Chapter III. The Struggle For An Education

by Booker T. Washington

　　One day, while at work in the coal-mine, I happened to overheartwo miners talking about a great school for coloured peoplesomewhere in Virginia. This was the first time that I had everheard anything about any kind of school or college that was morepretentious than the little coloured school in our town.In the darkness of the mine I noiselessly crept as close as Icould to the two men who were talking. I heard one tell the otherthat not only was the school established for the members of anyrace, but the opportunities that it provided by which poor butworthy students could work out all or a part of the cost of aboard, and at the same time be taught some trade or industry.As they went on describing the school, it seemed to me that itmust be the greatest place on earth, and not even Heavenpresented more attractions for me at that time than did theHampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia, aboutwhich these men were talking. I resolved at once to go to thatschool, although I had no idea where it was, or how many milesaway, or how I was going to reach it; I remembered only that Iwas on fire constantly with one ambition, and that was to go toHampton. This thought was with me day and night.After hearing of the Hampton Institute, I continued to work for afew months longer in the coal-mine. While at work there, I heardof a vacant position in the household of General Lewis Ruffner,the owner of the salt-furnace and coal-mine. Mrs. Viola Ruffner,the wife of General Ruffner, was a "Yankee" woman from Vermont.Mrs. Ruffner had a reputation all through the vicinity for beingvery strict with her servants, and especially with the boys whotried to serve her. Few of them remained with her more than twoor three weeks. They all left with the same excuse: she was toostrict. I decided, however, that I would rather try Mrs.Ruffner's house than remain in the coal-mine, and so my motherapplied to her for the vacant position. I was hired at a salaryof $5 per month.I had heard so much about Mrs. Ruffner's severity that I wasalmost afraid to see her, and trembled when I went into herpresence. I had not lived with her many weeks, however, before Ibegan to understand her. I soon began to learn that, first ofall, she wanted everything kept clean about her, that she wantedthings done promptly and systematically, and that at the bottomof everything she wanted absolute honesty and frankness. Nothingmust be sloven or slipshod; every door, every fence, must be keptin repair.I cannot now recall how long I lived with Mrs. Ruffner beforegoing to Hampton, but I think it must have been a year and ahalf. At any rate, I here repeat what I have said more than oncebefore, that the lessons that I learned in the home of Mrs.Ruffner were as valuable to me as any education I have evergotten anywhere else. Even to this day I never see bits of paperscattered around a house or in the street that I do not want topick them up at once. I never see a filthy yard that I do notwant to clean it, a paling off of a fence that I do not want toput it on, an unpainted or unwhitewashed house that I do not wantto pain or whitewash it, or a button off one's clothes, or agrease-spot on them or on a floor, that I do not want to callattention to it.From fearing Mrs. Ruffner I soon learned to look upon her as oneof my best friends. When she found that she could trust me shedid so implicitly. During the one or two winters that I was withher she gave me an opportunity to go to school for an hour in theday during a portion of the winter months, but most of mystudying was done at night, sometimes alone, sometimes under someone whom I could hire to teach me. Mrs. Ruffner always encouragedand sympathized with me in all my efforts to get an education. Itwas while living with her that I began to get together my firstlibrary. I secured a dry-goods box, knocked out one side of it,put some shelves in it, and began putting into it every kind ofbook that I could get my hands upon, and called it my "library."Notwithstanding my success at Mrs. Ruffner's I did not give upthe idea of going to the Hampton Institute. In the fall of 1872 Idetermined to make an effort to get there, although, as I havestated, I had no definite idea of the direction in which Hamptonwas, or of what it would cost to go there. I do not think thatany one thoroughly sympathized with me in my ambition to go toHampton unless it was my mother, and she was troubled with agrave fear that I was starting out on a "wild-goose chase." Atany rate, I got only a half-hearted consent from her that I mightstart. The small amount of money that I had earned had beenconsumed by my stepfather and the remainder of the family, withthe exception of a very few dollars, and so I had very littlewith which to buy clothes and pay my travelling expenses. Mybrother John helped me all that he could, but of course that wasnot a great deal, for his work was in the coal-mine, where he didnot earn much, and most of what he did earn went in the directionof paying the household expenses.Perhaps the thing that touched and pleased me most in connectionwith my starting for Hampton