up from slavery-第19节

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hat；　imitation　gold　eye…glasses；　a　showy　walking…stick；　kid　gloves；　fancy　boots；　and　what　notin　a　word；　a　man　who　was　determined　to　live　by　his　wits。　It　was　difficult　for　these　people　to　see　how　education　would　produce　any　other　kind　of　a　coloured　man。

In　the　midst　of　all　the　difficulties　which　I　encountered　in　getting　the　little　school　started；　and　since　then　through　a　period　of　nineteen　years；　there　are　two　men　among　all　the　many　friends　of　the　school　in　Tuskegee　upon　whom　I　have　depended　constantly　for　advice　and　guidance；　and　the　success　of　the　undertaking　is　largely　due　to　these　men；　from　whom　I　have　never　sought　anything　in　vain。　I　mention　them　simply　as　types。　One　is　a　white　man　and　an　ex…slaveholder；　Mr。　George　W。　Campbell；　the　other　is　a　black　man　and　an　ex…slave；　Mr。　Lewis　Adams。　These　were　the　men　who　wrote　to　General　Armstrong　for　a　teacher。

Mr。　Campbell　is　a　merchant　and　banker；　and　had　had　little　experience　in　dealing　with　matters　pertaining　to　education。　Mr。　Adams　was　a　mechanic；　and　had　learned　the　trades　of　shoemaking；　harness…making；　and　tinsmithing　during　the　days　of　slavery。　He　had　never　been　to　school　a　day　in　his　life；　but　in　some　way　he　had　learned　to　read　and　write　while　a　slave。　From　the　first；　these　two　men　saw　clearly　what　my　plan　of　education　was；　sympathized　with　me；　and　supported　me　in　every　effort。　In　the　days　which　were　darkest　financially　for　the　school；　Mr。　Campbell　was　never　appealed　to　when　he　was　not　willing　to　extend　all　the　aid　in　his　power。　I　do　not　know　two　men；　one　an　ex…slaveholder；　one　an　ex…slave；　whose　advice　and　judgment　I　would　feel　more　like　following　in　everything　which　concerns　the　life　and　development　of　the　school　at　Tuskegee　than　those　of　these　two　men。

I　have　always　felt　that　Mr。　Adams；　in　a　large　degree；　derived　his　unusual　power　of　mind　from　the　training　given　his　hands　in　the　process　of　mastering　well　three　trades　during　the　days　of　slavery。　If　one　goes　to…day　into　any　Southern　town；　and　asks　for　the　leading　and　most　reliable　coloured　man　in　the　community；　I　believe　that　in　five　cases　out　of　ten　he　will　be　directed　to　a　Negro　who　learned　a　trade　during　the　days　of　slavery。

On　the　morning　that　the　school　opened；　thirty　students　reported　for　admission。　I　was　the　only　teacher。　The　students　were　about　equally　divided　between　the　sexes。　Most　of　them　lived　in　Macon　County；　the　county　in　which　Tuskegee　is　situated；　and　of　which　it　is　the　county…seat。　A　great　many　more　students　wanted　to　enter　the　school；　but　it　had　been　decided　to　receive　only　those　who　were　above　fifteen　years　of　age；　and　who　had　previously　received　some　education。　The　greater　part　of　the　thirty　were　public…school　teachers；　and　some　of　them　were　nearly　forty　years　of　age。　With　the　teachers　came　some　of　their　former　pupils；　and　when　they　were　examined　it　was　amusing　to　note　that　in　several　cases　the　pupil　entered　a　higher　class　than　did　his　former　teacher。　It　was　also　interesting　to　note　how　many　big　books　some　of　them　had　studied；　and　how　many　high…sounding　subjects　some　of　them　claimed　to　have　mastered。　The　bigger　the　book　and　the　longer　the　name　of　the　subject；　the　prouder　they　felt　of　their　accomplishment。　Some　had　studied　Latin；　and　one　or　two　Greek。　This　they　thought　entitled　them　to　special　distinction。

In　fact；　one　of　the　saddest　things　I　saw　during　the　month　of　travel　which　I　have　described　was　a　young　man；　who　had　attended　some　high　school；　sitting　down　in　a　one…room　cabin；　with　grease　on　his　clothing；　filth　all　around　him；　and　weeds　in　the　yard　and　garden；　engaged　in　studying　a　French　grammar。

The　students　who　came　first　seemed　to　be　fond　of　memorizing　long　and　complicated　〃rules〃　in　grammar　and　mathematics；　but　had　little　thought　or　knowledge　of　applying　these　rules　to　their　everyday　affairs　of　their　life。　One　subject　which　they　liked　to　talk　about；　and　tell　me　that　they　had　mastered；　in　arithmetic；　was　〃banking　and　discount；〃　but　I　soon　found　out　that　neither　they　nor　almost　any　one　in　the　neighbourhood　in　which　they　had　lived　had　ever　had　a　bank　account。　In　registering　the　names　of　the　students；　I　found　that　almost　every　one　of　them　had　one　or　more　middle　initials。　When　I　asked　what　the　〃J〃　stood　for；　in　the　name　of　John　J。　Jones；　it　was　explained　to　me　that　this　was　a　part　of　his　〃entitles。〃　Most　of　the　students　wanted　to　get　an　education　because　they　thought　it　would　enable　them　to　earn　more　money　as　school…teachers。

