The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-05-10
SUCCESSION OF TRAINERS OF
YOUTH: MARK HOPKINS SAM
CEL ARMSTRONG, BOOKER
II WASIII

A y SHUGGEssIoN OF TRAINERS OF
YOUTH I7E M ,Al81 HOPKINS SAM
T. WASHINGTON. .~
The details of his early life, as
frankly set down in up from Slay-
ery,', 90 not give quite a whole view
OF Mr. WashingtOn's education. He
had the training that a colored youth
receives at Hampton, which, indeed
the autobiography does explain. But
the reader does not get his intellectual
pedigree, for Mr.. Washington himself.
perhaps does not SO clearly under
stand it as another man might. The
truth is he had a training. during the
most impressionable period of his life
mat was very extraordinary such q |
training as few men of his generation
have had. To see it's full meaning
one must start in the Hawaiian Is
lands half century or more ago.*
There Samuel Armstrong, a youth of
missionary parents, earned enough
money to pay his expenses at an
American college. Equipped with this
small sum and the earnestness that
the undertaking implied, he came to
Williams College when DR.. Mark Hop
kins was president Williams College
had many good things for youth in
that day, as it has in this, but the
greatest was the strong personality of
it's famous president Every student
does not profit by great teacher; but
perhaps no young man ever came un-
der the influence of DR.. Hopkins whose
whole nature was SO ripe for profit by
such an experience as young Arm
strong. He lived in the family of
President Hopkins, and thus had a
training that was wholly out of the
common; and this training had much
to do with the development Of his
own strong character, whose original
ity and force we are only beginning
to appreciate. 81 III |
In turn, Samuel Armstrong, the
founder of Hampton Institute, began
his work as trainer of youth. He
had very raw material, and doubtless |
most of his pupils failed to get the
greatest lessons from him; but as he |
had been peculiarly receptive pupil
of DR.. Hopkins, so Booker Washing
ton became a. peculiarly receptive pu- !
Pill of his. To- the formation of Mr.
Washington's character then, went |
the missionary zeal Of New England,
Influenced by one OF the strongest
personalities in modern education,
and the wide-reaching moral earnest (
ness of General Armstrong himself. |
These influences are easily recogniz-
able in Mr.. Washington today by men
who knew DR.. Hopkins and General
Armstrong. s .gis[
"A NEW KIND OF MAN IN THE COLOR
ED WORLD
I got the cue to Mr.. Washington's |
character from a very simple incident |
many years ago. I had never seen
him, and knew little about him, ex-
cept that he was the head of school
at, Tuskegee, Alabama. I had occa-
sion to write to him, and addressed
him as "The Rev. Booker T. Washing
ton" In his reply there was no men
ton of my addressing him as clergy
man. But when had occasion to
write to him again, and persisted in
making him a preacher, his second
letter brought a postscript: 81 have
no claim to Rev knew most Of
the colored men who at that time had
become prominent as leaders Of their
race, but had not then known one
who was neither a politician nor a
preacher, and had mot heard of the
head of an important colored school
who was not preacher. A new
kind of man in the icoiored world I
said to myself--.a new kind Of man
surely If he looks upon his task as an
economic one instead Of a theological
one. wrote him an apology for
installing him for a preacher.
THE VOICE OF THE NEGRO STRUG-
CLING UPWARD.
The FIRST time that went to Tuske.
gee I was asked to make an address
to the school on Sunday evening. I
sat upon the platform of the large!
chapel and looked forth on a thousand
colored faces. and the choir of hun-
dred or more behind me sang a fa-
miliar>religio melody, and the whole
company joined in the chorus with
JUNCTION. I was the only white man
under the roof, and the scene and
the songs made an impression on me
that shall never forget. Mr.. Wash,
ington arose and asked them to sing
one after another OF the old melodies