Part 1 (2/2)

CHAPTER II

THE ERA OF FREEDOM--REALISING THAT KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

The great, long-looked-for and ardently-prayed-for day of freedos which Booker Washi+ngton re to the reading of President Lincoln's Proclamation, and to which the Southern leaders were compelled to yield when the pressure of the Northern arer resisted In common justice to the Southern planters, we have to re short of actual ruin The human chattels, as slaves were often called, were not seldoains in the open old was once offered for the ex-slave friend to whom reference has been made, and was at once refused by his owner It can well be believed that one who has developed such a gift for organisation as Booker Washi+ngton would have coh such prices were, of course, far in advance of the average

It ht also be said that the planters were not responsible for slavery having become an institution of the Republic, and that they had to do with things as they found them But while this may be true, it has also to be admitted that the Southern States retained that institution longer than their neighbours At the end of the century in which the Republic secured its independence there were under 900,000 slaves in the whole of the United States; but the total was nearly 4,000,000 in the year of emancipation The Northern States had already liberated their slaves in a gradual way about a quarter of a century before that crisis For generations slavery had been denounced as a wrong, a the Republican leaders, such as Franklin and Washi+ngton, Madison and Jefferson, and others Thesequite out of keeping with the principles of the Declaration of Independence

Nevertheless, differences of opinion over this ious division, thethat of the Episcopal Methodist Church, which henceforth had its Northern and Southern sections, the latter being founded on a pro-slavery basis

Young as he hen the great revolution of coht about, Booker Washi+ngton was still able to show a child's keenest interest in as taking place It was as if the sun had risen on new tiether; the very winds seeht with proers_ had ever known before; it was as though the Golden Age itself had dawned The sharp-witted little son of the slave-girl could heartily enter into hisof the things that were happening as he has been able to understand the boldness and enthusiasm of his elders, who for some time before the final catastrophe clearly anticipated what the end would be When they gathered at their nocturnal ht in their eyes; a spirit of hope and cheerfulness such as they had never known before gave new life to their hys becans and tokens of various kinds which the working slaves well understood, whatever this child of a slave- in the air which told that so in the tops of the reat day of freedo soldiers, who had broken away from the Confederate Army, had a doleful story to tell of disaster and collapse Then, besides, the in of how best they could secure their valuables if the invaders actually came Then, on the first Sunday of April 1865, the catastrophe may be said to have really come On that day vast quantities of stores were burned at Richhtnue when they greeted the regiton testifies to the wild excess of joy hich the slaves on all the plantations accepted the freedom which had come to them in this remarkable, but no doubt providential, way For the ether intoxicated while trying to estimate the reality of that new condition in which they found the about which their forefathers had prayed through long and weary generations The thing seeood to be true, and yet it was actually with them--it was their own blissful possession!

Then, as was inevitable, hu reaction to this outburst of feeling and irrepressible excitement What about the future? Practically, a whole nation of so like 4,000,000 persons had suddenly been set free, severed from their employment and their masters, who in their way had looked after them Those masters had been sorely reduced by the war; reat houses had been killed or wounded What was to become of those millions of coloured people who had never come in contact with the outer world, ith a few exceptions, were quite illiterate and knew nothing of the outside world? No wonder that a certain a soon took the place of that exuberance of joy which the sense of freedom had at first inspired The crisis was sufficiently serious for those ere young and strong, but as to becoed or those orn out in the hard service of the plantations?

