Do you know what a “chopping bee” is? Well, the students of Tuskegee didn’t know until Booker Washington taught them. After they had been in their new quarters for several weeks, Washington walked in one day and said: “To-morrow we are going to have a ‘chopping bee.’ Now all of you that have an axe bring it to school with you. Those of you who do not have one, let me know, and I’ll get one for you. We will dismiss school early and go to the ‘bee.’”[[12]]

Next day everybody had an axe, and all of them were wondering what sort of game a “chopping bee” was. They had never been to one, and they were much excited over it.

Soon after dinner Washington got his axe and threw it on his shoulder and told the boys to come on. They eagerly followed. He led them out to the woods and began cutting down a tree, and told them to do the same thing. They did so. Washington, swinging his axe faster and better than any of them, led the crowd, though all of them were doing their best. And as they just kept on at this, it presently dawned on them that a “chopping bee,” after all, was nothing but plain cutting down trees and clearing land. Some of the students became angry. They said they did not come to school to do that kind of work; they came to study books. But they looked at Washington, who was an educated man, and they saw that he was not ashamed to do this kind of work. After a time they began to see what Washington’s purpose was, and they quit complaining and gladly helped with all their might to get this needful work done.

There was another way in which Washington secured the assistance of others to build up his school. He had no way of going about over the country except by walking. He did not have a horse or a mule, and he could not cover much territory by walking. So he would watch for some old negro with a mule and wagon and go to him and tell him all about his plans. Then he would say: “Now, Uncle, don’t you want to help in this good work? Well, come around early Saturday morning with your mule and wagon and take me out in the country, where I can see the people and tell them about our school,”[[13]] and the old man would be there on time.

So, with the cordial coöperation of the students and friends in the town, the school was making progress. Land was being cleared, and the buildings and grounds were being improved. Washington was spreading the fame of his school throughout the country and every one was becoming interested.

But that debt of five hundred dollars for the land on which the school was being built had not been paid. Where was the money coming from? That was the hard question. Miss Davidson started the plan of having suppers or “festivals.” She would go about town and get friends to donate a chicken or a cake or a pie for a supper. In this way a good sum was raised. Washington wrote to his friends, explained the situation, and asked for contributions. He asked the negroes as well as the white people in town to give, and they did. Washington says that sometimes they would give five cents, or twenty-five cents, or a quilt or some sugar cane. “I recall one old colored woman,” he says, “who was about seventy years of age,—she hobbled into the room where I was, leaning on a cane. She was clad in rags, but they were clean. She said: ‘Mr. Washington, God knows I spent de bes’ days of my life in slavery. God knows I’s ignorant and poor; but I know what you and Miss Davidson is tryin’ to do. I knows you is tryin’ to make better men and women for de colored race. I ain’t got no money, but I wants you to take dese six eggs, what I’s been savin’ up, and I wants you to put dese eggs into de eddication of dose boys and gals.’”[[14]] Washington says that he has received many gifts for Tuskegee, but none that affected him more deeply than this one.

Needless to say, by the end of the year the five hundred dollars had been raised and the debt paid.

Thus ended the first year of the history of Tuskegee. If you go there now and see the many fine buildings, the broad acres, the hundreds of students, and everything that goes to make up a great and wonderful college, it would be very hard to realize that it started off with one little shanty with a leaky roof, one teacher, and thirty students. From this simple and humble, but very earnest beginning, Tuskegee grew by leaps and bounds until it came to be the most remarkable negro school in the South.

CHAPTER VIII
STRENUOUS DAYS

As Booker Washington began the second year of his school, he met a new obstacle. That was nothing unusual for him, however. He was usually facing a hard job. He spent his life working on difficult tasks, and he never found one that he did not finish with satisfaction. He tackled this problem at once and with confidence.