up from slavery-第7节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


rned　away　for　want　of　room。

The　opening　of　the　school　in　the　Kanawha　Valley；　however；　brought　to　me　one　of　the　keenest　disappointments　that　I　ever　experienced。　I　had　been　working　in　a　salt…furnace　for　several　months；　and　my　stepfather　had　discovered　that　I　had　a　financial　value；　and　so；　when　the　school　opened；　he　decided　that　he　could　not　spare　me　from　my　work。　This　decision　seemed　to　cloud　my　every　ambition。　The　disappointment　was　made　all　the　more　severe　by　reason　of　the　fact　that　my　place　of　work　was　where　I　could　see　the　happy　children　passing　to　and　from　school　mornings　and　afternoons。　Despite　this　disappointment；　however；　I　determined　that　I　would　learn　something；　anyway。　I　applied　myself　with　greater　earnestness　than　ever　to　the　mastering　of　what　was　in　the　〃blue…back〃　speller。

My　mother　sympathized　with　me　in　my　disappointment；　and　sought　to　comfort　me　in　all　the　ways　she　could；　and　to　help　me　find　a　way　to　learn。　After　a　while　I　succeeded　in　making　arrangements　with　the　teacher　to　give　me　some　lessons　at　night；　after　the　day's　work　was　done。　These　night　lessons　were　so　welcome　that　I　think　I　learned　more　at　night　than　the　other　children　did　during　the　day。　My　own　experiences　in　the　night…school　gave　me　faith　in　the　night…school　idea；　with　which；　in　after　years；　I　had　to　do　both　at　Hampton　and　Tuskegee。　But　my　boyish　heart　was　still　set　upon　going　to　the　day…school；　and　I　let　no　opportunity　slip　to　push　my　case。　Finally　I　won；　and　was　permitted　to　go　to　the　school　in　the　day　for　a　few　months；　with　the　understanding　that　I　was　to　rise　early　in　the　morning　and　work　in　the　furnace　till　nine　o'clock；　and　return　immediately　after　school　closed　in　the　afternoon　for　at　least　two　more　hours　of　work。

The　schoolhouse　was　some　distance　from　the　furnace；　and　as　I　had　to　work　till　nine　o'clock；　and　the　school　opened　at　nine；　I　found　myself　in　a　difficulty。　School　would　always　be　begun　before　I　reached　it；　and　sometimes　my　class　had　recited。　To　get　around　this　difficulty　I　yielded　to　a　temptation　for　which　most　people；　I　suppose；　will　condemn　me；　but　since　it　is　a　fact；　I　might　as　well　state　it。　I　have　great　faith　in　the　power　and　influence　of　facts。　It　is　seldom　that　anything　is　permanently　gained　by　holding　back　a　fact。　There　was　a　large　clock　in　a　little　office　in　the　furnace。　This　clock；　of　course；　all　the　hundred　or　more　workmen　depended　upon　to　regulate　their　hours　of　beginning　and　ending　the　day's　work。　I　got　the　idea　that　the　way　for　me　to　reach　school　on　time　was　to　move　the　clock　hands　from　half…past　eight　up　to　the　nine　o'clock　mark。　This　I　found　myself　doing　morning　after　morning；　till　the　furnace　〃boss〃　discovered　that　something　was　wrong；　and　locked　the　clock　in　a　case。　I　did　not　mean　to　inconvenience　anybody。　I　simply　meant　to　reach　that　schoolhouse　in　time。

When；　however；　I　found　myself　at　the　school　for　the　first　time；　I　also　found　myself　confronted　with　two　other　difficulties。　In　the　first　place；　I　found　that　all　the　other　children　wore　hats　or　caps　on　their　heads；　and　I　had　neither　hat　nor　cap。　In　fact；　I　do　not　remember　that　up　to　the　time　of　going　to　school　I　had　ever　worn　any　kind　of　covering　upon　my　head；　nor　do　I　recall　that　either　I　or　anybody　else　had　even　thought　anything　about　the　need　of　covering　for　my　head。　But；　of　course；　when　I　saw　how　all　the　other　boys　were　dressed；　I　began　to　feel　quite　uncomfortable。　As　usual；　I　put　the　case　before　my　mother；　and　she　explained　to　me　that　she　had　no　money　with　which　to　buy　a　〃store　hat；〃　which　was　a　rather　new　institution　at　that　time　among　the　members　of　my　race　and　was　considered　quite　the　thing　for　young　and　old　to　own；　but　that　she　would　find　a　way　to　help　me　out　of　the　difficulty。　She　accordingly　got　two　pieces　of　〃homespun〃　（jeans）　and　sewed　them　together；　and　I　was　soon　the　proud　possessor　of　my　first　cap。

The　lesson　that　my　mother　taught　me　in　this　has　always　remained　with　me；　and　I　have　tried　as　best　as　I　could　to　teach　it　to　others。　I　have　always　felt　proud；　whenever　I　think　of　the　incident；　that　my　mother　had　strength　of　character　enough　not　to　be　led　into　the　temptation　of　seeming　to　be　that　which　she　was　notof　trying　to　impress　my　schoolmates　and　others　with　the　fact　that　she　was　able　to　buy　me　a　〃store　hat〃　when　she　was　not。　I　have　always　felt　proud　that　she　refused　to　go　into　debt　for　that　which　she　did　not　have　the　money　to　pay　for。　Since　that　time　I　have　owned　many　kinds　of　caps　and　hats；　but　never　one　of　which　I　have　felt　so　proud　as　of　the　cap　made　of　the　two　pieces　of　cloth　sewed　together　by　my　mother。　I　have　noted　the　fact；　but　without　satisfaction；　I　need　not　add；　that　several　of　the　boys　who　began　their　careers　with　〃store　hats〃　and　who　were　my　schoolmates　and　used　to　join　in　the　sport　that　was　made　of　me　because　I　had　only　a　〃homespun〃　cap；　have　ended　their　careers　in　the　penitentiary；　while　others　are　not　able　now　to　buy　any　kind　of　hat。

