave1 etc41 may be mentioned4 ,with   
the beautiful fields of corn and cotton 
outstretched before me1 and the         
shimmering brook like a silver thread   
twining its way through the golden      
meadows1 and then through verdant       

fields1 giving water to thousands of    
creatures as it passed1 ,i felt that the
 earth was truly clothed in ,his beauty 
and the fulness of ,his glory4  ,but ,i 
had scarcely gone beyond the limits of  
the field when ,i came to a thick       
undergrowth of pines4 ,here we saw old  
pieces of timber and two posts4  ,this  
marks the old cotton-gin house1 said    
,uncle ,jim1 my companion1 and then his 
countenance grew sad2 after a sigh he   
said3 ,i have seen many a ,negro whipped
 within an inch of his life at these    
posts4 ,i have seen them whipped so     
badly that they had to be carried away  
in wagons4 ,many never did recover4     
,from this our road led first up-hill1  
then down1 and finally through a stretch
 of woods until we reached ,carlowville4
 ,this was once the most aristocratic   
village of the southern part of ,dallas 
,county4 ,perhaps no one who owned less 
than a hundred slaves was able to secure
 a home within its borders4 ,here still 
are to be seen the stately mansions of  

the ,lydes1 the ,lees1 the ,wrumphs1 the
 ,bibbses1 the ,youngbloods1 and the    
,reynoldses4 ,many of these mansions    
have been partly rebuilt and remodeled  
to conform to modern styles of          
architecture1 while others have been    
deserted and are now fast decaying4     
,usually these mansions are occupied by 
others than the original families4 ,the 
original families have sold out or have 
died out4  ,in ,carlowville stands the  
largest white church in ,dallas or      
,wilcox ,counties4 ,it has a seating    
capacity of #a1jjj1 excluding the       
balcony1 which1 during slavery1 was used
 exclusively for the ,negroes of the    
families attending4  ,our stay in       
,carlowville was necessarily short1 as  
the evening sun was low and the nearest 
place for lodging was two miles ahead4  
,before reaching this place we came to a
 large one-room log cabin1 #cj feet by  
#cf feet1 on the road-side1 with a      
double door and three holes for windows 
cut in the sides4 ,there was no chimney 

nor anything to show that the room could
 be heated in cold weather4 ,this was   
the ,hope-well ,baptist ,church4 ,here  
#ejj members congregated one ,sunday in 
each month and spent the entire day in  
eating1 shouting1 and praising ,god for 
,his goodness toward the children of    
men4 ,here also the three months' school
 was taught during the winter4 ,a few   
hundred yards beyond this church brought
 us to the home of a ,deacon ,jones4    
,he was living in the house occupied by 
the overseer of the plantation during   
slavery4 ,it was customary for ,deacon  
,jones to care for strangers who chanced
 to come into the community1 especially 
for the preachers and teachers4 ,so here
 we found rest4  ,his family consisted  
of himself1 his wife1 and six           
children--two boys and four girls4 ,mrs4
 ,jones was noted for her ability to    
prepare food well1 and in a short while 
invited us to a delicious supper of     
fried chicken1 fried ham1 some very fine
 home-made sugar-cane sirup1 and an     

abundance of milk and butter4 ,at supper
 ,deacon ,jones told of the many        
preachers he had entertained and their  
fondness for chicken4  ,after supper ,i 
spent some time in trying to find out   
the real condition of the people in this
 section4 ,mr4 ,jones told me how1 for  
ten years1 he had been trying to buy    
some land1 and had been kept from it    
more than once1 but that he was still   
hopeful of getting the right deeds for  
the land for which he had paid4 ,he also
 told of many families who had recently 
moved into this community4 ,these       
newcomers had made a good start for the 
year and had promising crops1 but they  
were compelled to mortgage their growing
 crops in order to get advances for the 
year4  ,when asked of the schools1 he   
said that there were more than five     
hundred children of school age in his   
township1 but not more than two hundred 
of these had attended school the        
previous winter1 and most of these for a
 period not longer than six weeks4 ,he  

also said that the people were very     
indifferent as to the necessity of      
schoolhouses and churches4 ,quite a few 
who cleared a little money the previous 
year had spent it all in buying whisky1 
in gambling1 in buying cheap jewelry1   
and for other useless articles4 ,after  
spending two hours in such talk ,i      
retired for the evening4 ,thus ended the
 first day of my search for first-hand  
information4  ,we had a fine night's    
rest4 ,mr4 ,jones was up at early dawn  
to feed his horses and cattle1 and      
before the sun was up he was out on his 
farm4 ,mrs4 ,jones and one of the       
daughters were left to prepare          
breakfast1 and soon they1 too1 were     
ready to join the others on the farm4   
,we took advantage of this early rising 
and were soon off on our journey4       
,instead of going farther northward1 we 
turned our course westward for the town 
of ,tilden1 which is only eight miles   
west of ,snow ,hill4 ,the road from     
,carlowville to ,tilden is somewhat     

hilly1 but a very pleasant one1 and for 
miles the large oak-trees formed an     
almost perfect arch4  ,on reaching      
,tilden we learned that there would be a
 union meeting of two of the churches   
that night4 ,i decided that this would  
give me an opportunity to study the     
religious life of these people for      
myself4 ,the members of churches ,no4 #a
 and ,no4 #b assembled at their         
respective places at eight o'clock4 ,the
 members of church ,no4 #b had a short  
praise-service1 and formed a line of    
procession to march to church ,no4 #a4  
,all the women of the congregation had  
their heads bound in pieces of white    
cloth1 and they sang their peculiar     
songs as they marched4 ,when the members
 of church ,no4 #b were within a few    
hundred yards of church ,no4 #a1 the    
singing then alternated1 and finally1   
when the members of church ,no4 #b came 
to church ,no4 #a1 they marched around  
this church three times before entering 
it4 ,after entering1 six sermons were   

preached to the two congregations by six
 different ministers1 and at least three
 of these could not read a word in the  
,bible4 ,each minister occupied at least
 one hour4 ,their texts were as often   
taken from ,webster's blue-back speller 
as from the ,bible1 and sometimes this  
would be held upside down4 ,it was about
 two o'clock in the morning when the    
services were concluded4  ,here1 again1 
we found no schoolhouses1 and the three 
months' school had been taught in one of
 the little churches4  ,the next day we 
started for ,camden1 a distance of      
sixteen miles4 ,this section between    
,tilden and ,camden is perhaps the most 
fertile section of land in the ,state of
 ,alabama4 ,taking a southwest course   
from ,tilden1 ,i crossed into ,wilcox   
,county again1 where ,i saw acres of    
corn and miles of cotton1 all being     
cultivated by ,negroes4  ,the evening   
was far advanced when we reached        
,camden1 but having been there before1  
we had no difficulty in securing        

lodging4 ,camden is the seat of ,wilcox 
,county1 and has a population of about  
three thousand inhabitants4  ,the most  
costly buildings of the town were the   
court-house and jail1 and these occupied
 the most conspicuous places4  ,here    
great crowds of ,negroes would gather on
 ,saturdays to spend their earnings of  
the week for a fine breakfast or dinner 
on the following ,sunday1 or for useless
 trivialities4  ,on ,saturday evenings1 
on the roads leading to and from        
,camden1 as from other towns1 could be  
seen groups of ,negroes gambling here   
and there1 and buying and selling       
whisky4 ,as the county had voted against
 licensing whisky-selling1 this was a   
violation of the law1 and often the     
commission merchant1 a ,negro1 was      
imprisoned for the offense1 while those 
who supplied him went free4  ,in ,camden
 ,i found one ,negro schoolhouse2 this  
was a box-like cottage1 #bj by #af feet1
 and was supposed to seat more than one 
hundred students4 ,this school1 like    

those taught in the churches1 was open  
only three months in the year4  ,after a
 two days' stay in ,camden ,i next      
visited ,miller's ,ferry2 this is on the
 ,alabama ,river1 twelve miles west of  
,camden4 ,the road from ,camden is one  
of the best roads in the ,state1 and for
 miles and miles one could see nothing  
but cotton and corn4  ,at ,miller's     
,ferry a ,negro schoolhouse of ample    
proportions had been built on ,judge    
,henderson's plantation4 ,here the      
school ran seven months in the year1 and
 the colored people in the community    
were prosperous and showed a remarkable 
degree of intelligence4 ,their church   
was equally as attractive as their      
schoolhouse4  ,judge ,henderson was for 
twelve years ,probate ,judge of ,wilcox 
,county4 ,he proved to be one of the    
best judges this county has ever had1   
and even unto this day he is admired by 
all1 both white and black1 rich and     
poor1 for his honesty1 integrity1 and   
high sense of justice4 ,from ,judge     

,henderson's place we traveled southward
 to ,rock-west1 a distance of more than 
fifteen miles4 ,during this journey     
hundreds of ,negroes were seen at work  
in the corn- and cotton-fields4 ,these  
people were almost wholly ignorant1 as  
they had neither schools nor teachers1  
and their ministers were almost wholly  
illiterate4  ,at ,rock-west ,i found a  
very intelligent colored man who had    
attended school at ,selma1 ,ala41 for a 
few years4 ,he owned his home and ran a 
small grocery4 ,he told of the hardships
 with which he had to contend in        
building up his business1 and of the    
almost hopeless condition of the        
,negroes about there4 ,he said that they
 usually made money each year1 but that 
they did not know how to keep it4 ,the  
merchants would induce them to buy      
buggies1 machines1 clocks1 etc41 but    
would never encourage them to buy homes4
 ,we were very much pleased with the    
reception which ,mr4 ,darrington gave   
us1 and felt very much like putting into

 practise our ,state motto1 ,here ,we   
,rest1 at his home1 but our objective   
point for the day was ,fatama1 sixteen  
miles away4  ,on our journey that       
afternoon we saw hundreds of ,negro     
one-room log cabins4 ,some of these were
 located in the dense swamps and some on
 the hills1 while others were miles away
 from the public road4 ,most of these   
people had never seen a locomotive4 ,we 
reached ,fatama about seven o'clock that
 night1 and here for the first time we  
were compelled to divide our crowd in   
order to get a night's lodging4 ,each of
 us had to spend the night in a one-room
 cabin4 ,it was my privilege to spend   
the night with ,uncle ,jake1 a jovial   
old man1 a local celebrity4 ,after      
telling him of our weary journey1 he    
immediately made preparation for me to  
retire4 ,this was done by cutting off my
 bed from the remainder of the cabin by 
hanging up a sheet on a screen4 ,while  
somewhat inconvenient1 my rest that     
night was pleasant1 and the next morning

 found me very much refreshed and ready 
for another day's journey4 ,our company 
assembled at ,uncle ,jake's for         
breakfast1 after which we started for   
,pineapple4  ,we found the condition of 
the ,negroes between ,fatama and        
,pineapple much the same as that of     
those we had seen the previous day4 ,no 
schoolhouse was to be seen1 but         
occasionally we would see a church at   
the cross-roads4 ,we reached ,pineapple 
late in the afternoon4  ,from ,pineapple
 we went to ,greenville1 and from       
,greenville to ,fort ,deposit1 and from 
,fort ,deposit we returned to ,snow     
,hill1 after having traveled a distance 
of #aeg miles and visiting four         
counties4  ,in three of these counties  
there is a colored population of #db1haj
 between the ages of five and twenty    
years1 and a white population of #g1fjh 
of the same ages4 ,in fact1 the ,negro  
school population of ,wilcox and the    
seven adjoining counties is as follows3 
,wilcox1 #aa1fbc2 ,dallas1 #ah1bib2     

,lowndes1 #ac1jdd2 ,monroe1 #e1fae2     
,butler1 #e1ibd2 ,marengo1 #ab1cfb2     
,clark1 #f1hih2 ,perry1 #aj1gbc2 making 
a total of #he1dii4 ,speaking of public 
schools in the sense that educators use 
the term1 the colored people in this    
section have none4 ,of course1 there are
 so-called public schools here and      
there1 running from three to five months
 in the year and paying the teachers    
from #g4ej to #ah per month2 but the    
teachers are incompetent1 and the       
schools are usually in the hands of     
those not too much interested in the    
cause of education4 ,many of these      
trustees do not visit the schools once  
in ten years1 and they know absolutely  
nothing of the methods of discipline    
even used by the teachers4  ,our trip   
through this section revealed the       
following facts3 7#a7 ,that while many  
opportunities were denied our people1   
they abused many privileges2 7#b7 that  
there was a colored population1 in this 
section visited1 of more than #bjj1jjj1 

and a school population of #he1dii2 7#c7
 that the people were ignorant and      
superstitious2 7#d7 that the teachers   
and preachers for the most part were of 
the same condition2 7#e7 that there were
 no public or private libraries and     
reading-rooms to which they had access2 
7#f7 that1 strictly speaking1 there were
 no public schools and only one private 
one4 ,now what can be expected of any   
people in such a condition8 ,can the    
blind lead the blind8 ,they could not in
 the days of old1 and it is not likely  
that they can now4  ,after this trip    
through the ,black ,belt ,i was more    
convinced than ever before of the great 
need of an industrial school in the very
 midst of these people2 a school that   
would correct the erroneous ideas the   
people held of education2 a school that 
would put most stress upon the things   
which the people were most likely to    
have to do with through life2 a school  
that would endeavor to make education   
practical rather than theoretical2 a    

school that would train men and women to
 be good workers1 good leaders1 good    
husbands1 good wives1 and finally train 
them to be fit citizens of the ,state1  
and proper subjects for the kingdom of  
,god4  ,with this idea the ,snow ,hill  
,normal and ,industrial ,institute was  
started ten years ago in an old1        
dilapidated1 one-room log cabin with one
 teacher1 three students1 and no ,state 
appropriation1 and without any church or
 society responsible for one dollar of  
its expenses4 ,aside from this          
unfortunate state of affairs1 the       
condition of the people was most        
miserable4 ,this was due partly to poor 
crops and partly to bad management on   
their part4  ,in many instances the     
tenants were not only unable to pay     
their debts1 but were also unable to pay
 their rents4 ,in a few cases the       
landlords had to provide1 at their own  
expense1 provisions for their tenants4  
,this was simply another way of         
establishing soup-houses on the         

plantations4 ,the idea of buying land   
was foreign to all of them1 and there   
were not more than twenty acres of land 
owned by the colored people in this     
whole neighborhood4 ,the churches and   
schools were practically closed1 while  
crime and immorality were rampant4 ,the 
carrying of men and women to the        
chain-gang was a frequent occurrence4   
,aside from all this1 these people      
believed that the end of education was  
to free their children from manual labor
 rather than prepare them for more and  
better work4 ,they were very much       
opposed to industrial education4 ,when  
the school was started1 many of the     
parents came to the school and forbade  
our working their children1 stating as  
their objection that their children had 
been working all their lives1 and they  
did not mean to send them to school to  
learn to work4 ,not only did they forbid
 our having their children work1 but    
many took their children out of school  
rather than have them do so4 ,a good    

deal of this opposition was kept up by  
illiterate preachers and incompetent    
teachers1 here and there1 who had not   
had any particular training for their   
profession4 ,in fact1 ninety-eight per  
cent of them had attended no school4 ,we
 continued1 however1 to keep the        
industrial plank in our platform1 and   
year after year some additional industry
 was added until we now have thirteen   
industries in constant operation4       
,agriculture is the foremost and basic  
industry of the institution4 ,we do this
 because we are in a farming section and
 ninety-five per cent of the people in  
this section depend upon some form of   
agriculture for a livelihood4 ,how      
changed are the conditions now as       
regards our work6 ,from the little      
one-room log cabin1 the school has grown
 so that it now owns #ajj acres of land1
 #ad buildings1 counting large and      
small1 with property valued at #cg1jjj4 
,from three students1 it has grown so   
that we now have a school with more than

 four hundred students annually in      
attendance1 representing more than a    
dozen ,alabama counties and seven       
,states4 ,it has also grown from one to 
twenty teachers and officers4 ,including
 the class that graduated last term1    
thirty-seven have finished the course4  
,all are living but one4 ,no charge of  
criminal wrong-doing has been brought   
against even one of them4 ,one of the   
young women is married to the head      
teacher1 another to the superintendent  
of industries1 and seven other graduates
 are employed in responsible positions  
by the school4 ,one of these has taken a
 special course at ,harvard ,university1
 three have taken additional courses at 
,tuskegee1 one is in charge of the      
woman's department of a large school in 
,mississippi1 two have founded schools  
of their own1 one at ,tilden1 ,ala41 the
 other at ,greensboro1 ,ala4 ,all have  
remained in the country among the masses
 whom they are helping to uplift1 and   
most of them in ,wilcox ,county1 the    

county in which the school is located4  
,of the thirty-seven graduates1         
twenty-seven own their own homes4 ,aside
 from the graduates1 about five hundred 
others have been under the influence of 
the school for a longer or shorter      
period2 many of these are making        
exceptionally good records4  ,the growth
 on the part of the people has kept     
corresponding pace with the growth of   
the institution4 ,the farmers1 who ten  
years ago depended wholly on the        
landlords for food supplies1 have grown 
to be independent1 raising most of their
 own supplies4 ,they are rapidly passing
 from the renters' class to the owners' 
class2 they are possessing themselves of
 the soil4 ,this may be seen from the   
fact that ten years ago they owned in   
this county but twenty acres of land2   
to-day they own #d1jjj acres of land4   
,many of the most prosperous farmers    
have opened bank-accounts4 ,the people  
no longer oppose industrial education2  
they now refuse to send their children  

to any school where they can not secure 
some industrial education4  ,for our    
part we find it wholly impossible to    
accommodate all who come to us from time
 to time to take the trades'            
instruction4 ,the churches hereabout    
have been revived1 new and better       
schoolhouses have been built1 and the   
county school terms extended in many    
cases from two and three to five and six
 months2 competent teachers and         
preachers1 both intellectually and      
morally1 have been employed4 ,crime and 
immorality are being uprooted1 and      
virtue and civic righteousness are being
 planted in their stead4 ,the commercial
 and economic conditions have improved  
in every way1 and there was never a more
 cordial relation existing between the  
races in this section than now4 ,with   
these things true1 the one-room log     
cabin can not survive1 and is rapidly   
giving way to houses having three1 four1
 and1 in some places1 six and seven     
rooms4  ,after having been here at ,snow

