up from slavery-第2章

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　century　of　blunders　had　been　made　by　this　man　who　stood　beside　me　and　was　introducing　me　to　this　audience。　Before　me　was　the　material　he　had　used。　All　about　me　was　the　indisputable　evidence　that　he　had　found　the　natural　line　of　development。　He　had　shown　the　way。　Time　and　patience　and　encouragement　and　work　would　do　the　rest。

It　was　then　more　clearly　than　ever　before　that　I　understood　the　patriotic　significance　of　Mr。　Washington's　work。　It　is　this　conception　of　it　and　of　him　that　I　have　ever　since　carried　with　me。　It　is　on　this　that　his　claim　to　our　gratitude　rests。

To　teach　the　Negro　to　read；　whether　English；　or　Greek；　or　Hebrew；　butters　no　parsnips。　To　make　the　Negro　work；　that　is　what　his　master　did　in　one　way　and　hunger　has　done　in　another；　yet　both　these　left　Southern　life　where　they　found　it。　But　to　teach　the　Negro　to　do　skilful　work；　as　men　of　all　the　races　that　have　risen　have　worked；responsible　work；　which　IS　education　and　character；　and　most　of　all　when　Negroes　so　teach　Negroes　to　do　this　that　they　will　teach　others　with　a　missionary　zeal　that　puts　all　ordinary　philanthropic　efforts　to　shame；this　is　to　change　the　whole　economic　basis　of　life　and　the　whole　character　of　a　people。

The　plan　itself　is　not　a　new　one。　It　was　worked　out　at　Hampton　Institute；　but　it　was　done　at　Hampton　by　white　men。　The　plan　had；　in　fact；　been　many　times　theoretically　laid　down　by　thoughtful　students　of　Southern　life。　Handicrafts　were　taught　in　the　days　of　slavery　on　most　well…managed　plantations。　But　Tuskegee　is；　nevertheless；　a　brand…new　chapter　in　the　history　of　the　Negro；　and　in　the　history　of　the　knottiest　problem　we　have　ever　faced。　It　not　only　makes　〃a　carpenter　of　a　man；　it　makes　a　man　of　a　carpenter。〃　In　one　sense；　therefore；　it　is　of　greater　value　than　any　other　institution　for　the　training　of　men　and　women　that　we　have；　from　Cambridge　to　Palo　Alto。　It　is　almost　the　only　one　of　which　it　may　be　said　that　it　points　the　way　to　a　new　epoch　in　a　large　area　of　our　national　life。

To　work　out　the　plan　on　paper；　or　at　a　distancethat　is　one　thing。　For　a　white　man　to　work　it　outthat　too；　is　an　easy　thing。　For　a　coloured　man　to　work　it　out　in　the　South；　where；　in　its　constructive　period；　he　was　necessarily　misunderstood　by　his　own　people　as　well　as　by　the　whites；　and　where　he　had　to　adjust　it　at　every　step　to　the　strained　race　relationsthat　is　so　very　different　and　more　difficult　a　thing　that　the　man　who　did　it　put　the　country　under　lasting　obligations　to　him。

It　was　not　and　is　not　a　mere　educational　task。　Anybody　could　teach　boys　trades　and　give　them　an　elementary　education。　Such　tasks　have　been　done　since　the　beginning　of　civilization。　But　this　task　had　to　be　done　with　the　rawest　of　raw　material；　done　within　the　civilization　of　the　dominant　race；　and　so　done　as　not　to　run　across　race　lines　and　social　lines　that　are　the　strongest　forces　in　the　community。　It　had　to　be　done　for　the　benefit　of　the　whole　community。　It　had　to　be　done；　moreover；　without　local　help；　in　the　face　of　the　direst　poverty；　done　by　begging；　and　done　in　spite　of　the　ignorance　of　one　race　and　the　prejudice　of　the　other。

No　man　living　had　a　harder　task；　and　a　task　that　called　for　more　wisdom　to　do　it　right。　The　true　measure　of　Mr。　Washington's　success　is；　then；　not　his　teaching　the　pupils　of　Tuskegee；　nor　even　gaining　the　support　of　philanthropic　persons　at　a　distance；　but　thisthat　every　Southern　white　man　of　character　and　of　wisdom　has　been　won　to　a　cordial　recognition　of　the　value　of　the　work；　even　men　who　held　and　still　hold　to　the　conviction　that　a　mere　book　education　for　the　Southern　blacks　under　present　conditions　is　a　positive　evil。　This　is　a　demonstration　of　the　efficiency　of　the　Hampton…Tuskegee　idea　that　stands　like　the　demonstration　of　the　value　of　democratic　institutions　themselvesa　demonstration　made　so　clear　in　spite　of　the　greatest　odds　that　it　is　no　longer　open　to　argument。

