THE VISIT OF PRESIDENT WM. McKINLEY TO TUSKEGEE.
Soon after starting the Tuskegee Institute I earnestly desired to have
the President of the United States visit it. The chance of securing such
a visit seemed to be so unattainable that I dared not mention it to my
nearest friend; still, I resolved that such a visit should be made. The
more I thought of it, the more I became convinced that there was but one
way to secure the attention and the interest of the President of the
United States, and that was by making the institution so useful to the
country that the attention of the President would necessarily be
attracted to it. From the first day that the school was opened, I tried
to impress upon teachers and students the fact that by reason of our
former condition of servitude, and prejudice against our color, we must
try to perform every duty entrusted to us, not only as well, but better
than any one else, so as to receive proper consideration. To-day this is
the spirit which pervades the entire school. We strive to have our
students understand that no possible prejudice can explain away the
influence of a Negro living in a nicely painted house, with well-kept
flower yards, gardens, farm, poultry and live stock and who is at the
same time a large tax-payer in his county.
After nearly eighteen years of work and struggle, I was more than ever
determined to secure a visit from the highest official of my country,
not only that he and the members of his cabinet might see what ex-slaves
had accomplished in the way of building an institution of learning, but
also for the sake of the encouragement that such a recognition from the
Nation’s Chief Executive would give the whole Negro race in America.
In October, 1898, I saw it mentioned in several newspapers that
President McKinley was likely to visit the Atlanta Peace Jubilee, in
December. I went at once to Washington, and was not there a great while
before I found my way to the White House. There was quite a crowd of
people in the various reception rooms, many of whom had been waiting
some time for an audience with the President. The size of the crowd
somewhat discouraged me, and I concluded that my chances of seeing the
President were very slim. I at once sought the Secretary to the
President, Mr. J. Addison Porter, and very frankly told him my errand.
Mr. Porter kindly sent my card in to the President, and, in a few
minutes, Mr. McKinley permitted me to see him. After a most interesting
conversation, regarding the condition of the colored people in the
South, in which he manifested his interest in their development, the
President told me that, in case he saw his way clear to go to Atlanta,
in December, he would try hard to go to Tuskegee, which is a hundred and
forty miles beyond Atlanta. At that time he did not make his promise
final, but asked me to see him later.
By the middle of the following month, the President had definitely
promised to attend the Peace Jubilee at Atlanta, Ga., December 14 and
15. I went again to see the President. This time Mr. Charles W. Hare, a
white citizen of Tuskegee, accompanied me, and assisted in showing the
President the importance of making such a visit. While the question was
being discussed with cabinet officers, one of the oldest and most
influential white citizens of Atlanta, one who had been a large
slave-holder and who is now an active Democrat, stepped into the room.
The President asked this gentleman’s opinion of the wisdom of his making
this visit, and as to his going one hundred and forty miles out of the
way to visit such an institution. This Atlanta citizen replied that it
was the thing to do. The reply was made without hesitation. Between my
two visits, that active and most constant friend of the Negro race, Dr.
J. L. M. Curry, agent of the Peabody and Slater Funds, hearing of my
desire to have a visit from the President, made a personal call upon Mr.
McKinley without my knowledge, and urged him to make the visit. I will
not prolong the story, except to add that before the day of my last
visit was over, the President definitely decided to spend the greater
part of the day of December 16 in visiting the Tuskegee Institute. In
connection with this visit I had to call upon the President three or
four times at the White House, and at all times I found him kind,
patient and most cordial, apparently forgetful of the differences in our
history. The time of my last visit was but a few days after the election
riots of that year in North and South Carolina, when the colored people
throughout the country were feeling gloomy and discouraged. I observed
by the tenor of the President’s remarks that he felt keenly and
seriously for the race. Notwithstanding a large number of people were
waiting to see him, he detained me some twenty minutes, discussing the
condition and needs of my race in the South. When I told him that I
thought a visit from the President of the United States at that time to
a Negro institution would do more than almost anything else to encourage
the race and show to the world in what esteem he held the race, he
replied that he was determined to show
[Illustration: SHOE SHOP, TUSKEGEE NORMAL AND INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTE.]