 ,hill for a few years1 we felt that    
while we were helping the children in   
the class-room1 something should be done
 to help the parents2 so we organized   
what we call the ,snow ,hill ,negro     
,conference1 on ,january #ac1 #ahig4    
,this conference is modeled after the   
famous ,tuskegee ,negro ,conferences1   
and meets once a year4 ,at this         
conference the farmers from this and the
 adjoining counties come together4      
,there were #ejj at our last conference4
 ,the school is almost wholly given up  
to farmers on ,conference day4 ,here we 
listen to educational1 religious1 moral1
 and financial reports from many        
sections4 ,those who have succeeded1    
tell the others how they have done so1  
and those who have not succeeded tell   
how they are trying to succeed4 ,from   
these annual meetings the farmers get   
new ideas1 new information1 and take    
fresh courage2 they return to their     
farms more determined to succeed than   
ever before4 ,when we commenced these   

meetings the reports were discouraging1 
and from many sections the condition of 
the race thereabout seemed hopeless4    
,many said that in the same section they
 could not buy land at any price4 ,there
 were only twenty acres of land reported
 at the first conference4 ,at the last  
one1 reports showed that the people had 
purchased more than four thousand acres 
since the beginning of these conferences
 seven years ago4 ,at our first meeting 
the reports showed that the one-room    
log-cabin home was the rule2 at our last
 meeting it had become the exception4   
,these conferences have tried all along 
to induce the people to raise more of   
their own food-supplies4 ,we also waged 
a ceaseless war upon the one-room       
log-cabin home1 which has resulted in   
almost annihilating them4 ,this war     
shall never cease until there is not a  
one-room log cabin left in all this     
section4 ,the one-room log cabin is a   
pestilent menace to decent living4      
,following the farmers' conference1 we  

have the workers' conference during     
vacation4 ,this conference is chiefly   
composed of teachers and preachers1 and 
represents an idea got from ,tuskegee4  
,in this conference we get a clear idea 
of what the teachers and preachers are  
doing1 the methods they are pursuing1   
and the results being achieved4 ,the    
teachers are encouraged to make         
education less theoretical and more     
practical2 the preachers are urged to   
preach to our people less of the dying  
religion and more of the living         
religion4 ,while they are encouraged to 
build better schoolhouses and churches1 
they are also reminded of the fact that 
these are not the ends1 but only the    
means to an end2 that they are only of  
value in proportion as they can be used 
to build up a hopeful and noble life in 
the communities where they are located4 
,however much the material side may be  
held up to them1 they are told that in  
the last analysis the spiritual is      
always the end4 ,the reports at our last

 ,workers' ,conference were most        
encouraging4 ,wherever the intelligent  
teacher and preacher have gone1 the     
condition of the people has been        
improved4 ,to my mind this demonstrates 
most clearly that the great need of our 
people is intelligent leaders1 and it is
 this that we ask for2 it is this for   
which ,snow ,hill is striving4 ,while   
much good is being accomplished through 
the ,workers' ,conference1 the ,black   
,belt ,improvement ,society1 which ,i   
have organized1 deals more directly with
 the people in our immediate            
neighborhood4 ,the aim of this society  
is clearly set forth in its             
constitution1 a part of which is as     
follows3       #a4 ,this society shall  
be known as the ,black ,belt            
,improvement     ,society4 ,its object  
shall be the general uplift of the      
people of     the ,black ,belt of       
,alabama2 to make them better morally1  
mentally1     spiritually1 and          
financially4      #b4 ,it shall be the  

object of the ,black ,belt ,improvement 
,society to1     as far as possible1    
eliminate the credit system from our    
social     fabric2 to stimulate in all  
members the desire to raise1 as far as  
possible1 all their food supplies at    
home1 and pay cash for     whatever may 
be purchased at the stores4      #c4 ,to
 bring about a system of cooperation in 
the purchase of what     supplies can   
not be raised at home wherever it can be
 done to     advantage4      #d4 ,to    
discuss topics of interest to the       
communities in which the     various    
societies may be organized1 and topics  
relating to the     general welfare of  
the race1 and especially to farmers4    
#e4 ,to teach the people to practise the
 strictest economy1 and     especially  
to obtain and diffuse such information  
among farmers as     shall lead to the  
improvement and diversification of      
crops1 in     order to create in farmers
 a desire for homes and better home     
conditions1 and to stimulate a love for 

labor in both old and     young4 ,each  
local organization may offer small      
prizes for the     cleanest and         
best-kept house1 the best pea-patch1 and
 the best ear     of corn1 etc4      #f4
 ,to aid each other in sickness and in  
death2 for this purpose a     fee of ten
 cents will be collected from each      
member every month and     held sacred1 
to be used for no other purpose         
whatever4      #g4 ,it shall be one of  
the great objects of this society to    
stimulate its members to acquire homes1 
and urge those who already     possess  
homes to improve and beautify them4     
#h4 ,to urge our members to purchase    
only the things that are     absolutely 
necessary4      #i4 ,to exert our every 
effort to obliterate those evils which  
tend     to destroy our character and   
our homes1 such as intemperance1        
gambling1 and social impurity4      #aj4
 ,to refrain from spending money and    
time foolishly or in     unprofitable   
ways2 to take an interest in the care of

 our highways1     in the paying of our 
taxes1 and the education of our         
children2 to     plant shade trees1     
repair our yard fences1 and in general1 
as far     as possible1 bring our home  
life up to the highest standards of     
civilization4   ,this society has       
several standing committees1 as follows3
 on government1 on education1 on        
business1 on housekeeping1 on labor1 and
 on farming4 ,the chairman of these     
respective committees holds monthly     
meetings in the various communities1 at 
which time various topics pertaining to 
the welfare and uplift of the people are
 discussed4 ,as a result of these       
meetings the people return to their     
homes with new inspiration4 ,these      
meetings are doing good in the          
communities where they are being held1  
and our sincere hope is that such       
meetings may be extended4 ,the ills that
 most retard the ,negroes of the rural  
,south are sought to be reached by the  
school and by the several organizations 

which have been organized by it4 ,these 
articles of the simple constitution go  
to the very bottom of the conditions4   
,if one would again take the trip which 
,i made in the summer of #ahic1 he would
 find that two-thirds of the land lying 
between ,snow ,hill and ,carlowville1 a 
distance of seven miles1 is now owned   
and controlled entirely by ,negroes4 ,in
 ,carlowville1 instead of the old       
one-room-cabin church1 there is a       
beautiful church with glass windows4 ,an
 acre of land has been bought1 and a    
neat and comfortable schoolhouse with   
glass windows has been erected1 and a   
graduate of my school is the teacher4   
,many families in that section are now  
owning homes4 ,a great revolution is    
also taking place in ,tilden4 ,john     
,thomas1 one of our graduates1 ,class of
 '#ja1 has gone into this place1 induced
 the people to buy thirty acres of land1
 on which they have erected a splendid  
building having two rooms1 and the      
school is being conducted seven months  

in the year4 ,many farmers in this      
section are now owning homes1 some of   
them owning as much as #djj acres of    
land4 ,this improvement is steadily     
going on in all sections where the      
influence of our school has reached4    
,thus it will be seen that the work in  
the class-room is only a small part of  
what we are trying to do for the uplift 
of the ,negro people in the ,black      
,belt4  ,in order that this good work   
may be pushed more rapidly1 it is       
necessary that we give some time to this
 particular movement4 ,this can only be 
done by our having here a strong and    
healthy institution with an endowment   
sufficiently large to relieve us of our 
great financial burden4 ,an adequate    
endowment would meet this need4 ,while  
we are anxious to raise an endowment    
fund1 our burden could be partially     
relieved by the school securing         
possession of a large plantation in the 
neighborhood which is now1 and has been 
for three years1 offered to us4 ,this   

plantation contains between three       
thousand and four thousand acres of     
land1 and can be bought for #cj1jjj1 and
 would afford us unbounded opportunity  
for the extension of the agricultural   
features of our work1 which would enable
 us to raise more1 if not all1 of our   
food supplies4  ,i have tried as simply 
as possible in this article to state the
 real condition of the people in the    
,black ,belt section of this ,state1 and
 to tell how we are trying to cope with 
these conditions4 ,our constant feeling 
is that there is so much to be done1 and
 that so little has been accomplished4  
,in closing3 ,the inspiration derived at
 ,tuskegee2 the instruction given in    
shop1 and field1 and class-room2 the    
guiding hand of its illustrious         
,principal--all of these have had their 
impress upon me and have urged me to    
dedicate myself unreservedly to these   
people1 among whom ,i was reared1 among 
whom ,i shall continue to labor1 among  
whom ,i shall at the last be buried4    

,,xi  ,a ,,dairyman',s ,,story  ,,by    
,,lewis ,a4 ,,smith   ,in any attempt to
 write a story of my life and work1 the 
work feature must predominate4  ,i was  
born ,march #bg1 #ahgg1 at ,louisville1 
,ky4 ,my father and mother were slaves  
of old ,georgia stock4 ,my father1 after
 freedom1 was for a time permitted to   
attend ,howard ,university1 ,washington1
 ,d4 ,c4 ,he was a candy-maker4 ,my     
mother attended ,atlanta ,university4   
,in #ahgh my parents left ,atlanta1     
where my two brothers were born1 and    
located in ,louisville4 ,leaving        
,louisville in #ahha1 the family moved  
to ,chicago1 ,ill41 where ,i lived until
 ,i entered ,tuskegee ,institute1 of    
which my mother and ,i had heard much4  
,after reaching ,chicago1 my parents    
established a confectionery store4 ,my  
earlier days were mostly spent behind   
the counter in the store1 not as a clerk
 helping to earn profits1 but in an     
endeavor to make profits disappear4 ,i  
was much in love with the nice things we

 had for sale4  ,an unfortunate family  
incident in #ahhb resulted in placing my
 two brothers and me in the custody of  
my mother4 ,our childhood pleasures were
 marred by this affair4 ,although ,i was
 too young to fully understand the      
situation1 ,i realized that ,i lacked   
the pleasures that other children had2  
,i realized the absence of that paternal
 care and affection that other children 
enjoyed--the home was not complete4 ,i  
can not recall my childhood with any    
special pleasure4  ,i entered the public
 schools of ,chicago when ,i was seven  
years of age4 ,i made a very good record
 in my studies1 attested by the fact    
that ,i made two grades the first year1 
and one grade with excellent marks each 
succeeding year thereafter4 ,my         
deportment was not exemplary4 ,i can    
remember occasions when ,i was severely 
reprimanded for being absent from school
 without an excuse1 having gone fishing1
 or bathing in ,lake ,michigan1 or      
skating in the parks in winter4         

,illustration3 ,,in ,,the ,,dairy4      
,students using separators4   ,that was 
before the compulsory school law went   
into effect1 or at least before it      
affected me4 ,i was not1 however1 a bad 
boy4 ,i was neither rough nor tough2 ,i 
had no bad habits other than smoking    
corn-silk cigarettes1 and ,i soon       
stopped that as the novelty of the thing
 wore off4 ,my young mind and body      
required recreation4 ,unlike the        
children of the ,south1 who had three   
months of school and nine months of play
 or work in the fields1 ,i had nine     
months of school and three months of    
play4 ,i thought the ratio was in the   
wrong proportion4 ,but as ,i grew older 
,i became more settled and more         
interested in my studies4  ,although    
during the greater portion of my school 
life in ,chicago ,i was the sole ,negro 
pupil in my classes1 yet ,i do not      
remember a single occasion when         
prejudice was leveled at me by teacher  
or schoolmate4  ,early1 after throwing  

off my wildness1 ,i realized the need   
and the advantage of possessing an      
education1 and1 having such excellent   
facilities at hand1 determined to become
 educated1 and diligently pursued that  
object4 ,just as ,i was about to enter  
the eighth grade1 however1 ,i had to    
give up going to school1 and go to work4
  ,i secured employment with a          
wood-engraving firm as general office-  
and errand-boy4 ,my wages were #b4ej a  
week4 ,about fifty cents of this sum ,i 
spent each week for car-fare and        
incidentals4 ,as ,i lived three miles   
from my work it would have been         
necessary for me to spend my whole      
allowance for car-fare had ,i not stolen
 rides on railroad trains4 ,i often     
wonder now how ,i could have jumped on  
and off swift-moving trains1 day after  
day1 without receiving some serious     
injury4 ,surely ,providence must have   
protected me in my endeavor to save my  
scanty earnings4 ,my clothing did not   
cost much1 as ,i was the happy recipient

 of the cast-off clothes of the older   
members of the family4  ,my work was    
agreeable and my employer was generously
 sympathetic4 ,realizing that           
wood-engraving and illustrating would   
offer remunerative employment1 ,i sought
 to learn the trade1 but was told that  
,i would have to serve an apprenticeship
 of six months without pay2 that        
precluded all hope of learning that     
trade4  ,manhood approached before ,i   
was prepared to do anything4 ,i did not 
earn much in my youth1 and could not    
expect to earn much in manhood without  
preparation4 ,i then resolved to enter  
school again1 but the expense of a      
thorough course was an apparently       
insurmountable obstacle4 ,i had been    
unable to save much from my meager      
allowance4 ,i had heard of the ,tuskegee
 ,institute and of the opportunities    
there offered to poor young men and     
women4 ,i decided to enter that school4 
,a friend helped me to purchase an      
excursion ticket to ,atlanta1 ,ga41     

where was being held the ,cotton-,states
 and ,international ,exposition4 ,i left
 ,chicago in ,november1 and after two   
days spent in ,atlanta with relatives   
and in seeing the sights1 ,i exchanged  
my return coupon for a ticket to        
,tuskegee4  ,i arrived at ,chehaw1 the  
station where passengers transfer for   
,tuskegee1 and taking passage in a      
wagonette1 a crude substitute for our   
modern means of interurban transit--the 
little train was not running on that    
day--we drove through a picturesque     
country abounding in woods1 vales1 and  
cultivated fields1 occasionally coming  
across landmarks of antebellum days4    
,here one was really in communion with  
,nature1 so different it was from the   
massive specimens of architecture1 the  
clatter of horses on the cobblestone    
pavement1 the rattle of elevated trains1
 and the activity of commercial life of 
the ,western metropolis from which ,i   
had come4 ,as we reached high elevations
 glimpses of the institution came into  

view4  ,tuskegee was a surprise to me2  
it surpassed my fondest hope4 ,the      
majestic buildings1 the monuments to the
 fidelity and building skill of past    
classes1 the well-designed landscape    
architecture1 made me feel that ,i had  
at last found the place where ,i could  
be prepared for real life4 ,i received a
 cordial welcome from the teachers2 also
 from the students1 especially from     
those connected with the religious and  
literary organizations1 of which there  
are quite a number4  ,when asked the    
industry ,i wished to learn1 ,i chose   
that of agriculture4 ,like hundreds of  
boys confined to city environment1 ,i   
had a craving for ,nature1 a fondness   
for live stock1 and for all that ,i     
should come in contact with while taking
 that course4 ,i worked during the      
daytime the first year and attended     
school at night1 thereby acquiring      
experience and accumulating a credit to 
apply to my board when ,i should enter  
the day-school4 ,soon after entering the

 agricultural department ,i had made    
such progress that ,i was placed in     
charge of the hotbeds and grew          
vegetables all winter4 ,it was a        
marvelous accomplishment with me1 for ,i
 could not have grown them even in the  
summer before ,i entered that           
department4 ,the care of the various    
seeds used on the farm was also in my   
charge4  ,this privilege afforded me    
opportunities for seed-testing and for  
observing plant development2 it was all 
very instructive4 ,while attending the  
academic classes at night1 the daytime  
was devoted entirely to study in the    
various divisions of the agricultural   
department4  ,at the expiration of my   
first year as a night-school student1 ,i
 entered day-school1 devoting about     
equal time to academic and agricultural 
classes1 and a small portion of the time
 to the study of music1 being a member  
of the ,institute brass band1 and in my 
last year a member of the orchestra4    
,during my second summer's vacation ,i  

went into the southern part of          
,montgomery ,county1 ,ala41 in search of
 a school to teach4 ,there was no       
schoolhouse1 no school fund1 nor any    
appropriation available except for a    
three months' term during the winter4   
,after further canvass ,i was permitted 
to open a school in the little church at
 ,strata1 ,ala4 ,the large attendance of
 pupils and their eagerness to learn won
 my sympathy and ,i would gladly have   
planted a sprig of ,tuskegee there had  
,i not had strong inclinations for a    
commercial life4 ,i conducted a class in
 agriculture for the benefit of the     
farmers4 ,i believe it was helpful to   
them4 ,my spare time was spent in going 
through the country noting the waste of 
the land and the lack of enterprise     
among the owners and tenants1 due in    
large measure1 ,i am sure1 to the       
mortgage system and the deep ignorance  
of the people4 ,most of the evenings ,i 
spent listening to the terrible stories 
of slavery days from the lips of those  

who had passed through them4  ,in the   
midst of this service ,i received a     
telegram announcing the death of my     
mother4 ,i was too far from home to     
return in time to see the last of her1  
even if ,i had had the means to do so4  
,i was in grief2 ,i had sustained a     
great loss2 she was my all1 my mother4  
,i returned to ,tuskegee and graduated  
with the ,class of '#ih4  ,i am grateful
 to ,tuskegee ,institute1 to the genius 
of ,mr4 ,washington1 for the            
opportunities ,i had to acquire an      
education2 to the members of the        
,faculty for their assistance1 and to my
 father1 who gave me much of material   
aid and encouragement4  ,after          
graduating1 ,i spent two months at      
special work in the school dairy2 then1 
with the assistance of my father1 ,i    
secured a position with the ,forest     
,city ,creamery ,company of ,rockford1  
,ill4 ,entering this company's employ   
about the #aeth of ,august1 #ahih1 ,i   
have been employed ever since at the    

same place4  ,the ,forest ,city         
,creamery is one of the largest         
butter-making concerns in the ,united   
,states1 averaging twenty thousand      
pounds of butter per day4 ,we make two  
grades of butter1 known as process1 or  
renovated1 and creamery butter4 ,there  
are employed at this plant about        
seventy-five persons4  ,my work consists
 in what is known to the trade as       
starter-making and preparing the flavor 
for the butter4 ,the work is            
bacteriological1 propagating a species  
of bacteria which produces the pleasant 
aroma and flavor of good butter4 ,it    
requires not only an understanding of   
bacteriology1 but skilled workmanship   
and earnest attention to details4 ,the  
secret processes of this company are    
known to a close group only1 of which ,i
 am one4 ,my work here has been entirely
 successful and satisfactory to my      
employers1 if ,i may judge from a highly
 complimentary interview with one of the
 officers of the company regarding my   

