The sun., 1901-11-03
PORYIA WASHlNGTON'S PLANS.
YOUNG COLORED GIRL NOW 4
STUDENT At WELLESLEY.
Booker r. washington's Daughter. Who Is
Preparing Her'eif to Teach. Talks of
the Character and Capabilities of
the Negro Women OF the south.

WEII.EsIEY, Nov. while Booker T..
Washington has been one OF the most talked
of men IN the country, public attention
has naturally not been altogether with
drawn from his daughter Portio. who
recently entered college here as a special
student. Soon after the Roosevelt dinner.
Miss Washington began indeed TO he literally
besieged by press representatives and
curious folk who wished to talk the whole
matter out" with her. But a telephone
message sent from New York to the EN-
barrassed young girl, put a prompt end to
this. do not talk to anybody sent out
by newspapers, said her fathers voice
over the wire about the dinner at Wash
ington, or about our opinions concerning
the attitude Of the whites in the matter
Of social intercourse with the negro"
Portia Washington has IA very pleasant
room with Mrs. Brio on Howe street, just
outside the college grounds and she takes
her meals across the street with three
professors Of the college Katherine Lee
Bates, the well-known writer, Emily Balch,
a distinguished sociological essayist. and
Katherine Comans. President OF the College
SettlementAssociation Of the United States
all women Of culture who have been espe-
cially kind to this granddaughter OF slavery.
and child OF the regenerate colored race.
The fact that Miss Washington was
thus taken into the inner-circle Of the
faculty, inspired a mischievous rumor TO
the effect that the college was trying to
rebuke the student body for drawing a
co lor line in her case. But this seems 70
be wholly without foundation for Welles-
ley has had other colored students, and
there Is now in the college hall eating at
the college table a colored girl about whom
nobody thinks twice.
The real reason why room in the college
hall and a place at the family table has
not been given 10 Portia Washington is
because as a special student she Is not
entitled to them, Moreover she herself
prefers she says. to live outside, because
IL is less distracting.
Il certainly have not had the slightest
reason to feel that there might be such
thing as color line here. she said Every
body has been as nice as possible to me.
and | am having a very pleasant time.
am studying German. musical theory and
the piano. and it Is my great wish TO make
such progress that j may be really useful
TO NV father at Tuskegee when | go back.
I have already taught little there. you
know; but | felt desire TO be further edu-
Gated myself before settling down TO the
teaching Of others as life work.
Besides nv father has been very anxious
70 have ma attend college He believes in
college education for girls where IL Is pos
sible for them To have II, and my mother.
you know, il graduate Of Fisk University.
But for most of the girls at Tuskegee father
secs that the industrial education and that
which emphasizes the household arts il
most needed. None the less, he encourages
further study whenever II IL possible for
the student TO get II. OF course, Tuskegee's
great aim Is To fit girls To teach others who
have been without opportunity how To live
higher and better lives. The mind Of the
negro woman. as We see ii, takes more
readily, though, TO music and to domestic
cience than to the subjects which could be-
classed a. more particularly academic, and
sorely need just such instruction a. they
are getting under my father.
Direct teaching in manners and morals,
like that given by Mrs. Bruce, our dean,
who is the widow of senator Bruce,
h also a very important factor in the up
lifting Of the people. The conditions ont of
which these students have, many Of them,
come are suualid and miserable beyond the
Imagination Of Northerners. A large num-
ber Of the girls have never known in their
poor homes any of the refining influences.
Perhaps their parents are living In hin.
And the climatic conditions In the South,
added to the temperamental laxity in man
ners that l. undoubtedly characteristic
Of the submerged negro woman, all tend
TO make the labors Of Mrs. Bruce exceed
inglv valuable.
Very often when the girls come 20 Tuske-
gee they lie atrociously. But Mrs Bruce
il especially stern about falschoOds. and the
girl who does not very HOOn evinCe a desire
TO be truthful is sent back to her home.
A. for the statement recently made by
"a. .fT,s,sf fhaf tho uAu "a
girls IN the South are all shockingy i'm
inoiai that's a gross eKaggeration. Bu'
hereiitv is powerful factor Tor eNil a. well
a. for good and We have hat too short
time at the work Ia have b'en able Co edu.
cate the colored girl ia every case out ~
"A prOuene=s 90 moral laAity.
'The educated negro woman who II
good, however, has conception ~ pur'ly
which seems To me- 10 COMPARE very iaNor-
ably with that of the white girl ~ 'he same
class | have had ample opportunity 10
make observations from the inside ~ bo'h
q northern and q southern school for girls
aud | firmly bril"Ne that "a cOlorSl girl o'
tie South Nhu has ono" frdliY'd ~.ih bee
heart aud miud the rinfuin.ss 'f siu nnd
the b.auty Of Nomanly dsliCacy and ~.
-traiui T. often mon" pure in mint and d'.d
than the Northern giTl ! VA a. the pfs"-
tipe school cuuHsctUd With the Framing
ham Normal SclUnl 'of thr"" YEAR and
l sHW there, ui ouur-''. great deal - ls'afd-
"a
TOO. that r,-',iy'-i the only notion ! hav"
ever LAd in the Nurh a. 90 ~ hai q u'iur
me might H. And tllsi th" imi'ifsi -uub
came from a hsutlirrn Fin
lhis giflt hpf.e Na- ~ Nsiiih "a Dina
aud thuiEh ,hr sas riyu 60 niT rlis va
urArf oYrtiAl a. tls uiiaT giflz ven. Aut
ptis when ii-r hrIilnT 0atnH iu fi-t ii"i
lis d-tar-t up and down. a. ! afi"r~ sul
l,5atnst ti.at h' Nuuii noi - 10 th" 'all''
b. hir 4 Nas ttrrr "a. iad ur,"r 80 tHiI
81 iis iau,s iAlIls a- q rulufssi I-'fzun. hr
sad AL h. urtrf sui|h 49, th'r ga
iius i,uff ,lrs' iua hiu| tu 80 aiad hlr .l-irt
finally isrfsuads-i hiu. ! . 49, tpli uY rsul"
Be- aIu unf uthAs aTrnr hhiut WiiHi
tfH af ola. FuiI knHS ttf tir h..aiil'fH
auusH fsrins aisIHl H.spal iuirfi. itifr'
r.II. ,sHlHitd i-HIHr i- q iiinr is'bufh iri
Hs.ntfuI tsiuiailsn iaa nuf fr' issru -'i
.nnHItF.s dtfrfHssi 40 tilH brahitfrs if
.aafH iHai siif .. aia ia utfruitf t iHf
I..I I4 sufn tIt.Hn ~ Gee thf DiIaftsI Ffl
IH Fiut dFHaiI. aiIl lshs 1900
u ss.usHI o. 80 isr tsaf aisi ! srf
Ia.It N.Hf afIri q HhF airs.. go rH
.II IaHsnf f..Ha ~ 90 flaHa. ai aahf 80
.I.aI HfI. iH tsH o.. sHft HHri af.sI ai
.. bel Hald tH 49, suIafHH ifHi. H IiH
h.f.I IHIH atiis El a. HfuIaIsI uuN
.Is Is.f HIHsi 90 ~ BIOL ksui siaH
IIr IIfIIfHs FaIH sHtlfHi.t.I#fH Hl.I