[Illustration: COOKING AT TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE, TEACHERS’ HOME KITCHEN.]
[Illustration: YOUNG WOMEN AT WORK IN THE SEWING ROOM, TUSKEGEE
INSTITUTE.]
[Illustration: GIRLS AT TUSKEGEE, ENGAGED IN (HORTICULTURE) GARDENING.]
his interest in us by acts rather than by mere words, and that if I
thought his visit to Tuskegee would permanently help the race and the
institution he would most gladly give up one day of his administration
to visit Tuskegee.
The morning of December 16 came, and at eight o’clock the President,
Mrs. McKinley, with members of his cabinet, their families, besides
distinguished generals, including General Shafter, General Joseph
Wheeler, General Lawton and others, arrived on special trains from
Atlanta. Invitations had been extended to Gov. Joseph F. Johnston, of
Alabama, and his staff. These were also present. The Alabama Legislature
was also invited, and it adjourned and came to Tuskegee in a body. In
all more than six thousand visitors came. The morning was spent in an
inspection of the grounds and in witnessing a parade of all the work of
the school, religious, academic and industrial, represented on floats.
This over, we went to the large chapel, where the President, members of
his cabinet, the Governor, and others spoke. A few extracts from the
addresses of the President, Secretary of the Navy Long and Postmaster
General Smith, in commendation of Tuskegee’s work, may be of interest.
The President said:
“Teachers and Pupils of Tuskegee: To meet you under such pleasant
auspices and to have the opportunity of a personal observation of your
work is indeed most gratifying. The Tuskegee Normal and Industrial
Institute is ideal in its conception, and has already a large and
growing reputation in the country and is not unknown abroad. I
congratulate all who are associated in this undertaking for the good
work which it is doing in the education of its students to lead lives of
honor and usefulness, thus exalting the race for which it was
established.
“Nowhere, I think, could a more delightful location have been chosen for
this unique educational experiment, which has attracted the attention
and won the support even of conservative philanthropists in all sections
of the country.
“To speak of Tuskegee without paying special tribute to Booker T.
Washington’s genius and perseverance would be impossible. The inception
of this noble enterprise was his, and he deserves high credit for it.
His was the enthusiasm and enterprise which made its steady progress
possible and established in the institution its present high standard of
accomplishment. He has won a worthy reputation as one of the great
leaders of his race, widely known and much respected at home and abroad
as an accomplished educator, a great orator and a true philanthropist.
“What steady and gratifying advances have been made here during the past
fifteen years a personal inspection of the material equipment
strikingly proves. The fundamental plan of the original undertaking has
been steadily followed; but new features have been added; gaps in the
course of instruction have been filled in; the patronage and resources
have been largely increased until even the legislative department of the
State of Alabama recognized the worth of the work and of the great
opportunities here afforded. From one small frame house the institution
has grown until it includes the fine group of dormitories, recitation
rooms, lecture halls and work shops which have so surprised and
delighted us to-day. A thousand students, I am told, are here cared for
by nearly a hundred teachers, altogether forming with the preparatory
department a symmetrical scholastic community which has been well called
a model for the industrial colored schools of the South. Certain it is
that a pupil bent on fitting himself or herself for mechanical work can
have the widest choice of useful and domestic occupations.
“One thing I like about this institution is that its policy has been
generous and progressive; it has not been so self-centered or interested
in its own pursuits and ambitions as to ignore what is going on in the
rest of the country or make it difficult for outsiders to share the
local advantages. I allude especially to the spirit in which the annual
conferences have been held by leading colored citizens and educators,
with the intention of improving the condition of their less fortunate
brothers and sisters. Here, we can see, is an immense field and one
which cannot too soon or too carefully be utilized. The conferences have
grown in popularity, and are well calculated not only to encourage
colored men and colored women in their individual efforts, but to
cultivate and promote an amicable relationship between the two races--a
problem whose solution was never more needed than at the present time.
Patience, moderation, self-control, knowledge, character, will surely
win you victories and realize the best aspirations of your people. An
evidence of the soundness of the purpose of this institution is that
those in charge of its management evidently do not believe in attempting
the unattainable, and their instruction in self-reliance and practical
industry is most valuable.
