The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-12-24
The WORK OF L NEGRO WOMAN.
Emma Wilson's Institute in Sum-
fer county---Taught Herself.
Early Struggles in Slavery Days to Learn
and Results Through Aid of Her Mas
ters---Estab!ishment of Her
School at MaYesyiIIe.

The following is from the New York
Evening Post:
The boy;who educates himself, stu
dying his lessons~by freight after fol
lowing the plough or welding of the
axe all day is a common type of effort
America. It is heroic type, match
ed now and again by a woman who
achieves her end over still greater
difficulties,
One of the most interesting schools
in the South is the result Of such a
self-educated woman's labor. Her
story, simple, sober, but admirable,
begins in the last years of slavery.
Emma Wilson was born in bondage,
in Mayesville, South Carolina, about
five years before the civil war. Hers
was one of the cases where the bonds
were lightly worn. Her mother was
the family cook and the child played
on terms of equality with the white
children.
The first intimation that ever came
to her Of the inferiority Of her social
condition was on the Monday morning
when her white playmates were first
sent to school. She could not under
stand why she was left behind and the
blunt statement that she was black
and therefore not entitled to an educa-
tion failed to satisfy her. She wept
and could not be comforted until her
favorite boy playmate ran back and
promised that he would teach her
everything he learned in school.
(. He kept his word as far as he was
able and the girl learned to read easy
sentences and to write the alphabet.
Newspapers were used as text books
and smooth sand plot and stick for
blackboard.
The tumult of the war interrupted
the lessons and after those stormy days
were over the young girl found her
self on a small farm with her mother
and brothers. There was school for
freedmen's children in the neighbor-
hood and the brothers were permitted
to attend it. The mother did not
believe in educating girls and in
spite of entreaties the daughter was
sent out into the cotton fields. Even
this did not stiae the child's ambi-
ton. She carried scraps Of Newspapers
into the field with her and conned them
over and over as she worked. 1t
was her fixed determination to spell
as many words as the boys who went
to school and she often stopped them
in the road when they passed by on
their way home and challenged them
to spell some especially long word
which she had mastered. A priceless
gift of WebsIer's blue-backed speller
helped her on her career, and when
the mothers prejudice was finally
overcome and the girl was allowed to
90 to school she was ready to enter
the fourth class.
Her teachers took an interest in her
from the first day and as her progress
advanced they advised her to try to
enter higher school. The Scotia
Seminary for Colored Girls at Con-
cord, N. c., was recommended. At
ter several years. hard work the neces-
sary money for travelling expenses,
books, clothing, etc., was earned, the
Disappearing but kindly mother paying
the entrance fee Of SIS.
Emma Wilson remained at the semi
nary three years, well deserved
scholarship paying her later expenses.
The desire to help her race came to
her in the midst of her studies and
first took the form Of missionary work
in Africa. After her graduation she
went home to prepare for this work,
but all ambition in this direction LETT
her when she saw the condition OF
her people in Mayesyille. Her work
lay nearer home than the African
coast.
At the first Sunday night service af-
ter her arrival she used it to be an
nounced that school would open the
next morning in her mothers cabin.
Ten children came. Even this small
number was a tight fit for the cabin
kitchen and the teacher set out to find
school building. She managed to
secure the loan of an unused gin house
bare of any furniture without win.
dows, and far from clean. Plenty OF
friendly hands we're stretched out to
help the new school, white hands as
well as black. The owner of the saw
mill donated a pile of boards for bench
es and blackboards. The druggists
gave lampblack to color the black
boards, and some one else gave a few
stick of chalk. The children brought
their own text books-any book with
English letters in it served.
When the gin house was demanded
for cotton the school had to move.
There we're many moves in the next
five years. Any vacant building was
borrowed, always with the understand
ing that it must be given up when
the owner needed it. Very often the
children would gather up their books
at night with the query. Where's
school goin' to keep tomorrow, Miss
Emma?''
And often she would be obliged to
say: 81 don't know yet, children, but
somewhere-that's sure" The school
did not always open promptly at s
o'clock, but it never missed day
session.
To raise funds to support a home fog
boarding pupils, Miss Wilson rented
six acres of land and with the help OF
her pupils raised enough cotton to
keep the school going and to buy a
little home for herself.
In 1895 the school had grown beyond
the teacher. Help was needed to ex-
! 4o,J +ba uorl- and LEAVING an as