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Chapter XII. Raising Money
When we opened our boarding department, we provided rooms in the
attic of Porter Hall, our first building, for a number of girls.
But the number of students, of both sexes, continued to increase.
We could find rooms outside the school grounds for many of the
young men, but the girls we did not care to expose in this way.
Very soon the problem of providing more rooms for the girls, as
well as a larger boarding department for all the students, grew
serious. As a result, we finally decided to undertake the
construction of a still larger building--a building that would
contain rooms for the girls and boarding accommodations for all.
After having had a preliminary sketch of the needed building
made, we found that it would cost about ten thousand dollars. We
had no money whatever with which to begin; still we decided to
give the needed building a name. We knew we could name it, even
though we were in doubt about our ability to secure the means for
its construction. We decided to call the proposed building
Alabama Hall, in honour of the state in which we were labouring.
Again Miss Davidson began making efforts to enlist the interest
and help of the coloured and white people in and near Tuskegee.
They responded willingly, in proportion to their means. The
students, as in the case of our first building, Porter Hall,
began digging out the dirt in order to allow the laying of the
foundations.
When we seemed at the end of our resources, so far as securing
money was concerned, something occurred which showed the
greatness of General Armstrong--something which proved how far he
was above the ordinary individual. When we were in the midst of
great anxiety as to where and how we were to get funds for the
new building, I received a telegram from General Armstrong asking
me if I could spend a month travelling with him through the
North, and asking me, if I could do so, to come to Hampton at
once. Of course I accepted General Armstrong's invitation, and
went to Hampton immediately. On arriving there I found that the
General had decided to take a quartette of singers through the
North, and hold meetings for a month in important cities, at
which meetings he and I were to speak. Imagine my surprise when
the General told me, further, that these meetings were to be
held, not in the interests of Hampton, but in the interests of
Tuskegee, and that the Hampton Institute was to be responsible
for all the expenses.
Although he never told me so in so many words, I found that
General Armstrong took this method of introducing me to the
people of the North, as well as for the sake of securing some
immediate funds to be used in the erection of Alabama Hall. A
weak and narrow man would have reasoned that all the money which
came to Tuskegee in this way would be just so much taken from the
Hampton Institute; but none of these selfish or short-sighted
feelings ever entered the breast of General Armstrong. He was too
big to be little, too good to be mean. He knew that the people in
the North who gave money gave it for the purpose of helping the
whole cause of Negro civilization, and not merely for the
advancement of any one school. The General knew, too, that the
way to strengthen Hampton was to make it a centre of unselfish
power in the working out of the whole Southern problem.
In regard to the addresses which I was to make in the North, I
recall just one piece of advice which the General gave me. He
said: "Give them an idea for every word." I think it would be
hard to improve upon this advice; and it might be made to apply
to all public speaking. From that time to the present I have
always tried to keep his advice in mind.
Meetings were held in New York, Brooklyn, Boston, Philadelphia,
and other large cities, and at all of these meetings General
Armstrong pleased, together with myself, for help, not for
Hampton, but for Tuskegee. At these meetings an especial effort
was made to secure help for the building of Alabama Hall, as well
as to introduce the school to the attention of the general
public. In both these respects the meetings proved successful.
After that kindly introduction I began going North alone to
secure funds. During the last fifteen years I have been compelled
to spend a large proportion of my time away from the school, in
an effort to secure money to provide for the growing needs of the
institution. In my efforts to get funds I have had some
experiences that may be of interest to my readers. Time and time
again I have been asked, by people who are trying to secure money
for philanthropic purposes, what rule or rules I followed to
secure the interest and help of people who were able to
contribute money to worthy objects. As far as the science of what
is called begging can be reduced to rules, I would say that I
have had but two rules. First, always to do my whole duty
regarding making our work known to individuals and organizations;
and, second, not to worry about the results. This second rule has
been the hardest for me to live up to. When bills are on the eve
of falling due, with not a dollar in hand with which to meet
them, it is pretty difficult to learn not to worry, although I
think I am learning more and more each year that all worry simply
consumes, and to no purpose, just so much physical and mental
strength that might otherwise be given to effective work. After
considerable experience in coming into contact with wealthy and
noted men, I have observed that those who have accomplished the
greatest results are those who "keep under the body"; are those
who never grow excited or lose self-control, but are always calm,
self-possessed, patient, and polite. I think that President
William McKinley is the best example of a man of this class that
I have ever seen.
In order to be successful in any kind of undertaking, I think the
main thing is for one to grow to the point where he completely
forgets himself; that is, to lose himself in a great cause. In
proportion as one loses himself in the way, in the same degree
does he get the highest happiness out of his work.
