|
[293]
LAST
WORDS
BEFORE
going to Europe some events came into my life which were great surprises to
me. In fact, my whole life has largely been one of surprises. I believe that
any man's life will be filled with constant, unexpected encouragements of
this kind if he makes up his mind to do his level best each day of his life
- that is, tries to make each day reach as nearly as possible the high-water
mark of pure, unselfish, useful living. I pity the man, black or white, who
has never experienced the joy and satisfaction that come to one by reason of
an effort to assist in making some one else more useful and more happy.
Six
months before he died, and nearly a year after he had been stricken with
paralysis, General Armstrong expressed a wish to visit Tuskegee again before
he passed away. Notwithstanding the fact that he had lost the use of his
limbs to such an extent that he was practically helpless, his wish was
gratified, and he was brought to Tuskegee. [294]The
owners of the Tuskegee Railroad, white menliving in the town, offered to run
a special train,without cost, out to the main station - Chehaw,five miles
away - to meet him. He arrived onthe school grounds about nine o'clock in
the evening.Some one had suggested that we give theGeneral a "pine-knot
torchlight reception." Thisplan was carried out, and the moment that
hiscarriage entered the school grounds he began passingbetween two lines of
lighted and waving "fatpine" wood knots held by over a thousand
studentsand teachers. The whole thing was so novel andsurprising that the
General was completely overcomewith happiness. He remained a guest inmy home
for nearly two months, and, althoughalmost wholly without the use of voice
or limbhe spent nearly every hour in devising ways andmeans to help the
South. Time and time againhe said to me, during this visit, that it was
notonly the duty of the country to assist in elevatingthe Negro of the
South, but the poor white manas well. At the end of his visit I resolved
anewto devote myself more earnestly than ever to thecause which was so near
his heart. I said that ifa man in his condition was willing to think,
work,and act, I should not be wanting in furtheringin every possible way the
wish of his heart. [295]
The
death of General Armstrong, a few weeks later, gave me the privilege of
getting acquainted with one of the finest, most unselfish, and most
attractive men that I have ever come in contact with. I refer to the Rev.
Dr. Hollis B. Frissell, now the Principal of the Hampton Institute, and
General Armstrong's successor. Under the clear, strong, and almost perfect
leadership of Dr. Frissell, Hampton has had a career of prosperity and
usefulness that is all that the General could have wished for. It seems to
be the constant effort of Dr. Frissell to hide his own great personality
behind that of General Armstrong - to make himself of "no
reputation" for the sake of the cause.
More
than once I have been asked what was the greatest surprise that ever came to
me. I have little hesitation in answering that question. It was the following
letter, which came to me one Sunday morning when I was sitting on the veranda
of my home at Tuskegee, surrounded by my wife and three children: - HARVARD
UNIVERSITY, CAMBRIDGE, MAY 28, 1896.
PRESIDENT BOOKER T. WASHINGTON,
MY
DEAR SIR: Harvard University desires to confer on you at the approaching
Commencement an honorary degree; but it is our custom to confer degrees only on
gentlemen who are present. Our Commencement occurs this year [296]on
June 24, and your presence would be desirable fromabout noon till about five
o'clock in the afternoon. Wouldit be possible for you to be in Cambridge on that
day?
Believe
me, with great regard, Very
truly yours,
CHARLES W. ELIOT.
This
was a recognition that had never in the slightest manner entered into my mind,
and it was hard for me to realize that I was to be honoured by a degree from the
oldest and most renowned university in America. As I sat upon my veranda, with
this letter in my hand, tears came into my eyes. My whole former life - my life
as a slave on the plantation, my work in the coal-mine, the times when I was
without food and clothing, when I made my bed under a sidewalk, my struggles for
an education, the trying days I had had at Tuskegee, days when I did not know
where to turn for a dollar to continue the work there, the ostracism and
sometimes oppression of my race, - all this passed before me and nearly overcame
me.
I
had never sought or cared for what the world calls fame. I have always looked
upon fame as something to be used in accomplishing good. I have often said to
my friends that if I can use whatever prominence may have come to me as an
instrument with which to do good, I am content to have it. I [297]care
for it only as a means to be used for doinggood, just as wealth may be used.