was the interest that many of theolder coloured people took in the matter. They had spent the bestdays of their lives in slavery, and hardly expected to live tosee the time when they would see a member of their race leavehome to attend a boarding-school. Some of these older peoplewould give me a nickel, others a quarter, or a handkerchief.Finally the great day came, and I started for Hampton. I had onlya small, cheap satchel that contained a few articles of clothingI could get. My mother at the time was rather weak and broken inhealth. I hardly expected to see her again, and thus our partingwas all the more sad. She, however, was very brave through itall. At that time there were no through trains connecting thatpart of West Virginia with eastern Virginia. Trains ran only aportion of the way, and the remainder of the distance wastravelled by stage-coaches.The distance from Malden to Hampton is about five hundred miles.I had not been away from home many hours before it began to growpainfully evident that I did not have enough money to pay my fairto Hampton. One experience I shall long remember. I had beentravelling over the mountains most of the afternoon in anold-fashion stage-coach, when, late in the evening, the coachstopped for the night at a common, unpainted house called ahotel. All the other passengers except myself were whites. In myignorance I supposed that the little hotel existed for thepurpose of accommodating the passengers who travelled on thestage-coach. The difference that the colour of one's skin wouldmake I had not thought anything about. After all the otherpassengers had been shown rooms and were getting ready forsupper, I shyly presented myself before the man at the desk. Itis true I had practically no money in my pocket with which to payfor bed or food, but I had hoped in some way to beg my way intothe good graces of the landlord, for at that season in themountains of Virginia the weather was cold, and I wanted to getindoors for the night. Without asking as to whether I had anymoney, the man at the desk firmly refused to even consider thematter of providing me with food or lodging. This was my firstexperience in finding out what the colour of my skin meant. Insome way I managed to keep warm by walking about, and so gotthrough the night. My whole soul was so bent upon reachingHampton that I did not have time to cherish any bitterness towardthe hotel-keeper.By walking, begging rides both in wagons and in the cars, in someway, after a number of days, I reached the city of Richmond,Virginia, about eighty-two miles from Hampton. When I reachedthere, tired, hungry, and dirty, it was late in the night. I hadnever been in a large city, and this rather added to my misery.When I reached Richmond, I was completely out of money. I had nota single acquaintance in the place, and, being unused to cityways, I did not know where to go. I applied at several places forlodging, but they all wanted money, and that was what I did nothave. Knowing nothing else better to do, I walked the streets. Indoing this I passed by many a food-stands where fried chicken andhalf-moon apple pies were piled high and made to present a mosttempting appearance. At that time it seemed to me that I wouldhave promised all that I expected to possess in the future tohave gotten hold of one of those chicken legs or one of thosepies. But I could not get either of these, nor anything else toeat.I must have walked the streets till after midnight. At last Ibecame so exhausted that I could walk no longer. I was tired, Iwas hungry, I was everything but discouraged. Just about the timewhen I reached extreme physical exhaustion, I came upon a portionof a street where the board sidewalk was considerably elevated. Iwaited for a few minutes, till I was sure that no passers-bycould see me, and then crept under the sidewalk and lay for thenight upon the ground, with my satchel of clothing for a pillow.Nearly all night I could hear the tramp of feet over my head. Thenext morning I found myself somewhat refreshed, but I wasextremely hungry, because it had been a long time since I had hadsufficient food. As soon as it became light enough for me to seemy surroundings I noticed that I was near a large ship, and thatthis ship seemed to be unloading a cargo of pig iron. I went atonce to the vessel and asked the captain to permit me to helpunload the vessel in order to get money for food. The captain, awhite man, who seemed to be kind-hearted, consented. I workedlong enough to earn money for my breakfast, and it seems to me,as I remember it now, to have been about the best breakfast thatI have ever eaten.My work pleased the captain so well that he told me if I desiredI could continue working for a small amount per day. This I wasvery glad to do. I continued working on this vessel for a numberof days. After buying food with the small wages I received therewas not much left to add on the amount I must get to pay my wayto Hampton. In order to economize in every way possible, so as tobe sure to reach Hampton in a reasonable time, I continued tosleep under the same sidewalk that gave me shelter the firstnight I was in Richmond. Many years after that the colouredcitizens