work1 published in one of the leading   
daily newspapers of ,rockford1 and the  
fact that ,i am now receiving double my 
initial wages4  ,i have a record not    
surpassed by any other employee of this 
company4 ,between ,june #bd1 #aija1     
following a wedding-trip to ,tuskegee1  
and ,august #ae1 #aijd1 when we visited 
the ,st4 ,louis ,exposition1 ,i have    
worked each day at the ,creamery1       
including ,sundays and holidays1 my work
 requiring that ,i do so4 ,these #a1aee 
consecutive days of labor were made     
possible by a total abstinence from all 
intoxicating liquors and tobacco4 ,my   
success here can be credited to the     
efficient training ,i received at       
,tuskegee4  ,it is not well for man to  
live alone4 ,following this injunction  
,i have taken unto myself a helpmeet1   
who is all that the word implies1       
loving1 economical1 and well trained in 
domestic arts4 ,shortly after our       
marriage we began paying for a home of  
eleven rooms located in a good residence

 portion of the city4 ,the lower part of
 the house1 containing six rooms1 we    
occupy1 and have comfortably furnished2 
the up-stairs portion1 containing five  
rooms1 we rent to a family of white     
people2 the rent we receive equals the  
interest on the investment4  ,we have   
one child1 a little girl two years old1 
who furnishes sunshine to an already    
happy home4  ,our house is surrounded by
 a lawn with shade- and fruit-trees1 and
 many flower-beds4 ,the back yard       
contains a garden with berry plants1 a  
well-built and well-arranged            
poultry-house1 a yard containing a flock
 of pure-bred fowls1 the nucleus of a   
future enterprise1 and a barn with a    
good horse1 a buggy1 etc41 for our      
pleasure and convenience4  ,my ambition 
when leaving school was first to        
endeavor to become independent          
financially1 so that ,i might enjoy my  
old age2 then1 if it were possible1 to  
gain that independence early in life by 
economy1 by earning for myself what ,i  

earn for my employer2 to try to make it 
possible for the ,negro farmer to sell  
his produce to the ,negro gin1 the      
,negro cotton-mill1 or creamery1 as the 
case might be2 my idea being1 by this   
community of interest1 to help the      
,negro people about me to help          
themselves and their fellows4 ,i        
believe1 in the words of the motto of   
the ,class of '#ih--my class--that we   
rise upon the structure we ourselves    
have builded4 ,i have tried to live with
 this thought ever before me4     ,,xii 
,,the ,,story ,,of ,a ,,wheelwright     
,,by ,,edward ,,lomax   ,i was born in  
the small town of ,demopolis1 in the    
western part of the ,state of ,alabama1 
,january #ag1 #ahgg4 ,my uncle was a    
wheelwright1 and ,i1 at an early age1   
was led to desire to become an artisan  
such as my uncle was4 ,i interceded with
 him and became the handy boy around the
 shop in which he worked1 and picked up 
much useful information2 but there was  
nothing progressive or directly helpful 

in the work ,i was permitted to do4 ,i  
also did some little work in            
blacksmithing while in the shop4  ,what 
to me was a fortunate circumstance was  
the meeting with a chance acquaintance  
who was returning from ,tuskegee        
,institute for his vacation4 ,this young
 man told me most glowing stories of the
 ,tuskegee ,institute4 ,he was so       
enthusiastic that he imparted much of   
his enthusiasm to me4 ,he himself was   
taking instruction in the wheelwrighting
 division1 and could give at first-hand 
the information ,i most desired4 ,the   
whole ,tuskegee plan was outlined to me3
 how ,i could learn my trade1 and at the
 same time get book instruction2 how ,i 
could earn by labor enough to carry me  
through school while securing to myself 
the advantages mentioned4 ,i had had to 
learn by seeing others do1 and it was   
now pointed out to me how ,i could learn
 by doing1 and that was the thing ,i    
wanted4 ,i had been used to being kept  
from the use of tools and everything    

that would really help me to learn      
wheelwrighting2 the only chances ,i ever
 had being to knock about the shop1     
occasionally having some worthless job1 
with cast-off tools to work with1       
entrusted to me4  ,the upshot of it was 
that ,i decided to go to ,tuskegee1 and 
carefully saved as much of my wages of  
#b4ej per week as ,i possibly could1 so 
as to purchase clothing1 books1 and     
those incidentals insisted upon by the  
school that each student must have4 ,i  
wrote to the school1 and received a     
letter from ,principal ,washington      
admitting me should ,i find myself able 
to meet the requirements stated as      
follows3       ,no person will be       
admitted to the school as a student who 
can not     pass the examination for the
 ,c ,preparatory class4 ,to enter this  
class one must be able to read1 write1  
and understand addition1                
subtraction1 multiplication1 and        
division4 ,applicants for     admission 
must be of good moral character and must

 bring at least     two letters of      
recommendation as to their moral        
character from     reliable persons of  
their communities4      ,the            
,day-,school4--,the ,day-,school is     
intended for those who are     able to  
pay all or the greater part of their    
expenses in cash4     ,students         
attending the ,day-,school are required 
to work one day in     each week and    
every other ,saturday4      ,they must  
also be fourteen years of age1 of good  
physique1 and able     to pass the      
examination for the ,c ,preparatory     
class1 as stated     above4      ,the   
,night-,school4--,the requirements for  
entering the ,night-,school     are the 
same as for entering the ,day-,school1  
with the additional     requisites3     
,applicants must be fully sixteen years 
of age instead     of fourteen1 and     
physically able to perform an adult's   
labor4     ,cripples are under no       
circumstances admitted to this          
department4      ,the ,night-,school is 

designed for young men and women who    
earnestly     desire to educate         
themselves1 but who are too poor to pay 
even the     small charge made in the   
,day-,school4 ,students will not be     
admitted     to the ,night-,school who  
are known to be able to enter the       
,day-,school2 and when a student has    
fraudulently gained admission1     upon 
discovery of the deception1 must either 
enter the ,day-,school     or leave the 
institution4      ,trades are assigned  
as nearly as possible in accordance with
 the     students' desires4 ,in         
assigning young men and women to a      
trade1     their mental ability and     
intelligence to grasp it1 and physical  
ability to perform the duties required1 
are all carefully     considered4 ,at   
the beginning of the school year it     
often happens     that certain of the   
industries are quickly filled2 and when 
this     happens1 applicants for this   
particular industry are assigned to     
some other division until a vacancy     

occurs4   ,the school authorities also  
sent me a card notifying me as to the   
school's requirements in the way of     
discipline4 ,these seemed to me to be   
rather overexacting1 but ,i resolved to 
try to live up to them if ,i should be  
admitted4 ,among these were the         
following3       ,the rules governing   
the school are aimed to be those which  
best     promote the welfare and        
happiness of all4      ,each student is 
required to have a ,bible4      ,regular
 habits of rest and recreation are      
required4      ,no student is allowed to
 leave the grounds without permission4  
,male students when permitted to leave  
the grounds must wear the     regulation
 cap4      ,no young woman is permitted 
to leave the grounds of the institution 
unless accompanied by a teacher4        
,the ,institute has adequate facilities 
for bathing1 and all     students are   
required to bathe at stated periods4    
,bath-houses for     young men and young
 women1 with swimming-pools and         

shower-bath     appointments1 afford    
every facility in this regard4      ,the
 use of intoxicating drinks and the use 
of tobacco are strictly     forbidden4  
,dice-playing and card-playing are      
strictly prohibited4      ,students are 
liable to be dropped for inability to   
master their     studies1 irregularity  
of attendance1 or for failure to comply 
with     the regulations of the school  
after due notice4      ,the demeriting  
system has been adopted by the school as
 the     principal method of discipline 
for misconduct3 #cc-a_/c demerit marks  
constitute a warning1 and upon receiving
 three warnings a student     is liable 
to suspension or expulsion1 according as
 the ,executive     ,council may        
determine4      ,all non-resident       
students are expected to board on the   
school-grounds1 unless there is some    
good reason for a contrary              
arrangement4      ,students are not     
registered for a shorter period than one
 month2     those who leave before the  

end of a month are charged for a full   
month's board4      ,when students      
desire to leave the school they are     
required to have     parents or guardian
 write directly to the ,principal for   
permission     to do so4      ,the ,dean
 of the ,woman's ,department meets all  
the young women of the     school each  
,friday afternoon1 and the ,commandant  
all of the young     men every ,saturday
 evening1 at which times talks1 both    
instructive     and corrective1 are     
given4 ,no student is excused from these
     meetings except by special         
permission4      ,students who sign a   
contract to work a specified time at    
some trade     or other work must be    
released from their contract before     
application for an excuse from school   
will be considered4 ,any     student    
leaving without a written excuse will   
not be allowed to     return1 and       
students under contract will not only be
 dismissed1 but     will forfeit        
whatever cash there may be to their     

credit in the     school treasury4      
,students must settle their accounts    
before     leaving4      ,remittances in
 payment of bills should be made to the 
,principal or     ,treasurer 7and not to
 the student7 by post-office            
money-order1     registered letter1 or  
check4      ,students are not allowed to
 retain firearms in their possession4   
,the ,commandant of ,cadets will retain 
and give receipts for any     brought4  
,low or profane language will subject   
students to severe discipline4          
,students are liable to reprimand1      
confinement1 or other punishment4       
,letter-writing is subject to           
regulation1 and all mail- and           
express-packages are inspected and      
contents noted4 ,students are     urged 
to write their parents at least once a  
week4      ,wardrobes and rooms of      
students are subject to inspection and  
regulation by proper officers at all    
times1 and regular and     thorough     
inspection of same are made from time to

 time4   ,i was admitted in due course  
of time4  ,i reached ,tuskegee on the   
#eth of ,september1 #ahif1 and after    
purchasing books1 etc41 my cash assets1 
#ab1 were about exhausted4 ,i could not 
enter as a day-school student1 as ,i did
 not have the money to do so4 ,in the   
night-school ,i found a chance which ,i 
gladly embraced4 ,as ,i had desired1 ,i 
was assigned to the wheelwright division
 for two years1 signing a formal        
contract to that effect4 ,i spent the   
whole of each day in the shop1 attended 
industrial or theory classes two        
afternoons in each week1 besides taking 
mechanical drawing 7as all trades       
students are required to do71 and       
attended evening classes4  ,i applied   
myself as earnestly as ,i possibly      
could1 and lost no time in getting right
 down to business4 ,so well had ,i done 
that1 that when a call reached the      
school during the spring of #ahig for a 
competent blacksmith1 ,i was sent to do 
the work4 ,i was excused from school on 

,april #aeth of that year and went to   
,shorter's1 ,ala41 a settlement about   
eighteen miles from ,tuskegee4 ,i       
remained there until ,october4          
,illustration3 ,,students ,,at ,,work   
,,in ,,the ,,harness-,,shop4   ,in a    
way1 ,i regarded that period somewhat as
 a vacation period1 as ,i did not lose  
much time from my classes4 ,the         
surroundings were pleasant and          
profitable1 and ,i had a chance to enter
 into the life of the people and help   
them a great deal4 ,while there ,i      
earned enough money to send for my      
brother and enter him in ,tuskegee1 that
 he might have the same chance ,i was   
enjoying to get an education4 ,i wanted 
my brother to enter the blacksmith-shop1
 as ,i saw visions of a blacksmithing   
and wheelwrighting business to be owned 
and conducted by ,lomax ,brothers some  
time in the future4 ,i also provided    
clothing out of what ,i had earned for  
both my brother and myself4  ,at close  
of the school term in #ahih ,i was able 

to secure employment at ,uniontown1     
,ala41 with ,messrs4 ,j4 ,l4 ,dykes and 
,company1 doing a general wheelwrighting
 and blacksmithing business--the largest
 business of its kind in the town4 ,i   
remained at ,uniontown1 working for the 
firm until ,october1 when ,i again      
returned to ,tuskegee4 ,the sum per day 
,i received was a most flattering       
tribute to ,tuskegee's ability to take a
 stiff country lad like myself1 and turn
 him1 in a few months1 into a workman   
commanding decent wages4  ,what this    
means to the masses of the students who 
go to ,tuskegee the general public can  
have no idea4 ,it is a great thing for a
 boy who never earned more than the     
merest pittance a day to go to a school 
where he can secure an education by     
working for it1 and at the same time be 
fitted to earn wages1 as many of them   
do1 three and even five times as high as
 before going there4 ,this accounts1 in 
a large measure ,i am sure1 for the fact
 that so large a number refuse to remain

 and go through the full courses of     
academic study4  ,many of them1 finding 
themselves able in a few months to earn 
sums far beyond any previous hope1      
decide to take advantage at once of this
 increased earning capacity2 but since  
the work is so well graded1 no boy can  
get his trade without getting1 at the   
same time1 academic instruction1 and    
instruction in those character-forming  
things all about the student at         
,tuskegee4  ,i began the new term with  
#ej1 which sum was to my credit in the  
school treasury1 having been earned by  
my labor4  ,during the summer of #ahii  
,i was again offered work at ,uniontown 
by ,messrs4 ,j4 ,l4 ,dykes and ,company4
 ,i remained with them only two months1 
however4 ,afterward ,i worked at the    
,mc,kinley ,brothers' ,wagon ,factory at
 ,demopolis1 ,ala42 as a journeyman     
workman at ,tuskegee1 in the            
,institute's ,wheelwrighting ,shop1 and 
with the ,nack ,carriage ,company at    
,mobile1 ,ala41 the largest shop of its 

kind in that city and one of the largest
 in the whole ,south1 a firm doing      
strictly high-grade work4 ,in all of    
these positions ,i have every reason to 
believe that ,i gave full and complete  
satisfaction4 ,while with the last-named
 company ,i won the personal favor and  
interest of the manager and continued to
 study4 ,he recommended that ,i add to  
my ,tuskegee training by taking the     
correspondence course of the ,technical 
,school for ,carriage ,draftsmen and    
,mechanics1 ,new ,york4 ,i remained with
 this firm until ,i was offered a       
position by ,mr4 ,r4 ,r4 ,taylor1 the   
present director of mechanical          
industries of the ,tuskegee ,institute1 
three years ago4 ,i was greatly pleased 
and flattered when ,i was called to take
 charge of the division in which ,i had 
received my own instruction4 ,since     
being at ,tuskegee ,i have continued to 
study1 and am satisfied that ,i have    
well used my opportunities4  ,this      
division over which ,i preside is       

located on the first floor of the       
,trades ,building4 ,it is well fitted   
for work in general wheelwrighting and  
repairing4  ,included in the equipment  
are ten woodworkers' benches #cb inches 
high1 #db inches wide1 and #h feet long4
 ,each bench is divided into two parts1 
making it possible for two persons to   
work at the same bench without          
interference4 ,the benches have three   
drawers and one closet on each side1 in 
which tools used by the students are    
kept4  ,each pupil is provided with the 
following tools3 ,one coach-maker's     
vise1 one #bf-;inch ,no4 #f cross-cut   
saw1 one #ab-;inch back saw1 one set of 
planes1 one set of chisels1 one set of  
auger-bits1 one set of gimlet-bits1 one 
ratchet-brace1 one coach-maker's        
drawing-knife1 one spoke-shave1 one     
thumb-gauge1 one try-square1 one bevel1 
one hammer1 and one mallet4 ,other tools
 are kept in reserve by the instructor  
and are used only when needed4  ,the    
division is constantly building new     

work1 such as wagons1 drays1 horse- and 
hand-carts1 wheelbarrows1 buggies1 and  
road-carts4 ,the work of repairing      
vehicles and farm implements for the    
school1 and a large amount of repairing 
for the locality1 is done by my         
students4 ,the course is as follows3    
,the ,first ,year4--,care of shop1 names
 and care of tools1 general             
measurements2 elementary work with saw1 
plane1 drawing-knife1     chisel1 and   
spoke-shave2 practise in the making and 
application of     joints1 i4 e41       
splices1 mortises1 tenons1 and miters2  
kinds of wood     used and how to       
select2 practise-work on parts of wagons
 and     bodies2 ,industrial ,classes   
and ,mechanical ,drawing during the     
year4      ,the ,second                 
,year4--,pattern-making1 working by     
patterns1     practise-work on parts of 
wagons continued2 making wheelbarrows   
and     hand-carts1 repairing wagons2   
practise in wheel-building2             
construction of wagons1 carts1 and      

drays2 practise on parts of     buggies 
and wagons2 industrial classes and      
,mechanical ,drawing     during the     
year4      ,the ,third ,year4--,building
 wheels2 general repairs on buggies and 
wagons continued2 practise-work on parts
 of buggies1 phaetons1     farm- and    
business-wagons2 shop economics1        
estimates1 bills of     material2       
industrial classes and ,mechanical      
,drawing during the     year4      ,the 
student in wheelwrighting receives      
instruction in wood-turning2     the    
course is the same as that given to     
students in carpentry4   ,i was married 
late last summer1 #aijd1 and am now     
living at ,tuskegee as a member of the  
,faculty of the school ,i entered as a  
raw recruit4     ,,xiii  ,,the ,,story  
,,of ,a ,,blacksmith  ,,by ,,jubie ,b4  
,,bragg   ,both my mother and father    
were compelled to work in the field as  
farmers4 ,they had four children1 all   
now living1 of whom ,i am the eldest4 ,i
 was born in ,twiggs ,county1 ,ga41     

,february #ag1 #ahgf1 but in #ahha the  
family moved to ,macon1 ,ga41 where they
 lived until #ahhf4 ,the cruelest       
possible blow befell us when both mother
 and father died in ,april of that year1
 within ten days of each other4  ,my    
parents were intelligent1 and though    
they had had no opportunities for       
securing an education1 yet they were    
able to teach their children the        
alphabet and how to spell a few simple  
words4 ,my first lessons were in        
,webster's blue-back speller1 so when ,i
 started to school at six years of age  
,i was not the dullest boy beginning at 
the same place1 because of the          
instruction ,i had received4 ,i first   
went to a ,miss ,mary ,tom1 who taught  
in ,st4 ,paul's ,church in ,east ,macon4
 ,i went there but one school session4  
,i was next sent to a ,miss ,carr1 who  
taught in the basement of the           
,presbyterian church on ,washington     
,avenue1 ,west ,macon4 ,to her1 also1 ,i
 only went one term4 ,i was next started

 in ,lewis' ,high ,school1 now known as 
,ballard's ,normal ,school1 but was soon
 compelled to cease going there because 
of the death of both parents1 as already
 mentioned1 in ,april of that same term4
  ,i was now but ten years of age4 ,my  
aunt took charge of me and of the other 
children4 ,i was immediately hired out  
to a family named ,horton1 for my       
victuals and clothing4 ,i worked for    
this family about six months1 all of    
whom were kind to me1 especially ,mr4   
,horton1 ,jr41 who at this time had     
charge of an ice-house4 ,each day ,i    
carried his meals to him and could      
confidently count upon receiving from   
him a nickel 7five cents71 which was    
forthwith invested in candy as ,i       
returned4 ,it was a real pleasure to    
meet and make myself known to ,mr4      
,horton1 ,jr41 the young man who had    
been so kind to me in ,birmingham1      
,ala41 in #aija1 after my graduation    
from ,tuskegee4 ,he was apparently glad 
to see me1 and especially to learn that 

