Mr. Washington received word that the convention had split, contending
leaders holding out for what they termed principles. Immediately on
the receipt of this report he dispatched the following telegram to the
leaders of the two opposing factions:
I earnestly beg and urge that each convention remain in
session until all differences are composed. In the event
this cannot be done I hope each convention will empower a
small committee or authorize some one to appoint committees
that may have power in settling present difficulties so that
next year there may be but one convention. It is easier now
to bring about reconciliation than it will be later. It will
be a calamity to the Baptist Church and to our race for the
present split to continue. It will soon spread to all the
Baptist churches in all the States. I would urge that each
side manifest a broad liberal spirit and be willing to
sacrifice something for the good of the cause. Millions of
our humble people throughout the country are depending upon
our leaders to settle their difficulties in a Christian
spirit and they should not be disappointed. If I may be used
at any time in any way my services are at your command. Have
sent a similar telegram to Dr. ----.
[Signed] BOOKER T. WASHINGTON.
Unhappily he did not have the satisfaction of bringing the two
factions together before he died, but until the last he continued his
efforts in this direction.
Largely because of his intimate knowledge of the plain people Booker
Washington appealed to the great of the earth. In his books, "Up from
Slavery," "The Story of My Life and Work," and "My Larger Education,"
he tells of taking tea with Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle, of his
association with Presidents McKinley, Roosevelt, and Taft, of his
introduction to Prince Henry of Prussia, of his dining with the King
and Queen of Denmark, and of his long friendships with William H.
Baldwin, Jr., Robert C. Ogden, Henry H. Rogers, John D. Rockefeller,
and Andrew Carnegie. He was of value and interest to such people
largely because of his closeness to his own people. His power to
interest such people was largely because he was so close to the rank
and file of his own people.
After the death of Henry H. Rogers, Mr. Washington said of him in an
interview published at the time in the New York _Evening Post_: "The
more experiences I have of the world, the more I am convinced that
the only proper and the only safe way to judge any one is at first
hand and by your actual experience. It seems to me that, outside of
the immediate members of my family, I knew the late Henry H. Rogers
during the last fifteen years as well as I could know any one. Of all
the men that I have ever known intimately, no matter what their
station in life, Mr. Rogers always impressed me as being among the
kindest and gentlest. That was the impression he made upon me the
first time I ever met him, and during the fifteen years that I knew
him that impression was deepened every time I met him." (And this was
Booker Washington's impression of the second greatest figure in the
building up of the huge, world-powerful corporation whose methods
during its period of rapid expansion had at that time been only
recently described in _McClure's Magazine_ by Ida M. Tarbell.) "I am
sure that the members of his family will forgive me for telling, now
that he has laid down his great work and gone to rest, some things
about him which I feel that the public should know but which he always
forbade me to mention while he lived.
"The first time I ever met Mr. Rogers was in this manner: about
fifteen years ago a large meeting was held in Madison Square Garden
concert hall, to obtain funds for the Tuskegee Institute. Mr. Rogers
attended the meeting, but came so late that, as the auditorium was
crowded, he could not get a seat. He stood in the back part of the
hall, however, and listened to the speaking.
"The next morning I received a telegram from him asking me to call at
his office. When I entered he remarked that he had been present at the
meeting the night previous, and expected the 'hat to be passed,' but
as that was not done he wanted to 'chip in' something. Thereupon he
handed me ten one-thousand-dollar bills for the Tuskegee Institute. In
doing this he imposed only one condition, that the gift should be
mentioned to no one. Later on, however, when I told him that I did not
care to take so large a sum of money without some one knowing it, he
consented that I tell one or two of our Trustees about the source of
the gift. I cannot now recall the number of times that he has helped
us, but in doing so he always insisted that his name be never used. He
seemed to enjoy making gifts in currency."
In an article published in _McClure's Magazine_ in May, 1902,
Rear-Admiral Robley D. Evans thus describes the occasion on which he
presented Booker Washington to Prince Henry of Prussia: "The first
request made by Prince Henry, after being received in New York, was
that I should arrange to give him some of the old Southern melodies,
if possible, sung by Negroes; that he was passionately fond of them,
and had been all his life--not the ragtime songs, but the old Negro
melodies. Several times during his trip I endeavored to carry out his
wishes, with more or less success; but finally, at the Waldorf-Astoria,
the Hampton singers presented themselves in one of the reception rooms
and gave him a recital of Indian and Negro melodies. He was charmed.