of Richmond very kindly tendered me a reception at whichthere must have been two thousand people present. This receptionwas held not far from the spot where I slept the first night Ispent in the city, and I must confess that my mind was more uponthe sidewalk that first gave me shelter than upon therecognition, agreeable and cordial as it was.When I had saved what I considered enough money with which toreach Hampton, I thanked the captain of the vessel for hiskindness, and started again. Without any unusual occurrence Ireached Hampton, with a surplus of exactly fifty cents with whichto begin my education. To me it had been a long, eventfuljourney; but the first sight of the large, three-story, brickschool building seemed to have rewarded me for all that I hadundergone in order to reach the place. If the people who gave themoney to provide that building could appreciate the influence thesight of it had upon me, as well as upon thousands of otheryouths, they would feel all the more encouraged to make suchgifts. It seemed to me to be the largest and most beautifulbuilding I had ever seen. The sight of it seemed to give me newlife. I felt that a new kind of existence had now begun--thatlife would now have a new meaning. I felt that I had reached thepromised land, and I resolved to let no obstacle prevent me fromputting forth the highest effort to fit myself to accomplish themost good in the world.As soon as possible after reaching the grounds of the HamptonInstitute, I presented myself before the head teacher for anassignment to a class. Having been so long without proper food, abath, and a change of clothing, I did not, of course, make a veryfavourable impression upon her, and I could see at once thatthere were doubts in her mind about the wisdom of admitting me asa student. I felt that I could hardly blame her if she got theidea that I was a worthless loafer or tramp. For some time shedid not refuse to admit me, neither did she decide in my favour,and I continued to linger about her, and to impress her in allthe ways I could with my worthiness. In the meantime I saw heradmitting other students, and that added greatly to mydiscomfort, for I felt, deep down in my heart, that I could do aswell as they, if I could only get a chance to show what was inme.After some hours had passed, the head teacher said to me: "Theadjoining recitation-room needs sweeping. Take the broom andsweep it."It occurred to me at once that here was my chance. Never did Ireceive an order with more delight. I knew that I could sweep,for Mrs. Ruffner had thoroughly taught me how to do that when Ilived with her.I swept the recitation-room three times. Then I got adusting-cloth and dusted it four times. All the woodwork aroundthe walls, every bench, table, and desk, I went over four timeswith my dusting-cloth. Besides, every piece of furniture had beenmoved and every closet and corner in the room had been thoroughlycleaned. I had the feeling that in a large measure my futuredependent upon the impression I made upon the teacher in thecleaning of that room. When I was through, I reported to the headteacher. She was a "Yankee" woman who knew just where to look fordirt. She went into the room and inspected the floor and closets;then she took her handkerchief and rubbed it on the woodworkabout the walls, and over the table and benches. When she wasunable to find one bit of dirt on the floor, or a particle ofdust on any of the furniture, she quietly remarked, "I guess youwill do to enter this institution."I was one of the happiest souls on Earth. The sweeping of thatroom was my college examination, and never did any youth pass anexamination for entrance into Harvard or Yale that gave him moregenuine satisfaction. I have passed several examinations sincethen, but I have always felt that this was the best one I everpassed.I have spoken of my own experience in entering the HamptonInstitute. Perhaps few, if any, had anything like the sameexperience that I had, but about the same period there werehundreds who found their way to Hampton and other institutionsafter experiencing something of the same difficulties that I wentthrough. The young men and women were determined to secure aneducation at any cost.The sweeping of the recitation-room in the manner that I did itseems to have paved the way for me to get through Hampton. MissMary F. Mackie, the head teacher, offered me a position asjanitor. This, of course, I gladly accepted, because it was aplace where I could work out nearly all the cost of my board. Thework was hard and taxing but I stuck to it. I had a large numberof rooms to care for, and had to work late into the night, whileat the same time I had to rise by four o'clock in the morning, inorder to build the fires and have a little time in which toprepare my lessons. In all my career at Hampton, and ever since Ihave been out in the world, Miss Mary F. Mackie, the head teacherto whom I have referred, proved one of my strongest and mosthelpful friends. Her advice and encouragement were always helpfulin strengthening to me in the darkest hour.I have spoken of the impression that was made upon me by thebuildings and general appearance of the Hampton