,i had been attending the ,tuskegee     
,institute4 ,after leaving the ,horton  
family ,i went to work in a grocery     
store1 that of a ,mrs4 ,machold1 from   
whom ,i received #d a month for my      
services4 ,i only remained with her a   
short while4  ,the work ,i liked best of
 all1 however1 was that with the shoe   
firm of ,bearden and ,brantley4 ,i had  
my ,sundays1 and was off from work at   
six o'clock each week-day--a great      
change from my former employment4  ,when
 ,i was twelve years of age ,i went to  
visit an uncle who lived in ,baldwin    
,county1 ,ga4 ,i had gone to remain two 
weeks2 as a matter of fact ,i was with  
him three years4 ,i worked on the farm  
every day while with him1 and went to   
school about two months each year4 ,in  
this short time ,i was only able to     
review the lessons ,i had already had4  
,after returning to ,macon1 a number of 
young men who had been to ,tuskegee     
persuaded me to consider going there to 
school4 ,the most strenuous opposition  

came from my own relatives4 ,after many 
conversations about the matter ,i had   
finally to go against their will4 ,they 
honestly felt that such reading and     
writing as ,i could do was quite enough 
education for me1 or for any other      
,negro boy4  ,i reached the school1     
after being properly admitted1 on the   
#aath of ,september1 #ahic1 and         
registered as a student in the          
night-school1 as ,i had no money1 and   
could pay in cash for no part of my     
expenses4 ,i was assigned1 after        
examination1 to the ,a ,preparatory     
class4 ,i was assigned work at the      
barns1 fed cows1 milked1 and rendered   
such other service as was required by   
the instructor4  ,soon after reaching   
,tuskegee and after ,i had begun working
 out my expenses1 ,i learned that the   
officers of the school were             
contemplating a new scheme whereby all  
of the students in the night-school     
would work one-half of each day1 go to  
school one-half of each day1 and pay #d 

a month in cash into the school         
treasury4 ,mrs4 ,washington1 the        
guardian angel of the student body at   
,tuskegee called me and several other   
students into conference and asked us to
 frankly state how the new schedule     
would affect us1 what we thought of the 
plan1 how much money we were able to    
pay1 etc4 ,out of the whole number only 
four declared they were able to pay the 
#d a month2 the larger number1 like     
myself1 were utterly unable to pay      
anything in cash1 being dependent       
absolutely upon our ability to cover our
 expenses by work in some of the        
industrial divisions4 ,it was finally   
decided to forego this contemplated     
arrangement1 and ,i1 and the majority of
 others situated like myself1 were made 
very happy4 ,my whole future hinged on  
this decision1 as ,i should have been   
compelled to leave school if it had been
 put in operation4 ,i remained at the   
school during the summer of #ahid1 the  
school very kindly arranging each summer

 to keep a large number of students and 
providing work for them4 ,it was to me  
an advantage to remain4 ,i had no money 
for railroad fare1 and ,i was sure of   
securing a trade1 wheelwrighting1 at the
 beginning of the next term4 ,i had     
desired to go into the blacksmith-shop1 
but it was so crowded that there was no 
reasonable assurance that ,i should be  
able to secure entrance thereto4  ,at   
the beginning of the fall term1 #ahid1  
,i entered the wheelwright-shop1 at the 
same time1 of course1 carrying my       
academic work2 ,i had been successively 
each year promoted to the next higher   
class4 ,i not only worked all of that   
school year in the wheelwrighting-shop1 
but remained the summer of #ahie4       
,shortly after the new school year      
began1 my instructor1 ,mr4 ,m4 ,t4      
,driver1 was selected to take charge of 
the school's elaborate exhibit at the   
,cotton ,states and ,international      
,exposition1 ,atlanta1 ,ga41 at the     
opening of which ,principal ,washington 

had spoken so effectively and powerfully
 for the ,negro people of the country4  
,i had made such substantial progress   
that ,mr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,washington1 then     
serving as director of mechanical       
industries1 notified me that ,i had been
 selected to manage the shop during ,mr4
 ,driver's six months' absence4  ,i was 
not very much inclined to take the      
responsibility1 but at ,tuskegee polite 
notification of selection to do a thing 
is a command4 ,i accepted the work and  
did my very best4 ,there were about     
twenty young men in the shop when ,i    
took charge1 some older1 some younger   
than ,i1 but most of whom had been there
 longer than ,i had4 ,i had no serious  
complaints as to the quality of work    
turned out by me during the instructor's
 absence4  ,i now had to my credit more 
than enough money to carry me through   
the remaining two years4 ,the next year 
,i entered the day-school4 ,i had become
 in most respects a new person4 ,i had  
gone to ,tuskegee country-bred1 raw1    

ignorant4 ,the school's transforming    
influence ,i was able to note in my     
carriage1 and1 of course1 in my         
conversation1 in my care for neatness   
and order1 and in the ideals ,i was     
forming and trying to live up to4       
,during the summer ,i returned home for 
the first time4 ,i worked at my trade   
during the vacation and earned enough   
money to buy clothing and other         
necessaries4 ,i did not return to school
 until ,december #bh1 #ahig1 as ,i      
needed the money ,i was earning at my   
trade4 ,i had never earned in money more
 than the small amounts referred to in  
the first part of this paper1 and so was
 delighted with my earning capacity4  ,i
 then sought work in the                
blacksmithing-shop1 the shop ,i had     
first desired to enter1 so that ,i might
 become a first-class blacksmith in     
addition to having a working knowledge  
of wheelwrighting4 ,after completing the
 school term ,i went to ,montgomery1    
,ala41 and worked as a wheelwright and  

blacksmith4 ,this outside experience was
 most helpful to me4 ,my last school    
year was that of #ahii-aijj4 ,i was very
 happy to receive1 along with my        
academic diploma1 a certificate also    
from the blacksmithing division4 ,i was 
now fitted to begin my life in the great
 outside world4  ,my first work was as  
instructor in blacksmithing and         
wheelwrighting in the ,hungerford       
,industrial ,school at ,eatonville1     
,fla4 ,i then secured work at my trades 
in ,birmingham until ,august1 #aija1    
when three of us who had been classmates
 at ,tuskegee decided to form a         
partnership and conduct on a large scale
 a general blacksmithing and            
wheelwrighting business4 ,i was deputed 
to select the place where we should     
locate4 ,after interviewing a number of 
persons1 ,anniston1 ,ala41 was          
suggested1 and ,i decided to go there to
 personally investigate conditions4     
,after getting there and going about the
 town1 ,i agreed that at ,anniston we   

should find a place that would properly 
support our business4 ,there was no     
place vacant that we could rent1 so     
after some further consideration we     
decided to purchase a place4 ,this we   
were fortunate enough to do1 and came   
into possession of a building for our   
shop1 #ej by #fj feet4 ,we met all      
obligations after opening the shop and  
secured the most flattering support4    
,our work met the most exacting         
requirements1 and ,i was very much      
disinclined to accept an offer which    
reached me from ,mr4 ,nathan ,b4 ,young1
 who had had charge of the academic work
 at ,tuskegee during a part of my stay  
there4 ,mr4 ,young1 however1 represented
 that ,i could render much more         
effective racial service by reaching a  
large number of persons1 young men1     
daily4 ,after much hesitation ,i went to
 the ,florida ,state ,normal and        
,industrial ,school1 to which ,mr4      
,young had been called as ,president1 as
 instructor in blacksmithing and        

wheelwrighting1 where ,i have since been
 employed4 ,i have done well1 and am    
proud that ,i can say so4  ,of my stay  
at ,tuskegee1 what shall ,i say8 ,it was
 all in all to me4 ,the lessons in shop 
and class-room1 the lessons not at all  
catalogued that go into                 
character-forming--all of these ,i found
 most helpful and invaluable1 in making 
me a man who thinks and feels4 ,i should
 be tempted to eulogy should ,i try to  
tell how much ,i owe to ,dr4            
,washington1 to his teachers1 and to all
 of the influences that assist the      
student at ,tuskegee4     ,,xiv  ,a     
,,druggist',s ,,story  ,,by ,,david ,l4 
,,johnston   ,shortly after the smoke   
had cleared away from the battle-fields 
of the ,civil ,war1 ,i was ushered into 
the world in a one-room log cabin in    
,alabama1 county of ,macon1 and near the
 little town of ,tuskegee1 afterward    
made famous by virtue of the fact that  
there was established near it1 by       
,booker ,t4 ,washington1 ,july #d1      

#ahha1 the ,tuskegee ,normal and        
,industrial ,institute4 ,that ,i have   
the honor of being an alumnus of that   
school is one of the best things of     
which ,i can boast4  ,because ,i have   
said that ,i was born in a one-room log 
cabin1 the reader will readily imagine  
that my parentage was humble4 ,my mother
 and father both have gone to the ,great
 ,beyond4 ,i bless and revere their     
memory1 for two more noble souls never  
lived1 hampered as they were by slavery 
and its terrible environments4  ,my     
parents continued to live in the        
one-room cabin until three other        
children1 making nine in all1 had come  
to them4 ,another room was added about  
this time4 ,the biting poverty of it all
 led my father1 with his family1 to move
 to one of the famous cotton plantations
 of ,dallas ,county1 ,ala4 ,i seem to   
recall taking an interest in the world  
about me quite early4 ,especially do ,i 
recall1 as one of my earliest           
recollections1 the death of ,garfield1  

so cruelly slain by the madman ,guiteau4
 ,my father was greatly distressed1 ,i  
remember1 by his death4  ,for five      
successive years my life was spent      
working each year on the farms for and  
with my aged father and other members of
 the family1 and spending the time1 when
 not so employed1 in near-by public     
schools1 which at that time1 as is true 
in large part now1 were conducted only  
about three months in each year4 ,after 
having acquired a slight knowledge of   
mathematics1 it was a great pleasure to 
me to go up each fall to the market at  
,selma1 ,ala41 with my father1 to       
dispose of the products of the farm4 ,on
 one occasion there was an apparent     
interest manifested in me by one of the 
commission merchants1 a white man4 ,he  
persuaded me to return to ,selma1 after 
,i had accompanied my father home1 and  
to accept a position with him as        
office-boy4 ,i returned as agreed1 to   
find either that his promise was a      
stroke to induce my father to trade with

 him1 or that my stay at home had been  
too extended--although it was only for  
three or four days4 ,the position1      
meanwhile1 he said1 had been filled by  
another4 ,thus1 ,i found myself1 a raw  
country lad1 twenty-seven miles from    
home1 without employment and among      
strangers4 ,next morning1 without the   
knowledge of my parents1 ,i applied for 
admittance as a student to the ,knox    
,academy at ,selma1 and without         
recommendations1 which were immediately 
demanded of me4 ,i was turned away1 but 
not discouraged1 for the next morning1  
accompanied by a white friend of my     
father1 ,i again applied and was        
admitted on his recommendation4 ,an     
examination entitled me to begin with   
the fifth-grade class4  ,i also secured 
employment at this white man's home4    
,the money thus received paid for my    
board4 ,by doing odd jobs ,i managed to 
make sufficient money to pay for lodging
 with a good family4 ,i was thus enabled
 to spend the fall of #ahhc and the     

spring of #ahhd in school1 to my very   
great benefit4 ,i was compelled to      
return home1 however1 before the term   
ended1 because my father's health       
completely failed him1 to take charge of
 the farm1 as ,i was the senior male    
child in the family at that time4 ,my   
juvenile mind had been awakened by this 
short school experience in ,selma1 and  
from that time forth ,i had a thirst for
 more knowledge4  ,i was absorbed by    
this longing1 but ,i took up the various
 other duties which fell to my lot1 with
 the earnest purpose of doing my very   
best4 ,as a result1 with the aid of     
other members of the family ,i succeeded
 in turning over to my invalid father1  
the succeeding fall1 eleven bales of    
cotton and other farm products in like  
proportion4 ,my father's health having  
completely failed1 and because of a     
constantly increasing desire for more   
knowledge1 ,i conceived the idea of     
returning to our old home near ,tuskegee
 again4  ,january1 #ahhe1 found us again

 living in close proximity to the old   
log cabin in which ,i was born4 ,not    
four years before the ,tuskegee ,normal 
and ,industrial ,institute had been     
established4 ,the height of my ambition 
was to be enrolled as a student there1  
but not having sufficient money to care 
for the family and remain in school at  
the same time1 and since the term for   
that year was half spent1 ,i sought     
employment for the remaining winter     
months1 doing such odd jobs in and      
around the little town as ,i could find 
to do4 ,when spring came1 having a fair 
knowledge of farming1 ,i found ready    
employment with the planters of that    
community4 ,with an ambition to enter   
school the coming fall1 ,i then and     
there began to study every possible     
method of economy1 and when summer had  
passed and school-time had come again1  
with the aid of a younger brother ,i had
 cared for the family1 and had to my    
credit my first savings of #he4  ,now   
began the most memorable and the most   

pleasant days in my life4 ,on the #aeth 
day of ,september1 #ahhe1 ,i            
matriculated as a student at ,tuskegee1 
and1 after what was then considered a   
rigid examination1 succeeded in entering
 the ,junior class1 the lowest class of 
the normal grade4 ,there was yet before 
me the task of caring for an aged father
 and mother4 ,that task ,i considered a 
sacred duty1 and1 with my limited       
savings in hand1 made such purchases as 
would best give them ordinary comforts  
through the winter months1 and on the   
#bb;d day of the same month1 after      
having made such expenditures as ,i     
thought necessary1 ,i found that my     
little pile had been reduced from #he to
 #ad4ej1 with which sum ,i paid my      
tuition and board at the normal school4 
,i was permitted by the school          
authorities to work on the school farm  
the entire term4 ,on the #bfth day of   
,may1 when the school closed1 there yet 
remained to my credit a sufficient      
amount to purchase a ticket to          

,birmingham1 and thence out to ,pratt   
,city1 a near-by suburb4 ,at ,pratt     
,city ,i learned to dig coal1 and at the
 end of every month they paid me in     
gold4 ,these shining pieces were        
precious possessions4 ,for four         
successive summers1 in order to get     
sufficient money to care for my mother  
and father and make my way in school1 ,i
 went to ,pratt ,city and worked in the 
mines1 at the furnaces1 on the          
railroads1 and around the coke-ovens1   
enduring hardships which language can   
hardly describe4 ,but it all paid4 ,the 
summer of #ahhh was a trying one1 but   
when the time came for me to leave for  
school ,i had saved #bjj4  ,on the #cjth
 day of ,may1 #ahhi1 a new epoch in my  
life began4 ,i was ushered into the busy
 world as a graduate of ,tuskegee1 being
 in a class of twenty-two4 ,i had looked
 forward to this event with pride and   
was very happy4  ,so imbued was ,i with 
the pleasant thought that ,i was a      
graduate of ,tuskegee1 that ,i little   

thought of the great responsibilities   
that awaited me1 but when my more sober 
thought came ,i realized that ,i was    
going from most pleasant surroundings   
not to return the next year2 that ,i was
 going out not to return and meet       
indulgent and persuasive teachers1      
loving classmates1 and devoted friends4 
,i then realized the full meaning of the
 phrase we had selected that year as our
 class motto1 ,finished1 yet just begun4
 ,finished ,i had at ,tuskegee1 but ,i  
had to begin work and life in the great 
busy world1 with confidence alone as an 
asset4 ,the ,commencement exercises on  
this particular occasion were most      
impressive to me1 made so in part1 ,i   
suspect1 because ,i was to be the happy 
recipient of a coveted diploma4 ,the    
,commencement speaker was the late      
,joseph ,c4 ,price1#a of ,north         
,carolina1 and he was at his best4      
,knowing no other field more inviting1  
,i returned to ,pratt ,city1 where ,i   
had worked successfully4 ,on the #fth of

 ,june1 #ahhi1 ,i alighted from the     
cars1 and after spending a few days     
visiting relatives and friends1 applied 
at ,no4 ,four 7#d7 ,slope for a set of  
checks to dig coal4 ,the checks were    
readily given me because of my previous 
record as a miner4 ,after working there 
during the summer months1 and with the  
same success as had attended me         
previously1 ,i had secured sufficient   
money to straighten out my little       
financial affairs and move my parents   
and a widowed sister with six small     
children from ,tuskegee to ,pratt ,city1
 where ,i had decided permanently to    
live4  ,about this time ,pratt ,city was
 made1 by act of the ,alabama           
,legislature1 a separate and independent
 school district1 and ,i had the honor  
of being elected to the principalship of
 the ,negro school4 ,there ,i had my    
first experience as a teacher4 ,i put my
 whole soul into the work4 ,i had before
 me the example of the ,tuskegee        
teachers1 and the lessons so thoroughly 

taught there4 ,that ,i must serve my    
fellows earnestly and unselfishly was   
never forgotten4  ,so pleased was the   
,board of ,education with my work that  
my salary was soon advanced to #aaj per 
month4 ,this salary was somewhat        
extraordinary1 but ,pratt ,city1        
,birmingham1 ,ensley1 etc41 are in one  
of the richest mining sections in the   
world1 and the money earned by blacks   
and whites is greatly in excess of that 
earned in other parts of the ,state4 ,i 
held this position for four years1      
teaching eight and nine months in the   
year1 and spending the remaining three  
or four months of the time working in   
the mines4  ,after a time my physical   
system had begun so completely to run   
down1 that ,i was reluctantly compelled 
to resign the position of teacher4 ,in  
the meantime ,i had purchased a home at 
,pratt ,city4 ,leaving my parents there1
 ,i went to ,milldale1 ,ala41 to take up
 new work that offered a change of      
climate4 ,i returned every fifteen or   

thirty days1 however1 to look after the 
needs of my parents4 ,the entire expense
 of caring for them1 my sister and her  
children1 was quite #fj a month4 ,my    
work at ,milldale made good returns4 ,i 
was with the ,standard ,coal ,company1  
and after ,i had been there fifteen     
months ,i had to my credit #a1jjj1 an   
amount ,i had long striven to save4     
,during this time my mother was stricken
 with fever1 and after lingering three  
months 7one of which ,i spent at her    
bedside7 she died4 ,our little home was 
cast in deep sorrow4 ,i returned to     
,milldale and resumed work there4 ,after
 two years had expired ,i had to my     
credit1 ,i am glad to say1 #a1dfj4 ,with
 this sum in hand ,i concluded ,i would 
take a course in pharmacy4 ,on ,october 
#ae1 #ahid1 ,i entered the ,meharry     
,medical ,college at ,nashville1 ,tenn41
 the dean of which is that prince of    
gentlemen and father of ,negro          
physicians1 ,dr4 ,george ,w4 ,hubbard4  
,i completed the course ,february #d1   