Notwithstanding　what　I　have　said　about　them　in　these　respects；　I　have　never　seen　a　more　earnest　and　willing　company　of　young　men　and　women　than　these　students　were。　They　were　all　willing　to　learn　the　right　thing　as　soon　as　it　was　shown　them　what　was　right。　I　was　determined　to　start　them　off　on　a　solid　and　thorough　foundation；　so　far　as　their　books　were　concerned。　I　soon　learned　that　most　of　them　had　the　merest　smattering　of　the　high…sounding　things　that　they　had　studied。　While　they　could　locate　the　Desert　of　Sahara　or　the　capital　of　China　on　an　artificial　globe；　I　found　out　that　the　girls　could　not　locate　the　proper　places　for　the　knives　and　forks　on　an　actual　dinner…table；　or　the　places　on　which　the　bread　and　meat　should　be　set。

I　had　to　summon　a　good　deal　of　courage　to　take　a　student　who　had　been　studying　cube　root　and　〃banking　and　discount；〃　and　explain　to　him　that　the　wisest　thing　for　him　to　do　first　was　thoroughly　master　the　multiplication　table。

The　number　of　pupils　increased　each　week；　until　by　the　end　of　the　first　month　there　were　nearly　fifty。　Many　of　them；　however；　said　that；　as　they　could　remain　only　for　two　or　three　months；　they　wanted　to　enter　a　high　class　and　get　a　diploma　the　first　year　if　possible。

At　the　end　of　the　first　six　weeks　a　new　and　rare　face　entered　the　school　as　a　co…teacher。　This　was　Miss　Olivia　A。　Davidson；　who　later　became　my　wife。　Miss　Davidson　was　born　in　Ohio；　and　received　her　preparatory　education　in　the　public　schools　of　that　state。　When　little　more　than　a　girl；　she　heard　of　the　need　of　teachers　in　the　South。　She　went　to　the　state　of　Mississippi　and　began　teaching　there。　Later　she　taught　in　the　city　of　Memphis。　While　teaching　in　Mississippi；　one　of　her　pupils　became　ill　with　smallpox。　Every　one　in　the　community　was　so　frightened　that　no　one　would　nurse　the　boy。　Miss　Davidson　closed　her　school　and　remained　by　the　bedside　of　the　boy　night　and　day　until　he　recovered。　While　she　was　at　her　Ohio　home　on　her　vacation；　the　worst　epidemic　of　yellow　fever　broke　out　in　Memphis；　Tenn。；　that　perhaps　has　ever　occurred　in　the　South。　When　she　heard　of　this；　she　at　once　telegraphed　the　Mayor　of　Memphis；　offering　her　services　as　a　yellow…fever　nurse；　although　she　had　never　had　the　disease。

Miss　Davidon's　experience　in　the　South　showed　her　that　the　people　needed　something　more　than　mere　book…learning。　She　heard　of　the　Hampton　system　of　education；　and　decided　that　this　was　what　she　wanted　in　order　to　prepare　herself　for　better　work　in　the　South。　The　attention　of　Mrs。　Mary　Hemenway；　of　Boston；　was　attracted　to　her　rare　ability。　Through　Mrs。　Hemenway's　kindness　and　generosity；　Miss　Davidson；　after　graduating　at　Hampton；　received　an　opportunity　to　complete　a　two　years'　course　of　training　at　the　Massachusetts　State　Normal　School　at　Framingham。

Before　she　went　to　Framingham；　some　one　suggested　to　Miss　Davidson　that；　since　she　was　so　very　light　in　colour；　she　might　find　it　more　comfortable　not　to　be　known　as　a　coloured　women　in　this　school　in　Massachusetts。　She　at　once　replied　that　under　no　circumstances　and　for　no　considerations　would　she　consent　to　deceive　any　one　in　regard　to　her　racial　identity。

Soon　after　her　graduation　from　the　Framingham　institution；　Miss　Davidson　came　to　Tuskegee；　bringing　into　the　school　many　valuable　and　fresh　ideas　as　to　the　best　methods　of　teaching；　as　well　as　a　rare　moral　character　and　a　life　of　unselfishness　that　I　think　has　seldom　been　equalled。　No　single　individual　did　more　toward　laying　the　foundations　of　the　Tuskegee　Institute　so　as　to　insure　the　successful　work　that　has　been　done　there　than　Olivia　A。　Davidson。

Miss　Davidson　and　I　began　consulting　as　to　the　future　of　the　school　from　the　first。　The　students　were　making　progress　in　learning　books　and　in　development　their　minds；　but　it　became　apparent　at　once　that；　if　we　were　to　make　any　permanent　impression　upon　those　who　had　come　to　us　for　training　we　must　do　something　besides　teach　them　mere　books。　The　students　had　come　from　homes　where　they　had　had　no　opportunities　for　lessons　which　would　teach　them　how　to　care　for　their　bodies。　With　few　exceptions；　the　homes　in　Tuskegee　in　which　the　students　boarded　were　but　little　improvement　upon　those　from　which　they　had　come。　We　wanted　to　teach　the　students　how　to　bathe；　how　to　care　for　their　teeth　and　clothing。　We　wanted　to　teach　them　what　to　eat；　and　how　to　eat　it　properly；　and　how　to　care　for　their　rooms。　Aside　from　this；　we　wanted　to　give　them　such　a　practical　knowledge　of　some　one　industry；　together　with　the　spirit　of　industry；　thrift；　and　economy；　that　they　would　be　sure　of　knowing　how　to　make　a　living　after　they　had　left　us。　We　wanted　to　teach　them　to　study　actual　things　instead　of　mere　books　alone。

We　found　that　the　most　of　our　students　came　from　the　country　districts；　where　agriculture　in　some　form　or　other