Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1908-05-28
A VISIT TO TUSKEGEE.
A Former Audrain Boy Writes
the Message an Inter
eSting Letter.

former Audrain county boy, raised
at Vandala aud Laddonia. lie is
now in school work down South
aud tells something of what the
negro is doing for himself:
Tuskegee Institute is surround
ed by the State of Alabama.
Montgomery is about thirty miles
away. The little town of Tuske-
gee is half a mile square, and is
reached by the Tuskegee at ten
cents the mile from the main line
/ (fiye miles) for fifty cents, or the
round trip for sixty.fve. Buy a
rounder; tbirty.fve cents TO the
good.
In 1881 Booker T. Washington
had an idea, but unlike most Of us
who have ideas, he put this into
practice. 1t is still growing; it
covers twenty-five hundred acres
of land and is expressed in eighty.
three buildings. 1t is known as
the Tuskegee Institute, being a
school for the training of negroes.
There are sixteen hundred stu
dents at Tuskegee Institute, four
hundred of them being girls; girls
from sixteen years OF age aud up
ward.
The Tuskegee Institute chapel
seats three thousands people. Sun
day morning saw twelve hun
dred young negroes lined up in
battalion formation march to the
chapel by sacred music played
by a band of forty instruments.
The ladies were given the prefer
ence, and four hundred in blue un.
iforms with white collars, cuffs
l aud ties lined up in fours'
= marched at the head of the liue
and occupied their section in the
chapel. DR.. Warren Logan took
me in by door at the front SO
that we might have IA good view of
the audience. I've seen college
audiences in dozen different
towns, but never saw better be-
haved. more attentive audience
than this. There were one hun
dred twenty. five voices in the choir
assisted by pipe organ and two
pianos. The music needs no COM
D ment. Bishop Clinton of NOrtl
+ Carolina delivered an address OF
e the value of time. Time, said he
' is a God given lease to man of 1
g part Of his vast eternity" Tn
o address was logical aud sensible
; with no flights of oratory. TIL
D. audience listened attentively TO tn
x close, then filed out in silence.
l. DR.. Logan took me through tn,
dining room where these twelv
= hundred students were eating din
e ner. Everything was plain. bu
u clean and we'll ordered. The.
chanted the blessing in eonceI
after which arose the hum {
voices usually heard in a colleP
dining room; no more, no lou
T. talking or boisterous conduct.
~ All the work is done by the stl
j. dents. There are day students an
lc night students. The buildinI
u were planned by student arch
tecis aud built by student laboI
e. Even the brick were made in the
S yard there on the farm.
Tuskegee Institute is not a ca
lege; it is a High School 1t
designed to give students an ed
~. cation as far ms the High SchO
10 course goes; the rest of his educ
m. ton is practical; learning some
read. In fact, II is an iudustri
school. Any negro who is fou
~ teen years old aud eau read al
As' write may enter TuskeRee InsI
,"' "' tute. II he stays there till he era
'SS yates he has a High School educ
ton. the discipline of a soldier. Al
will knows some trade.
ks The giSls get the same genet
1t. education. aud are taught to Sc