New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-05-03

History Is TO tell Of washinstons-one
white. the other black both fathers Of their
peoples. - Andrew Carnegie
Through the generosity Of Andrew Carnegie.
Booker T Washington is permitted to devote
the rest of his life untrammelled TO the education
Of his fellow negroes In his gift of $4,000 TO
the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute Mr.
Carnegie provided that Mr.. Washington should be
made independent for the remainder Of his life
At the same time he bestowed upon him remark
able ellogv in which he defined the negro edu-
Gator as sort of Moses and as the greatest prod
uct OF his race.
The career OF Booker T. Washington. although
along different lines and through the strata Of
different racial society. nevertheless is similar IN
many WAYS to that of his iIustrious benefactor
Washington like Carnegie. rose from mental laoor
intellectual plane of activity Both were
compelled TO face adversely from the outset Both
had to hew their own way unaided. Both became
leaders of men. In the life of the negro Washing
ton the conditions of past and present. however
offer even more striking contrasts as they repre-
sent the depths and heights Of slavery and free
dom.
The earliest remembrances of the negro educator
date hack n the DAYS OF the slave. Born some
time in the year 1858 1s59-hc himself does not
know exactly which. the day or month-tne
future Booker T. Washington found hir1seLI on the
bare earth floor of log cabin II was on a
plantation in Franklin County Va. The fact that
he was slave did not bother his childish mind
until day his mother woke him up carry oy
kneeling over him and his brother John in prayer
AS he listened he heard the poor woman sooolns'
and between her sobs the words:
20 Lord. save Lincoln and his armies so we
may be free"
Again and again the repeated these
words adding now and then her belief that God
would surely free the negro from his bondage
Like others OF his race, who have not achieved as
high round OF success as himself Booker T.
Washington cannot trace his ancestry far without
becoming lost in darkness In the slave quarters
when a child he heard whispered conversations
among the colored folk of the fortunes which his
ancestors suffered in the middle passage from the
shore of Africa. Beyond that all was fearful
mystery He had only the vaguest idea who was
his father. He had heard reports that he was a
white who lived neighboring plantation
That all.
whoever he was" Mr.. Washington has said. Il
never heard of his taking the least interest in me-
But do not find especial fault with him. He was
simply another unfortunate victim of the institu-
ton which the nation unhappily grated upon
itself at that time
His mother the plantation cook His food
was of the simplest and coarsest Occasionally
there cana a choice morseI. and such a day was
remembered for months to come
"One of my earliest recollections" Mr.. Wash
ington has said. lis that of my mother cooking a
chicken late one night and awakening her children
Cor the purpose Of feeding U.S. How or where she
got it do not know. presume. however. it was
procured from owners farm Some people
may call this theft If such a thing should hap
pen now 1 should condemn 1t as theft myself
Taking place 1t did. no one could ever make
ne believe that my mother guilty of thieving
She simply a victim OF the system OF slavery
The first pair of shoes which the young Wash
ington wore had wooden soles an inch and a
half thick. They had rough leather on the top,
MI Washington remarked time when in a
reminiscent mood but the bottoms were Of wood
When they walked they made fearful noise.
But the greatest ordeal of the young slave was
his fax shirt That what all the colored folk
on the plantation had to wear. and Mr. Washing
ton has since said that the fax shirt 10 him was
like instrument of torture The reason that
the shirts of the slaves were made Of this mate
rial was because IL was cheap. rough refuse which
would be worthless for anything else a new
shirt on his skin felt like a thousand pins or a
garment made of chestnut burrs. One day. how
ever brothers love came to his aid. On seeing
him weeping from the pain of new shirt. his
brother John to him and offered t. break 1t
in for him. Little Booker gladly took II off and
let John wear it for the next few days contenting
himself with his old rags.
The youthful Washington never knew what play
meant. AS soon he able to toddle he was
put 10 work Later his chief and most dreaded
task was go to the mill. On such times great
bag of corn was thrown across the back of a
horse and he was tossed up top Of the corn
Then he was told to drive the beast the mill and
bring back the meal into which the corn was to be
ground. All would have been well if the corn
would only have stayed the horse. but some
where between the plantation and the mill the
bag was always sure TO slide off and carry him
with it into the road Too weak to put il back
himself he had to wait till kind passerby
would do It for him often he would be delayed
hours and return late TO get a sound Jogging
With freedom came stirring inspiration to the
how Because of his early love to hear books
read he had been called Booker by his mother. and
now he believed he could carry out his ambition 10
read books himself. Later. when he worked with
his stepfather at a salt furnace in West Virginia
Re attended a night school BY promising TO begin
work unusually early mornings and afternoons and
evenings he finally enabled TO attend day
school also. and thus he to have the name
washington. According to the story which he tells
himself he was somewhat abashed the first day
az school to find nc had only the name Booker The
other children had boosted Of two and even three
names When his turn he had made Up hts
mind without the least trepidation. and as If Re
had carried such name all his life he said.
INV name is Washington-BOoker Washington
Mr. Washington explains that his middle initial
TT stands for TaIiaferro, which his mother had
bagun 70 call him when baby. but had after
ward dropped Taliaferro in all probability. was
the name Of his father
. The more recent chapters Of Mr. Washington
life his DAYS the Hampton institute. where ne
worked his way jantor and obtained an edu-
cation and his present labors among his people IN
the South need no repetition