“In the day and night schools many branches can be taught at a small
expense, which will give the man and the woman who have mastered them
immediate employment and secure their success afterwards, provided they
abide by the principles of industry, morality and religion here
inculcated. In common with the Hampton Institute, in Virginia, the
Tuskegee Institute has been and is to-day of inestimable value in sowing
the seeds of good citizenship. Institutions of their standing and
worthy patronage form a steadier and more powerful agency for the good
of all concerned than any yet proposed or suggested. The practical is
here associated with the academic, which encourages both learning and
industry. Here you learn to master yourselves, find the best adaptation
of your faculties, with advantages for advanced learning to meet the
high duties of life. No country, epoch or race has a monopoly upon
knowledge. Some have easier but not necessarily better opportunities for
self-development. What a few can obtain free most have to pay for,
perhaps by hard physical labor, mental struggle and self-denial. But in
this great country all can have the opportunity for bettering
themselves, provided they exercise intelligence and perseverance, and
their motives and conduct are worthy. Nowhere are such facilities for
universal education found as in the United States. They are accessible
to every boy and girl, white and black.
“Integrity and industry are the best possessions which any man can have,
and every man can have them. Nobody can give them to him or take them
from him. He cannot acquire them by inheritance; he cannot buy them or
beg them or borrow them. They belong to the individual and are his
unquestioned property. He alone can part with them. They are a good
thing to have and keep. They make happy homes; they achieve success in
every walk of life; they have won the greatest triumphs for mankind. No
man who has them ever gets into the police court or before the grand
jury or in the workhouse or the chain gang. They give one moral and
material power. They will bring you a comfortable living, make you
respect yourself and command the respect of your fellows. They are
indispensable to success. They are invincible. The merchant requires the
clerk whom he employs to have them. The railroad corporation inquires
whether the man seeking employment possesses them. Every avenue of human
endeavor welcomes them. They are the only keys to open with certainty
the door of opportunity to struggling manhood. Employment waits on them;
capital requires them. Citizenship is not good without them. If you do
not already have them, get them.
“To the pupils here assembled I extend my especial congratulations that
the facilities for advancing afforded to them are so numerous and so
inviting. Those who are here for the time being have the reputation of
the institution in charge and should, therefore, be all the more careful
to guard it worthily. Others who have gone before you have made great
sacrifices to reach the present results. What you do will affect not
only those who come after you here, but many men and women whom you may
never meet. The results of your training and work here will eventually
be felt, either directly or indirectly, in nearly every part of the
country.
“Most of you are young, and youth is the time best fitted for
development both of the body and mind. Whatever you do, do with all your
might, with will and purpose, not of the selfish kind, but looking to
benefit your race and your country. In comparing the past with the
present you should be especially grateful that it has been your good
fortune to come within the influences of such an institution as that of
Tuskegee and that you are under the guidance of such a strong leader. I
thank him most cordially for the pleasure of visiting this institution,
and I bring to all here associated my good will and the best wishes of
your countrymen, wishing you the realization of success in whatever
undertakings that may hereafter engage you.”
Secretary Long said:
“_Mr. President and Students:_
“I cannot make a speech to you to-day. My heart is too full, full of
hope, admiration and pride for my countrymen of both sections and both
colors. I am filled with gratitude and admiration for your work, and
from this time forward, I shall have absolute confidence in your
progress and in the solution of the problem in which you are engaged.
“The problem, I say, has been solved. A picture has been presented
to-day which should be put upon canvas with the pictures of Washington
and Lincoln, and transmitted to future time and generations; a picture
which the press of the country should spread broadcast over the land, a
most dramatic picture, and that picture is this: The President of the
United States standing on this platform; on one side, the Governor of
Alabama, on the other, completing the trinity, a representative of a
race only a few years ago in bondage, the colored president of the
Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute.
“God bless the President under whose majesty such a scene as that is
presented to the American people. God bless the State of Alabama which
is showing that it can deal with this problem for itself. God bless the
orator, philanthropist and disciple of the Great Master,--who if he were
on earth would be doing the same work,--Booker T. Washington.”