Consider　the　change　that　has　come　in　twenty　years　in　the　discussion　of　the　Negro　problem。　Two　or　three　decades　ago　social　philosophers　and　statisticians　and　well…meaning　philanthropists　were　still　talking　and　writing　about　the　deportation　of　the　Negroes；　or　about　their　settlement　within　some　restricted　area；　or　about　their　settling　in　all　parts　of　the　Union；　or　about　their　decline　through　their　neglect　of　their　children；　or　about　their　rapid　multiplication　till　they　should　expel　the　whites　from　the　Southof　every　sort　of　nonsense　under　heaven。　All　this　has　given　place　to　the　simple　plan　of　an　indefinite　extension　among　the　neglected　classes　of　both　races　of　the　Hampton…Tuskegee　system　of　training。　The　〃problem〃　in　one　sense　has　disappeared。　The　future　will　have　for　the　South　swift　or　slow　development　of　its　masses　and　of　its　soil　in　proportion　to　the　swift　or　slow　development　of　this　kind　of　training。　This　change　of　view　is　a　true　measure　of　Mr。　Washington's　work。

The　literature　of　the　Negro　in　America　is　colossal；　from　political　oratory　through　abolitionism　to　〃Uncle　Tom's　Cabin〃　and　〃Cotton　is　King〃a　vast　mass　of　books　which　many　men　have　read　to　the　waste　of　good　years　（and　I　among　them）；　but　the　only　books　that　I　have　read　a　second　time　or　ever　care　again　to　read　in　the　whole　list　（most　of　them　by　tiresome　and　unbalanced　〃reformers〃）　are　〃Uncle　Remus〃　and　〃Up　from　Slavery〃；　for　these　are　the　great　literature　of　the　subject。　One　has　all　the　best　of　the　past；　the　other　foreshadows　a　better　future；　and　the　men　who　wrote　them　are　the　only　men　who　have　written　of　the　subject　with　that　perfect　frankness　and　perfect　knowledge　and　perfect　poise　whose　other　name　is　genius。

Mr。　Washington　has　won　a　world…wide　fame　at　an　early　age。　His　story　of　his　own　life　already　has　the　distinction　of　translation　into　more　languages；　I　think；　than　any　other　American　book；　and　I　suppose　that　he　has　as　large　a　personal　acquaintance　among　men　of　influence　as　any　private　citizen　now　living。

His　own　teaching　at　Tuskegee　is　unique。　He　lectures　to　his　advanced　students　on　the　art　of　right　living；　not　out　of　text…books；　but　straight　out　of　life。　Then　he　sends　them　into　the　country　to　visit　Negro　families。　Such　a　student　will　come　back　with　a　minute　report　of　the　way　in　which　the　family　that　he　has　seen　lives；　what　their　earnings　are；　what　they　do　well　and　what　they　do　ill；　and　he　will　explain　how　they　might　live　better。　He　constructs　a　definite　plan　for　the　betterment　of　that　particular　family　out　of　the　resources　that　they　have。　Such　a　student；　if　he　be　bright；　will　profit　more　by　an　experience　like　this　than　he　could　profit　by　all　the　books　on　sociology　and　economics　that　ever　were　written。　I　talked　with　a　boy　at　Tuskegee　who　had　made　such　a　study　as　this；　and　I　could　not　keep　from　contrasting　his　knowledge　and　enthusiasm　with　what　I　heard　in　a　class　room　at　a　Negro　university　in　one　of　the　Southern　cities；　which　is　conducted　on　the　idea　that　a　college　course　will　save　the　soul。　Here　the　class　was　reciting　a　lesson　from　an　abstruse　text…book　on　economics；　reciting　it　by　rote；　with　so　obvious　a　failure　to　assimilate　it　that　the　waste　of　labour　was　pitiful。

I　asked　Mr。　Washington　years　ago　what　he　regarded　as　the　most　important　result　of　his　work；　and　he　replied：

〃I　do　not　know　which　to　put　first；　the　effect　of　Tuskegee's　work　on　the　Negro；　or　the　effect　on　the　attitude　of　the　white　man　to　the　Negro。〃

The　race　divergence　under　the　system　of　miseducation　was　fast　getting　wider。　Under　the　influence　of　the　Hampton…Tuskegee　idea　the　races　are　coming　into　a　closer　sympathy　and　into　an　honourable　and　helpful　relation。　As　the　Negro　becomes　economically　independent；　he　becomes　a　responsible　part　of　the　Southern　life；　and　the　whites　so　recognize　him。　And　this　must　be　so　from　the　nature　of　things。　There　is　nothing　artificial　about　it。　It　is　development　in　a　perfectly　natural　way。　And　the　Southern　whites　not　only　so　recognize　it；　but　they　are　imitating　it　in　the　teaching　of　the　neglected　masses　of　their　own　race。　It　has　thus　come　about　that　the　school　is　taking　a　more　direct　and　helpful　hold　on　life　in　the　South　than　anywhere　else　in　the　country。　Education　is　not　a　thing　apart　from　lifenot　a　〃system；〃　nor　a　philosophy；　it　is　direct　teaching　how　to　live　and　how　to　work。

To　say　that　Mr。　Washington　ha