And while I was talking to him, just after a Sioux Indian had sung a
lullaby, he suddenly turned and said: 'Isn't that Booker T. Washington
over there?' I recognized Washington and replied that it was, and he
said: 'Evans, would you mind presenting him to me? I know how some of
your people feel about Washington, but I have always had great
sympathy with the African race, and I want to meet the man I regard as
the leader of that race.' So I went at once to Washington and told him
that the Prince wished him to be presented, and took him, myself, and
presented him to the Prince. Booker Washington sat down and talked
with him for fully ten minutes, and it was a most interesting
conversation, one of the most interesting I ever heard in my life. The
ease with which Washington conducted himself was very striking, and I
only accounted for it afterward when I remembered that he had dined
with the Queen of England two or three times, so that this was not a
new thing for him. Indeed, Booker Washington's manner was easier than
that of almost any other man I saw meet the Prince in this country.
The Prince afterward referred to President Roosevelt's action in
regard to Booker Washington, and applauded it very highly."
In 1911 Mr. Washington visited Denmark with the particular purpose of
observing the world-famed agricultural methods of that country. While
in Copenhagen he was presented to the King and Queen. This experience
he described on his return to this country in an article published in
the New York _Age_, the well-known Negro paper, in December of the
same year. The portion of the article describing his meeting with the
King and Queen reads as follows:
"Soon after I entered, the Chamberlain went in and presently
returned to tell me the King would be ready to see me in
about five minutes. At the end of the five minutes exactly
the door was opened and I found myself in the King's
chamber. I had expected to see a gorgeously fitted
apartment, something to compare with what I had seen
elsewhere in the palace. Imagine my surprise when I found
practically nothing in the room except the King, himself.
There was not a chair, a sofa, or, so far as I can recall, a
single thing in the way of furniture--nothing except the
King and his sword. I was surprised again, considering the
formality by which he was surrounded, by the familiar and
kindly manner in which the King received me, and by his
excellent English. Both of us remained standing during the
whole interview, which must have lasted twenty minutes. I
say we remained standing, because, even had etiquette
permitted it we could not have done anything else because
there was nothing in the room for either of us to sit upon.
"I had been warned by the American Minister and Mr. Cavling,
however, as to what might be the result of this interview.
Among other things in regard to which I had been carefully
instructed by the American Minister was I must never turn my
back upon the King, that I must not lead off in any
conversation, that I must let the King suggest the subjects
to be discussed, and not take the initiative in raising any
question for discussion. I tried to follow Minister Egan's
instructions in this regard as well as I could, but I fear I
was not wholly successful.
"I had not been talking with the King many minutes before I
found that he was perfectly familiar with the work of the
Tuskegee school, that he had read much that I had written,
and was well acquainted with all that I was trying to do for
the Negroes in the South. He referred to the fact that
Denmark was interested in the colored people in their own
colony in the Danish West Indies, and that both he and the
Queen were anxious that something be done for the colored
people in the Danish possessions similar to what we were
doing at Tuskegee. He added that he hoped at some time I
would find it possible to visit the Danish West Indian
Islands.
"As I have said, I had been warned as to what might be the
result of this visit to the King and that I had best be
careful how I made my plans for the evening. As the
interview was closing, the King took me by the hand and
said, 'The Queen would be pleased to have you dine at the
palace to-night,' at the same time naming the hour.
"The Minister had told me that this was his way of
commanding persons to dine, and that an invitation given
must be obeyed. Of course I was delighted to accept the
invitation, though I feared it would wreck my plans for
seeing the country people. The King was so kind and put me
so at my ease in his presence that I fear I forgot Minister
Eagan's warning not to turn my back upon him, and I must
confess that I got out of the room in about the same way I
usually go out of the room when I have had an audience with
President Taft.
"Leaving the King and the palace, I found out on the street
quite a group of newspaper people, most of them representing
American papers, who were very anxious to know, in the usual
American fashion, just what took place during the interview,
how long I was with the King, what we talked about, and what
not. They were especially anxious to know if I had been
invited to the palace for dinner."
And further on he thus describes the dinner:
"The dinner was not at the palace where I was received in
the morning, but at the summer palace several miles out of
Copenhagen. When I reached the hotel from the country it
soon dawned upon me that I was in great danger of being
late. To keep a King and Queen and their guests waiting on
one for dinner would of course be an outrageous offense. I
dressed as hastily as I was able, but just as I was putting
on the finishing touches to my costume my white tie bursted.
I was in a predicament from which for a moment I saw no
means of rescuing myself. I did not have time to get another
tie, and of course I could not wear the black one. As well
as I could, however, I put the white tie about my neck,
fastened it with a pin, and earnestly prayed that it might
remain in decent position until the dinner was over.
Nevertheless, I trembled all through the dinner for fear
that my tie might go back on me.
"I succeeded in reaching the summer palace about ten minutes
before the time to go into the dining-room. Here again I was
met by the King's Chamberlain by whom I was conveyed through
a series of rooms and, finally, into the presence of the
King, who, after some conversation, led me where the Queen
was standing and presented me to her. The Queen received me
graciously and even cordially. She spoke English perfectly,
and seemed perfectly familiar with my work. I had, however,
a sneaking idea that Minister Egan was responsible for a
good deal of the familiarity which both the King and Queen
seemed to exhibit regarding Tuskegee.
