Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1901-11-28
BOOKERT. WASHINGTON.



an educator of his people, as an au-
thor and as public speaker has at
tracted wide attention, has made
him a hero among his people and
gained for aim the admiration Of his
fellow wcitizens, and IL he were less
well balanced he might have been
unable TO carry his honors graceful
". But he is modest and unobtru-
sive, and IN all respects = fine exam
pie of the self-made man. He was
born at Halls Ford, Va, ''about"
1855. He was slave until freed by
the Emancipation Proclamation, and
never knew who was his father. He
was named Booker Taliaferro. prob
ably because there were many prom
inent people in the commonwealth
by that name, but the name Wash
ington he took after he became free.
He makes no denial of these bio
graphical points, and rather likes to
dwell upon them. He speaks of the
people of his race as negroes and not
as "colored people, and sets them
a good example for industry andam-
bition, coupled with modesty
Washington s life story reads like
a romance. But there are few cheer
full chapters i'm it until one reaches
the story of the young man. The
child was buffeted about in drudg-
cry and want. AS the property of
the Maiden family he probably had
more comfort in the 'nigger quar-
ters thanh the poorhouse to which
his mother took him in West Virgin
ia. There as mere child he work
ed in the salt furnaces and then in
the mines. While working in the
mines and furnaces the child had a
chance to get few months of school
ing every year, but he secured en-
ployment with New England wom-
an and bad an opportunity to attend
night school, and then at odd times
between jobs" he worked and stu
died until 1871, when he started for
Hampton school, of which he had
heard gEueia = Gut OF the $6 ansenth
which the woman for whom he work
ed paid him for his services his saw
ings were small, and when he reach
ed Richmond on his way to Hampton
he had to go to work to get money
enough to make himself presentable
at the institution. But he became
the star pupil of the place, and was
graduated with honors, although he
worked his way through. After
spending a little while i'm his old
home and teaching school he return
ed to Hampton as a teacher, and
then started the institution at Tus-
kegee, Ala, which will always be a
notable monument to his energy and
his helpful work In the interest of
his race.
The college was started in 1881, !,
in a shanty. The idea of higher
school for blacks in that part of the
country caused amusement in many
southern circles, and the majority
of white citizens who gave the thing
any thought believed that the scheme
of the young negro enthusiast would
be forgotten in a short time. But
today the Tuskegee college has forty
six buildings on its 1900 acres OF
land, and 1900 pupils, representing
twenty-seven States, are being
taught in the institution. A new
hospital is building, a carriage lib
rary is under way and a new dormi-
tory, the gift of John d. Rockefellow
will soon become a part of the insti-
tuition. The students receive in
struction not only in the ordinary
school branches, but in twenty eight
industries, each pupil selecting the
one for which he is best fitted or to-
ward which he has the greatest in
clination. In his book, up From
Slavery Mr.. Washington says:
From the very beginning, at Tus-
kegee, / was determined to have
the students do not only the agricul-
tural and domestic work, but to
have them erect their own build
ings," This plan has been carried
out to the present day, and as the
institution grows the list of negro
mechanics increases.
Washington had seen the people
of his race work in a ''headless'
way, and was determined to better
their condition in that respect. My
place was," he said, mot to teach
them to work in the old way, but TO
show them how to make the forces
of nature-air, steam, waterand cleo
tricity-assist them in their labor. -
Washington set his people a good
example as a workman and as a
practical exponent of the principles
which he taught. His daughter
Portia, who is now a student at
Wellesley College. learned the dress
making trade while-at the Tuskegee