The more Icome into contact with wealthy people, the more Ibelieve that they
are growing in the direction oflooking upon their money simply as an
instrumentwhich God has placed in their hand for doing goodwith. I never go to
the office of Mr. John D.Rockefeller, who more than once has been generousto
Tuskegee, without being reminded of this. Theclose, careful, and minute
investigation that he alwaysmakes in order to be sure that every dollar that
hegives will do the most good - an investigation thatis just as searching as if
he were investing moneyin a business enterprise - convinces me that thegrowth
in this direction is most encouraging.
At
nine o'clock, on the morning of June 24, I met President Eliot, the Board of
Overseers of Harvard University, and the other guests, at the designated place
on the university grounds, for the purpose of being escorted to Sanders Theatre,
where the Commencement exercises were to be held and degrees conferred. Among
others invited to be present for the purpose of receiving a degree at this time
were General Nelson A. Miles, Dr. Bell, the inventor of the Bell telephone,
Bishop Vincent, and the Rev. Minot J. Savage. We were placed in line immediately
behind the president and the Board of [298]Overseers,
and directly afterward the Governor ofMassachusetts, escorted by the Lancers,
arrived andtook his place in the line of march by the side ofPresident Eliot. In
the line there were also variousother officers and professors, clad in cap and
gown.In this order we marched to Sanders Theatre, where,after the usual
Commencement exercises, came theconferring of the honorary degrees. This, it
seems,is always considered the most interesting feature atHarvard. It is not
known, until the individualsappear, upon whom the honorary degrees are to
beconferred, and those receiving these honours arecheered by the students and
others in proportion totheir popularity. During the conferring of thedegrees
excitement and enthusiasm are at the highestpitch.
When
my name was called, I rose, and President Eliot, in beautiful and strong
English, conferred upon me the degree of Master of Arts. After these exercises
were over, those who had received honorary degrees were invited to lunch with
the President. After the lunch we were formed in line again, and were escorted
by the Marshal of the day, who that year happened to be Bishop William Lawrence,
through the grounds, where, at different points, those who had been honoured
were called by name and received the Harvard yell. This march [299]ended
at Memorial Hall, where the alumni dinnerwas served. To see over a thousand
strong men,representing all that is best in State, Church,business, and
education, with the glow and enthusiasmof college loyalty and college pride, -
which has, Ithink, a peculiar Harvard flavour, - is a sight thatdoes not easily
fade from memory.
Among
the speakers after dinner were President Eliot, Governor Roger Wolcott, General
Miles, Dr. Minot J. Savage, the Hon. Henry Cabot Lodge, and myself. When I was
called upon, I said, among other things: -
It
would in some measure relieve my embarrassment if I could, even in a slight
degree, feel myself worthy of the great honour which you do me to-day. Why you
have called me from the Black Belt of the South, from among my humble people,
to share in the honours of this occasion, is not for me to explain; and yet it
may not be inappropriate for me to suggest that it seems to me that one of the
most vital questions that touch our American life is how to bring the strong,
wealthy, and learned into helpful touch with the poorest, most ignorant, and
humblest, and at the same time make one appreciate the vitalizing,
strengthening influence of the other. How shall we make the mansions on yon
Beacon Street feel and see the need of the spirits in the lowliest cabin in
Alabama cottonfields or Louisiana sugar-bottoms? This problem Harvard
University is solving, not by bringing itself down, but by bringing the masses
up. [300]
If
my life in the past has meant anything in the lifting up of my people and the
bringing about of better relations between your race and mine, I assure you
from this day it will mean doubly more. In the economy of God there is but one
standard by which an individual can succeed - there is but one for a race. This
country demands that every race shall measure itself by the American standard.
By it a race must rise or fall, succeed or fail, and in the last analysis mere
sentiment counts for little. During the next half-century and more, my race
must continue passing through the severe American crucible. We are to be tested
in our patience, our forbearance, our perseverance, our power to endure wrong,
to withstand temptations, to economize, to acquire and use skill; in our
ability to compete, to succeed in commerce, to disregard the superficial for
the real, the appearance for the substance, to be great and yet small, learned
and yet simple, high and yet the servant of all.
