A boys' life of Booker T. Washington

by Walter Clinton Jackson

There were two parts to it. In the first place, although he had a fine farm of five hundred acres all paid for, he had no buildings, except that old kitchen, stable, and henhouse, in which to house his students. When school opened in the fall of 1882, there were about one hundred and fifty students present. These three or four little old shacks would not take care of that crowd. What was he to do? This was his first difficulty.

His other problem was this. His school was just outside the town of Tuskegee. It adjoined the town. A great many people in Tuskegee thought that this school ought not to be built. Many were opposed to Booker Washington. Many were opposed to educating negroes, and they believed that negroes went to school simply to get out of work, and that an educated negro was “sorry” and troublesome. Then there were some who said: “This man means well, but he is just a negro, and, of course, he can’t succeed.” Then, there were others who said: “This man Washington is all right. I believe in him and trust him. He is doing a good thing. He is going to succeed. I am counting on him.” So, his second job was to win the friendship and good will of all the people in the town and round about and not to disappoint those who believed in him. He worked out these two problems together, as we shall see from what happened.

The very first thing needed by the students after all was not a building but something to eat. So the first move Washington made was to start the students to work on the farm in raising a crop. Every day, after the students had studied and recited their lessons, they would go to the fields and work. We have already learned how they found out what a “chopping bee” was. Now they were working in the fields where they had previously cut down the trees. Some of them did not like this work at first. They said: “We did not come to school to do work like this. We have had enough of this at home.” But Washington kept right on, working hard himself and showing his students that he was not ashamed to do hard work with his hands.

The next thing in order was a building—a good building, large and comfortable and useful. He began to make plans for it. He knew he had to have it, and, although he really did not have any money at all in hand, he went right ahead and planned a fine building to cost six thousand dollars. He did not know where he would get the money, but he had a firm belief that in some way the money would be secured.

A Sunday Afternoon Band Concert on the Campus

When it was learned that he expected to put up this building, a man who lived near Tuskegee and who owned a sawmill came to Washington and said to him: “I have been watching you. I know what kind of a man you are. You will keep your word, and you will pay your debts. I see that you need some help. I just want to say that I will furnish you all the lumber you need for this building at once, and you can pay just whenever you are able.” Washington explained that, while he hoped to be able to raise the money to pay for the building, he had not yet secured any of it. The man replied: “That’s all right. Your credit is good with me; I will trust you.”

We can see from this incident how well he was succeeding in making friends with his neighbors.

As soon as he had raised a part of the money, he let the man put the material on the ground. Then the building was begun, and again the students did all the work. They first digged the foundations, and some of them became so disgusted with this work that they left the place altogether. Washington was sorry that they left, but he said that any one who was too proud to work with his hands and help out at a time like this did not belong in his school. However, most of the students remained and were perfectly willing to do the work. Rapid progress was made, the foundations were finished, and they were ready for the laying of the corner stone.

The laying of the corner stone of this building is an important event in the history of the education of the negro. There was a great crowd present. Washington, his teachers, his students and their parents, and a large number of other negroes were there. There were present, also, a large number of white people,—the mayor of the town, the councilmen, the sheriff and all the other county officers, and all the prominent business and professional men of the community.