My experience in getting money for Tuskegee has taught me to have
no patience with those people who are always condemning the rich
because they are rich, and because they do not give more to
objects of charity. In the first place, those who are guilty of
such sweeping criticisms do not know how many people would be
made poor, and how much suffering would result, if wealthy people
were to part all at once with any large proportion of their
wealth in a way to disorganize and cripple great business
enterprises. Then very few persons have any idea of the large
number of applications for help that rich people are constantly
being flooded with. I know wealthy people who receive as much as
twenty calls a day for help. More than once when I have gone into
the offices of rich men, I have found half a dozen persons
waiting to see them, and all come for the same purpose, that of
securing money. And all these calls in person, to say nothing of
the applications received through the mails. Very few people have
any idea of the amount of money given away by persons who never
permit their names to be known. I have often heard persons
condemned for not giving away money, who, to my own knowledge,
were giving away thousands of dollars every year so quietly that
the world knew nothing about it.
As an example of this, there are two ladies in New York, whose
names rarely appear in print, but who, in a quiet way, have given
us the means with which to erect three large and important
buildings during the last eight years. Besides the gift of these
buildings, they have made other generous donations to the school.
And they not only help Tuskegee, but they are constantly seeking
opportunities to help other worthy causes.
Although it has been my privilege to be the medium through which
a good many hundred thousand dollars have been received for the
work at Tuskegee, I have always avoided what the world calls
"begging." I often tell people that I have never "begged" any
money, and that I am not a "beggar." My experience and
observation have convinced me that persistent asking outright for
money from the rich does not, as a rule, secure help. I have
usually proceeded on the principle that persons who possess sense
enough to earn money have sense enough to know how to give it
away, and that the mere making known of the facts regarding
Tuskegee, and especially the facts regarding the work of the
graduates, has been more effective than outright begging. I think
that the presentation of facts, on a high, dignified plane, is
all the begging that most rich people care for.
While the work of going from door to door and from office to
office is hard, disagreeable, and costly in bodily strength, yet
it has some compensations. Such work gives one a rare opportunity
to study human nature. It also has its compensations in giving
one an opportunity to meet some of the best people in the
world--to be more correct, I think I should say the best people
in the world. When one takes a broad survey of the country, he
will find that the most useful and influential people in it are
those who take the deepest interest in institutions that exist
for the purpose of making the world better.
At one time, when I was in Boston, I called at the door of a
rather wealthy lady, and was admitted to the vestibule and sent
up my card. While I was waiting for an answer, her husband came
in, and asked me in the most abrupt manner what I wanted. When I
tried to explain the object of my call, he became still more
ungentlemanly in his words and manner, and finally grew so
excited that I left the house without waiting for a reply from
the lady. A few blocks from that house I called to see a
gentleman who received me in the most cordial manner. He wrote me
his check for a generous sum, and then, before I had had an
opportunity to thank him, said: "I am so grateful to you, Mr.
Washington, for giving me the opportunity to help a good cause.
It is a privilege to have a share in it. We in Boston are
constantly indebted to you for doing our work." My experience in
securing money convinces me that the first type of man is growing
more rare all the time, and that the latter type is increasing;
that is, that, more and more, rich people are coming to regard
men and women who apply to them for help for worthy objects, not
as beggars, but as agents for doing their work.
In the city of Boston I have rarely called upon an individual for
funds that I have not been thanked for calling, usually before I
could get an opportunity to thank the donor for the money. In
that city the donors seem to feel, in a large degree, that an
honour is being conferred upon them in their being permitted to
give. Nowhere else have I met with, in so large a measure, this
fine and Christlike spirit as in the city of Boston, although
there are many notable instances of it outside that city. I
repeat my belief that the world is growing in the direction of
giving. I repeat that the main rule by which I have been guided
in collecting money is to do my full duty in regard to giving
people who have money an opportunity for help.
In the early years of the Tuskegee school I walked the streets or
travelled country roads in the North for days and days without
receiving a dollar. Often as it happened, when during the week I
had been disappointed in not getting a cent from the very
individuals from whom I most expected help, and when I was almost
broken down and discouraged, that generous help has come from
some one who I had had little idea would give at all.
I recall that on one occasion I obtained information that led me
to believe that a gentleman who lived about two miles out in the
country from Stamford, Conn., might become interest in our
efforts at Tuskegee if our conditions and needs were presented to
him. On an unusually cold and stormy day I walked the two miles
to see him. After some difficulty I succeeded in securing an
interview with him. He listened with some degree of interest to
what I had to say, but did not give me anything. I could not help
having the feeling that, in a measure, the three hours that I had
spent in seeing him had been thrown away. Still, I had followed
my usual rule of doing my duty. If I had not seen him, I should
have felt unhappy over neglect of duty.
