Tuskegee & Its People: Their Ideals and Achievements — John Shaqi
Tuskegee & Its People: Their Ideals and Achievements
History
Tuskegee & Its People: Their Ideals and Achievements
Tuskegee Institute
The young men and women who are trained for mission work in foreign
countries are not more carefully trained in the spirit of consecration
than are these young men and women trained at Tuskegee for the work of
creating better economic and social conditions among their own people.
It is not necessary to state here what has already been accomplished in
many parts of the South by Tuskegee graduates. The selected examples set
forth in this book are evidence enough. It is sufficient to say that the
Tuskegee Institute is determined to become more and more a distinctive
influence among the regenerative agencies that are gradually bringing
order out of chaos, and justice, peace, and happiness out of the
wretched disorders of a painful past. It is easy to trace the influence
of such well-established institutions as Harvard and Yale in the
progressive life of the American people. The sons of Harvard and Yale
almost dominate civilization in America. In another sense, it is
possible for Tuskegee to have a like influence in the many things that
must be accomplished in the South, before love and justice shall
supplant race prejudice and race antagonism.
This reaching out helpfully in all directions where help is needed is
the distinguishing feature of Tuskegee. This race-loving spirit gives it
a largeness of view and purpose that saves both its teachers and pupils
from being narrow and self-centered. Take from Tuskegee all this "vision
splendid," and it will at once shrink into common-place insignificance.
"Set your ideals high," says the distinguished man who here is Principal
as he was founder, "and in your efforts to reach them you become strong
for greater things." It is but truth to say that no institution in all
the land, whether for white or black education, stands for higher and
more generous ideals.
Unless the young man who goes away from Tuskegee as blacksmith,
carpenter, printer, or as any other mechanic, is something more than
these, he has been incapable of perceiving and taking in the ideals that
go with these accomplishments. He has been taught over and over again to
"hitch his wagon to the stars," and if he fail to do so, the fault is in
himself, and not in Tuskegee.
As between a poor doctor and a poor carpenter, there is but scant
choice. They are both failures and to be avoided. Honor in one is as
precious as in the other. Honor and efficiency--these, therefore, are
the ideal test of every son and daughter that passes out of these
grounds into the larger world of work and responsibility.
What a terrible task it has been and still is to teach the lessons of
the upward spirit: "God's in His heaven, all's well with the world."
Hope is strength and discouragement is weakness. Everything that is
false and unjust and wrong is transitory. Those who are brave enough to
solve problems shall be more honored of mankind than those who create
problems which they make no effort to solve.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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