"As I entered the reception-room there were about twenty or
twenty-five people who were to be entertained at dinner. I
will not attempt to describe the elegance, not to say
splendor, of everything in connection with the dinner. As I
ate food for the first time in my life out of gold dishes, I
could not but recall the time when as a slave boy I ate my
syrup from a tin plate.
"I think I got through the dinner pretty well by following
my usual custom, namely, of watching other people to see
just what they did and what they did not do. There was one
place, however, where I confess I made a failure. It is
customary at the King's table, as is true at other functions
in many portions of Europe, I understand, to drink a silent
toast to the King. This was so new and strange to me that I
decided that, since I did not understand the custom, the
best thing was to frankly confess my ignorance. I reassured
myself with the reflection that people will easier pardon
ignorance than pretense.
"At a certain point during the dinner each guest is
expected, it seems, to get the eye of the King and then rise
and drink to the health of the King. When he rises he makes
a bow to the King and the King returns the bow. Nothing is
said by either the King or the guest. I think practically
all the invited guests except myself went through this
performance. It seemed to me a very fitting way of
expressing respect for the King, as the head of a nation and
as a man, and now that I know something about it, I think if
I had another chance I could do myself credit in that
regard.
"During the dinner I had the privilege of meeting a very
interesting old gentleman, now some eighty years of age, the
uncle of the King, Prince ----, who spoke good English. I
had a very interesting conversation with him, and since
returning to America I have had some correspondence with
him.
"As I have already said, the Queen Mother of England was at
this time in Copenhagen, and as I afterward learned, her
sister, the Queen Mother of Russia, was also there. As both
of these were in mourning on account of the recent death of
King Edward, they did not appear at this dinner. I was
reminded of their presence, however, when as I was leaving
the King's palace after my interview in the morning, one of
the marshals presented me with two autograph books, with the
request that I inscribe my name in them. One of the books,
as I afterward learned, belonged to the Queen Mother of
England; the other belonged to the Queen Mother of Russia."
A mere catalogue of the principal organizations which Booker T.
Washington founded for the purpose of helping his people to help
themselves tells a story of constructive achievement more impressive
than any amount of abstract eulogy.
The following is a list of such organizations given in chronological
order with a few words of description for the purpose of identifying
each:
In 1884 he founded the Teachers' Institute, consisting of summer
courses, conferences, and exhibits having as their main purpose the
extension of the advantages of Tuskegee Institute to the country
school teachers of the surrounding country. The work of this Institute
is described in the chapter: "Washington, the Educator."
In 1891 he established the Annual Tuskegee Negro Conference. He
decided that the school should not only help directly its own
students, but should reach out and help the students' parents and the
older people generally in the country districts of the State. He
started by inviting the farmers and their wives in the immediate
locality to spend a day at the school for the frank discussion of
their material and spiritual condition to the end that the school
might learn how it could best help them to help themselves. From this
simple beginning the Conference has grown until it now consists of
delegates from every Southern State, besides hundreds of teachers and
principals of Negro schools, Northern men and women, publicists and
philanthropists, newspaper and magazine writers, Southern white men
and Southern white women, all interested in helping the simple black
folk in their strivings to "quit libin' in de ashes," as one of them
fervently expressed it. At one of these conferences an old preacher
from a country district concluded an earnest prayer for the
deliverance of his people from the bondage of ignorance with this
startling sentence: "And now, O Lord, put dy foot down in our hearts
and lif' us up!"
The year following Mr. Washington established a hospital in Greenwood
village, the hamlet adjoining the Institute grounds where live most of
the teachers, officers, and employees. It was at first hardly more
than a dispensary, but when the Institute acquired a Resident
Physician two small buildings were set aside as hospitals for men and
women, respectively. Later a five-thousand-dollar building was given
which served as the hospital until, in 1913, Mrs. Elizabeth A. Mason,
of Boston, presented Tuskegee with a fifty-thousand-dollar splendidly
equipped modern hospital, in memory of her grandfather, John A.
Andrew, the War Governor of Massachusetts. While these hospitals, from
the first humble dispensary to the fine hospital of to-day, were of
course primarily for the Institute they were in true Tuskegee fashion
thrown open to all who needed them. And since the town of Tuskegee has
no hospital they have always been freely used by outside colored
people. Mr. Washington, himself, on his riding and hunting trips would
from time to time find sick people whom he would have brought to the
hospital for care.
The next year, 1893, he started the Minister's Night School. This is
conducted by the Phelps Hall Bible Training School of the Institute.
