up from slavery-第51章

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out　owning　a　dollar's　worth　of　property；　and　with　but　one　teacher　and　thirty　students。　At　the　present　time　the　institution　owns　twenty…three　hundred　acres　of　land；　one　thousand　of　which　are　under　cultivation　each　year；　entirely　by　student　labour。　There　are　now　upon　the　grounds；　counting　large　and　small；　sixty…six　buildings；　and　all　except　four　of　these　have　been　almost　wholly　erected　by　the　labour　of　our　students。　While　the　students　are　at　work　upon　the　land　and　in　erecting　buildings；　they　are　taught；　by　competent　instructors；　the　latest　methods　of　agriculture　and　the　trades　connected　with　building。

There　are　in　constant　operation　at　the　school；　in　connection　with　thorough　academic　and　religious　training；　thirty　industrial　departments。　All　of　these　teach　industries　at　which　our　men　and　women　can　find　immediate　employment　as　soon　as　they　leave　the　institution。　The　only　difficulty　now　is　that　the　demand　for　our　graduates　from　both　white　and　black　people　in　the　South　is　so　great　that　we　cannot　supply　more　than　one…half　the　persons　for　whom　applications　come　to　us。　Neither　have　we　the　buildings　nor　the　money　for　current　expenses　to　enable　us　to　admit　to　the　school　more　than　one…half　the　young　men　and　women　who　apply　to　us　for　admission。

In　our　industrial　teaching　we　keep　three　things　in　mind：　first；　that　the　student　shall　be　so　educated　that　he　shall　be　enabled　to　meet　conditions　as　they　exist　now；　in　the　part　of　the　South　where　he　livesin　a　word；　to　be　able　to　do　the　thing　which　the　world　wants　done；　second；　that　every　student　who　graduates　from　the　school　shall　have　enough　skill；　coupled　with　intelligence　and　moral　character；　to　enable　him　to　make　a　living　for　himself　and　others；　third；　to　send　every　graduate　out　feeling　and　knowing　that　labour　is　dignified　and　beautifulto　make　each　one　love　labour　instead　of　trying　to　escape　it。　In　addition　to　the　agricultural　training　which　we　give　to　young　men；　and　the　training　given　to　our　girls　in　all　the　usual　domestic　employments；　we　now　train　a　number　of　girls　in　agriculture　each　year。　These　girls　are　taught　gardening；　fruit…growing；　dairying；　bee…culture；　and　poultry…raising。

While　the　institution　is　in　no　sense　denominational；　we　have　a　department　known　as　the　Phelps　Hall　Bible　Training　School；　in　which　a　number　of　students　are　prepared　for　the　ministry　and　other　forms　of　Christian　work；　especially　work　in　the　country　districts。　What　is　equally　important；　each　one　of　the　students　works　。　。　。　each　day　at　some　industry；　in　order　to　get　skill　and　the　love　of　work；　so　that　when　he　goes　out　from　the　institution　he　is　prepared　to　set　the　people　with　whom　he　goes　to　labour　a　proper　example　in　the　matter　of　industry。

The　value　of　our　property　is　now　over　700；000。　If　we　add　to　this　our　endowment　fund；　which　at　present　is　1；000；000；　the　value　of　the　total　property　is　now　1；700；000。　Aside　from　the　need　for　more　buildings　and　for　money　for　current　expenses；　the　endowment　fund　should　be　increased　to　at　least　3；000；000。　The　annual　current　expenses　are　now　about　150；000。　The　greater　part　of　this　I　collect　each　year　by　going　from　door　to　door　and　from　house　to　house。　All　of　our　property　is　free　from　mortgage；　and　is　deeded　to　an　undenominational　board　of　trustees　who　have　the　control　of　the　institution。

From　thirty　students　the　number　has　grown　to　fourteen　hundred；　coming　from　twenty…seven　states　and　territories；　from　Africa；　Cuba；　Porto　Rico；　Jamaica；　and　other　foreign　countries。　In　our　departments　there　are　one　hundred　and　ten　officers　and　instructors；　and　if　we　add　the　families　of　our　instructors；　we　have　a　constant　population　upon　our　grounds　of　not　far　from　seventeen　hundred　people。

I　have　often　been　asked　how　we　keep　so　large　a　body　of　people　together；　and　at　the　same　time　keep　them　out　of　mischief。　There　are　two　answers：　that　the　men　and　women　who　come　to　us　for　an　education　are　in　earnest；　and　that　everybody　is　kept　busy。　The　following　outline　of　our　daily　work　will　testify　to　this：

