The age-herald., 1902-05-04
BY HOMER GEORGE.

the work done here by members of this great educational body has again brought into the limelight this great school or Booker Washington's. l feel that m speaking of the school the word great is advsedly used, for judging from the va rious things which came under my obser- vation during my stay here the school Is made up of all those ingredients which go to make anything large. broad and beyond anything less than great.
 And all this greatness had it's begin ming in the brain of one man and has I been worked out only through his un- swerving efforts. That man is, of course, Washington No one thinks of the school nor what it has done without coupling his name with it all as naturally as Mor- gan's name Is coupled with talks of big trusts. He hrs 6een architect and con tractor, and simple review of what he has done will prove the masterfulness with which he has done both bits of work.
 Before reviewing the work that has moved from a little school with one teacher and rented building to college with 2,3OO acres of land. fiftythree build ings and ninety teachers with 32 clerks and assistants I want to tell of personal impressions and of talks with manufac- turers regarding what is being done
 When I first visited the institution 1 expected to find possibly ten or twelve buildings, poorly equipped, situated on plot of land containing about fifty or sev- senty-fve acres of land. There was no excuse for my having such an impression vet 1t is generally held. But when l drove from the little city of Tuskegee the one mile which lies between 1t and the school, 1 came upon vast plot or land and saw in every direction fine brick and wooden buildings. All around me was activity. work Here a saw mill was grinding big logs into all kinds of pine and oak lumber. There carpenters were hammering away on the inside of a fine l structure, in another place brick-masons were laying brick for a new building, still another place a foundation TOT another new building was being dug. | foundry workmen were turning out sun | dry products. carpenters and woodwork | men were making furniture of all de- | scriptions, blacksmiths were making wag- | ons shoemakers were making shoes and | boots harness .workmen were busy round- | ing out work, dairymen were milking !. cows and giving attention to butter and K cream-all kinds of people were at work | Nobody idle, nobody at play but industry everywhere by everybody. . I stopped at the sight of it all It was l. my first experience in running upon such a hive of workers. l had visited techno- logical and industrial schools in the past. but nowhere had 1 ever seen so much work which counted for something being done. And afterwards, when I rode out to the school farm and brickyard and went through the various departments, l | could not but wonder why some white | man did not make such schools for the l poor white boys None exists in this coun- try, and it Is easy to establish tnsm.~
 EVERYTHING PRACTICAL.
 With hardly exception. Booker Washinga6n's school is the only school in the- country, having so many students and so many buildings where so many persons are taught things in books and out of books where every bit of work is made to be profitable. When you go into the woodworking department you expect to see small, miniature beds, and various articles. But not so. Every article shown you and every one upon which the stu dents are laboring such that find sale upon the markets. In all other depart ments 1t Is the same. When a thing is done it Is done on the same scale prac- ttced in the outer world.
 His school is possibly the only school in the country where every building from the smallest shed to the largest three story dormitory or fine chapel is the pro- duct of the student. Recently a twenty thousand dollar library was erected; through the gift of Mir Carnegie Yet the plans of the building were made by students and teachers and all work from | making of brick and cutting of logs for | lumber to the fine inside finishing was | done by the same students and teachers l who have built other houses here. Soon | work will begin on another building. It | will be done by students and teachers So | with all In sight and furniture within.
 At the hotel in Tuskegee I met a man. ufacturers agent who had made an at tempt to sell Washington a large lot of iron beds for his dormitories. He had failed in the attempt fro:, tho fact that all such articles are made by the stud ents of the college and not bought from any one at any price. It som etimes costs more to make these litle things than sub stitutes may be bought for, but 1t robs the boys of their chances to perfect themselves in making these same things for which they are at the school to learn perfectly.
 Not only do the men and boys work but the women and girls do the same thing The latter do duty in the dining rooms, the poultry yards, the dairies. the lanndries, the basket making depart ments. the millinery work-rooms, and all
 
 they may hereafter find a chance for earning living. And all seemed happy at their labor-even more so than stud ents usually are at their play and study
 The immensity of the institution will become apparent when it is stated the school owns 230o acres of land, has 90 teachers, g assistants. 1884 students rep | resenting twenty-eight states, Africa, | Porto Rico, Cuba and Bolama; and that | 1t costs the sum of $110,000 each year to | run it. Still all this has come from noth- | ing since the year 1881. It has come | by work, and the story of this work is | interesting.
 HISTORY OF SCHOOL.
 Naturally the story of this work is the l story of the life of Booker Washington. | Born in a slave-cabin this man has pass | ed up through the world until he Is now one of the most prominent figures in the affairs of this country-especially in 80 far as the education of the blacks Is concerned His birth was in Franklin County, Virginia, during the year of 1858 or 1859 The month or day of this coming is not known.
 The story of his earlier days is the same as of most negro boys of that time. He first began to learn things while at work 1t Maiden, Va, in a salt mine This work he continued through many ups and downs until he finally reached Hamp- ion College in Virginia where he studied ]