River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1905-10-26
From Dixie"

= excerpts from letter written by
Miss Nealie Knowles, Director of
Domestic Science in the Southern
Industrial College at Camp Hill,
Alabama, to hei parents, Mr.. and
Mrs. g. G. Knowels, of this city.
CAMP HILL, Ala, Oct. II.
| Dear Father and Mother Friday
evening at TAO o'clock Miss Dillon,
| Miss Turner and / started for Tus-
kegee, rs miles from here. We
reached 9pelika 1T nine, where we
stayed all night. Saturday morning
at nine we left for Chehaw where we
again changed cars and at last took
the little Tuskegee road which was
/ the gift of Andrew Carnegie. This
/ is five miles long and lands you in
| Tuskegee. We were met at the sta
/ ton by Mr.. Washington S secretary
who is a nearly white man. He
showed US to one of the school car
riages. Almost as soon as we left
the station we saw the school build
ings for they are on high hill and
are prominent, being of red brick.
After a half-mile ride we reached
Huntington Hall and were shown TO
the parlor where Miss Lane, a very
cultured but colored woman, met us
and sent girl with us to Douglas
Hall. Here we were given fine
room with single iron beds and pri-
vate bath. Shortly after this one
of the colored teachers arrived TO
show us over the grounds. We
went to the fine library and were
shown about by Booker's young son.
| Then we visited some of the dormi-
| tories and then back to Huntington
Hall for dinner. The students din
| ing room is in the basement and we
went down to hear them sing grace
| There are 1900 of them and with
their big melodious negro voices
the air certainly did ring, but we
went to the teachers dining room
and ate at a small table with three
teachers, all as black as night. One
teaches chemistry, one English and
| one was the director of music. They
were all entertaining and very well
educated.
After dinner we visited some class
rooms, then the big agricultural
building, the green houses, the
dairy, the COW barn with it's $50
cows, the stables with nearly 200
horses and mules, the piggery with
it's 1000 pigs, the hospital and had
an interview with Booker T. him
self at his office. Next we had sup
per and shortly after message
age came saying that Mrs. Wash
ington invited us to breakfast at
$3.50 on Sunday morning.
On Sunday student was sent to
meet us. We found the residence
to be fine brick affair, the result
of student labor. A colored butler
met us at the door and we were
taken into handsome parlors. Mrs.
Washington met us and introduced
us to English officers who were
there from South Africa. We had
| fine breakfast in a very handsome
dining room. There were Mr.. and
Mrs Washington, their young son
| about Is, small niece of three who
lives with them, Mrs. Bruce, white
woman, whose son teaches in the
| institution, the Englishmen and
ourselves. One Englishlnan said to
me, "Oh, say, does one pass Cali
fornia in going from Montreal to
Savanpah?" After breakfast we
went out TO see the military drill of
the 800 boys. We were invited to
inspect the lines and we all passed
down the line in front of the COM
! panies and up in the rear. Some
were sent out of line because their
| boots were not BACKED and some
because the buttons were not we'll
sewed on their coats. Next we
went to chapel and such a sea of
black facesl They do sing SO well.
After chapel special dinner was
ordered for US and the carriage was
sent round to take us to the railway
| station.
The town itself is a very aristo-
cratic old place and very pretty.
They of course do not approve of
Booker and despise any white peo-
pie who mix up with the niggers, "
as they say.
Going from Tuskegee there were
three white men across the aisle
who were talking for our benefit.
They are really violent at times and
several of the colored teachers have
been shot at. We are wondering
what will happen when President
Roosevelt is there He is to spend
| three hours at the school Oct. %,
and they are making great plans.
You must look out for an account
of it.
Well, we did have a fine time and
one I would not have missed for a
great deal.