974 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



DEC; 15 



"Tuskegee, its Story and its Work," by Max 

 Bennett Thrasher. Somehow or other I caught 

 a glimpse of the letter, and I told the clerk 

 ■while she was ordering the book to get one 

 for me too, for I knew the book was a history 

 of a wonderful work performed by Booker T. 

 Washington, in Tuskegee, Ala. When the 

 book was laid on my table I had forgotten all 

 about ordering it ; and it was not only one of 

 my happy surprises, but a wonderful surprise. 

 How I do wish you could all look at the pic- 

 tures and read the book ! I will straightway 

 write to the publishers, and see what arrange- 

 ments I can make to have them furnish it to 

 you at a very low price. It was published 

 during the current year. It has 204 pages and 

 a large number of fine half-tone engravings 

 printed on beautiful paper, and excellent 

 print. 



Booker T. Washington is a full-blooded ne- 

 gro, if I am correct. Nobody knows exactly 

 when he was born ; for, at that time, the birth 

 of another black baby was of too little conse- 

 quence to be recorded anywhere. Even when 

 a small boy he showed a hungering and thirst- 

 ing for education. I might almost say no boy 

 ever had greater difficulties about him than 

 this one in satisfying his thirst for knowledge. 

 But he conquered ; and even in his youth he 

 planned not only to help himself but to help 

 his race. As I am looking forward with plea- 

 sure to a visit to this great industrial home 

 during the coming winter I will go very brief- 

 ly over the subject just now. Whatever he 

 learned just fired him with enthusiam to teach 

 the same to others of his race ; and while yet 

 quite a boy he gathered a number of others 

 who were willing to spend their lives in toil 

 for their race, and they together started a 

 school. They were without money, without 

 friends, and without influence. But they 

 had determination and the average African 

 constitution and muscle. They put up their 

 own buildings, first of logs, then of boards, 

 and, as the work went on, they made brick 

 and erected brick buildings. In some re- 

 spects this work at Tuskegee is an experiment 

 station. Some of the students take to agri- 

 culture, some to mechanics, some to machin- 

 ery ; and not only are they carrying on almost 

 all trades and industries, but they have also 

 professors in the different fciences little if 

 any behind those that we find among the 

 white people. 



I hardly need tell you that the founder and 

 leader is a most sincere and devoted Christian. 



Very early in the work a beautiful chapel 

 was built of brick ; then a building they call 

 Science Hall ; then a department for dairy 

 work, with students being taught exactly as 

 we teach at the institute at Columbus, O , and 

 in other States. Simebody has said the re- 

 markable thing about Mr. Washington's work 

 is that his graduates are all just so many Book- 

 er T. Wasbingtons on a smaller scale. And 

 our voung friend did not forget the colored 

 girls by any means. Mrs. Booker T. Wash- 

 ington is a handsome colored woman, although 

 a full-blooded black, like her husband — that 

 is, if I am right about it, and she is doing for 

 the women exactly what he is doing for the 



men. What a transformation ! When I look 

 at the colored girls here in Medina (and I have 

 reason to believe, too, that they are far above 

 thousands upon thousands in the far South), 

 and then glance at the pictures of the Eeatly 

 dressed and lady-like girls pictured in the 

 book, I exclaim again and again, " May God 

 be praised ! " The institution now owns 2500 

 acres — that is, they are making use of more or 

 less of that amount of land ; and as a recog- 

 nition of the services that this devoted man 

 and his followers are doing for the whole 

 United States, and I might as well say for the 

 whole wide world, the government of the 

 United States has donated some 25,000 acres. 

 This he is to use, or the proceeds from it, as he 

 chooses or thinks best. 



Dear friends, I am almost afraid that our na- 

 tion and the whole wide world are just now 

 showing their gratitude by almost too muck 

 praise. Can this poor colored friend of ours, 

 who has been so suddenly raised from abject 

 poverty and want — can he and his followers 

 stand all of this prosperity ? Let us remember 

 him in our prayers. I believe most of the col- 

 ored people know something of this man and 

 of this institution ; and it would certainly be 

 doing missionary work to put this book in the 

 hands of every colored boy and girl. They 

 ought to know the possibilities of the colored 

 race. Sometimes I almost fear that hope has 

 died out in their hearts when they realize that 

 many of them, and especially the young girls, 

 can hardly expect protection from the laws of 

 our land. Thank God, however, that just re- 

 cently our people are waking up to the impor- 

 tance of protecting our colored girls from the 

 schemes of evil men as well as the white ones. 

 Now, I wish you would all get this book and 

 read it. It is as interesting as Robinson Cru- 

 soe (pardon me for the illustration), but it is 

 every word true. Anybody is at liberty to vis- 

 it the grounds and schools, and see for him- 

 self. Many of you have heard Mr. Washing- 

 ton speak, for he is a great orator as well as a 

 wonderful writer. May God help us all to do 

 our part in the glad work of preaching the 

 gospel to every human being ; and may he 

 help me to preach the gospel of Christ Jesus 

 to those under my own roof in my own home. 



I presume the readers of Gi,eanings will 

 be particularly interested in the department 

 of bee culture ; in fact, we have a beautiful 

 photo, in the book, of the apiary, showing 

 quite a plant of Dovetailed hives that came 

 from our own e.';taV)lishment. Now, who do 

 you suppose it is who is learning bee culture? 

 Whv, instead of colored boys it is the colored 

 girls. As nearly as I can make out, Mrs. 

 Booker T. Washington herself is the instruct- 

 ress, for I notice she is appointed directress of 

 domestic industries for girls. I never thought 

 of it before, but I do not see why colored girls 

 should not become expert in this line. It is 

 just as natural for them to be in the open air 

 as it is for the bees themselves ; and I notice 

 by the photo that the greater part of them 

 are bareheaded, not having on even a veil. I 

 notice, however, they have smokers. Now, 

 that is just according to my idea. Give me a 

 cold-blast smoker, and I do not believe I 