#ahif1 graduating at the head of the    
class with a general average of #id-a_/d
 per cent4  ,i had pleasant associations
 while there with many of my former     
,tuskegee class- and school-mates1 among
 them being ,dr4 ,a4 ,h4 ,kenniebrew1   
now of ,jacksonville1 ,ill41 and for a  
while ,resident ,physician of the       
,tuskegee ,institute2 ,dr4 ,t4 ,n4      
,harris1 of ,mobile1 ,ala41 and ,dr4 ,a4
 ,t4 ,braxton1 of ,columbia1 ,tenn4     
,each of these is succeeding at the     
places named most satisfactorily as     
physicians4 ,at ,meharry it was our     
constant pleasure to refer to our       
training at ,tuskegee1 and to           
acknowledge how indelibly the lessons   
learned there had been stamped upon our 
minds and hearts4 ,while there ,i had   
the opportunity to compare the          
instruction received at ,tuskegee--that 
of the academic department--with that of
 the other institutions of learning in  
this and even other countries4 ,at      
,meharry one is thrown in direct contact

 with educated men and women from the   
leading ,negro colleges of this country1
 and with many from ,english            
institutions of note4 ,after careful    
investigation ,i found that the         
,tuskegee-trained student1 at all times1
 was among the very best there4 ,at     
,tuskegee ,i still consider that one of 
the greatest lessons taught is that of  
learning to learn4   ,illustration3 ,,at
 ,,the ,,hospital4  ,a corner in the    
boys' ward4   ,at the close of my first 
year at ,meharry ,i returned to         
,birmingham1 and after a conference with
 ,drs4 ,a4 ,m4 ,brown and ,j4 ,b4 ,kye1 
colored graduates in medicine and       
pharmacy1 and ,mr4 ,george ,f4 ,martin1 
we decided to open a drug-store to be   
located in ,birmingham4 ,about ,may #g1 
#ahie1 the doors of the ,people's ,drug 
,company were opened to the public1 with
 the above-named gentlemen and myself as
 the stockholders and owners4 ,here ,i  
invested my first money of consequence  
in a business enterprise1 putting in the

 greater part of the money to open the  
business1 which invoiced #a1fjj or more 
in about five months after the opening4 
,after affairs were in good running     
order ,i left1 and returned to ,milldale
 to resume work with the ,standard ,coal
 ,company4 ,during the spring and summer
 of that year ,i realized about #ejj    
from my mining operations4  ,in the fall
 of #ahie ,i returned to ,meharry to    
complete the course already begun4      
,during that fall and winter the        
business was encouragingly successful   
under the management of ,dr4 ,kye1 aided
 by ,drs4 ,brown and ,mason2 for about  
that time ,dr4 ,u4 ,g4 ,mason1 another  
colored physician1 had bought ,mr4      
,martin's interest in the company and   
had become a partner in the concern4 ,my
 instructions to the management were to 
turn over to my father my share of the  
net proceeds of the business while ,i   
was away4 ,my share of the profits kept 
the family going4 ,my stay at ,meharry  
this last term was most pleasant4 ,i had

 been promoted to the dignified position
 of assistant to ,dr4 ,w4 ,m4 ,savier1  
who was1 and is1 ,dean of the           
,pharmaceutical ,department of the      
institution4  ,when ,i had completed my 
course ,i returned to ,alabama to begin 
my work as a pharmacist1 and about      
,april #a1 #ahif1 successfully passed   
the required ,state examination and was 
admitted to the practise of pharmacy4 ,i
 took the examination in ,selma1 the    
beautiful little city on the ,alabama   
,river where1 thirteen years before1 ,i 
had had my desire for knowledge and     
better opportunities awakened4 ,i sold  
my interest in the ,people's ,drug      
,company at a sacrifice1 and immediately
 opened business on my own hook at #cd  
,south ,twentieth ,street1 ,birmingham1 
,ala4 ,in order to begin business with  
some assurance of success1 ,i organized 
another company1 and had associated with
 me in this new enterprise 7the ,union  
,drug ,company7 ,rev4 ,t4 ,w4 ,walker1  
,rev4 ,j4 ,q4 ,a4 ,wilhite1 and ,mr4 ,c4

 ,l4 ,montgomery--all responsible and   
enterprising citizens of ,birmingham4   
,by hard and diligent work the business 
proved a success1 and from time to time 
,i bought out the interests of the      
persons named1 and accepted as a partner
 a well-known physician and surgeon1    
,dr4 ,george ,h4 ,wilkerson4 ,dr4       
,wilkerson's connection with the        
business caused it rapidly to increase  
in volume4 ,when more help was required1
 as soon it was1 we secured the services
 of ,mr4 ,jimmie ,james1 a young        
pharmacist who is with me until now4    
,after a period of pleasant business    
association1 ,dr4 ,wilkerson's interests
 in ,mobile1 his former home1 demanded  
his presence there4 ,i purchased his    
interest in the ,union ,drug ,company1  
and the name was changed to the ,union  
,drug ,store4 ,we had but recently      
located in our own neat little quarters 
at ,no4 #aja ,south ,twentieth ,street1 
a one-story brick structure1 at which   
place ,i continued to do business1      

supported by ,drs4 ,w4 ,l4 ,council and 
,j4 ,b4 ,goin1 who sent their           
prescriptions to my store1 until        
,february #h1 #aijd4 ,in ,january1      
#aijd1 ,i secured a lot at ,no4 #fja    
,south ,eighteenth ,street1 ,birmingham1
 and personally erected there a         
two-story frame building1 which ,i now  
occupy4  ,during my short business      
career since graduation from the medical
 school1 ,i sought out a partner for    
life1 and was fortunate to win the hand 
of ,miss ,pearl ,l4 ,strawbridge1 of    
,selma1 ,ala41 who had come to          
,birmingham to make her home with her   
brother1 ,mr4 ,h4 ,strawbridge1 who now 
holds the honored position of secretary 
and general manager of one of the       
largest fraternal insurance concerns in 
the country owned and controlled by     
,negroes4 ,two children1 a girl and a   
boy1 have been added to our family since
 the marriage4  ,whatever ,i have done1 
or whatever ,i may do1 that will deserve
 favorable comment1 ,i largely attribute

 to the fact that ,i was a student at   
,tuskegee1 and came under the personal  
care and instruction and guidance of its
 distinguished ,founder and ,principal1 
,dr4 ,booker ,t4 ,washington1 and that  
,i have striven1 from the first day     
until now1 to put into practise the     
lessons taught me by him and his        
excellent body of teachers4 ,at         
,tuskegee we were taught the truism1 ,if
 you can not find a way1 make one4 ,i   
hope ,i am not immodest in saying that  
,i think ,i have1 in some degree1 done  
this4   #a ,said to be one of the most  
eloquent speakers of the ,negro people4 
,he died in the prime of life4 ,he was  
,president of ,livingston ,college1     
which is mainly supported by the        
,african ,methodist ,episcopal ,zion    
,church1 and has a large membership     
among the colored people4     ,,xv      
,,the ,,story ,,of ,a ,,supervisor ,,of 
,,mechanical ,,industries  ,,by ,,james 
,m4 ,,canty   ,i was born ,december #bc1
 #ahfc1 in ,marietta1 ,cobb ,county1    

,ga4 ,my parents1 ,james and ,adella    
,canty1 were slaves4 ,i am the eldest of
 two brothers and three sisters1 who are
 all living4 ,my father died in the fall
 of #ahie4 ,since that time1 because of 
circumstances and inclinations1 it has  
been my lot to look after the welfare of
 my mother1 who is still living in      
,marietta1 ,ga41 a place of about four  
thousand inhabitants4  ,at an early age 
,i entered the public school at my home4
 ,my father1 however1 soon put me to    
work1 so that ,i grew up quite ignorant 
of books4 ,he was a carpenter and       
butcher1 and fairly skilled in working  
iron4 ,for a number of years he kept a  
meat-market4 ,at the age of sixteen ,i  
was doing the principal part of the     
butchering4 ,some years later1 when     
father was appointed street boss of the 
town1 ,i worked as one of the street    
laborers4 ,when he changed his          
occupation from street boss to farmer1  
mine likewise changed4 ,the rule was1 a 
change from one occupation to another1  

working day by day without attention to 
mental growth1 and having no thought of 
the future1 till ,i was persuaded to    
join several other boys who had decided 
to form themselves into a night-class   
for purposes of self-improvement4       
,about this time1 in compliance with my 
father's desire1 and to my delight1 ,i  
entered a carriage factory as an        
apprentice4 ,it was while working there 
that ,i received a newspaper from a girl
 student at ,tuskegee ,normal and       
,industrial ,institute4 ,the paper      
contained a long descriptive article1   
with cuts of buildings1 class-rooms1    
teachers1 and students4 ,the student who
 had sent the paper was from my home1   
and with it came a letter from her      
stating that she had spoken to ,mr4     
,washington in my interest1 and that if 
,i would come to ,tuskegee ,i would be  
given a chance to get an education4 ,i  
shall never forget the impression made  
upon my mind by that newspaper article  
and the young woman's letter4           

,illustration3 ,,in ,,the ,,tin-,,shop4 
,my father was consulted1 and advised   
against my going away to school1 saying3
 ,you can continue night-school here at 
home and at the same time learn a trade4
 ,i never went to school a day in my    
life4 ,well1 ,i knew that my father1    
nevertheless1 could read and write a    
little and do some figuring1 and that he
 at one time came within a few votes of 
being elected to the ,state ,legislature
 of ,georgia4 ,contrary to his advice1  
,i concluded to go to ,tuskegee4        
,looking back now1 and connecting the   
present with the day on which my        
decision was made1 ,i think that time   
and events have vindicated the wisdom of
 my decision4  ,after giving my employer
 two weeks' notice of my intention to   
give up my work1 ,i hastened to arrange 
my affairs1 fearing that procrastination
 might allow some event to change my    
mind and thus alter the whole course of 
my life4 ,two weeks after giving notice 
to my employer1 ,i started for          

,tuskegee4 ,i bought a ticket to        
,atlanta1 where ,i spent the night4 ,the
 next morning ,i went to the station and
 asked for a ticket to ,tuskegee4 ,the  
agent1 on looking over his guide-books1 
said to me3 ,there is no such place as  
,tuskegee in the guide-books4 ,i walked 
away from the window1 thinking that1    
after all1 ,tuskegee was some place that
 existed only on paper4  ,not wishing to
 give it up1 ,i turned and approached   
the agent again4 ,he got out maps and   
guides1 and finally found ,tuskegee1 but
 said he could not sell me a ticket to  
that place as it was not on a railroad1 
and that the best thing for me to do was
 to purchase a ticket to ,chehaw1 ,ala4 
,so my ticket read1 ,from ,atlanta to   
,chehaw4 ,on turning to leave the       
ticket-agent1 ,i inquired how ,i could  
get to ,tuskegee from ,chehaw4 ,he      
replied that he did not know4 ,but ,i   
got there1 going from ,chehaw over a    
narrow-gauge road4 ,the engine that     
pulled the one coach composing the train

 was named the ,klu-,klux1 a thing ,i   
had heard of but had not understood4    
,that there should be many new things to
 me in the world was not to be wondered 
at1 when it was known that ,i had never 
before been out of the county in which  
,i was born except on three occasions1  
when my trips extended only to adjoining
 counties4  ,it was in the month of     
,march1 #ahhf1 while passing through the
 town of ,tuskegee1 that ,i beheld for  
the first time1 standing at a distance1 
the institution that has1 in my opinion1
 done more than any other one agency to 
elevate the ,negroes of the ,south4     
,about eight o'clock ,p4 ,m4 ,i arrived 
on the campus and was assigned to a room
 by the commandant1 through the officer 
of the day4#b ,for about thirty minutes 
,i was alone in the room1 the student   
body being at devotional exercises--the 
,tuskegee ,institute holding its daily  
devotions at night1 instead of in the   
morning like most schools4 ,this is done
 on account of the day- and night-school

 system1 it being impossible to get all 
the students of the school together     
except at night after the night-school  
session4  ,while sitting and thinking of
 home1 of the past1 and of the future1  
,i took out my pocketbook and counted   
#g4ej4 ,not one cent more had ,i1 and as
 ,i looked at the money with the thought
 that #g4ej represented the entire      
savings of my life up to that time1     
gloom and despondency almost overcame   
me4  ,the next morning ,i went to the   
,principal's office4 ,from there ,i went
 to be examined1 and then again to see  
the ,principal4 ,mr4 ,washington        
explained that board was charged for at 
#h per month1 and that my books would be
 sold to me at cost4 ,he informed me    
further that if ,i entered night-school 
,i would be able to work out my board   
and accumulate each month a balance to  
be used in paying my expenses when ,i   
entered day-school4 ,i was made to      
understand that this offer was on       
condition that my work and conduct be in

 every way satisfactory4 ,as the amount 
of money ,i had did not justify me in   
entering day-school1 ,i matriculated as 
a night-school student4 ,the            
blacksmith-shop being short of students1
 ,i was assigned to this division of    
industry4  ,during the remaining part of
 the year1 and the following summer1 ,i 
worked in the shop ten hours each day1  
except ,sundays1 and devoted about two  
hours and a half at night to study and  
recitations4 ,it is no easy task1 during
 warm weather in ,alabama1 for one to   
work ten hours a day and spend two and a
 half hours at night studying in a room 
lighted by several large lamps suspended
 from the ceiling4 ,yet this is what    
hundreds of poor boys and girls have    
done at ,tuskegee4 ,hundreds still      
attend the night-school1 but electric   
lights have taken the place of the large
 oil-lamps4 ,tuskegee is now more modern
 than it was when ,i was a student      
there4 ,barrels and boxes are no longer 
used in the raw state for furniture1 as 

was largely the case at that time4      
,day-students were required to work one 
school-day each week and every other    
,saturday4 ,i was a student nearly five 
years1 counting the time when ,i was a  
night-student4  ,after ,i entered       
day-school it was necessary that ,i     
should work not only on my regular      
work-days and two ,saturdays each month1
 but whenever there was work to be done 
and ,i could find time in which to do   
it4 ,during my entire life at ,tuskegee 
,i worked every ,saturday except three4 
,i was not long at ,tuskegee before an  
indescribable force began to have its   
influence upon me4 ,whatever this power 
may be called1 it was both refining and 
energizing4 ,people who know the school 
and have been there and know of its     
influence1 call this force the ,tuskegee
 spirit4 ,this spirit1 to the student   
possessing a spark of manhood1 is       
irresistible4 ,the change in a student  
at ,tuskegee is not sudden1 nor is it   
wrought by any one element4 ,things that

 may seem small when taken separately1  
are invaluable when considered in the   
aggregate4  ,at ,tuskegee one's         
attention is constantly called to little
 things4 ,it was a habit of mine1 ,i    
regret to say1 to give little or no     
thought to my hat being on my head when 
,i was in any of the boys' dormitories1 
or when passing through the halls of the
 buildings containing the class-rooms4  
,my attention was finally called to this
 habit by one of the lady teachers4     
,passing me one day in the hall1 she    
said3 ,canty1 you have a habit of       
wearing your hat through the halls4 ,it 
is a very bad habit4 ,when ,i entered   
,tuskegee ,i had not worn a night-shirt 
since ,i was a child4 ,here it was soon 
impressed upon me that sleeping in a    
night-shirt was a sign of cleanliness1  
of civilization4 ,if there is any place 
where cleanliness is regarded and       
practised as one of ,god's first laws1  
that place is ,tuskegee4  ,one day ,mr4 
,washington sent for me to come to his  

office4 ,i received the message with    
fear and trembling4 ,i had1 before this 
time1 had but one opportunity to speak  
to ,mr4 ,washington1 and then only for a
 few minutes upon the day following my  
arrival4 ,on my way to the office ,i    
wondered if any rule of the institution 
had been violated by me4 ,though ,i had 
been there only three or four weeks1 ,i 
knew a request for a student to report  
at the ,principal's office meant that he
 was to be given notice of imminent     
punishment1 or consulted upon some      
matter of vital interest4  ,when ,i     
entered the office1 ,mr4 ,washington    
asked me to write to two or three worthy
 young men at my home and inquire if    
they desired a chance to work their way 
through school4 ,several days had passed
 when ,i received an answer from one of 
the young men to whom ,i wrote4 ,it so  
happened that on the day the letter was 
received ,i met ,mr4 ,washington on his 
way to his office1 and said1 ,mr4       
,washington drawing the letter from my  

pocket1 ,i have received a letter from--
 ,here my first sentence was cut short  
by ,mr4 ,washington forcibly            
gesticulating and saying1 ,come to the  
office2 come to the office and see me   
there4 ,that one lecture on business    
methods impressed me in a way that a    
chapter of this length could not have   
done4  ,one day ,i closed a door with   
considerable force1 which attracted the 
attention of one of the teachers4 ,the  
teacher1 in my presence1 again opened   
the door and gently closed it1          
noiselessly and without a word4 ,i have 
never since forgotten the proper way in 
which to open and close doors4 ,little  
details are big essentials in the       
rounding out of character4 ,they show   
the influence of the ,tuskegee spirit4  
,but1 after all1 this spirit would not  
be so irresistible in its influence for 
good if the teachers and officers of the
 institution were not the embodiment and
 living example of it4 ,here1 as        
elsewhere and everywhere1 example is    

more potent than precept4  ,every       
institution has policies peculiarly its 
own4 ,it is necessary that every teacher
 and officer support that policy to make
 it effective4 ,each instructor has a   
distinct individuality that becomes a   
part of the student1 in smaller or      
greater degree1 and at the same time    
gives force and strength to the policies
 of the institution4 ,though ,i felt the
 influence of every one of the          
thirty-odd teachers then at ,tuskegee1  
the individuality of some of these made 
a very great impression on me4 ,i       
remember ,mr4 ,w4 ,d4 ,wilson as a very 
quiet and effective disciplinarian4 ,mr4
 ,warren ,logan1 the treasurer1 has the 
ability to teach the student the value  
of a dollar by making him sacrifice     
almost beyond the point of endurance4   
,at the same time1 with a smile and a   
cheerful disposition1 he would make the 
student feel that his burden was light4 
,through the kindness and special       
interest manifested in me by ,mr4 ,m4   