Two years after this visit a letter came to Tuskegee from this
man, which read like this: "Enclosed I send you a New York draft
for ten thousand dollars, to be used in furtherance of your work.
I had placed this sum in my will for your school, but deem it
wiser to give it to you while I live. I recall with pleasure your
visit to me two years ago."
I can hardly imagine any occurrence which could have given me
more genuine satisfaction than the receipt of this draft. It was
by far the largest single donation which up to that time the
school had ever received. It came at a time when an unusually
long period had passed since we had received any money. We were
in great distress because of lack of funds, and the nervous
strain was tremendous. It is difficult for me to think of any
situation that is more trying on the nerves than that of
conducting a large institution, with heavy obligations to meet,
without knowing where the money is to come from to meet these
obligations from month to month.
In our case I felt a double responsibility, and this made the
anxiety all the more intense. If the institution had been
officered by white persons, and had failed, it would have injured
the cause of Negro education; but I knew that the failure of our
institution, officered by Negroes, would not only mean the loss
of a school, but would cause people, in a large degree, to lose
faith in the ability of the entire race. The receipt of this
draft for ten thousand dollars, under all these circumstances,
partially lifted a burden that had been pressing down upon me for
days.
From the beginning of our work to the present I have always had
the feeling, and lose no opportunity to impress our teachers with
the same idea, that the school will always be supported in
proportion as the inside of the institution is kept clean and
pure and wholesome.
The first time I ever saw the late Collis P. Huntington, the
great railroad man, he gave me two dollars for our school. The
last time I saw him, which was a few months before he died, he
gave me fifty thousand dollars toward our endowment fund. Between
these two gifts there were others of generous proportions which
came every year from both Mr. and Mrs. Huntington.
Some people may say that it was Tuskegee's good luck that brought
to us this gift of fifty thousand dollars. No, it was not luck.
It was hard work. Nothing ever comes to me, that is worth having,
except as the result of hard work. When Mr. Huntington gave me
the first two dollars, I did not blame him for not giving me
more, but made up my mind that I was going to convince him by
tangible results that we were worthy of larger gifts. For a dozen
years I made a strong effort to convince Mr. Huntington of the
value of our work. I noted that just in proportion as the
usefulness of the school grew, his donations increased. Never did
I meet an individual who took a more kindly and sympathetic
interest in our school than did Mr. Huntington. He not only gave
money to us, but took time in which to advise me, as a father
would a son, about the general conduct of the school.
More than once I have found myself in some pretty tight places
while collecting money in the North. The following incident I
have never related but once before, for the reason that I feared
that people would not believe it. One morning I found myself in
Providence, Rhode Island, without a cent of money with which to
buy breakfast. In crossing the street to see a lady from whom I
hoped to get some money, I found a bright new twenty-five-cent
piece in the middle of the street track. I not only had this
twenty-five cents for my breakfast, but within a few minutes I
had a donation from the lady on whom I had started to call.
At one of our Commencements I was bold enough to invite the Rev.
-
Winchester Donald, D.D., rector of Trinity Church, Boston, to
preach the Commencement sermon. As we then had no room large
enough to accommodate all who would be present, the place of
meeting was under a large improvised arbour, built partly of
brush and partly of rough boards. Soon after Dr. Donald had begun
speaking, the rain came down in torrents, and he had to stop,
while someone held an umbrella over him.
The boldness of what I had done never dawned upon me until I saw
the picture made by the rector of Trinity Church standing before
that large audience under an old umbrella, waiting for the rain
to cease so that he could go on with his address.
It was not very long before the rain ceased and Dr. Donald
finished his sermon; and an excellent sermon it was, too, in
spite of the weather. After he had gone to his room, and had
gotten the wet threads of his clothes dry, Dr. Donald ventured
the remark that a large chapel at Tuskegee would not be out of
place. The next day a letter came from two ladies who were then
travelling in Italy, saying that they had decided to give us the
money for such a chapel as we needed.
A short time ago we received twenty thousand dollars from Mr.
Andrew Carnegie, to be used for the purpose of erecting a new
library building. Our first library and reading-room were in a
corner of a shanty, and the whole thing occupied a space about
five by twelve feet. It required ten years of work before I was
able to secure Mr. Carnegie's interest and help. The first time I
saw him, ten years ago, he seemed to take but little interest in
our school, but I was determined to show him that we were worthy
of his help. After ten years of hard work I wrote him a letter
reading as follows:
December 15, 1900.