As
this was the first time that a New England university had conferred an honorary
degree upon a Negro, it was the occasion of much newspaper comment throughout
the country. A correspondent of a New York paper said: -
When
the name of Booker T. Washington was called, and he arose to acknowledge and
accept, there was such an outburst of applause as greeted no other name except
that of the popular soldier patriot, General Miles. The applause was not
studied and stiff, sympathetic and condoling; it was enthusiasm and admiration.
Every part of the audience [301]from pit to gallery
joined in, and a glow coveredthe cheeks of those around me, proving sincere
appreciationof the rising struggle of an ex-slave and the work he
hasaccomplished for his race.
A
Boston paper said, editorially: -
In
conferring the honorary degree of Master of Arts upon the Principal of Tuskegee
Institute, Harvard University has honoured itself as well as the object of this
distinction. The work which Professor Booker T. Washington has accomplished for
the education, good citizenship, and popular enlightenment in his chosen field
of labour in the South entitles him to rank with our national benefactors. The
university which can claim him on its list of sons, whether in regular course
or honoris causa, may be proud.
It
has been mentioned that Mr. Washington is the first of his race to receive an
honorary degree from a New England university. This, in itself, is a
distinction. But the degree was not conferred because Mr. Washington is a
coloured man, or because he was born in slavery, but because he has shown, by
his work for the elevation of the people of the Black Belt of the South, a
genius and a broad humanity which count for greatness in any man, whether his
skin be white or black.
Another
Boston paper said: -
It
is Harvard which, first among New England colleges, confers an honorary degree
upon a black man. No one who has followed the history of Tuskegee and its work
can fail to admire the courage, persistence, and splendid common [302]sense
of Booker T. Washington. Well may Harvardhonour the ex-slave, the value of
whose services, alike tohis race and country, only the future can estimate.
The
correspondent of the New York Times wrote: -
All
the speeches were enthusiastically received, but the coloured man carried off
the oratorical honours, and the applause which broke out when he had finished
was vociferous and long-continued.
Soon
after I began work at Tuskegee I formed a resolution, in the secret of my
heart, that I would try to build up a school that would be of so much service
to the country that the President of the United States would one day come to
see it. This was, I confess, rather a bold resolution, and for a number of
years I kept it hidden in my own thoughts, not daring to share it with any one.
In
November, 1897, I made the first move in this direction, and that was in
securing a visit from a member of President McKinley's Cabinet, the Hon. James
Wilson, Secretary of Agriculture. He came to deliver an address at the formal
opening of the Slater-Armstrong Agricultural Building, our first large building
to be used for the purpose of giving training to our students in agriculture and
kindred branches. [303]
In
the fall of 1898 I heard that President McKinley was likely to visit Atlanta,
Georgia, for the purpose of taking part in the Peace Jubilee exercises to be
held there to commemorate the successful close of the Spanish-American war. At
this time I had been hard at work, together with our teachers, for eighteen
years, trying to build up a school that we thought would be of service to the
Nation, and I determined to make a direct effort to secure a visit from the
President and his Cabinet. I went to Washington, and I was not long in the city
before I found my way to the White House. When I got there I found the waiting
rooms full of people, and my heart began to sink, for I feared there would not
be much chance of my seeing the President that day, if at all. But, at any rate,
I got an opportunity to see Mr. J. Addison Porter, the secretary to the
President, and explained to him my mission. Mr. Porter kindly sent my card
directly to the President, and in a few minutes word came from Mr. McKinley that
he would see me.
How
any man can see so many people of all kinds, with all kinds of errands, and do
so much hard work, and still keep himself calm, patient, and fresh for each
visitor in the way that President McKinley does, I cannot understand. When I
saw the President he kindly thanked me for the work [304]which
we were doing at Tuskegee for the interestsof the country. I then told him,
briefly, the objectof my visit. I impressed upon him the fact that avisit from
the Chief Executive of the Nation wouldnot only encourage our students and
teachers, butwould help the entire race. He seemed interested,but did not make
a promise to go to Tuskegee, forthe reason that his plans about going to
Atlantawere not then fully made; but he asked me to callthe matter to his
attention a few weeks later.