,t4 ,driver1 who was in charge of       
wheelwrighting and blacksmithing1 ,i    
made rapid progress at my trade4 ,miss  
,adella ,h4 ,hunt1 who has since become 
the wife of ,treasurer ,logan1 was then 
a teacher who had the faculty of        
touching a responsive chord in a        
student4 ,mrs4 ,booker ,t4 ,washington1 
then ,miss ,margaret ,j4 ,murray1       
impressed me very much4 ,strong and     
resourceful in dealing with students1   
she always won the best that was in     
them4 ,my student-days were almost at an
 end when she came to ,tuskegee4        
,illustration3 ,,students ,,canning     
,,fruit4   ,i shall ever feel grateful  
to ,mr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,washington for the     
encouragement he gave me4 ,being        
superintendent of industries1 he was    
then1 as he is now1 in constant touch   
with every male student4 ,he is a       
believer in1 and a firm advocate of1    
steady1 thorough1 earnest work1 and is  
quick to see1 appreciate1 and encourage 
the smallest degree of ability shown by 

any student4 ,no time seemed too        
valuable for him to give in trying to   
advance a student in his work4 ,i might 
add here that the teachers here named   
are1 with two exceptions1 among the     
pioneers in the building of the school4 
,mr4 ,booker ,t4 ,washington's          
personality is the great thing at       
,tuskegee1 and every student who goes   
there feels the strength of the man's   
rugged individuality4 ,mr4 ,b4 ,t4 is an
 affectionate term used by the students1
 but it springs from an indescribable1  
spontaneous feeling of love and         
veneration4 ,his ,sunday evening talks  
to the students are to me like the ,book
 of ,proverbs1 always timely1           
encouraging1 and applicable to the      
affairs of every-day life4 ,it is from  
these family talks that the students    
learn1 as they never have before1 the   
beauty that lies in real1 every-day     
,christianity1 and in living a real and 
simple life4 ,it is from these talks    
that the students learn so much of the  

great heart and center of the           
institution4 ,mr4 ,washington still     
delivers ,sunday evening talks when at  
school1 and they are published in the   
school's weekly paper1 ,the ,tuskegee   
,student4 ,graduates throughout the     
country eagerly read these talks with   
the same interest and pleasure with     
which they listened to them while in    
school4  ,mr4 ,washington taught then1  
as he teaches now1 psychology to the    
,senior class4 ,the student has not     
become intimately acquainted with ,mr4  
,washington until he becomes a ,senior4 
,it is here that the members of the     
,senior class talk of their past and    
future lives and receive the outpourings
 of a great but simple soul4 ,mr4       
,washington's long and frequent absences
 from the school are no less regretted  
by the teachers than by the students4   
,soon after entering school ,i began to 
think of what ,i should do after        
graduating4 ,my inclination led me to   
feel that success would be found along  

mercantile lines4 ,in spite of this ,i  
applied myself zealously to my trade4   
,during my last two years in school ,i  
did what teaching in blacksmithing my   
literary work permitted1 the school     
being without an instructor in this     
industry for a short while4 ,there was  
then no course in engineering or in     
machinery1 so ,i did all the pipe-work  
and kept the machinery of the school in 
repair4 ,in this way ,i learned         
something of machinery without an       
instructor4 ,with some pride ,i recall  
the fact that ,i ironed the first       
farm-wagons1 the first two-seated       
spring-wagon1 and the first buggy made  
at ,tuskegee4 ,i also piped the school's
 first bathroom for girls4  ,in ,may of 
my ,senior year ,i was very much        
surprised to receive a note from        
,principal ,booker ,t4 ,washington      
intimating that he desired me to connect
 myself with the school the following   
year4 ,later he stated the nature of the
 work he wanted me to do4 ,i accepted   

the offer he made me4 ,i was asked to   
teach in the night-school and instruct  
in the blacksmith-shop one-half of each 
week-day4  ,a few days after graduation 
,i visited my home with the intention of
 spending the summer there4 ,i was there
 about three weeks1 when ,i received a  
letter from ,mr4 ,john ,h4 ,washington  
requesting my return to ,tuskegee the   
next week1 if ,i could so arrange4 ,he  
at that time was both superintendent of 
industries and commandant4 ,on my return
 he informed me that the ,principal had 
decided that since his duties as        
superintendent of industries were so    
important1 he was to be relieved of all 
others1 and that in lieu of instructing 
in the blacksmith-shop1 ,i was to be    
offered the work as commandant4  ,at    
once ,i set about getting the boys'     
rooms in order for the opening of       
school4 ,during the two previous years1 
even while a student1 ,i had virtually  
been acting as commandant1 since no one 
man could carry double responsibilities 

such as ,mr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,washington had    
been carrying4 ,i was appointed         
commandant1 and placed in charge of the 
night-school for a year4 ,i then        
resigned1 looking forward to following  
my old-time inclination of engaging in  
some mercantile business4 ,i knew that  
,i could accumulate means for this      
purpose sooner by working at my trade1  
as ,i received two dollars per day      
working as a blacksmith during vacation 
seasons at ,birmingham1 ,ala4  ,my first
 marriage occurred in #ahia1 my wife    
being ,miss ,sarah ,j4 ,harris4 ,we were
 classmates at ,tuskegee four years1 and
 graduated together4 ,she died in #ahid 
at ,institute1 ,w4 ,va4 ,our long       
association and acquaintance made us    
understand each other even before we    
were married4 ,having become a          
,christian before myself1 she had much  
to do with my conversion while ,i was a 
student4 ,she was a great help to me in 
many ways1 and through her economy ,i   
was able to begin the purchase of my    

first property4 ,portia1 the oldest and 
only child now living of the three      
children born to us1 is in the ,little  
,girls' ,home at ,knoxville ,college1   
,tenn4 ,in #ahig ,i was married to ,miss
 ,florence ,lovett1 a graduate of       
,storer ,college1 ,harpers ,ferry1 ,w4  
,va4 ,she shares my burdens1 and is in  
every way a part of whatever success ,i 
am able to achieve4 ,four children have 
been born to us4  ,after resigning my   
position as commandant and head of the  
night-school at ,tuskegee1 ,i spent a   
few weeks visiting relatives1 and then  
returned to ,marietta4 ,here ,i worked  
at my trade in a carriage-shop1 where a 
great deal of machine-work was done for 
two furniture factories and a           
planing-mill4 ,much of my time was spent
 in repairing machinery and making bits 
and knives for the factories4  ,while at
 home ,i tried to make myself a part of 
the people in a helpful way4 ,i lived   
with my parents about two miles from the
 town4 ,on my father's farm was a       

church1 the ground for which had been   
given by my father4 ,i was elected      
superintendent of the ,sunday-school of 
this church1 and filled this position as
 long as ,i remained there4 ,soon after 
the ,sunday-school was started it       
occurred to me that the young people of 
the community could be greatly helped by
 a literary society4 ,with the aid of   
others ,i organized a society and was   
elected its president4 ,we met every    
,friday night at the house of some      
member4 ,it was the custom to meet at   
different places1 so that the long      
distances necessary to walk would be    
equally shared by all4 ,even by this    
arrangement some had to walk three and  
four miles1 but the pleasure and benefit
 derived from attending the society     
repaid us for the trouble4  ,after ,i   
had been at my home about a year1 ,i    
received a letter from ,mr4 ,booker ,t4 
,washington requesting that ,i write to 
,mr4 ,j4 ,edwin ,campbell1 ,principal of
 the ,west ,virginia ,colored           

,institute1 then located near ,farm1 ,w4
 ,va4 ,enclosed with ,mr4 ,washington's 
letter was one ,mr4 ,campbell had       
written1 asking that a ,tuskegee        
graduate be named to take the position  
of ,superintendent of ,mechanics4 ,this 
title has since been changed to         
,superintendent of ,mechanical          
,industries4 ,on ,january #c1 #ahic1 ,i 
arrived at the ,west ,virginia ,colored 
,institute and entered upon my duties1  
and have held the position ever since4  
,illustration3 ,,starting ,a ,,new      
,,building4  ,student masons laying the 
foundation in brick4   ,in the early    
summer of #ahih ,mr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,hill1 who 
was then principal1 resigned to accept a
 ,lieutenancy in a company of ,united   
,states ,volunteers4 ,during the interim
 following the resignation of ,mr4 ,hill
 and the appointment of ,mr4 ,j4        
,mc,henry ,jones1 the present principal1
 ,i was placed in charge of the school  
by the ,board of ,regents4 ,mr4 ,jones  
was elected principal ,september #ba1   

#ahih4  ,until the fall of #ahih my     
duties were many and varied1 as ,i had  
no assistance in carrying on the        
industrial work of the school4 ,i taught
 blacksmithing1 carpentering1 and       
mechanical drawing4 ,besides this1 ,i   
have had to put the sewerage system into
 the institution1 and the heating       
apparatus into several of the school    
buildings4 ,still1 a part of my time in 
#ahid was devoted to teaching in the    
literary department4 ,my work now1 while
 as exacting as ever1 is more along the 
line of superintending the mechanical   
industries and in teaching mechanical   
drawing4  ,the school has grown1 since  
my coming here1 from #c teachers and #cj
 students to a faculty of #ah teachers  
and #ahg students4 ,there are #f        
instructors in the mechanical department
 for boys4 ,we give instruction in      
carpentry1 printing1 blacksmithing1     
brick masonry1 plastering1              
wheelwrighting1 and mechanical drawing4 
,these industries are housed in a       

building--the ,a4 ,b4 ,white ,trades    
,building--that cost #ce1jjj4  ,in      
concluding this sketch1 ,i repeat with  
emphasis what ,i said in the beginning3 
,whatever my accomplishments may be1 the
 credit is due to ,tuskegee4 ,i do not  
wish in life to be regarded as a man of 
chance possibilities1 but rather as one 
who has consistently persevered in all  
of his struggles4 ,tuskegee teaches     
nothing with greater force than that    
success lies in that direction4         
,principal ,washington1 among other     
things1 has taught that it is necessary 
to get property and have a bank-account4
 ,i have complied with that teaching4 ,i
 own a farm of #ajj acres within        
one-eighth of a mile of the school4 ,my 
first property1 which ,i still own1     
consists of a one-acre lot and a        
seven-room house4 ,it gives me pleasure 
to contribute annually #aj to ,tuskegee1
 although this but inadequately         
expresses my gratitude to the           
institution to which ,i owe so much4    

#b ,the ,west ,point system is followed 
in training the young men4 ,except that 
there are no guns1 a complete battalion 
organization exists4     ,,xvi  ,a      
,,negro ,,community ,,builder  ,,by     
,,russell ,c4 ,,calhoun   ,i have been  
asked to here set forth incidents of my 
life as ,i remember them1 especially as 
they relate to my life at ,tuskegee and 
my work since leaving there4 ,though    
there have been quite a number of events
 in my life1 it is somewhat difficult   
for me to give them in the way they are 
now desired1 as it never occurred to me 
that they would be worth repeating4     
,concerning my ancestry1 it is          
impossible for me to give anything      
beyond my maternal grandfather1 who was 
about three-fourths ,indian4 ,my        
recollections of him go back to the time
 when ,i was about six or seven years of
 age4 ,my mother1 having more children  
than she could really care for1 decided 
to allow one of my brothers1 who was    
perhaps a year and a half younger than  

,i1 and myself1 to live with him and his
 second wife4  ,my grandfather was quite
 seventy-five years of age when we went 
to live with him1 and was too feeble to 
work4 ,he was supported from the        
poor-house1 which gave him a peck of    
meal1 #b-a_/b pounds of bacon1 #a pound 
of coffee1 #a pound of brown sugar1 and 
once a month #be cents' worth of flour4 
,that1 together with the little his wife
 could earn from place to place1        
constituted the rations of all of us for
 a week4  ,of my birth no record was    
kept1 my mother having been a slave4    
,all ,i have been able to learn of the  
date of my birth is what my mother      
remembers connected with the close of   
slavery4 ,in trying to ascertain from   
her when ,i was born1 she said1 ,you was
 born some time just after ,christmas1  
in the month of ,january1 the third year
 after the surrender4  ,my mother had   
twelve children4 ,i was the eighth child
 and the second one born after slavery4 
,all except two of the children were    

born in the same one-room log cabin with
 a dirt floor1 in the town of ,paulding1
 ,jasper ,county1 ,miss4 ,my mother did 
the cooking for her master's family and 
the plantation help1 did all of the     
milking1 and was also washer-woman4  ,in
 the summer of #ahif ,i again visited   
,paulding1 just after graduating from   
,tuskegee4 ,i had to go there to move my
 aged mother to more comfortable        
quarters4 ,she was quite ill1 and died  
soon after ,i reached ,florida with her4
 ,when ,i went to ,paulding ,i measured 
the house in which ,i was born1 and     
found it to be #i feet wide1 #ag feet   
long1 #g feet high1 with no windows1    
with but one door1 and a dirt chimney4  
,the furnishing as ,i remember it was   
composed of a chair1 a stool1 a table1  
and my mother's bed1 which was          
constructed in one corner of the house4 
,the bed was made by putting a post in  
the ground and nailing two pieces of    
wood to the wall from this post1 then by
 putting in a floor1 making something   

like a box to hold the bedding4 ,the    
children slept in a similarly           
constructed place1 except that the      
mattress was on the ground and was      
filled with straw4 ,our bedding1 for the
 most part1 was what wearing apparel we 
possessed thrown over us at night4      
,outside the house was a long bench1    
which was kept for the accommodation of 
visitors4  ,a peculiar incident in our  
home life happened one ,sunday morning  
in ,march--one ,easter ,sunday4 ,all of 
the smaller children were seated on the 
floor eating their breakfasts from pans 
and skillets1 when a big black snake1   
without any regard for the children1    
went into a hole by the fireplace4 ,when
 one of my older brothers undertook to  
find him and opened this hole1 he found1
 instead of one1 four black snakes that 
had been wintering in the side of the   
house4  ,there was no church or school  
for us in that whole section4 ,a white  
man1 a ,doctor ,cotton1 to whom ,i was  
afterward given until ,i should become  

twenty-one years of age1 sent his boys  
to a school which required that they    
walk eight miles to it and return each  
day4  ,when ,i was perhaps eight years  
of age ,i remember that my mother and   
all of the children went to ,spring     
,hill to a camp-meeting2 that was the   
first service at which ,i had heard a   
minister4 ,they had a ,sunday-school1   
and ,i was put into a class4 ,the       
teacher gave us leaflets and asked us to
 read where we found the big letter ,a4 
,this was the first and only letter that
 ,i knew for many years4 ,this          
camp-meeting was held once a year1      
though at times there would be          
prayer-meetings among the different     
families on the plantation4  ,my mother1
 being a hard-working woman and knowing 
the value of keeping children busy1     
compelled every one of us to work in    
some way around the house or on the     
farm4 ,i know of no lesson which she    
taught me and which has been of more    
value to me than that of doing with your

 might what your hands find to do4 ,it  
was a rule of her household that we     
should not go to bed without having     
water in the house4 ,the water had to be
 brought from a spring a mile and a half
 away4 ,i remember clearly how one night
 one of my brothers and myself tried to 
deceive her2 how we secured some not    
overclear water from a hole near-by our 
home1 and how she pitched it out and    
sent us the whole distance to the       
spring4 ,although this was many years   
ago1 ,i now see1 more and more1 what it 
means to go all the way to the real     
spring1 and ,i thank her memory for the 
lesson4  ,when ,i was about ten years of
 age the same ,doctor ,cotton of whom ,i
 have spoken came to my grandmother's to
 hire one of the boys to mind the bars1 
as the teams were hauling corn to the   
barn and the drivers did not want to put
 them up each time4 ,i was delighted to 
be the chosen one of the two4 ,my first 
chance to earn money was thus offered4  
,i stayed there every day from sunrise  

to sunset for a little more than three  
weeks1 and it was a happy day when      
,doctor ,cotton requested all hands to  
come up and be paid off4 ,i do not know 
what the rest received2 though ,i had   
boarded from the scanty fare before     
mentioned at my grandmother's home1 he  
gave me fifteen cents1 paying me in     
three nickels4 ,i had never had any     
money in my hands before1 and for fear  
,i might lose it ,i put it in my pocket 
and held the pocket with both hands1 and
 ran for more than two miles1 carrying  
it home4 ,one nickel of the three was   
given me for my share4  ,seemingly this 
,doctor ,cotton was very much impressed 
with the way ,i had performed my duty at
 the bars1 for in the next few weeks he 
again visited my grandmother4 ,i was    
quite anxious to know what his frequent 
visits meant1 and was very much         
delighted1 as well as surprised1 when it
 was told me1 one morning when it was   
very cold1 and ,i had on only two pieces
 of clothing made of some very coarse   

material resembling canvas1 that ,i was 
to live with ,doctor ,cotton until      
reaching manhood1 and was to eat at his 
house4 ,he told me in my grandmother's  
presence that if ,i would stay with him 
until ,i was twenty-one years of age ,i 
would receive a horse1 a bridle and     
saddle1 a suit of clothes1 and #aj1 in  
addition to my keep4 ,this was such an  
apparently big offer that my            
grandmother's and my heart leaped for   
joy4  ,when ,i had lived with him for a 
few days he had given me the first pair 
of shoes1 of the copper-toe variety1 ,i 
ever wore4  ,i have never forgotten my  
first day's stay at this new home4 ,my  
whole object that first day was to eat  
everything in sight4 ,at my own home ,i 
slept on the dirt floor2 at this new    
home ,i slept in the attic1 my bed being
 a pile of cotton-seed with a quilt for 
covering4 ,my duty at this new home was 
to attend to the horses1 to bring the   
cows from the pasture1 sweep the yard1  
wait on the table1 nurse two children1  

etc4 ,i stayed at this place for two and
 one-half years1 and as my knowledge of 
things increased my duties became more  
and more exacting4  ,during this whole  
time1 and for two years before1 ,i had  
not seen or heard from my mother4 ,i was
 twenty miles from any railroad1 and had
 never seen or heard of a railroad      
train4 ,we lived on the public road     
between ,paulding and ,enterprise1 and  
by some means ,i heard that my mother   
had gone to the railroad4 ,though ,i had
 never been away on my own resources1 ,i
 resolved to do better than ,i was      
doing4 ,i remember very well that it was
 ,monday morning when one of the        
doctor's daughters said to me1 ,russell1
 you go down to ',vina's house1 tell her
 to come and scour for me2 come by the  
store and get a package of soda2 then   
come through the field and drive the    
turkeys home4 ,providence never favored 
any one more than it did me on that day4
 ,i went by the store and told them to  
do up the soda1 ,i went by and told     