Postmaster General Smith closed as follows:
“We have witnessed many spectacles within the last few days. We have
seen the magnificent grandeur and the magnificent achievements of one of
the great metropolitan cities of the South. We have seen heroes of the
war pass by in procession.
[Illustration: MATHEMATICAL FLOAT. PRESIDENT’S VISIT, DECEMBER 16, 1898.
TUSKEGEE NORMAL AND INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTE.]
[Illustration: STUDENT CARPENTERS AT WORK ON TRADES BUILDING.]
We have seen floral parades. But I am sure my colleagues will agree with
me in saying that we have witnessed no spectacle more impressive and
more encouraging, more inspiring for our future than that which we have
witnessed here this morning.
“I have thought as I sat here this morning of two men, two great men,
two great educators. One of them was the founder and creator of the
Hampton Institute, in Virginia, and the other is the real creator and
founder and pre-eminent head of this great industrial institution of the
South. General Armstrong did a work which cannot be measured by the
breadth of his philanthropy, the greatness of his unselfishness and the
extent of his power in educating a people. We have for years mourned his
lamented death. His memory will be preserved among that of the great
benefactors of our people and our government. In the future, though long
may that time be distant so far as relates to the head of this
institution, in the distant future, we shall be ready to erect in the
capitol of the nation, among the heroes of our country, among those who
have contributed to its upbuilding and to its salvation, we shall be
ready to erect a monument to these two great philanthropists and leaders
of this people, General Armstrong and Booker T. Washington.”
I cannot close this chapter without adding a reference to the great
pleasure and satisfaction given by the part the white and colored
citizens of the town of Tuskegee took in this recognition of the school.
A few years before this I had gone to Tuskegee unknown and entirely
without means, but no white people, in any part of America, could have
acted more cordially and co-operated more heartily with our school than
did the white people of Tuskegee upon this occasion. They organized
various committees, composed of both men and women, to help us in giving
the President the proper reception. The town, from one end to the other,
was decorated with the National colors, to say nothing of many beautiful
arches and other forms of decorations. One of the many newspaper
correspondents who accompanied the President remarked to me that he had
never seen in any town of the size such generous and appropriate
decorations.
What the President and his party thought of this visit to the Tuskegee
Normal and Industrial Institute can be best told by the following
letter, received from the Secretary to the President:
“EXECUTIVE MANSION,
WASHINGTON, Dec. 23, 1899.
“DEAR SIR:--By this mail I take pleasure in sending you engrossed copies
of the souvenir of the visit of the President to your institution.
These sheets bear the autographs of the President and the members of the
Cabinet who accompanied him on the trip. Let me take this opportunity of
congratulating you most heartily and sincerely upon the great success of
the exercises provided for and entertainment furnished us under your
auspices during our visit to Tuskegee. Every feature of the program was
perfectly executed and was viewed or participated in with the heartiest
satisfaction by every visitor present. The unique exhibition which you
gave of your pupils engaged in their industrial vocations was not only
artistic but thoroughly impressive. The tribute paid by the President
and his Cabinet to your work was none too high and forms a most
encouraging augury, I think, for the future prosperity of your
institution. I cannot close without assuring you that the modesty shown
by yourself in the exercises was most favorably commented upon by all
the members of our party.
“With best wishes for the continued advance of your most useful and
patriotic undertaking, kind personal regards, and the compliments of the
season, believe me, always,
Very sincerely yours,
JOHN ADDISON PORTER,
Secretary to the President.”
“To Pres. BOOKER T. WASHINGTON,
Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute,
Tuskegee, Ala.”
The impression which this visit of the President, Members of his
Cabinet, and other distinguished visitors made upon the teachers and
students of the Tuskegee Institute, cannot be overestimated. It inspired
the teachers and students with new life and hope, not only in the work
of the present, but in that of the future. It did more. It inspired the
older members of the community, black and white, with new and higher
purposes in the hard battle of life. It made us all feel, as we had
never felt before, that we were in a higher and nobler sense citizens of
the great Republic, and that the President of the United States was our
President, “in soberness and truth,” as much as he was of the people of
larger and more pretentious communities than ours.