By
the middle of the following month the President had definitely decided to attend
the Peace Jubilee at Atlanta. I went to Washington again and saw him, with a
view of getting him to extend his trip to Tuskegee. On this second visit Mr.
Charles W. Hare, a prominent white citizen of Tuskegee, kindly volunteered to
accompany me, to reenforce my invitation with one from the white people of
Tuskegee and the vicinity.
Just
previous to my going to Washington the second time, the country had been
excited, and the coloured people greatly depressed, because of several severe
race riots which had occurred at different points in the South. As soon as I
saw the President, I perceived that his heart was greatly burdened by reason of
these race disturbances. Although there were many people waiting to see [305]him,
he detained me for some time, discussing thecondition and prospects of the
race. He remarkedseveral times that he was determined to show hisinterest and
faith in the race, not merely in words,but by acts. When I told him that I
thought thatat that time scarcely anything would go farther ingiving hope and
encouragement to the race than thefact that the President of the Nation would
be willingto travel one hundred and forty miles out of hisway to spend a day at
a Negro institution, he seemeddeeply impressed.
While
I was with the President, a white citizen of Atlanta, a Democrat and an
ex-slaveholder, came into the room, and the President asked his opinion as to
the wisdom of his going to Tuskegee. Without hesitation the Atlanta man replied
that it was the proper thing for him to do. This opinion was reenforced by that
friend of the race, Dr. J. L. M. Curry. The President promised that he would
visit our school on the 16th of December.
When
it became known that the President was going to visit our school, the white
citizens of the town of Tuskegee - a mile distant from the school - were as
much pleased as were our students and teachers. The white people of the town,
including both men and women, began arranging to decorate the town, and to form
themselves into committees [306]for the purpose of
cooperating with the officers ofour school in order that the distinguished
visitormight have a fitting reception. I think I neverrealized before this how
much the white people ofTuskegee and vicinity thought of our institution.During
the days when we were preparing for thePresident's reception, dozens of these
people cameto me and said that, while they did not want topush themselves into
prominence, if there wasanything they could do to help, or to relieve
mepersonally, I had but to intimate it and they would beonly too glad to
assist. In fact, the thing thattouched me almost as deeply as the visit of
thePresident itself was the deep pride which all classesof citizens in Alabama
seemed to take in our work.
The
morning of December 16th brought to the little city of Tuskegee such a crowd
as it had never seen before. With the President came Mrs. McKinley and all
of the Cabinet officers but one; and most of them brought their wives or
some members of their families. Several prominent generals came, including
General Shafter and General Joseph Wheeler, who were recently returned from
the Spanish-American war. There was also a host of newspaper correspondents.
The Alabama Legislature was in session at Montgomery at this time. This body
passed a resolution to adjourn for the [307]purpose
of visiting Tuskegee. Just before thearrival of the President's party the
Legislature arrived,headed by the governor and other state officials.
The
citizens of Tuskegee had decorated the town from the station to the school
in a generous manner. In order to economize in the matter of time, we
arranged to have the whole school pass in review before the President. Each
student carried a stalk of sugar-cane with some open bolls of cotton
fastened to the end of it. Following the students the work of all
departments of the school passed in review, displayed on "floats"
drawn by horses, mules, and oxen. On these floats we tried to exhibit not
only the present work of the school, but to show the contrasts between the
old methods of doing things and the new. As an example, we showed the old
method of dairying in contrast with the improved methods, the old methods of
tilling the soil in contrast with the new, the old methods of cooking and
housekeeping in contrast with the new. These floats consumed an hour and a
half of time in passing.
In
his address in our large, new chapel, which the students had recently
completed, the President said, among other things: -
To
meet you under such pleasant auspices and to have the opportunity of a personal
observation of your work is [308]indeed most
gratifying. The Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute is ideal in its
conception, and has already alarge and growing reputation in the country, and is
notunknown abroad. I congratulate all who are associated inthis undertaking for
the good work which it is doing in the education of its students to lead lives
of honour andusefulness, thus exalting the race for which it was established.
Nowhere,
I think, could a more delightful location have been chosen for this unique
educational experiment, which has attracted the attention and won the support
even of conservative philanthropists in all sections of the country.