',vina that she was wanted1 but ,i did  
not drive the turkeys home4  ,i started 
out in search of my mother1 and after   
walking more than half the distance ,i  
overtook an ox-team1 and the driver     
allowed me to ride a part of the way4 ,i
 reached the railroad town about night1 
and standing there was a freight train  
of the ,mobile and ,ohio ,railroad4  ,i 
was never so frightened in all my life  
as when the whistle blew and this object
 moved away4 ,i remember asking the     
driver of the ox-team where the thing's 
eyes were1 and where the horses were    
that pulled it4  ,the doctor1 suspecting
 that ,i had gone to ,enterprise in     
search of my mother1 made plans to      
capture me and have me returned1 but all
 of this failed4 ,by good fortune ,i    
found my brother1 who was married and   
living in this town2 here again ,i      
became a nurse1 having to care for his  
two children4  ,afterward ,i went to    
live with a white family which was very 
kind to me4 ,the young man who carried  

me to his house as a nurse put into my  
hands1 after ,i had been there some     
months1 the first spelling-book ,i had  
ever had2 saying to me that if ,i would 
stay with them for two years1 he would  
at the end of that time send me to      
school4 ,i stayed at this place for some
 months1 when my mother came from       
somewhere1 ,i know not where1 and with  
five of the boys we joined ourselves    
together to work on a plantation on     
halves4 ,we worked very hard that year4 
,our food was furnished by the owner of 
the plantation4 ,on many of those long1 
cold days1 for all day1 we had only a   
pone of corn bread4 ,at the close of the
 year1 after the owner had taken his    
half1 and on account of bad management  
on the part of an older brother who had 
charge of affairs1 my mother and her    
younger children received nothing for   
the year's work1 and this1              
notwithstanding the fact that we made   
five and one-half bales of cotton and a 
large quantity of corn and peas4 ,i     

received as my salary for the year's    
work one shirt worth thirty cents and a 
pair of suspenders worth about fifteen  
cents4 ,i resolved to run away again4   
,this trip was made at night1 on foot1  
over newly laid railroad-ties1 for a    
distance of seventeen miles4  ,i reached
 ,meridian1 ,miss41 at a late hour of   
the night1 and took refuge in a shed    
used for the storing of railroad iron4  
,the next morning ,i overheard two      
colored men1 who were on their way to   
get meat ready for the town-market two  
miles away1 talking4 ,i joined these    
men1 and sought employment along with   
them1 but they soon learned that ,i knew
 nothing of butchering4 ,however1 the   
owner of the pen1 who had a large       
garden1 gave me a trial1 and ,i remained
 with him for three years4  ,after ,i   
was there a little more than a year my  
work was to plant and care for the small
 seeds4 ,this man1 ,mr4 ,nady ,sims1 was
 a good man1 and ,i had no cause for    
leaving him except that of wishing to   

get a place to earn more money1 that ,i 
might help care for my mother and her   
smaller children4  ,i went next to a    
brick-yard1 where ,i received fifty     
cents per day4 ,there were three boys at
 each table1 and we had to off-bear     
#e1ejj bricks1 the task for each day4   
,this was indeed hard work4  ,drifting  
into hotel work1 ,i soon acquired the   
habit of most of those who are engaged  
in such work3 ,i spent all ,i earned for
 fine clothes4  ,during my stay on the  
vegetable farm ,i boarded at the home of
 one of the young men previously        
referred to1 whose sister1 ,mary        
,clinton1 who has since become my wife  
and devoted assistant1 one day heard a  
woman say she knew of a school in       
,alabama where boys and girls could work
 for their education1 and that she was  
going to send her boy to that school4   
,this thought remained in her mind for  
some months1 and she decided to go to   
,tuskegee1 though her brothers and      
sisters discouraged the idea1 feeling1  

as they said1 that if she went to this  
unknown place her whole life would be a 
failure4  ,she reached ,tuskegee in     
,september1 #ahhe1 at a time when there 
was but one building4 ,she worked in    
many places while there1 including the  
laundry1 the teachers' dining-room1 the 
sewing division1 with ,principal        
,washington's family1 as well as with   
the families of other teachers4 ,on     
account of poor health1 especially      
because of throat trouble1 she was      
compelled to return home at the end of  
five years without graduating4  ,no     
sooner had she reached home again than  
she began a crusade for ,tuskegee4 ,i   
was then twenty-one years of age1 had   
never had a day's schooling1 and could  
read but very little4 ,i proposed       
marriage to ,miss ,clinton as soon as   
she returned1 but she replied3 ,you do  
not know anything except about hotel    
work4 ,i have been to ,tuskegee and see 
the need of your knowing something4 ,i  
also need to know more than ,i do4 ,i   

can easily marry some one who knows more
 than you do1 but if you will go to     
school ,i will assist you in any way    
that ,i can4 ,this proposition ,i       
accepted1 and on ,september #b1 #ahij1  
,i reached ,tuskegee and began my first 
day in school4  ,i had some knowledge of
 carpentry1 and was for that reason     
assigned to the carpenter-shop for work 
during the day2 ,i attended school at   
night4  ,there were ninety-three young  
men and women in the class when ,i      
entered school2 of that number only two1
 in addition to myself1 remained through
 the entire course4 ,i can never forget 
my examination by ,miss ,maggie ,j4     
,murray1 now ,mrs4 ,booker ,t4          
,washington4 ,there were quite three    
hundred new students in the chapel of   
,porter ,hall1 one of the oldest        
buildings of the institution1 taking    
examinations at the same time4  ,she    
gave me two slips of paper1 a pencil1   
and the questions1 and said to me3      
,write the answers to these questions4  

,she went about other duties1 and after 
about three hours returned to me for my 
papers2 then for the first time in my   
life ,i learned the meaning of geography
 and arithmetic4 ,the slips of paper    
mentioned asked questions on those      
subjects4 ,i had not put anything on the
 paper4 ,she asked me if ,i knew of any 
large cities2 if ,i had ever crossed a  
river or seen a hill2 if ,i knew the    
name of the railroad over which ,i had  
come to reach ,tuskegee4  ,i was able to
 answer each of these questions very    
readily2 and she said1 ,calhoun1 that is
 geography4  ,she assigned me to one of 
the lowest classes in the night-school4 
,i bought books which cost #a4gj1 and   
had fifty-two cents left4 ,i soon spent 
the fifty cents4  ,for seven months     
during my first year's stay my only     
possession was represented by a two-cent
 stamp4 ,i had had many good friends    
before going to ,tuskegee1 and debated  
long as to which of them ,i should      
devote the two-cent stamp1 trusting to  

receive some financial aid4 ,finally ,i 
decided on one of these good friends4 ,i
 used the stamp1 and have not heard from
 him from that day to this4  ,while     
carpentry was my special trade1 ,i found
 the opportunity to get information as  
to the other industries on the grounds4 
,all of this supplemental study has     
proved most helpful to me in my present 
work4  ,most persons who enter school   
for the first time1 and especially      
industrial schools1 get wrong           
impressions at the start4               
,notwithstanding the fact that ,i was a 
young man who had knocked about the     
world quite a little1 ,i thought ,i had 
made a mistake in entering school1 and  
did not begin to see that ,i had done   
properly until ,i had been there for    
eight or nine months4 ,i asked for an   
excuse to leave school early in the     
first term2 it was denied me4 ,i tried  
to sell my trunk for #g1 so that ,i     
might run away4 ,i had a penchant for   
running away from disagreeable          

surroundings4 ,i was offered #f1 but for
 the sake of the difference of #a ,i    
decided to remain4  ,i do not hesitate  
to say that each day ,i live in my heart
 ,i most heartily thank the good friends
 who have made it possible for ,tuskegee
 to be2 ,i am also most grateful that ,i
 was able to reach it and receive the   
training which ,i received there4 ,i did
 nothing great while at ,tuskegee1 but  
,i remember with pride that ,i gave no  
trouble in any way during my sojourn4   
,i used my spare hours making           
picture-frames1 repairing window-shades1
 making flower-stands and flower-boxes1 
and working flower-gardens for the      
various ,faculty families4 ,the money   
received ,i saved until the end of the  
school term4 ,at the end of each term   
there were always a large number of     
students who cared nothing for their    
books1 and all but gave them away4      
,looking three months ahead1 ,i bought  
these books and sold them to new        
students who entered the following year4

  ,one year alone ,i cleared #dj in this
 way4 ,the second-hand book business    
among the students began from this      
effort on my part to add to my little   
pile of cash money4  ,having completed  
the course with a class of thirty-one   
members1 ,may #bf1 #ahif1 ,i started    
straight for my home1 ,meridian1 ,miss4 
,for six years1 as a student1 ,i had    
been at ,tuskegee and under its         
influences2 now ,i had only my          
conscience to dictate to me and to keep 
me straight4 ,feeling that ,i could not 
do much good at ,meridian1 ,i started   
for ,texas1 having had a position       
promised me4  ,i reached ,mobile1 ,ala41
 while en route1 and heard that ,miss   
,mary ,clinton1 previously mentioned1   
was in ,tampa1 ,fla4 ,feeling that she  
still had some interest in me1 ,i again 
decided to go to her for advice4  ,i    
reached the city of ,tampa with but a   
small sum in my pocket4 ,the town was   
undergoing a boom1 and ,i was certain   
that it would not be long before ,i     

would be earning something1 but1 to my  
disappointment1 ,i found about thirty   
men looking for every job in sight4     
,after much wearying search ,i became   
thoroughly convinced that ,tampa was too
 large a city not to give me something  
to do besides looking up into the air4  
,finally1 one rainy morning ,i secured  
work at a freight-house4  ,it was my lot
 to go first up the wet1 steep1 and     
slippery gang-plank4 ,not being used to 
such a task1 ,i fell1 the truck with    
#cej pounds narrowly escaping me4 ,i got
 up and made a second attempt to carry  
my load1 and with success4 ,i had been  
there two months when the agent wanted  
some new shelves built in the           
storehouse4 ,he told one of his         
employees to go for a carpenter4 ,he    
replied1 ,this man ,calhoun can do any  
such work you want done4 ,the agent had 
me get my tools and do the work4 ,a few 
days afterward he wanted a first-class  
cook to prepare and serve a special     
,christmas dinner4 ,the same employee   

told him1 ,calhoun can do it4  ,the     
motto of my class was1 ,we ,conquer by  
,labor4  ,on ,april #bi1 #ahig1 both    
,miss ,clinton and myself were called to
 a school in ,south ,carolina1 and in a 
simple way1 with #ej saved1 we married  
and boarded the train for our new field 
of labor4 ,after giving up our work and 
reaching ,sanford1 #abe miles away1 we  
received a letter asking us to defer our
 coming until the following ,october4   
,this was a very1 very sad              
disappointment and trial to us4 ,it was 
two weeks before the ,state examinations
 would be held4 ,we prepared as best we 
could1 and as a result of the           
examination we were sent to ,eatonville1
 ,fla41 to take charge of the public    
school there4 ,eatonville is a ,negro   
town with colored officers1 a colored   
postmaster1 and colored merchants4      
,there is not a single white person     
living within the incorporated city2 it 
promises to be a unique community4 ,it  
is situated near the center of ,orange  

county1 six miles from ,orlando1 the    
county seat1 and is two miles from the  
,seaboard ,air-,line ,railroad1 and one 
and one-half miles from the ,atlantic   
,coast ,line ,railroad4  ,it was said by
 the late ,bishop ,h4 ,b4 ,whipple1 of  
,wisconsin--whose winter home for a     
number of years was a half mile from    
this place--who had helped the people of
 this community1 and who was a constant 
helper and adviser to my wife and me in 
our work until his death1 that you might
 travel the whole ,state over and not   
find a more healthy place4 ,we were here
 but a few days when we decided that    
this was the place for us to begin      
putting into practise the lessons taught
 us at ,tuskegee4 ,we felt that we      
wanted to do something toward helping   
our people4 ,we decided to cast our lot 
permanently at ,eatonville4  ,our first 
industrial service was done with the aid
 of the school children3 we cleaned the 
street of tin cans and other rubbish4   
,we found the lessons in economy which  

we had received at ,tuskegee very       
valuable to us at this trying time4 ,we 
felt that if we would properly impress  
the lessons most needed we should own a 
home1 a cow1 some chickens1 a horse1 and
 a garden2 we felt that there should be 
tangible ownership on the part of the   
people of some of these things1 at any  
rate4  ,these things we started to get  
as soon as possible4 ,we wanted to teach
 the people by example4  ,after talking 
in a general way for some days of the   
value of industrial education1 coupled  
with that of intelligent class-room     
instruction1 ,mrs4 ,calhoun succeeded in
 getting four girls to come to her home 
for sewing lessons4 ,that was the first 
step4  ,incidentally1 we heard of the   
philanthropic instincts of a gentleman1 
,mr4 ,e4 ,c4 ,hungerford1 living at     
,chester1 ,conn41 who had conditionally 
offered to another school twenty acres  
of land1 and whose offer was not met4 ,i
 wrote to him asking if he would give us
 the land4 ,he replied that he would be 

glad to give us forty acres if we would 
use it for school purposes4  ,on        
,february #bd1 #ahii1 having the deed in
 hand1 a board of trustees was selected1
 and1 with the aid of nine men who      
cleared one and one-half acres of land  
while their wives furnished the dinner1 
we started what is now the ,robert ,c4  
,hungerford ,industrial ,school4 ,the   
new school now owns #bhj acres of land  
secured as follows3 ,from ,mr4 and ,mrs4
 ,e4 ,c4 ,hungerford1 #afj acres2 from  
,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,t4 ,w4 ,cleavland1 #dj  
acres2 from ,mrs4 ,nancy ,b4            
,hungerford1 #dj acres2 by purchase1 an 
additional #dj acres4  ,the school has  
two dormitories1 ,booker ,t4 ,washington
 ,hall1 the ,j4 ,w4 ,alfred ,cluett     
,memorial ,hall1 and six other buildings
 used for shops1 barn1 and dining-room4 
,the total value of the property1 clear 
of all indebtedness1 is #bb1dde4 ,we    
teach the boys blacksmithing1           
wheelwrighting1 carpentry1 agriculture1 
stock-raising1 poultry-raising1 and     

truck-gardening2 the girls receive      
instruction in dressmaking1 plain       
sewing1 cooking1 laundering1 millinery1 
basketry1 and housekeeping4 ,we give no 
industry at the expense of the literary 
work4  ,the academic department covers a
 useful course of the ,english branches4
 ,the moral1 religious1 industrial1 and 
financial influence of the school upon  
the community1 as well as upon the      
students who have attended1 who come    
from many counties in the ,state1 has   
grown steadily as the years have come   
and gone4 ,the school has at present    
forty-five young people in the boarding 
department1 including seven teachers1   
three of whom have come from ,tuskegee2 
a large enrolment of students from the  
immediate community and from the        
surrounding territory4  ,i have not said
 very much regarding the difficulties1  
the struggles1 to plant this work1 but  
,i am glad to say that from the         
beginning we have had the friendliest   
support and advice from all the white   

people of this section1 officials and   
citizens alike4  ,i owe much of my      
success in the work here to the cheerful
 and freely given counsel at all times  
of ,hon4 ,w4 ,l4 ,palmer1               
,representative in the ,state           
,legislature1 and to the members of the 
,board of ,public ,instruction of this  
7,orange7 county4  ,the colored people  
have had little to give in cash1 but    
have been most liberal in their         
contributions of labor4 ,they have been 
willing to help themselves4  ,my        
constant1 my most earnest desire is to  
prove myself worthy of my opportunities1
 that ,i may continue to be a worthy    
representative of ,tuskegee4 ,i feel    
that ,i owe all that ,i am1 all that ,i 
can hope to be1 to the training of my   
mother1 to the constant help and counsel
 of my wife1 and to ,tuskegee1 my       
,tuskegee1 from which ,i have received  
so many lessons that have been of       
incalculable help to me4 ,i look back to
 my lessons in carpentry1 as well as to 

all the others1 with gratitude for the  
thoroughness insisted upon in all       
directions4 ,i was rescued from a life  
of aimlessness1 and put in the way of   
doing something of good for my fellows4 
,,xvii  ,,the ,,evolution ,,of ,a       
,,shoemaker  ,,by ,,charles ,l4         
,,marshall   ,i was born in the town of 
,henderson1 ,state of ,kentucky1        
,january #a1 #ahfg4 ,my father and      
mother were both slaves4 ,my father     
rendered service during the ,civil ,war 
as a ,union soldier4  ,as early as ,i   
can remember there was in ,henderson a  
public free school for colored children4
 ,in #ahgb there came to our town a     
young man from ,louisville1 ,ky41 ,john 
,k4 ,mason by name1 to take charge of   
the school4 ,how he secured his         
education ,i never learned1 but that he 
devoted his life to the uplift of his   
race is everywhere in that section      
clearly in evidence4 ,unfortunately1 ,i 
was not permitted as a boy to go to     
school1 but became a factory lad        

instead2 for1 almost before ,i was old  
enough to begin my education1 ,i was put
 to work in a tobacco factory1 and there
 ,i remained4 ,from childhood to manhood
 ,i think ,i spent1 all told1 not more  
than three years in school4  ,somehow ,i
 had a faint idea of the value of       
education1 and manifested a desire for  
learning by securing the services of a  
young man1 whose country-school term had
 expired1 to give me lessons at night   
when not otherwise engaged4 ,he was     
quite a society man1 so that my         
school-nights were few in number4       
,while my father did not provide for my 
education1 he was himself an industrious
 man and provided that ,i should not be 
idle4 ,each year1 when the tobacco      
season was over1 ,i had regular         
employment in a cooper-shop with my     
father1 and ,i learned to make barrels  
and hogsheads4 ,this trade ,i found to  
be quite valuable1 for before ,i was    
twenty-one years of age ,i was able to  
demand wages of two dollars a day as a  