5　a。m。；　rising　bell；　5。50　a。m。；　warning　breakfast　bell；　6　a。m。；　breakfast　bell；　6。20　a。m。；　breakfast　over；　6。20　to　6。50　a。m。；　rooms　are　cleaned；　6。50；　work　bell；　7。30；　morning　study　hours；　8。20；　morning　school　bell；　8。25；　inspection　of　young　men's　toilet　in　ranks；　8。40；　devotional　exercises　in　chapel；　8。55；　〃five　minutes　with　the　daily　news；〃　9　a。m。；　class　work　begins；　12；　class　work　closes；　12。15　p。m。；　dinner；　1　p。m。；　work　bell；　1。30　p。m。；　class　work　begins；　3。30　p。m。；　class　work　ends；　5。30　p。m。；　bell　to　〃knock　off〃　work；　6　p。m。；　supper；　7。10　p。m。；　evening　prayers；　7。30　p。m。；　evening　study　hours；　8。45　p。m。；　evening　study　hour　closes；　9。20　p。m。；　warning　retiring　bell；　9。30　p。m。；　retiring　bell。

We　try　to　keep　constantly　in　mind　the　fact　that　the　worth　of　the　school　is　to　be　judged　by　its　graduates。　Counting　those　who　have　finished　the　full　course；　together　with　those　who　have　taken　enough　training　to　enable　them　to　do　reasonably　good　work；　we　can　safely　say　that　at　least　six　thousand　men　and　women　from　Tuskegee　are　now　at　work　in　different　parts　of　the　South；　men　and　women　who；　by　their　own　example　or　by　direct　efforts；　are　showing　the　masses　of　our　race　now　to　improve　their　material；　educational；　and　moral　and　religious　life。　What　is　equally　important；　they　are　exhibiting　a　degree　of　common　sense　and　self…control　which　is　causing　better　relations　to　exist　between　the　races；　and　is　causing　the　Southern　white　man　to　learn　to　believe　in　the　value　of　educating　the　men　and　women　of　my　race。　Aside　from　this；　there　is　the　influence　that　is　constantly　being　exerted　through　the　mothers'　meeting　and　the　plantation　work　conducted　by　Mrs。　Washington。

Wherever　our　graduates　go；　the　changes　which　soon　begin　to　appear　in　the　buying　of　land；　improving　homes；　saving　money；　in　education；　and　in　high　moral　characters　are　remarkable。　Whole　communities　are　fast　being　revolutionized　through　the　instrumentality　of　these　men　and　women。

Ten　years　ago　I　organized　at　Tuskegee　the　first　Negro　Conference。　This　is　an　annual　gathering　which　now　brings　to　the　school　eight　or　nine　hundred　representative　men　and　women　of　the　race；　who　come　to　spend　a　day　in　finding　out　what　the　actual　industrial；　mental；　and　moral　conditions　of　the　people　are；　and　in　forming　plans　for　improvement。　Out　from　this　central　Negro　Conference　at　Tuskegee　have　grown　numerous　state　an　local　conferences　which　are　doing　the　same　kind　of　work。　As　a　result　of　the　influence　of　these　gatherings；　one　delegate　reported　at　the　last　annual　meeting　that　ten　families　in　his　community　had　bought　and　paid　for　homes。　On　the　day　following　the　annual　Negro　Conference；　there　is　the　〃Workers'　Conference。〃　This　is　composed　of　officers　and　teachers　who　are　engaged　in　educational　work　in　the　larger　institutions　in　the　South。　The　Negro　Conference　furnishes　a　rare　opportunity　for　these　workers　to　study　the　real　condition　of　the　rank　and　file　of　the　people。

In　the　summer　of　1900；　with　the　assistance　of　such　prominent　coloured　men　as　Mr。　T。　Thomas　Fortune；　who　has　always　upheld　my　hands　in　every　effort；　I　organized　the　National　Negro　Business　League；　which　held　its　first　meeting　in　Boston；　and　brought　together　for　the　first　time　a　large　number　of　the　coloured　men　who　are　engaged　in　various　lines　of　trade　or　business　in　different　parts　of　the　United　States。　Thirty　states　were　represented　at　our　first　meeting。　Out　of　this　national　meeting　grew　state　and　local　business　leagues。

In　addition　to　looking　after　the　executive　side　of　the　work　at　Tuskegee；　and　raising　the　greater　part　of　the　money　for　the　support　of　the　school；　I　cannot　seem　to　escape　the　duty　of　answering　at　least　a　part　of　the　calls　which　come　to　me　unsought　to　address　Southern　white　audiences　and　audiences　of　my　own　race；　as　well　as　frequent　gatherings　in　the　North。　As　to　how　much　of　my　time　is　spent　in　this　way；　the　following　clipping　from　a　Buffalo　（N。Y。）　paper　will　tell。　This　has　reference　to　an　occasion　when　I　spoke　before　the　National　Educational　Association　in　that　city。

Booker　T。　Washington；　the　foremost　educator　among　the　coloured　people　of　the　world；　was　a　very　busy　man　from　the　time　he　arrived　in　the　city　the　other　night　from　the　West　and　registered　at　the　Iroquois。　He　had　hardly　removed　the　st