Institute, but Ihave not spoken of that which made the greatest and most lastingimpression on me, and that was a great man--the noblest, raresthuman being that it has ever been my privilege to meet. I referto the late General Samuel C. Armstrong.It has been my fortune to meet personally many of what are calledgreat characters, both in Europe and America, but I do nothesitate to say that I never met any man who, in my estimation,was the equal of General Armstrong. Fresh from the degradinginfluences of the slave plantation and the coal-mines, it was arare privilege for me to be permitted to come into direct contactwith such a character as General Armstrong. I shall alwaysremember that the first time I went into his presence he made theimpression upon me of being a perfect man: I was made to feelthat there was something about him that was superhuman. It was myprivilege to know the General personally from the time I enteredHampton till he died, and the more I saw of him the greater hegrew in my estimation. One might have removed from Hampton allthe buildings, class-rooms, teachers, and industries, and giventhe men and women there the opportunity of coming into dailycontact with General Armstrong, and that alone would have been aliberal education. The older I grow, the more I am convinced thatthere is no education which one can get from books and costlyapparatus that is equal to that which can be gotten from contactwith great men and women. Instead of studying books soconstantly, how I wish that our schools and colleges might learnto study men and things!General Armstrong spent two of the last six months of his life inmy home at Tuskegee. At that time he was paralyzed to the extentthat he had lost control of his body and voice in a very largedegree. Notwithstanding his affliction, he worked almostconstantly night and day for the cause to which he had given hislife. I never saw a man who so completely lost sight of himself.I do not believe he ever had a selfish thought. He was just ashappy in trying to assist some other institution in the South ashe was when working for Hampton. Although he fought the Southernwhite man in the Civil War, I never heard him utter a bitter wordagainst him afterward. On the other hand, he was constantlyseeking to find ways by which he could be of service to theSouthern whites.It would be difficult to describe the hold that he had upon thestudents at Hampton, or the faith they had in him. In fact, hewas worshipped by his students. It never occurred to me thatGeneral Armstrong could fail in anything that he undertook. Thereis almost no request that he could have made that would not havebeen complied with. When he was a guest at my home in Alabama,and was so badly paralyzed that he had to be wheeled about in aninvalid's chair, I recall that one of the General's formerstudents had occasion to push his chair up a long, steep hillthat taxed his strength to the utmost. When the top of the hillwas reached, the former pupil, with a glow of happiness on hisface, exclaimed, "I am so glad that I have been permitted to dosomething that was real hard for the General before he dies!"While I was a student at Hampton, the dormitories became socrowded that it was impossible to find room for all who wanted tobe admitted. In order to help remedy the difficulty, the Generalconceived the plan of putting up tents to be used as rooms. Assoon as it became known that General Armstrong would be pleasedif some of the older students would live in the tents during thewinter, nearly every student in school volunteered to go.I was one of the volunteers. The winter that we spent in thosetents was an intensely cold one, and we suffered severely--howmuch I am sure General Armstrong never knew, because we made nocomplaints. It was enough for us to know that we were pleasingGeneral Armstrong, and that we were making it possible for anadditional number of students to secure an education. More thanonce, during a cold night, when a stiff gale would be blowing,our tend was lifted bodily, and we would find ourselves in theopen air. The General would usually pay a visit to the tentsearly in the morning, and his earnest, cheerful, encouragingvoice would dispel any feeling of despondency.I have spoken of my admiration for General Armstrong, and yet hewas but a type of that Christlike body of men and women who wentinto the Negro schools at the close of the war by the hundreds toassist in lifting up my race. The history of the world fails toshow a higher, purer, and more unselfish class of men and womenthan those who found their way into those Negro schools.Life at Hampton was a constant revelation to me; was constantlytaking me into a new world. The matter of having meals at regularhours, of eating on a tablecloth, using a napkin, the use of thebath-tub and of the tooth-brush, as well as the use of sheetsupon the bed, were all new to me.I sometimes feel that almost the most valuable lesson I got atthe Hampton Institute was in the use and value of the bath. Ilearned there for the first time some of its value, not only inkeeping the body healthy, but in inspiring self-respect andpromoting virtue. In all my travels in the South and elsewheresince