To
speak of Tuskegee without paying special tribute to Booker T. Washington's
genius and perseverance would be impossible. The inception of this noble
enterprise was his, and he deserves high credit for it. His was the enthusiasm
and enterprise which made its steady progress possible and established in the
institution its present high standard of accomplishment. He has won a worthy
reputation as one of the great leaders of his race, widely known and much
respected at home and abroad as an accomplished educator, a great orator, and a
true philanthropist.
The
Hon. John D. Long, the Secretary of the Navy, said in part: -
I
cannot make a speech to-day. My heart is too full - full of hope, admiration,
and pride for my countrymen of both sections and both colours. I am filled with
gratitude and admiration for your work, and from this time forward I shall have
absolute confidence in your progress and in the solution of the problem in
which you are engaged. [309]
The
problem, I say, has been solved. A picture has been presented to-day which
should be put upon canvas with the pictures of Washington and Lincoln, and
transmitted to future time and generations - a picture which the press of the
country should spread broadcast over the land, a most dramatic picture, and
that picture is this: The President of the United States standing on this
platform; on one side the Governor of Alabama, on the other, completing the
trinity, a representative of a race only a few years ago in bondage, the
coloured President of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute.
God
bless the President under whose majesty such a scene as that is presented to
the American people. God bless the state of Alabama, which is showing that it
can deal with this problem for itself. God bless the orator, philanthropist,
and disciple of the Great Master - who, if he were on earth, would be doing the
same work - Booker T. Washington.
Postmaster
General Smith closed the address which he made with these words: -
We
have witnessed many spectacles within the last few days. We have seen the
magnificent grandeur and the magnificent achievements of one of the great
metropolitan cities of the South. We have seen heroes of the war pass by in
procession. We have seen floral parades. But I am sure my colleagues will agree
with me in saying that we have witnessed no spectacle more impressive and more
encouraging, more inspiring for our future, than that which we have witnessed
here this morning. [310]
Some
days after the President returned to Washington I received the letter which
follows: - EXECUTIVE
MANSION, WASHINGTON, DEC. 23, 1899.
DEAR
SIR: By this mail I take pleasure in sending you engrossed copies of the
souvenir of the visit of the President to your institution. These sheets bear
the autographs of the President and the members of the Cabinet who accompanied
him on the trip. Let me take this opportunity of congratulating you most
heartily and sincerely upon the great success of the exercises provided for and
entertainment furnished us under your auspices during our visit to Tuskegee.
Every feature of the programme was perfectly executed and was viewed or
participated in with the heartiest satisfaction by every visitor present. The
unique exhibition which you gave of your pupils engaged in their industrial
vocations was not only artistic but thoroughly impressive. The tribute paid by
the President and his Cabinet to your work was none too high, and forms a most
encouraging augury, I think, for the future prosperity of your institution. I
cannot close without assuring you that the modesty shown by yourself in the
exercises was most favourably commented upon by all the members of our party.
With
best wishes for the continued advance of your most useful and patriotic
undertaking, kind personal regards, and the compliments of the season, believe
me, always, Very sincerely
yours,
JOHN ADDISON PORTER,
Secretary to the President.
TO
PRESIDENT BOOKER T. Washington, Tuskegee
Normal and Industrial
Institute, Tuskegee, Ala.[311] Twenty
years have now passed since I made the first humble effort at Tuskegee, in
a broken-down shanty and an old hen-house, without owning a dollar's worth
of property, and with but one teacher and thirty students. At the present
time the institution owns twenty-three hundred acres of land, one thousand
of which are under cultivation each year, entirely by student labour.
There are now upon the grounds, counting large and small, sixty-six
buildings; and all except four of these have been almost wholly erected by
the labour of our students. While the students are at work upon the land
and in erecting buildings, they are taught, by competent instructors, the
latest methods of agriculture and the trades connected with building.
There
are in constant operation at the school, in connection with thorough academic
and religious training, thirty industrial departments. All of these teach
industries at which our men and women can find immediate employment as soon as
they leave the institution. The only difficulty now is that the demand for our
graduates from both white and black people in the South is so great that we
cannot supply more than one-half the persons for whom applications come to us.
