The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-02-18
PROBLEnSN EDUCATION.
~ Booker T. Washington.

: when / began the work Of founding
ehst ie nov known % the Tuskegss
s3ormal end Induatrial Institute. neal
t6s iltsle town Of TuskeSee, Alabama.
i dld nos have Q dollar % put into the
vcRk, nce did the institution own .
dolIarss worth Of property. In looking
about foe q place In which TO make .
bac7uninG, I happened % and an
ahSn6onSd shAnty th st wa about six.
tesn hy eRenty. -four feet This shanty
vae ~ such e condition that Il was
ranrly ready 70 tumble down. The
6onf had hCles in it % largo that ONE
hnd 70 3 careful 10 90 thai ones foot
al not clio Through them. The walls
veefe Al aho,ak the same condition ~
fhA Door. When u rainedl the water
would pocf 10 q nearly every part Of
tho ho.ss. As each . time the students
would sil upou their books in order 70
keep them dry. Moro than once do ]
rsnnembaf that when ] would be hear
ilna 8 rocfta1i0n, one Of the students
gDSa,ld eek en- umbrella ind hold it
ever no 10 shield mo from the rain.
Tue sesae on whleh the students eat
we're % many cases large rails or .
spIit lox which rested upon some
efoues. OF hsA pees driven into it for
lar, Theso ,Wan no teachers table, and
4 portion Of the time / used Q dry
eco3e box sur 6 seat. OF course, black
boayds and euch luxuriss uere hardly
70 Do iho0ght Of. BookS were very
scAsce. At one time / cav i've students
preparing q lesson from ore book; the
Two Who ~ upon the front seat had .
book bsswepn them. directly behind
them thors uefo two others Looking
over the sh4uldefs Of the flnt two,
and behind the Inst two there was q
afth iookiNt evsr the saouidsrs Of oil
four.
Dnsins The flfst two years In the
history az the To. .kDgee Institute !
aaeck 8 cQo6 deal Of ttme, mainly ON
SSkurdsyi) and Sundays, travelling by
dIFt road shsuu9h the eoontTy, letting
fSe peopjs know about the school and
800 AginR fAsir actaal condisions and
needs. V7hils, on thsso journeys I
made it Q point, a. far % possible, TO
60 tho psople in their aetusl every
day llfs-so see than In their homes,
thslf sessocls and churches In real life
rather rhan In . stimulated, artificial
lile. With shls In View, ] confined
mysslf oArefclly % the rural districts
and smaller towns where Che majority
Of oar people live, and made my visits
sxnone them without NOTES Of my com.
ine bslug given. ] found that the food
ofthe people generally consisted oi
corn bread and Q pleceof fried tat ba-
CON, With now and then . little
sRroens,s or molassssL The meal WA
uenally ents0 without any pRstence at
sittinH down n o table. Each individu-
ri would eat his portion from the hand.
and oltsn while sltting by the hre. OF
walaing shout In the yard, or perhaps
moys oltsn on the way % the cotton
Geld SoF the days work. A rule the
pcople Mod IN cabtns c0atalning bu,
Sae'rusab. 6Sspssina I found % many
= tan Who saaps in ono room, and
thay would - of I'll sexss and all
g.. oftea including several who
Vese IN no way related 70 the family.
II vas rather m Interesting experience
% and myeslf waiting on thu outside
of tha cabin at ni6htes cos,es l. sidl
nita % 70 70 bed. B1.:~.si- ~: hv y
ucr thS want of the stmplest con. "a.
fences snd comforts Of life was the
worst fsaturs In the conditions which
i ound. This was the gloom thai
seemed % b cast over every one BY
raascn Of the constant presence o.
debt: debs for the rent Of the land
The moesenge on tho crop, on the mule
Or GOV, . veil a debt tor clothes, foI
food, for whieksy. for tobacco. fol
snud. These debts not only covered
IN many eases the present year,
opefAtlons, bet had overlapped snt
would inevitably extend far Into tn,
future. Thus &c ves true that the past
prsssnt and future were snortgaged
fhe time was when ] was rather In
ciined 70 blame the southern whit,
men Tor the debls Of the colored peo
ne. but ei0eer observation has laugh
ne thak one Of the main things tha
the so,lthefn white snen has to guar,
aesinst 10 10 keep tho negro from &c
in9 too deeply. Into debt, and that, bu
Sor' the refusal Of many southern mel
chants and bsnkers 10 give more cred
Il, both the negro and the soutasr
white people would be farther 4
debt than thsy are.
In inspecting the schools, while
ves on these journsys, found thu
fhey vere IN about the condition tn,
thet my school wss In when / dr
cume 10 Tuskegee: that they rarel
were In sesIop longer than 70,