Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-08-31
A GREAT NEGRO INSTITUTION
The Tuskegee Wonder and
Its Energetic President.
SPRkNG FROM A SMALL BEGINNING
Now Has 80 Buildings and
Over 1000 Students.
ptsry sr she Man who Gave the Institution
nirth and Brought it to Its Present Com
mHpdInx station--A Pen Picture Of the
school and shs Great Work Is Has Done.

Tuskegee is county town in the
State of Alabama, not far from Mont
geometry. It Is near the centre of that
part Of the South commonly spoken of
as the 'black belt" because the negro
Inhabitants there greatly outnumber
the whites. The town is one of the |
oldest in the South. 1t Is said, in
fact, that when De Soto made his |
famous journey across that part OF the |
newly discovered continent he found an |
Indian village Of the same name on
the site Of the present town. Tuskegee |
is five miles from the main line of the |
Southern railroad. with which it is
connected at Chehaw by means of a |
,narrow-gauge road.
Tuskegee, as the word is oftenest |
used now, means the Normal and In
dustrial Institute, situated mile out
from the town and forming little
settlement in itself This is the great
school for young negro men and women
which Booker 4. Washington has built
up, and Of which he is the principal
The pupils who attend number thou
sand each year. It is the largest school
for colored people, managed by colored
people, in The United States. There
is no one connected with the school,
except some of the members of the
DpdIa vi 2tfustooSs VIM NV VI bhO
race which the institute is designed to
help.
Tuskegee Institute is so entirely the
result of Booker T. Washington's labors,
and his life has been 80 interviewer
with the development of the school,
that brief account of his boyhood
and youth is almost indispensable to
complete description of the institute,
particularly as the conditions with
which he struggled were SO generally
those which confronted all of the
negroes at that time.
Booker T. Washington was born a
slave in Virginia, not long before the
breaking out of the war. 1t seems
strange that man who is SO widely
known today and is SO universally re-
spected as Mr.. Washington, when asked
how old he is should be obliged to
reply that he does not know, yet such
is the case. The birth of one more
black baby on large plantation at
that time was @ matter Of too little
moment 10 have sufficient notice taken
of 1t to accurately fix the date. He
was boy old enough during the war
though, to know something of the
struggle going on around him, for,
speaking In public of Lincoln once, I
heard him say: my first acquaintance
with our hero was this: Night after
night, before the dawn of day, on an
old slave plantation in Virginia. I
recall the form of my sainted mother
bending over the bundle Of rags that
enveloped my body, on dirt floor,
breathing fervent prayer to heaven
that Massa Lincoln might succeed,
and that some day she and ! might be
free.''
Another Incident of those days have
heard him tell Of in these words: SWORD
was sent over the plantation for al
the hands to come up to the big
house. We went, and to Us men
women, and children gathered In thu
yard some one standing on the verandt
read paper. was too young tt
understand Why the men and womer
around pae should have begun to shout
'Halleiujah! Praise de Lawd!' whel
mother, bending down to where wa
clinging to her dress, whispered to M
that we were free.
Not long after the close of the wa
the Washingtons left the plantation
and went to West Virginia, where
in the coal mines, work could be ha,
which would pay money wages. a
first Booker worked in the mines wit
his brothers, but he soon became dis
satisfied with the chance for improve
ment which that work afforded. 9Th
first thing that led me to study"
has said, Yves seeing young colore
man slowly reading a newspaper to
group of colored people who surrounde
He was almost god to them. I'll
chance to study was soon found. A
energetic woman of kindly nature hire
the young oolored boy TO work abo,
her house as general chore- bo,
Finding that he was anxious to leari
she offered TO teach him to read in IL
spare minutes OF his work, and did g
One day he overheard man talkir
about Hampton, where Gen. Armstror
had already begun his noble worl
This, the man said, was place whe
black boys could go to school, and
the same time work to pay their wa
''As soon as heard that" Mr.. Was
ington has said, II made up my mil
that Hampton was just the place (
me, and that would 60 there.
started, although 1 had no money al
did not even know where Hampt
was. I felt sure | could inquire t
way as went, and work my passae
walked good share of the wa
begged some rides, and when I b
earned any money which could spal
paid my fare to ride ON the trains.
reached Richmond, Va, enc night |
late to get any work, and was entir,
out OF money. While was walki
about wondering where / would ge
lodging, j happened to see nice q
place under stretch of plank sic
walk. Watching my chance when
one was looking, l crawled in and cur
up to sleep. The next day / was
fortunate as to get work helping
unload o vessel, and, as the job las
several days, came back each nie
to my lodging under the sidewalk, tt
saving all my wages except the lii
required for food. In this way l '
able to get money enough to carry
the rest Of the way to Hampton, q
leave me so cents when / got there
In these days of entrance exami
tions to various institutions of Learnt
1t is interesting to read Of the exami
tion which young Washington was
quired to pass before he could en-
Hampton. He tells US of it thus: .
course, ; says he, "they knew moth
of me, and, after my long tramp,
of hard labor and nights of sleeping
barns and under sidewalks, / supp
could not have presented very
possessing appearance. After look
me over in not very encourag
manner, they gave me a broom
took me into o room, which they
ME to sweep / suppose l swept I
room over three or four times befol
was satisfied to call it done, whe
teacher came in and took her ha