Mr. Andrew Carnegie, 5 W. Fifty-first St., New York.
Dear Sir: Complying with the request which you made of me when I
saw you at your residence a few days ago, I now submit in writing
an appeal for a library building for our institution.
We have 1100 students, 86 officers and instructors, together with
their families, and about 200 coloured people living near the
school, all of whom would make use of the library building.
We have over 12,000 books, periodicals, etc., gifts from our
friends, but we have no suitable place for them, and we have no
suitable reading-room.
Our graduates go to work in every section of the South, and
whatever knowledge might be obtained in the library would serve
to assist in the elevation of the whole Negro race.
Such a building as we need could be erected for about $20,000.
All of the work for the building, such as brickmaking,
brick-masonry, carpentry, blacksmithing, etc., would be done by
the students. The money which you would give would not only
supply the building, but the erection of the building would give
a large
number of students an opportunity to learn the building trades,
and the students would use the money paid to them to keep
themselves in school. I do not believe that a similar amount of
money often could be made go so far in uplifting a whole race.
If you wish further information, I shall be glad to furnish it.
Yours truly,
Booker T. Washington, Principal.
The next mail brought back the following reply: "I will be very
glad to pay the bills for the library building as they are
incurred, to the extent of twenty thousand dollars, and I am glad
of this opportunity to show the interest I have in your noble
work."
I have found that strict business methods go a long way in
securing the interest of rich people. It has been my constant aim
at Tuskegee to carry out, in our financial and other operations,
such business methods as would be approved of by any New York
banking house.
I have spoken of several large gifts to the school; but by far
the greater proportion of the money that has built up the
institution has come in the form of small donations from persons
of moderate means. It is upon these small gifts, which carry with
them the interest of hundreds of donors, that any philanthropic
work must depend largely for its support. In my efforts to get
money I have often been surprised at the patience and deep
interest of the ministers, who are besieged on every hand and at
all hours of the day for help. If no other consideration had
convinced me of the value of the Christian life, the Christlike
work which the Church of all denominations in America has done
during the last thirty-five years for the elevation of the black
man would have made me a Christian. In a large degree it has been
the pennies, the nickels, and the dimes which have come from the
Sunday-schools, the Christian Endeavour societies, and the
missionary societies, as well as from the church proper, that
have helped to elevate the Negro at so rapid a rate.
This speaking of small gifts reminds me to say that very few
Tuskegee graduates fail to send us an annual contribution. These
contributions range from twenty-five cents up to ten dollars.
Soon after beginning our third year's work we were surprised to
receive money from three special sources, and up to the present
time we have continued to receive help from them. First, the
State Legislature of Alabama increased its annual appropriation
from two thousand dollars to three thousand dollars; I might add
that still later it increased this sum to four thousand five
hundred dollars a year. The effort to secure this increase was
led by the Hon. M.F. Foster, the member of the Legislature from
Tuskegee. Second, we received one thousand dollars from the John
-
Slater Fund. Our work seemed to please the trustees of this
fund, as they soon began increasing their annual grant. This has
been added to from time to time until at present we receive
eleven thousand dollars annually from the Fund. The other help to
which I have referred came in the shape of an allowance from the
Peabody Fund. This was at first five hundred dollars, but it has
since been increased to fifteen hundred dollars.
The effort to secure help from the Slater and Peabody Funds
brought me into contact with two rare men--men who have had much
to do in shaping the policy for the education of the Negro. I
refer to the Hon. J.L.M. Curry, of Washington, who is the general
agent for these two funds, and Mr. Morris K. Jessup, of New York.
Dr. Curry is a native of the South, an ex-Confederate soldier,
yet I do not believe there is any man in the country who is more
deeply interest in the highest welfare of the Negro than Dr.
Curry, or one who is more free from race prejudice. He enjoys the
unique distinction of possessing to an equal degree of confidence
of the black man and the Southern white man. I shall never forget
the first time I met him. It was in Richmond, Va., where he was
then living. I had heard much about him. When I first went into
his presence, trembling because of my youth and inexperience, he
took me by the hand so cordially, and spoke such encouraging
words, and gave me such helpful advice regarding the proper
course to pursue, that I came to know him then, as I have known
him ever since, as a high example of one who is constantly and
unselfishly at work for the betterment of humanity.
Mr. Morris K. Jessup, the treasurer of the Slater Fund, I refer
to because I know of no man of wealth and large and complication
business responsibilities who gives not only money but his time
and thought to the subject of the proper method of elevating the
Negro to the extent that is true of Mr. Jessup. It is very
largely through this effort and influence that during the last
few years the subject of industrial education has assumed the
importance that it has, and been placed on its present footing.
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