Probably the gloom which now overtook so erated as their wild ideas about their good fortune when freedom first came to them These coloured folk were apt to run into extreton well remembers them in both moods; and he also can call to mind how they came to see that, after all, liberty was an inheritance of sterling worth when it was fairly estie of the new-found freedoht to choose a respectable surnaht, if they felt so disposed, to leave the old haunts and, in some measure, to look round the outside world Otherwise, they could hardly tell how it ricultural labourers in general, these poor coloured slave folk, hoton was acquainted, had never been far afield fro seen so little of the world, they found that the world was a wide place and, in some respects, different froe nuree with their old e their new naood taste as well as a the patronymic list of presidents, statesmen, soldiers and others to select fro a middle and, apparently, an initial letter, which usually did not represent a na the American manner, was still indispensable Even in the case of the distinguished negro, an account of whose life and work is given in this voluton while he remained in a state of slavery; he chose it for himself after he becaood selection

Mrs Washi+ngton--as by courtesy sheher freedom, as was the case with so many of her old companions Circuinia, and which is also in the suburbs of Charleston Still being quite a young lad, Booker Washi+ngton accompanied histo join theironly their stepfather--as then e that all were now free, the temporal prosperity of the family so far showed no i little town there was even less comfort, and far more repulsive squalor, than there had been on the plantation a a raded set; so that, after all the toil and rough adventure of so, the wonder is that the future benefactor of his race was not utterly des Perhaps it turned out to his advantage that he had to work hard through very long days

Ever since the titon had been inspired by a very strong desire to learn to read

He resolved that, couish himself as to become competent to read the periodicals and newspapers of the day This was a very praiseworthy resolution to make, but to ordinary persons how utterly is were against them By a roundabout way he so far advanced as to be able to understand what certain figures on a salt-barrel -book until, on being earnestly requested to do so, his mother was successful in her strenuous endeavours to obtain one In the whole circle of his coloured acquaintance the ex-slave child knew of no individual who could read, hisno exception This fact, however, see out in bolder outline the sterling traits of this negro woman's character She was evidently unco her child not to atteht well have seemed to be impossibilities, she showed that wholesome ambition for the boy's future which proved her to be of a superior nature, while she was a genuine, loving ton inherited his gifts and indouished men have borne similar testimony Men who have lived and laboured for the benefit of others have been, in veryobtained his spelling-book, Booker Washi+ngton co that he was occupied for so the difficulties of the alphabet, which, under the most favourable conditions, would have detained hiress under the teaching of a negro boy who had the rare distinction of being able to read a printed page; and, as was quite natural, such an example of literary attainments in youth was no less envied than ad else occurred which cannot fail to strike us as being alether extraordinary under the circuh the vista of a third of a century, looks like a perfect _furore_ for education took complete possession of the ex-slaves, and, whatdesire for school teaching extended to aspirants of all ages

Before philanthropists came forward to help them the coloured people were found to have their own appointed tutor, and care was taken that he should fare well Thus, in the case of Booker Washi+ngton, the first comparatively competent teacher hom he came in contact was a quondam soldier who had served in the war Surely no tutor ever had e of the learner was seven or seventy-five, it see their enthusiasm Indeed, it may be seriously questioned whether any other race of people would ever have rivalled this extraordinary ardour in learning to read And circumstances made it necessary that even the Sunday schools, in coive theWhat a contrast such a state of things presents to anything of the kind hich we are familiar in connection with any other country! How many there are who remain illiterate, or semi-illiterate, in spite of the schools which are provided and admirably equipped under any national systenorance and bondage the negro slaves showed the most lively desire for education In what h a long succession of centuries our own peasantry remained, for thea kind of sullen content or stolid indifference That negroes should show other characteristics should inspire the encourage fros than have usually entered into the calculations of Aton so thoroughly well understands his race that he can harbour such bright hopes of their future, provided that comive the the best possible use of their capacities He is quite an ingenuous man, who says just what he thinks, and ould never think of ai at the impracticable What may at first have seemed to be quite a Utopian enterprise to quidnuncs in American social and political circles is to him a very ordinary business He has solved what has been to others a dark problem, because he has failed to see that there was any problem which needed solution

He sees in the labour of the roes who people the Southern States a source of vast national wealth Only turn this to good account and the whole country will be benefited and enriched, while the descendants of the ex-slaves theood citizens To carry out this idea is certainly one of the greatest of enterprises to which social reformers in the New World have ever set their hand

When a school was established and a supposed coton did not find that his course had ceased to be a pursuit of knowledge under difficulties His ht that his services at the salt works could be altogether dispensed with in order that he ht attend school