cooper4  ,quite incidentally ,i heard of
 the work being done at ,tuskegee by    
,principal ,booker ,t4 ,washington and  
the opportunity offered there to get an 
education4 ,i at once applied for       
admission4 ,i received a letter from the
 ,principal admitting me to school in   
the autumn of #ahhi1 when ,i was        
twenty-two years of age4 ,i did not     
enter the school1 however1 until #ahij4 
,i registered as a night-school student 
and asked to be assigned to the         
carpenter-shop1 as that seemed more in  
line with coopering4 ,this division was 
so crowded that ,i was forced to take   
shoemaking instead4 ,at this trade ,i   
worked two years and attended           
night-school4 ,at the end of this period
 ,i resolved to go to ,north ,alabama   
and work in the coal-mines to get money 
for clothing1 books1 and to help me     
along with my expenses when the money   
earned at ,tuskegee should run out4     
,realizing that every dollar in my      
school life would count1 ,i decided to  

live most cheaply1 even cooking for     
myself4 ,in the end1 following this     
method1 ,i had more money with which to 
return to school4 ,i worked all day and 
returned to work again the same night1  
that ,i might not lose the prize of     
education1 the pursuit of which ,i kept 
daily before me4  ,somewhere ,i heard   
this quotation1 ,if anybody else can1 ,i
 can1 too4 ,with this sentiment ,i      
continued to push ahead1 until in ,may1 
#ahie1 ,i completed the course of study 
with the first honor of my class4       
,during my stay at ,tuskegee ,i made    
such a record in the shoemaking-shop    
that my instructor was anxious to have  
me take an assistant's place with him4  
,this ,i refused1 preferring to start a 
career in ,texas1 of which ,i had heard 
such glowing accounts4 ,in the months of
 ,june1 ,july1 and a part of ,august1   
#ahie1 ,i was employed with others      
making the shoes which constituted a    
part of ,tuskegee's ,industrial ,exhibit
 at the ,atlanta ,exposition4 ,at the   

solicitation of a number of persons     
living at ,mineola1 ,tex41 ,i decided1  
even before graduation1 to begin my     
life-work at that place4 ,reaching      
,mineola1 ,i found a fight on hand      
between the teacher of the colored      
school and the patrons of the school4   
,immediately on learning this fact ,i   
withdrew from the contest1              
notwithstanding the fact that my cash   
earnings were almost exhausted and those
 who had invited me there seemed unable 
to guarantee me the position4 ,an       
incident occurred at ,mineola which ,i  
shall never forget4 ,it was the second  
meeting with ,prof4 ,h4 ,t4 ,kealing1   
then president of ,paul ,quinn ,college1
 ,waco1 ,tex41 but now editor of the    
,african ,methodist ,episcopal ,church  
,review1 an ambitious magazine          
publication of the great ,african       
,methodist ,episcopal ,church4 ,the     
occasion was a ,quarterly ,conference of
 the ,african ,methodist ,episcopal     
,church at ,mineola1 and ,professor     

,kealing was there to deliver a lecture4
 ,our first meeting was at ,tuskegee    
while ,i was a student there during my  
,senior year4 ,in that far-away country 
,i was very glad to see some one ,i     
knew1 and after the meeting ,i was not  
long in making myself known to          
,professor ,kealing4 ,he heard my story1
 praised the stand ,i had taken1 and    
expressed regrets that he was not able  
to offer me a place in ,paul ,quinn     
,college4 ,he suggested that ,i take a  
letter of introduction to ,dr4 ,i4 ,b4  
,scott1 then president of ,wiley        
,university1 ,marshall1 ,tex41 but now a
 ,bishop in the ,methodist ,episcopal   
,church1 the first colored man to be    
elected to the episcopacy of that great 
church4  ,at ,wiley ,i was kindly       
received by ,bishop ,scott1 and entered 
into a contract with him to teach       
shoemaking for my board and the proceeds
 of the shop4 ,i entered into the spirit
 of ,wiley with such earnestness that at
 the close of my first month ,i was made

 a salaried teacher at #ce a month1 and 
before the session was half gone my     
salary had been raised to #dj4 ,i       
completed the year's work with perfect  
satisfaction to all concerned4 ,what ,i 
enjoyed most of all during my year at   
,wiley was the esteem and personal      
friendship of ,bishop ,scott4 ,his      
letters addressed to me upon the eve of 
my resignation1 the esteem he placed on 
my work while in the employ of the      
,university1 and his entreaties that ,i 
should not tender my resignation so     
embarrassed me that for a time ,i was   
unable to tell what ,i should do4 ,i    
felt ,i owed it to ,tuskegee to go      
wherever ,principal ,washington thought 
my services were most desired4 ,on two  
occasions since ,i left there ,bishop   
,scott has taken occasion to voice his  
approval of my conduct while at ,wiley3 
once before the ,east ,tennessee        
,conference of the ,methodist ,episcopal
 ,church1 and in ,october1 #aijb1 to my 
students1 when he came to visit me at   

the ,christiansburg ,institute4  ,about 
the first of ,may1 #ahif1 ,i received a 
telegram from ,principal ,washington    
requesting me to allow him to present my
 name to the ,board of ,managers of the 
,christiansburg ,industrial ,institute  
for the principalship then vacant4 ,i   
agreed1 and was elected to the place4   
,before entering upon the duties of my  
new position at ,christiansburg ,i made 
a visit to ,tuskegee1 for the purpose of
 gaining information as to the scope of 
my work and as to how ,i should best    
proceed4  ,after spending nearly two    
months at ,tuskegee1 ,i made my way to  
my new field of labor in ,virginia1     
reaching ,christiansburg the #aeth of   
,july1 #ahif4 ,the appearance of things 
at ,christiansburg did not come up to my
 expectations1 nor was my reception in  
accordance with what ,i had expected4   
,under the conditions which then        
existed1 one of more experience than ,i 
had would have expected just about such 
a reception as ,i received4 ,the people 

seemed almost crazed that a ,tuskegee   
graduate should be planning to engraft  
the ,tuskegee ,idea in that section--and
 this1 too1 in spite of ,hampton4 ,in my
 effort to carry out the plans          
sanctioned by ,dr4 ,washington1 ,i soon 
realized ,i was facing opposition       
well-nigh insurmountable4 ,this was due 
to their misunderstanding of ,dr4       
,washington1 and of what ,tuskegee      
really stands for4 ,as far as possible1 
,i gathered around me men and women who1
 like myself1 were thoroughly imbued    
with the ,tuskegee ,idea1 and together  
we pushed ahead with our plans4  ,from  
the first ,i was given to understand    
that the desire of the ,board was that  
there should be at ,christiansburg a    
school similar to ,hampton and          
,tuskegee2 though smaller1 it should be 
no less perfect in what it was designed 
to do4 ,to reach this end the school had
 to undergo the change from a distinctly
 literary school to one with both       
literary and industrial branches2 from a

 regular1 ordinary school to one with a 
boarding department4 ,my plans met the  
approval of all concerned1 yet there was
 little idea on my part as to the amount
 of money and labor necessary to put    
them into operation4 ,the course of     
study was rearranged to suit the new    
conditions1 and five industries were    
installed4 ,a circular setting forth the
 purposes of the school was published   
and scattered abroad4 ,we then thought  
that this was nearing the end of the    
great task1 when in reality we had      
hardly begun4   ,illustration3 ,,girls  
,,gardening4   ,the ,board of ,managers 
did not oppose the boarding department1 
yet they did not sanction it to the     
extent of supporting it4  ,i had        
confidence in my plans and was willing  
to start alone4 ,this step was far more 
perplexing than ,i had at first         
imagined4 ,as the time drew near for the
 opening of school1 ,i was aware that   
for the boarding department ,i had to   
find a suitable house and procure       

necessary furniture4 ,in the basement of
 the school building was some lumber    
which had been used for a platform4     
,with the assistance of one of the      
teachers this stage-lumber was converted
 into five bedsteads and three small    
tables4 ,i succeeded in getting one of  
the merchants to credit us for several  
lamps4 ,with this furniture1 several    
stools1 an equal number of dry-goods    
boxes1 and a few kitchen utensils1 the  
boarding department of the institution  
was started4 ,notwithstanding the scanty
 arrangement1 ,i am glad to say that for
 the most part there was but little or  
no complaint4  ,sufficient money was    
appropriated by the ,board of ,managers 
to provide for the purchase of necessary
 working tools for the added industrial 
classes4  ,i kept our friends in the    
,north reminded of our need of          
additional land4 ,the industrial-school 
idea with a department of agriculture   
was not succeeding well on a half-acre  
of ground4 ,after two years of patient  

toil this question of land was          
recognized as a necessity1 and          
accordingly two friends undertook to    
solicit subscriptions to the amount of  
#e1jjj with which to purchase a farm of 
#ajj acres1 two horses1 a set of        
harness1 a wagon1 and a plow4 ,by this  
time spring was well on and we were     
planning to make a crop4 ,in a runaway  
one of the school horses was badly      
injured4 ,the purchase of the farm1     
etc41 had about exhausted our ,northern 
resources and the school was in debt4   
,to my credit in the ,bank of           
,christiansburg was a small sum of      
money1 with which ,i purchased a horse4 
,the crop that year was fairly          
successful4  ,before taking possession  
of the farm1 it was understood that     
instead of the proceeds of the farm     
going toward maintaining or paying      
teachers' salaries1 the money should go 
toward building up the soil1 which was  
well run down1 and that we should devote
 all possible effort in the direction of

 restoring the soil to its once high    
state of fertilization4 ,owning this    
farm1 we had the ,big ,house where the  
master once lived1 and several of the   
slave cabins1 which still remain1 where 
the slaves resided4 ,hundreds of slaves1
 ,i have been told1 tilled this soil in 
the days long ago1 when its productive  
power was greater than that of any      
estate in this whole section4  ,it is a 
remarkable and significant fact that    
where the master once lived is a        
recitation building for colored boys and
 girls1 and where the slaves once       
huddled around the flickering light of a
 pine-knot young ,negro students are    
quartered daily1 preparing for the      
duties of the morrow4  ,in building up  
the school to its present position1 five
 persons1 almost from the very          
beginning1 have figured most            
prominently1 viz43 ,e4 ,a4 ,long and his
 wife1 ,miss ,willie ,mae ,griffin1 the 
writer and his wife--all ,tuskegee      
graduates4 ,it is needless that ,i      

remark here that the burdens borne by   
the men have been in no sense heavier   
than those borne by these faithful      
women4 ,the road along which we have    
traveled has not been1 by any means1 a  
smooth one4 ,we all had been toilers at 
,tuskegee and knew well how to face the 
duties of life4 ,this was decidedly in  
our favor4 ,i was the oldest of the     
company and perhaps had seen more of    
hardship than the others2 it therefore  
fell to my lot to give courage to the   
others when hope was all but gone4      
,some time previous to our taking       
possession of the farm1 some of the     
occupants had sown about half an acre in
 a kind of radish commonly known        
hereabout as pig radish4 ,it must be    
remembered that each year1 after the    
eight months' academic work was over1 we
 received no money from any source      
whatever4 ,paying the salaries of       
teachers who were to leave for the      
summer and meeting other demands of the 
institution always exhausted the        

school's treasury before the summer     
season began4 ,with a cropping season of
 four months ahead1 no money1 no source 
from which any could be expected1 the   
nice tender pig radish1 year after year1
 became our food-supply for the early   
part of the summer at least4 ,thus1     
while pushing the operations of the     
farm1 rebuilding the soil by means of   
turning under green crops1 fertilizers1 
etc41 pig-radish greens1 western side   
meat1 and corn-meal constituted our     
chief diet4 ,beef came to us as a luxury
 twice a week4 ,the work was divided so 
that ,e4 ,a4 ,long1 our treasurer1 was  
gardener1 ,i was farmer1 our wives and  
,miss ,griffin were matrons and cooks4  
,the #dth of ,july1 #aijj1 found the    
work of the farm in such a prosperous   
condition that it was decided to        
celebrate the event with a cake and some
 ice-cream1 for by this time we owned a 
cow4  ,one peculiar thing happened about
 the time we purchased this farm4 ,we   
were teaching a graded school which we  

were eager to turn into a boarding      
institution4 ,the pupils and patrons    
were in perfect accord with the faculty1
 but as soon as the fact became known   
that we had purchased a large tract of  
land and would endeavor to build a      
boarding and industrial school thereon1 
the members of the faculty at once      
became objects of scorn to almost the   
entire colored population4 ,there were  
at that time enrolled in the school #bdj
 children4 ,within less than a month    
more than #ajj had dropped out4 ,when   
school closed in ,may there were only   
#fj children attending4  ,we went about 
our duties1 however1 without complaint4 
,while we worked1 ,nature also worked   
for us4 ,vegetation flourished wherever 
seed were sown2 the trees bore a harvest
 of apples such as ,i have not seen     
since1 and all went well4  ,as ,i look  
back over those years of trial1 of      
privation1 of sacrifice1 ,i find they   
were conditions precedent to laying an  
enduring foundation4 ,our hope has been 

to establish a school where poor but    
earnest boys and girls can secure an    
education4 ,it was through our efforts1 
first of all1 that we were able to prove
 to the supporters of the school that   
such an institution could live and grow 
and do great and lasting good for those 
it is designed to help4 ,year by year   
the school has grown4 ,year by year the 
people of the community realize the     
sincerity of my teachers and give them  
hearty support4 ,patience1 toil1 trust  
in ,god1 and enterprise are the elements
 which are fast putting this work on its
 feet4  ,every person who visits the    
school sees earnestness manifested on   
farm1 in shop1 in class1 about the      
grounds1 everywhere1 and goes away a    
sincere friend4 ,not alone do we have   
our visitor's friendship1 but he tells  
the simple story to others and the      
number of friends increases4  ,mr4 ,r4  
,c4 ,bedford1 of ,beloit1 ,wis41 after  
visiting the school in ,january1 #aije1 
took occasion to address a gentleman in 

the ,north who had interested himself in
 raising funds for the school1 in the   
following language3 ,i have not visited 
the school for three years4 ,great      
changes have taken place since then4    
,the good there being accomplished is   
simply immeasurable4 ,mr4 ,marshall and 
,mr4 ,long work together in such perfect
 harmony as to constitute a force of    
singular directness and power4 ,i think 
the work is carried on most             
economically1 and such a clear and full 
account of all expenditures is given to 
the public that you must have the utmost
 confidence of all your friends4  ,a few
 years ago it was difficult for our     
,treasurer to raise #a1hge4 ,the raising
 of funds for institutions is always    
difficult1 but it is not as hard now to 
raise #f1jjj to #h1jjj as it was to     
raise #a1hge a few years ago4  ,mr4 ,e4 
,a4 ,long1 our treasurer1 whose faithful
 assistance ,i have had in every effort 
to develop the school1 was with me1     
embarrassed by a debt of the boarding   

department of more than #fjj4 ,this     
condition grew1 in a large measure1 out 
of the fact that we attempted to supply 
students' work on the farm to pay their 
expenses1 and the proceeds of the farm  
were expended as far as possible in the 
direction of building up the soil4 ,in  
the fall of #aijb the board of managers 
assumed the responsibility of the       
boarding department1 paid all           
indebtedness1 and to-day the school is  
operated on a cash basis4  ,during four 
years there have been contributed toward
 this work #dc1ebh4gg4 ,we have added to
 the original plant one #aj1jjj         
dormitory1 a cottage costing #gej1 a    
barn at a cost of #b1jjj1 and a shop    
building valued at #a1jjj4 ,much has    
been spent in the way of repairs4 ,we   
have #a1jjj invested in live stock1 and 
more than #cjj worth of farming         
implements4 ,in each of the industrial  
departments fairly good equipment can be
 found4 ,we have grown from a half acre 
of ground to more than #ajj acres2 from 

#b horses to #dc head of live stock2    
from a printing-press weighing #ge      
pounds to one weighing #b1ejj pounds4   
,agriculture1 carpentry1 printing1      
shoemaking1 laundering1 cooking1 sewing1
 and basketry are carried on            
successfully4 ,the farm produces large  
crops of cereals1 vegetables1 fruits1   
and raises a large share of the meat    
used by the school4 ,all the flour for  
the past three years came from the wheat
 produced on the farm4  ,the growth of  
the school has commended itself         
favorably to those who have had occasion
 to investigate its claims4 ,a committee
 appointed to look into the condition of
 the school some time ago made the      
following statement3 ,in conclusion1    
your committee would say that it feels  
that ,messrs4 ,marshall and ,long and   
their wives have made many sacrifices   
for the good of the school and have     
shown a true missionary spirit in       
carrying on the work1 and their ideals  
and purposes are in accord with the very

 best4 ,they have borne an awkward and  
heavy burden in financing the school1   
and your committee feels that if        
released from this care their           
teaching-work will be much improved and 
become very valuable in building up the 
school4  ,in addition to the cultivation
 of the home-farm of #ajj acres1 the    
increased amount of stock makes it      
necessary to rent an adjacent pasture of
 #hj acres1 the property of two of our  
teachers4  ,i have made an effort to    
supplement the knowledge acquired at    
,tuskegee through a school of           
correspondence and through the          
,chautauqua ,reading ,circle with some  
degree of success4  ,the success of this
 school1 in a very large measure1 is due
 to the consecrated effort of the       
members of the ,friends' ,freedmen's    
,association of ,philadelphia and the   
board of managers of the institution4   
,from the time ,i entered upon the work 
to the present1 ,principal ,washington  
has also been a constant source of help 

and encouragement4 ,five hundred dollars
 given by him in the spring of #aijc was
 the first money toward the erection of 
our new dormitory4 ,a combination       
woodworking-machine is also a result of 
his interest4  ,we have on hand an      
endowment fund of several thousand      
dollars which we are anxious to         
increase4 ,definite plans have been made
 for the erection of two new buildings4 
,when the plans thus far mapped out are 
completed1 the plant1 now worth #cj1jjj1
 will easily have a valuation of        
#ge1jjj4    ,,the ,,end