Here country ministers with large families and small means are given
night courses in all the subjects likely to be of service to them from
"Biblical criticism" to the "planting and cultivating of crops."
The year following Mrs. Washington began the Tuskegee Town Mothers'
Meetings. Both she and Mr. Washington had long been distressed at
seeing the women and young girls loafing about the streets of the town
of Tuskegee when they came to town with their husbands and fathers on
Saturday afternoons. Now, instead of loafing about the streets these
women attend the Mothers' Meetings where Mrs. Washington and the
various women teachers give them practical talks on all manner of
housekeeping and family-raising problems from the making of preserves
to proper parental care.
In 1895 the Building and Loan Association was established. The
Institute's chief accountant is its president, and the Institute's
treasurer its secretary and treasurer. This Association has enabled
many scores of people to secure their own homes who without its aid
could not have done so.
The next year the Town Night School was started. This school has as
its purpose giving instruction to the boys and girls who have
positions in the town which make it impossible for them to attend the
Institute, and to the servants in the white families. This school has
become one of the best and strongest forces in the life of the
community. As an outgrowth of it came later the Town Library and
Reading Room, for which Mr. Washington personally provided the room.
There is now in this school a cooking class for girls and several
industrial classes for boys. At the same time Mr. Washington
established a Farmers' Institute which is described in the chapter
"Washington and the Negro Farmer."
In 1898 he started a County Fair to spur the ambition of the Negro
farmers of the county. This Negro County Fair under his guidance grew
and flourished from year to year. The whites maintained a separate
County Fair. Finally the two fairs were combined, and now one of the
most flourishing County Fairs in all the South is conducted, both
races supporting it by making exhibits, and sharing in the success and
profits of the enterprise, as well as in its general management.
In 1900 he organized the National Negro Business League, as described
in the chapter, "Washington and the Negro Business Man."
Two years later he established the Greenwood Village Improvement
Association for the little community which has grown up around the
school. Taxes are collected from the property holders as well as the
renters for the upkeep of the roads, bridges, and fences, and a park
in the centre of the village, which was introduced in emulation of the
typical New England village. Just as in New England, also, this
central park, or "green," is surrounded by a number of churches. An
elective Board of Control presides over this village, settles
disputes, and keeps the community in good repair morally and
spiritually, as well as physically. On the Monday immediately
following the close of a regular school term a town meeting is held at
which reports are read and discussed covering every phase of the life
of the community. Mr. Washington particularly enjoyed presiding at
these meetings because they demonstrated what the people of his race
could accomplish under a favorable and stimulating environment. He
always contrived to have the meetings followed by simple refreshments
and a social hour.
In 1904 he started the Rural School Improvement Campaign and the
Farmers' Short Course at the Institute, both of which are described in
the chapter, "Washington, the Educator." In the same year he started a
systematic effort to improve the conditions in the jails and the chain
gangs and for the rehabilitation of released prisoners.
The next year he founded a weekly farm paper, a circulating library,
and a Ministers' Institute. The year after, 1906, the Jesup
Agricultural Wagon--the agricultural school on wheels, which is
described in the chapter, "Washington, the Educator"--was started. In
1907 the farmers' coöperative demonstration work, which has also been
mentioned, was inaugurated. In 1910 the rural improvement speaking
tours began. And finally, in 1914, he established "Baldwin Farms," the
farming community for the graduates of the agricultural department of
Tuskegee, which also has been previously described.
These, then, are some of the tangible means which Booker Washington
developed during a period of thirty years for keeping in touch with
his people and for keeping his people in touch with one another and
with all the things which go to make up wholesome and useful living.
CHAPTER SEVEN
BOOKER WASHINGTON AND THE NEGRO FARMER
Booker T. Washington was a great believer in the experience meeting,
and the Tuskegee Negro Conference, which he started in 1891, is
nothing more nor less than an agricultural experience meeting. He
placed his faith in the persuasive power of example--in the contagion
of successful achievement. He once said: "One farm bought, one house
built, one home sweetly and intelligently kept, one man who is the
largest taxpayer or has the largest bank account, one school or church
maintained, one factory running successfully, one truck garden
profitably cultivated, one patient cured by a Negro doctor, one sermon
well preached, one office well filled, one life cleanly lived--these
will tell more in our favor than all the abstract eloquence that can
be summoned to plead our cause. Our pathway must be up through the
soil, up through swamps, up through forests, up through the streams,
the rocks, up through commerce, education, and religion."
Nothing delighted Mr. Washington more than the successful Negro
farmers who had started in life without money, friends, influence, or
education--with literally nothing but their hands. At one of the
Tuskegee conferences not many years ago his keen eyes spotted such a
man in the audience and he called to him in his straight from the
shoulder manner: "Get up and tell us what you have been doing as a
farmer."