Neither have we the buildings nor the money for current expenses to enable us
to admit to the school more [312]than one-half the
young men and women whoapply to us for admission.
In
our industrial teaching we keep three things in mind: first, that the student
shall be so educated that he shall be enabled to meet conditions as they exist now,
in the part of the South where he lives - in a word, to be able to do the thing
which the world wants done; second, that every student who graduates from the
school shall have enough skill coupled with intelligence and moral character, to
enable him to make a living for himself and others; third, to send every
graduate out feeling and knowing that labour is dignified and beautiful - to
make each one love labour instead of trying to escape it. In addition to the
agricultural training which we give to young men, and the training given to our
girls in all the usual domestic employments, we now train a number of girls in
agriculture each year. These girls are taught gardening, fruit-growing,
dairying, bee-culture, and poultry-raising.
While
the institution is in no sense denominational, we have a department known as
the Phelps Hall Bible Training School, in which a number of students are
prepared for the ministry and other forms of Christian work, especially work in
the country districts. What is equally important, each one of these students
works half of each day at some [313]industry, in order
to get skill and the love of work,so that when he goes out from the institution
he isprepared to set the people with whom he goes tolabour a proper example in
the matter of industry.
The
value of our property is now over $700,000. If we add to this our endowment
fund, which at present is $1,000,000, the value of the total property is now
$1,700,000. Aside from the need for more buildings and for money for current
expenses, the endowment fund should be increased to at least $3,000,000. The
annual current expenses are now about $150,000. The greater part of this I
collect each year by going from door to door and from house to house. All of our
property is free from mortgage, and is deeded to an undenominational board of
trustees who have the control of the institution.
From
thirty students the number has grown to fourteen hundred, coming from
twenty-seven states and territories, from Africa, Cuba, Porto Rico, Jamaica,
and other foreign countries. In our departments there are one hundred and ten
officers and instructors; and if we add the families of our instructors, we
have a constant population upon our grounds of not far from seventeen hundred
people.
I
have often been asked how we keep so large a body of people together, and at
the same time keep [314]them out of mischief. There
are two answers: thatthe men and women who come to us for an educationare in
earnest; and that everybody is keptbusy. The following outline of our daily
workwill testify to this: -
5
A.M., rising bell; 5.50 A.M., warning breakfast bell; 6 A.M., breakfast bell;
6.20 A.M., breakfast over; 6.20 to 6.50 A.M., rooms are cleaned; 6.50, work
bell; 7.30, morning study hour; 8.20, morning school bell; 8.25, inspection of
young men's toilet in ranks; 8.40, devotional exercises in chapel; 8.55,
"five minutes with the daily news;" 9 A.M., class work begins; 12,
class work closes; 12.15 P.M., dinner; 1 P.M., work bell; 1.30 P.M., class work
begins; 3.30 P.M., class work ends; 5.30 P.M., bell to "knock off"
work; 6 P.M., supper; 7.10 P.M., evening prayers; 7.30 P.M., evening study hour;
8.45 P.M., evening study hour closes; 9.20 P.M., warning retiring bell; 9.30
P.M., retiring bell.
We
try to keep constantly in mind the fact that the worth of the school is to be
judged by its graduates. Counting those who have finished the full course,
together with those who have taken enough training to enable them to do
reasonably good work, we can safely say that at least six thousand men and
women from Tuskegee are now at work in different parts of the South; men and
women who, by their own example or by direct effort, are showing [315]the
masses of our race how to improve theirmaterial, educational, and moral and
religious life.What is equally important, they are exhibiting adegree of common
sense and self-control which iscausing better relations to exist between the
races,and is causing the Southern white man to learn tobelieve in the value of
educating the men andwomen of my race. Aside from this, there is theinfluence
that is constantly being exerted throughthe mothers' meeting and the plantation
workconducted by Mrs. Washington.
Wherever
our graduates go, the changes which soon begin to appear in the buying of land,
improving homes, saving money, in education, and in high moral character are
remarkable. Whole communities are fast being revolutionized through the
instrumentality of these men and women.
