Booker T. Washington, Builder o - African American History

Booker T. Washington, Builder of a Civilization. 38
24.03.2006
harmony as in the United States."
This concluding observation was particularly characteristic of him. Somewhere,
or somehow, he always turned to account all significant events for weal or woe
from the most trivial personal happenings to the titanic world war.
Like all great leaders, Booker Washington did the bulk of his work quietly in his
own office and not on dramatic historic occasions before great audiences. He
received every day, for instance, a huge and varied mail which required not only
industry to handle, but much judgment, patience, and tact to dispose of wisely
and adequately. We will here mention and quote from a sheaf of letters taken at
random from his files which partially illustrate the range of his interests and the
variety of the calls which were constantly made upon him.
A railroad official in Colorado asked his opinion on the question of separate
schools for white and black children apropos of a movement to amend the State
constitution so as to make possible such separate schools. In his reply Mr.
Washington said: "As a rule, colored people in the Northern States are very
much opposed to any plans for
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separate schools, and I think their feelings in the matter deserve consideration.
The real objection to separate schools, from their point of view, is that they do
not like to feel that they are compelled to go to one school rather than the other.
It seems as if it was taking away part of their freedom. This feeling is likely to
be all the stronger where the matter is made a subject of public agitation. On the
other hand, my experience is that if this matter is left to the discretion of the
school officials it usually settles itself. As the colored people usually live pretty
closely together, there will naturally be schools in which colored students are in
the majority. In that case, the process of separation takes place naturally and
without the necessity of changing the constitution. If you make it a
constitutional question, the colored people are going to be opposed to it. If you
leave it simply an administrative question, which it really is, the matter will very
likely settle itself."
We next find a courteous reply to the letter of some poor crank who wanted to
secure his backing for a preparation which he had concocted for taking the curl
out of Negroes' hair. Then comes a letter to a man who wants to know whether
it is true that the Negro race is dying out. To him Mr. Washington quoted the
United States census figures for 1910, which indicate an increase of 11 3/10 per