Then a kind of co entirely suspended, he was allowed to pass so thus risen to this respectable standing, he found it desirable to wear a cap which his inian planter nosuch head-dress for boy slaves than he would of clothing his colts or calves It was then, ave himself the name which he has ever since retained and honoured He had been called Booker as a child-slave; for some reason his ton was a beco euphonism of his own

With so much manual labour to be done, the difficulties in the way of education were continually beco intensified Soon it became impossible to continue in attendance at the day school, and he had to be content with attending an evening class after co the day's toil

Under the ; and his experience proved stillwhen he was removed from the salt works to serve in a coal mine, which supplied the furnaces with fuel

Booker Washi+ngton has very vivid recollections of the horrors and even constant dangers attending such subterranean work The darkness alone was al a wrong path, through falling coal, or a candle getting extinguished, were ever threatening those engaged in the works It was in such an ats, however, that the dawn of a new era sent its beams across his chequered pathway It was there that he heard for the first tiricultural Institute, which was destined to shape for him his life-course The institution in question is near to the sinia, and the channel, commanded by Fortress Monroe, was the scene of so the Civil War The institution was founded in 1868 by General S C Ar, and two years later was incorporated by the State of Virginia Its object is stated to be ”to train young ro and Indian races to becoton happened to overhear two ether about this school, and he resolved to find out everything possible about it The revelation had for hie new hopes had been kindled in his soul If he had asked, Who was Saht have learned that he was an officer who had served in the Civil War, and that he was born in the Hawaiian Islands in 1839 The General was a genuine, warm-hearted friend of the coloured races, and as he beca like an apostle, who did more than any other human teacher to mark out his pathway of life, so needs of the freed negroes in the years which immediately followed the close of the Civil War There are now some ten million coloured people in the Southern States, but at the time in question there were less than half of this number Nevertheless, the crisis was sufficiently serious to be even alar Thus a contemporary writer says:--

”Such sudden emancipation, on so vast a scale, is unequalled in the annals of history The nearest parallel to it is the deliverance of the Israelites fro about two millions, was then suddenly emancipated But as for their sustenance and preservation a succession of miracles took place, it is not necessary for our present purpose to pursue the parallel No instance in secular history equals the present position of the freed negroes of North America The crisis has come in a manner and at a time that could hardly have been anticipated by the wisest forecaster of political events”

Great as was the need for earnest effort after hostilities ceased, however, the want and suffering had been far one before The conteinning of the war hundreds have suddenly poured in, as at an hour's notice, upon the cities of the Northern States One of the ca fugitives in a single day, and this whilst the snoas coldly and silently covering the surrounding landscape After the Federals had gained possession of Meroes, sowhatever with thes of two or three years' wear, and only the clouds and the trees to shelter them, these human multitudes were far worse off than the cos of their white brethren When General Sherroes had followed his army The reply was, 'Ten miles of them'”

Charitable and Christian people were moved to do what lay in their power not only to relieve present sufferings, but to enable the coloured folk to make a new start in the world associations were formed, money was collected, even the Government took care that rations should be distributed The result was that the outlook soon showed signs of improvement At one time Levi Coffin of Cincinnati reported that there were thirty-five camps in the Mississippi Valley which contained about 650,000 coloured fugitives, but these ca

Thewere soon relieved, but it soon became more and more apparent that service of a more permanent kind would have to be undertaken if the coloured people were to be raised from the low condition into which slavery had reduced thereat resultsAlthough the prevailing ignorance was of the densest kind, all were most anxious to learn Wherever a camp appeared it was certain that schools would speedily follow; and in what must have appeared an incredibly short space of time no less than 250 schools were established in that Mississippi Valley alone The contemporary anonymous writer in the _Leisure Hour_ who has already been quoted, and who appears to have been thoroughly well acquainted with the negroes'

characteristics and condition in their transition state, adds this word-picture of the general outlook at the ti made:--