The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-11-18

|
A NOTABLE AUToBIoGRAPHY.
| In the field of literature fiction has. Of
course. the greatest attraction for the ma
| jority of readers of books; next to this IN
interest comes biography, probably be-
cause it has the direct human interest to a
greater extent than works of science, phil
osophy and most histories of peoples and
periods. photographs, of course, rank
| first among histories of individuals, be-
| cause they bring the subject into closer
relations with his audience than when the
| tale is told in the third person Seldom
| has an autobiography held as much OF the
| element of romance as that Of Booker T.
| Washington, now running serially in the
| Outlook. He was born a slave, but was a
| small boy when the civil war opened; yet
as conditions were but little changed for
| his race while the war was in progress. MS
| memories of slave life are distinct A deep
| impression was made on him when his
master called his slaves together and in
formed them that they were free The
| older ones, at first overjoyed, soon felt the
responsibility of thinking and providing
| for themselves SO great that the once COW
| eted freedom seemed less attractive, and
many made arrangements to remain in the
| service of their former owners. Those who
| went away often retained an affection for
| their old masters and their families which
| manifested itself in various ways In after
years. But it is the evolution Of the ignor-
| ant, benighted negro boy into an intelli-
! gent cultivated man which forms the chief
| interest of the narrative In some way, he
| hardly knows how, a determination to
| learn to read was early implanted in the
mind of this boy, but it was not until ne
| was working in coal mine In West Vir-
| ginia that the opportunity came. The first
| steps were taken under direction OF all
| older colored boy, who drifted in from a
Northern State and who could read Then
school was organized, which Booker's step
| father reluctantly permitted him to attend
| on condition that he would work in the
| mine before and after school hours I'd to
| this time he had never known any other
! name thar Booker but on being asked
| by the teacher his last name he promptly
assumed that of washington About
this time he went to work for the wife
| Of one of the mine owners, n Yankee
| lady from Vermont, who was considered so
strict taskmistress that she found 1T
difficult to keep boy In her employ. Book
er found the work so much easier than
that in the mine that he made no COM
plant, and pays the lady this tribute:
| cannot now recall how long lived with
| Mrs. Ruffner before going to Hampton, but
| / think it must have been year and
| half. AT any rate, 1 here repeat Wnat l
| have said more than once before, that the
| lessons that learned in the home OF Mrs
| Ruffner were as valuable TO me as any
| education 1 have ever got anywhere since
| Even to this day never see bits OF paper
! scattered around a house or in the street
| that do not want TO pick them up at once
| j never see filthy yard that 90 not want
| to clean it; a palng off of fence that L
| do not want TO put it on, an unpainted or
| unwhitewashed house that L do not want
| to paint or whitewash 1T. or button OF
| ones clothes or a grease-spot on them or
| on a floor, that L do not want to call at
tentiOn to IL.
| This was indeed, valuable training, and
has doubtless had much to do with Mr.
! Washington's success at Tuskegee, since 1t
| qualified him to see how outward condi-
| tons should be there. 1t is also striking
| bit of testimony insfavor of manual train
| ing, even in the domestic arts, for boys.
The story of his Northumberland tramp
| to Hampton and his presentation of him
| self there, boy ragged, dirty forlorn, and
| hungry in body and soul, is the next chap
| ter in the narrative.
1t is all of interest, not only as depicting
| the experience of a man who has devel-
oped into a wise leader and benefactor of
his race, but as being typical of the evo-
luton of the race itself. Thousands OF
| negro boys and men, since 1880. have enr
dured just such hardships as his in the
| struggle for education and advancement
and though it is the lot of but few to gain
| exceptional prominence, the of the
individual achievements has gone to the
| uplifting of the standard of the whole peo-
pie. Many who started in the same path
as he doubtless gave up in despair, hope
| less of overcoming adverse conditions;
others, with less native strength of char
acter, have made poor use OF the education
| secured. 1t is because Mr.. Washington
realizes well the difficulties from with
out and within to be overcome by the men,
| bers of his race that he has endeavored to
make for those who will take II, an easier
| pathway to success than the he passed
over.
This remarkable autobiography has
| especial historical and literary value. IN
| that it affords view of period of our
history in which the negro was-and is-a
| chief element from the negro's standpoint
Heretofore 1t has been the white mans
| view.
l FAINT OF SINGERS