Preface

by Booker T. Washington

　　This volume is the outgrowth of a series of articles, dealingwith incidents in my life, which were published consecutively inthe Outlook. While they were appearing in that magazine I wasconstantly surprised at the number of requests which came to mefrom all parts of the country, asking that the articles bepermanently preserved in book form. I am most grateful to theOutlook for permission to gratify these requests.I have tried to tell a simple, straightforward story, with noattempt at embellishment. My regret is that what I have attemptedto do has been done so imperfectly. The greater part of my timeand strength is required for the executive work connected withthe Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, and in securing themoney necessary for the support of the institution. Much of whatI have said has been written on board trains, or at hotels orrailroad stations while I have been waiting for trains, or duringthe moments that I could spare from my work while at Tuskegee.Without the painstaking and generous assistance of Mr. MaxBennett Thrasher I could not have succeeded in any satisfactorydegree.