My　second　difficulty　was　with　regard　to　my　name；　or　rather　A　name。　From　the　time　when　I　could　remember　anything；　I　had　been　called　simply　〃Booker。〃　Before　going　to　school　it　had　never　occurred　to　me　that　it　was　needful　or　appropriate　to　have　an　additional　name。　When　I　heard　the　schoolroll　called；　I　noticed　that　all　of　the　children　had　at　least　two　names；　and　some　of　them　indulged　in　what　seemed　to　me　the　extravagance　of　having　three。　I　was　in　deep　perplexity；　because　I　knew　that　the　teacher　would　demand　of　me　at　least　two　names；　and　I　had　only　one。　By　the　time　the　occasion　came　for　the　enrolling　of　my　name；　an　idea　occurred　to　me　which　I　thought　would　make　me　equal　to　the　situation；　and　so；　when　the　teacher　asked　me　what　my　full　name　was；　I　calmly　told　him　〃Booker　Washington；〃　as　if　I　had　been　called　by　that　name　all　my　life；　and　by　that　name　I　have　since　been　known。　Later　in　my　life　I　found　that　my　mother　had　given　me　the　name　of　〃Booker　Taliaferro〃　soon　after　I　was　born；　but　in　some　way　that　part　of　my　name　seemed　to　disappear　and　for　a　long　while　was　forgotten；　but　as　soon　as　I　found　out　about　it　I　revived　it；　and　made　my　full　name　〃Booker　Taliaferro　Washington。〃　I　think　there　are　not　many　men　in　our　country　who　have　had　the　privilege　of　naming　themselves　in　the　way　that　I　have。

More　than　once　I　have　tried　to　picture　myself　in　the　position　of　a　boy　or　man　with　an　honoured　and　distinguished　ancestry　which　I　could　trace　back　through　a　period　of　hundreds　of　years；　and　who　had　not　only　inherited　a　name；　but　fortune　and　a　proud　family　homestead；　and　yet　I　have　sometimes　had　the　feeling　that　if　I　had　inherited　these；　and　had　been　a　member　of　a　more　popular　race；　I　should　have　been　inclined　to　yield　to　the　temptation　of　depending　upon　my　ancestry　and　my　colour　to　do　that　for　me　which　I　should　do　for　myself。　Years　ago　I　resolved　that　because　I　had　no　ancestry　myself　I　would　leave　a　record　of　which　my　children　would　be　proud；　and　which　might　encourage　them　to　still　higher　effort。

The　world　should　not　pass　judgment　upon　the　Negro；　and　especially　the　Negro　youth；　too　quickly　or　too　harshly。　The　Negro　boy　has　obstacles；　discouragements；　and　temptations　to　battle　with　that　are　little　know　to　those　not　situated　as　he　is。　When　a　white　boy　undertakes　a　task；　it　is　taken　for　granted　that　he　will　succeed。　On　the　other　hand；　people　are　usually　surprised　if　the　Negro　boy　does　not　fail。　In　a　word；　the　Negro　youth　starts　out　with　the　presumption　against　him。

The　influence　of　ancestry；　however；　is　important　in　helping　forward　any　individual　or　race；　if　too　much　reliance　is　not　placed　upon　it。　Those　who　constantly　direct　attention　to　the　Negro　youth's　moral　weaknesses；　and　compare　his　advancement　with　that　of　white　youths；　do　not　consider　the　influence　of　the　memories　which　cling　about　the　old　family　homesteads。　I　have　no　idea；　as　I　have　stated　elsewhere；　who　my　grandmother　was。　I　have；　or　have　had；　uncles　and　aunts　and　cousins；　but　I　have　no　knowledge　as　to　where　most　of　them　are。　My　case　will　illustrate　that　of　hundreds　of　thousands　of　black　people　in　every　part　of　our　country。　The　very　fact　that　the　white　boy　is　conscious　that；　if　he　fails　in　life；　he　will　disgrace　the　whole　family　record；　extending　back　through　many　generations；　is　of　tremendous　value　in　helping　him　to　resist　temptations。　The　fact　that　the　individual　has　behind　and　surrounding　him　proud　family　history　and　connection　serves　as　a　stimulus　to　help　him　to　overcome　obstacles　when　striving　for　success。

The　time　that　I　was　permitted　to　attend　school　during　the　day　was　short；　and　my　attendance　was　irregular。　It　was　not　long　before　I　had　to　stop　attending　day…school　altogether；　and　devote　all　of　my　time　again　to　work。　I　resorted　to　the　night…school　again。　In　fact；　the　greater　part　of　the　education　I　secured　in　my　boyhood　was　gathered　through　the　night…school　after　my　day's　work　was　done。　I　had　difficulty　often　in　securing　a　satisfactory　teacher。　Sometimes；　after　I　had　secured　some　one　to　teach　me　at　night；　I　would　find；　much　to　my　disappointment；　that　the　teacher　knew　but　little　more　than　I　did。　Often　I　would　have　to　walk　several　miles　at　night　in　order　to　recite　my　night…school　lessons。　There　was　never　a　time　in　my　youth；　no　matter　how　dark　and　discouraging　the　days　might　be；　when　one　resolve　did　not　continually　remain　with　me；　and　that　was　a　det