New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-06-27
A BOLD EXPERIMENT.
,uE Ti,sKEGEE INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL.


,orxpyp MANAGED AND CONTROLLED BY COL
oprp pEOrIE-ANNivsRsARY fxRRCisEs.
,~.ow A. occ AsroNA CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE
TrsxEGEr, Ala, June 20.-Wth It's tradi''o"a
tin in our brother in black" THk TRIBUNE
'.,a no, think. ask the question was asked IN
Nv England by college professor a while ago
&C., the negro accomplish anything lndepeh-
ao,,,v without the direction and urging Oh wh''c
,oodors,, II is question srill ottcu asked now
oysr and know of no better single answer W II
than the one gave then and can better give 40"
"a an -wirness-th6 story of what mas oeeh
accomplished at Tuskegee.
s,x vears ago General Armstrong. Of hampton
1ps.itute reduested by the State superintendent VI
Alabama to recommend teacher Tor ne" eo''ieu
normal school, about TO he started by the state 81
ruskegee recommended Mr.. Booker L. washington.
q Hamilton graduate who had come TO the schooi
from the mines of West Virginia with 90 cents III
49, nocL., worked his way through been gradu-
.,ed with honors and after teaching successfully
in his own state had shown marked ability III
,horrs ot the Indian boys at Hampton. Gong 10
- navy INST Mr. Washington found that 1t was
t tn he created. The State appropriated
,Iv salaries, School building. furniture. APP
raratus hooks and current expenses were 10 ne
rovJed for by the people themselves II they
,vonld take ADVANTAGE Of State assistance. Ana
who were the peopcf Not the cultivated whi'e
aristocracv. for whom Tuskegee had long oeeh
An educational centre. with colleges ana acauei"'s
of high repute. but the negroes CT the ia"'"''S
. black belt of the Southern States, Ill the very
heart of which Tuskegce is situated III the must vi
n dense population not yet emerged from 'hc
shadows of slavery: very few owning fhelr own
land: bound down to perpetual debt ana seridom
nv the lien and mortgage system ana the'r o"
IGNORANCE and improvldencc; their chiicr'h
rnoni,c in RAYS and nakeduess: rheir poverty and
wrctchedness beyond description. mat In s"ch
neoolev as this there nevertheless passion
however blind-for Gan education" Ike their
fathers passion for freedom 10 ihys'
mystery that works miracle.
The new superintendent resolved TO do at least all
his mart called meeting of the colored people IN
the town and set tine opportunity before them.
colored church was at once offered. Win Two
neghboring shanties for recitation rooms ana
before the week of grace offered by the state LOT
acceptance of its aid was over the Iuskegee
Normal school declared it's independent existence
ON the Fourth of July, 1881, with thirty colored
teachers enrolled as students, many OF whom had
never been TO school before. In the fall another
Hampton graduate joined Mr.. Washington as
assistant principal, Miss Olivia Davidson. grad
nate also of the birmingham Normal school IN
Massachusetts, The number of students rapidly
increased many coming from a distance and board
ing in town till their finds gave out then leaving
with fearful eyes. Mr. Washington remembered
the chance Hampton had given him. In MS heart
and his colleagues the Hampton faith of
industrial training and self-help What could they
do about it
That WAS ruskegee IN the summer of 1881. FIVE
wears have passed and now in the summer OF
1856 have come from Hampton on Mr. Washing
tons invitation to report its fifth anniversary
ex.rc;ses for rnE TRIBUNE. And what do find
beref Young Hampton Institute i'll the blaok
belt farm OF 800 acres about sixty under cultl-
yation with vegetables, corn, oats ana suSarcane'
the rest IN good timber; two Large Ouiilngs-Portel
Hall a three story frame building with recitation
assembly and sewing rooms, dorml:ones Tor boys.
library etc: aud Alaba ma Hall. four-story brick
building with rooms Tor giils and teachers dining
rooms kitchens. etc The bricks were made IN the
b,icl yard on the grounds chiefly by student labor
IT, the Safer carpenter shop student labor man
ufacturcs all the school furniture In the black
sitn shop bolts are rvetcd and letters OF leuo-
rance and poverty broken AT one blOw, ma ZS0
students the roll l2' gl!ls ana 1919 hoNs
averaging eighteen years OF age. ana representa-
tweuty-ii - counties of Alabama aud four Otnei
Il. ties | ind on the grounds training sch"oi
where 200 children are taught. aud the normal
students are taught 10 teach them, making Il totaI
OF - under instruct III OF the Normal SchO l.
find OF eighteen OiICtlS anu ccN'L
Oi whom. including the pTnc'pa', assistant piIh
cipal and treasurer, are Hampton graduates: tlt
others graduates OF Atlanta nlveIsity Sprngle'o
high school and Bates CUllegr, OF Lewiston, Me-
The examinations in the morning oi the ann
y,r>lry day would have done credit 10 any &C orI
They covered the ionr years course, whch ihc"dt
The English branches gong through algebra II
mathematics, and some study oil the natufa
sciences drawing and vocal music. 1 no gIra
interest of tie afternoon was the a!ihg Oh LII, IN
cornerstone oil the building which IS the school
neNt necessity 20 '0dge the Young men, nOst q
whom have still to shver all winter N rough hire
shantie, through whose cracks daylight IL VlslDi
on every side The Cornerstone address va
delivered bN white southern clergy man, Bon U
the late Bishop Andrews; from MoStgomery one
the capital OF the southern Conicderacy. IL wa
an extremely friendly and encouraging address
Tie Large audience was cuicny madr up Oh ID
coored people of Iuskegee and the nelghbol ~
towns with a large delegation IRON MONTGOMERY
where the progress OF the Face has been marked an
there are many well-tO-do cOl0reG citizens
number OF prominent white Southern men wer
also on the platform in the later exercises. incud
inc all the members of the County Court of Com
III. ssicuers. which adjourned IN body to attend
The TOWN the Hon. ". /. Foster, VINO vine
Speaker of tie Legislature LETT his seat to urg
through an addition TO It's Appropriation ior ID
school whose good work he had seen; the Hon. A
] Brooks, his successor in the Legislature am
the lev. Mr. Chiffon. OF Iuskegee; VINO preSente
the diploma to the gIaina,img Class hsrOi'e,
hand and friendly editorial notices supplements
their full reports.
A class OF hive was graduateh. three Young WOinc
and two young men the second GAS TO hnSh I'll
course The ten who were graduated last yea
have all been teaching ever since. The essays WEI
marked 10y simple good sense. and the sautatorIani
on county schools. Impressed white lawye
from Montgomery visiting The school Tor the mrs
time. that he at once engaged the young man I
start a school on his large plantation. promising
supplement the salary that tie county would give
The orator of the afternoon was the ZION: Jon
NJ. Laugston, ex-UnIted States Minister to Hayt
Tie Rev If. Andrews, who had made the corne
stone address followed him in second short speee
and highly complmcntcd his eloquent and brilliar
OratOry. 49, . .
have only space to add that with all its fv
wears achievements which | have thus sketcheC
this Iuskegee school is out Of debt. and goes wit
free hands TO AJAX the friends OF the for its
needs the -, 900 estimated cost OF the new buil'
ing and perhaps $4,000 more for good fam Ian
which would raise all its grain and corn, suga