Ten
years ago I organized at Tuskegee the first Negro Conference. This is an annual
gathering which now brings to the school eight or nine hundred representative
men and women of the race, who come to spend a day in finding out what the
actual industrial, mental, and moral conditions of the people are, and in
forming plans for improvement. Out from this central Negro Conference at
Tuskegee have grown numerous state and local conferences which are doing the
same kind of work. As a [316]result of the influence
of these gatherings, onedelegate reported at the last annual meeting that
tenfamilies in his community had bought and paid forhomes. On the day following
the annual NegroConference, there is held the "Workers'Conference."
This is composed of officers and teacherswho are engaged in educational work in
the largerinstitutions in the South. The Negro Conferencefurnishes a rare
opportunity for these workers tostudy the real condition of the rank and file
of thepeople.
In
the summer of 1900, with the assistance of such prominent coloured men as Mr. T.
Thomas Fortune, who has always upheld my hands in every effort, I organized the
National Negro Business League, which held its first meeting in Boston, and
brought together for the first time a large number of the coloured men who are
engaged in various lines of trade or business in different parts of the United
States. Thirty states were represented at our first meeting. Out of this
national meeting grew state and local business leagues.
In
addition to looking after the executive side of the work at Tuskegee, and
raising the greater part of the money for the support of the school, I cannot
seem to escape the duty of answering at least a part of the calls which come to
me unsought to address [317]Southern white audiences
and audiences of my ownrace, as well as frequent gatherings in the North.As to
how much of my time is spent in this way, thefollowing clipping from a Buffalo
(N.Y.) paper willtell. This has reference to an occasion when Ispoke before the
National Educational Associationin that city.
Booker
T. Washington, the foremost educator among the coloured people of the world, was
a very busy man from the time he arrived in the city the other night from the
West and registered at the Iroquois. He had hardly removed the stains of travel
when it was time to partake of supper. Then he held a public levee in the
parlours of the Iroquois until eight o'clock. During that time he was greeted by
over two hundred eminent teachers and educators from all parts of the United
States. Shortly after eight o'clock he was driven in a carriage to Music Hall,
and in one hour and a half he made two ringing addresses, to as many as five
thousand people, on Negro education. Then Mr. Washington was taken in charge by
a delegation of coloured citizens, headed by the Rev. Mr. Watkins, and hustled
off to a small informal reception, arranged in honor of the visitor by the
people of his race.
Nor
can I, in addition to making these addresses, escape the duty of calling the
attention of the South and of the country in general, through the medium of the
press, to matters that pertain to the interests [318]of
both races. This, for example, I have done inregard to the evil habit of
lynching. When theLouisiana State Constitutional Convention was insession, I
wrote an open letter to that body pleadingfor justice for the race. In all such
efforts I havereceived warm and hearty support from the Southernnewspapers, as
well as from those in all otherparts of the country.
Despite
superficial and temporary signs which might lead one to entertain a contrary
opinion, there was never a time when I felt more hopeful for the race than I do
at the present. The great human law that in the end recognizes and rewards merit
is everlasting and universal. The outside world does not know, neither can it
appreciate, the struggle that is constantly going on in the hearts of both the
Southern white people and their former slaves to free themselves from racial
prejudice; and while both races are thus struggling they should have the
sympathy, the support, and the forbearance of the rest of the world.
As
I write the closing words of this autobiography I find myself - not by design -
in the city of Richmond, Virginia: the city which only a few decades ago was
the capital of the Southern Confederacy, and where, about twenty-five years
ago, because [319]of my poverty I slept night after
night undera sidewalk.
This
time I am in Richmond as the guest of the coloured people of the city; and
came at their request to deliver an address last night to both races in the
Academy of Music, the largest and finest audience room in the city. This was
the first time that the coloured people had ever been permitted to use this
hall. The day before I came, the City Council passed a vote to attend the
meeting in a body to hear me speak. The state Legislature, including the
House of Delegates and the Senate, also passed a unanimous vote to attend in
a body. In the presence of hundreds of coloured people, many distinguished
white citizens, the City Council, the state Legislature, and state
officials, I delivered my message, which was one of hope and cheer; and from
the bottom of my heart I thanked both races for this welcome back to the
state that gave me birth. [321] |
