The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1917-06-14


gro receives special recognition an,
encouragement. In the South he Il
jealously watched and systematicall,
discouraged, snubbed and "made u
keep his place." as the saying goes
This is one Of the things that re-
tards both the material and mora
progress Of our southern states.
Now Berea, like Maryville and
some other schools, undertook TO de-
liver the south from these prejudi-
ces. For twenty-eight years color
ed students were freely admitted al
Berea just as at the great schools
OF the north and OF the civilized
world. The old shareholders pre-
dicted that all sorts of evil would
result, but none of these predictions
came to pass. There were collisions
between white and colored but they
were not in Berea. There were fear
full scandals between white and black
but they were in Richmond, Lexing-
ton, in Louisville, but not in Berea
And the old shareholders and their
successors, who were often more
unreasonable than the Shareholders
themselves, began TO fear that the
Negroes would prove their humanity
by real virtues and abilities. They
did not wish this TO happen. II the
Negro could improve in spite Of his
skin, they would make laws TO keep
him down. They passed the sepa-
rate-coach laws which are an hourly
shame TO Kentucky and her sister
southern states. And at last. when a
mulatto man, Booker T. Washington,
became so able and useful and emf
nent that he was casually invited 10
lunch with the President of the
United States, those Southern people
were angry and began passing sepa-
rate school laws. They had already
separated the races in the schools
which were supported by state
money. but now they passed laws
forbidding anyone. even at his own
expense. from teaching white and
colored people together. This law
fell in Kentucky in 1904.
For the next five years, i90i-i909,
we were struggling with the ques-
tion of our duty under these trying
circumstances. First, we question
ed the power of the state TO pass
such law, but the Supreme Court OF
the United States decided that mas
much as Berea College was a cor
poration created by the law Of the
state, it was subject in all things 10
the state. In other words, a cor
poration has none Of the ''inalienable
rights which belong TO an indivi-
dual.
Next we had to discover what was
our duty 10 the colored people thus
excluded. Evidently. some Of Be-
rea's property had been given for
them. and evidently il would be q
great disappointment TO Q student
already in attendance and q loss 10
the race for all future time. After
long prayer and consultation, we de-
cided TO do the very utmost for the
colored people. and put forth any
needed effort to secure the necessary
means. First, we would provide
travel expenses and student aid so
that every cOlored student already
in Berea should finish course at
some other institution. This was
followed up for years and scores OF
our One-time cOlored students grad
uated elsewhere. Second, we would
build for them an institution OF their
own equal to the old Berea. We
could not insure that il should grow
like Berea, but we could insure that
il should start like Berea.
So the President and his wife and
Professor Penniman had the task Of
raising current expenses for Berea
and at the same time the funds re-
quired for this great adjustment"
We enlisted DR.. Thomson, then
pastor Of the Union Church, to push
subscriptions in our own state. The
times were not favorable for money
raising. II was perhaps as large an
act OF faith as we ever put forth.
We got our first large encourage
ment in a pledge Of $4,000 from q
dear friend in Boston, who gave 1t
almost with her dying breath. And
a year later I came back to the little
room in New York where my wife
was staying to tell her that Andrew
Carnegie had pledged one half the
amount needed. 100000. That was
like voice from God saying we
had been safe in believing that what
ever was right was possible. That
was one of the most sacred hours OF
our life. Next morning, as Carnegie's
pledge was announced in the papers,
Mrs Saga uhom M ono WAS allow