leaving Hampton I have always in some way sought my dailybath. To get it sometimes when I have been the guest of my ownpeople in a single-roomed cabin has not always been easy to do,except by slipping away to some stream in the woods. I havealways tried to teach my people that some provision for bathingshould be a part of every house.For some time, while a student at Hampton, I possessed but asingle pair of socks, but when I had worn these till they becamesoiled, I would wash them at night and hang them by the fire todry, so that I might wear them again the next morning.The charge for my board at Hampton was ten dollars per month. Iwas expected to pay a part of this in cash and to work out theremainder. To meet this cash payment, as I have stated, I hadjust fifty cents when I reached the institution. Aside from avery few dollars that my brother John was able to send me once ina while, I had no money with which to pay my board. I wasdetermined from the first to make my work as janitor so valuablethat my services would be indispensable. This I succeeded indoing to such an extent that I was soon informed that I would beallowed the full cost of my board in return for my work. The costof tuition was seventy dollars a year. This, of course, waswholly beyond my ability to provide. If I had been compelled topay the seventy dollars for tuition, in addition to providing formy board, I would have been compelled to leave the Hamptonschool. General Armstrong, however, very kindly got Mr. S.Griffitts Morgan, of New Bedford, Mass., to defray the cost of mytuition during the whole time that I was at Hampton. After Ifinished the course at Hampton and had entered upon my lifeworkat Tuskegee, I had the pleasure of visiting Mr. Morgan severaltimes.After having been for a while at Hampton, I found myself indifficulty because I did not have books and clothing. Usually,however, I got around the trouble about books by borrowing fromthose who were more fortunate than myself. As to clothes, when Ireached Hampton I had practically nothing. Everything that Ipossessed was in a small hand satchel. My anxiety about clothingwas increased because of the fact that General Armstrong made apersonal inspection of the young men in ranks, to see that theirclothes were clean. Shoes had to be polished, there must be nobuttons off the clothing, and no grease-spots. To wear one suitof clothes continually, while at work and in the schoolroom, andat the same time keep it clean, was rather a hard problem for meto solve. In some way I managed to get on till the teacherslearned that I was in earnest and meant to succeed, and then someof them were kind enough to see that I was partly supplied withsecond-hand clothing that had been sent in barrels from theNorth. These barrels proved a blessing to hundreds of poor butdeserving students. Without them I question whether I should everhave gotten through Hampton.When I first went to Hampton I do not recall that I had everslept in a bed that had two sheets on it. In those days therewere not many buildings there, and room was very precious. Therewere seven other boys in the same room with me; most of them,however, students who had been there for some time. The sheetswere quite a puzzle to me. The first night I slept under both ofthem, and the second night I slept on top of them; but bywatching the other boys I learned my lesson in this, and havebeen trying to follow it ever since and to teach it to others.I was among the youngest of the students who were in Hampton atthe time. Most of the students were men and women--some as old asforty years of ago. As I now recall the scene of my first year, Ido not believe that one often has the opportunity of coming intocontact with three or four hundred men and women who were sotremendously in earnest as these men and women were. Every hourwas occupied in study or work. Nearly all had had enough actualcontact with the world to teach them the need of education. Manyof the older ones were, of course, too old to master thetext-books very thoroughly, and it was often sad to watch theirstruggles; but they made up in earnest much of what they lackedin books. Many of them were as poor as I was, and, besides havingto wrestle with their books, they had to struggle with a povertywhich prevented their having the necessities of life. Many ofthem had aged parents who were dependent upon them, and some ofthem were men who had wives whose support in some way they had toprovide for.The great and prevailing idea that seemed to take possession ofevery one was to prepare himself to lift up the people at hishome. No one seemed to think of himself. And the officers andteachers, what a rare set of human beings they were! They workedfor the students night and day, in seasons and out of season.They seemed happy only when they were helping the students insome manner. Whenever it is written--and I hope it will be--thepart that the Yankee teachers played in the education of theNegroes immediately after the war will make one of the mostthrilling parts of the history off this country. The time is notfar distant when the whole South will appreciate this service ina way that it has not yet been able to do.