The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-15
sketch of Booker T.. Washing tons
Career

Booker T. Washington was by no
means the first Of his race in this coun-
try to demonstrate tho fact that there
IL no color line in brains. hut he be-
came even more Of national fivur"
than the man he succeeded as leader ~
the negroes in America. Frederick
Douglass He WIS an organize for good
among his people. lie was TN" greatest
educator the negro race has ever pro-
duced He was an orator of real dis
tinction. lie constantly preached COM
mon sense to "A race as mpulsiNc as
children.
Probably no negro that ever lived
was more honored by white men than
Or Washington President Roosevelt
had him To the white House for dinner,
thereby greatly scandalzinc some people
in the South. but creating throughout
the country a. a whole more faNorlbl"
impression. Andrew tlrnegi" onCr re
nya rk.d that history would tell OF tive
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. white. the other
black both fathers Of their peoples.
It was through the generosity Of Mr..
Carnegie that Washington was left free
to devote his life to the cause Of ed
ucatlug negroes. Mr.. Carnegie gave
5000. 900 To the Tuskegec Normal and
Industrial Institute at Tuskerec, Ala
b,ma the school made famous through
out the world because of Mr.. Washing
. TONS connection with it and devotion to
II.
Horn In slavery.
Mr. Washingt tons earliest rcmemptan-
ces went back to tn" period OF slavery.
lie recalled that he was born near iialc's
Ford Franklin county, Virginia. either
! in 1853 or 1859. he was never quite
certain which year IT was TIL" "ntran'"
! into the world Of slave babies was not
flN.r, -
days. lie and his mother were chattels
of "A family named Burrows. hut he was
little enough affected by the rigors OF
slavery and he used to say mat ms
childhood was happy in spite of wretched
poyertv and the denssst of ignorance.
He had only the vaguest idea as to
who was his father. He had heard re-
ports that his father was white man
. who lived ON A neighborng plantation.
! That was all.
With freedom came a stirring nspira-
: ,ion 10 the boy. He had loved 10 hear
books read had been eager to hear
stories and he had AN imagination tnat
, kindlcd easily Il was because OF his
early liking for books that ne got his
name Booker. The name, IN fact, was
"A sort of joke played on the hoy by his
| mother 1t was her way of alludlng
! 10 and Singing out his peculiarly.
! Soon after the war hc went to Maiden.
w Va. and worked in a salt mill for
nine months IN the year, while he at
| tended school for three months, lie was
determined at that time to get An edu-
cation but he found the task terribly
difficult one. lie managed to put in some
time at night school and finally, by
promising To begin work unuSuall, early
| in the morning and keep AT II unusually
| late in the evenings. he Was able to at
| 1.x
How " ..t Uis Name.
According To- his own accoun, of it..
hs was greatly embarrassed when the
teacher asked what his name was and
| nc could not tell her, lie had only
one name-Booker. but he was Il quick
minded and resourceful lad and ON the
second day. when the teacher again
asked him to give his full name, he said
| without hesitation:
MY name IL Washington Booker T.
| Washington.
| He thought ,hat while he was select
ing "A name he might M well select IA
| good one The "r," he explained stood
for Taliaferro. which, he had heard.
was the name of his father.
After spending several years IN this
manner. picking mp an education where
| and when he could and working hard
| o.
work in the house of II kind but en-
acting New England woman, where he
remained until 1871. Then he heard OF
the school at Hampton Va. and resolved
| to go there. lie took what little money
he had been able to save from his
wages OF Sc n month and made his way
, to Hampton on foot. lie remained UNI
Continued on rum Page,
|
| 'Stop at Crown Hotel. Providence, Il, L..