CHAPTER VI.
WHEN I COMMENCED TO ESTABLISH THE LATTA UNIVERSITY.
The white people are not enemies to the colored people, when they find out that they are doing something to better their condition. When I started to erect this Latta University many of the colored people said it was too much for one man to do, and God did not intend for one man to do that much. They called meetings and held some indignation meetings, declaring that God would be angry if one man would attempt to do that much. They invited me to their meetings. I attended some of them, and they would elect one of their members chairman and one secretary, but they were all chairman and all secretary, for they all talked at the same time. They went so far as to say that the Governor of the State of North Carolina would not allow one man to do that much to solve the negro problem.
I started out with the purpose to erect an institution for educational purposes, non-sectarian as to its religious teaching. They said it was the biggest thing they ever heard of. I knew that they, as a race, were ignorant, but they were telling the truth in that particular. They asked the
Governor his opinion about the matter. He told them it was a very good thing if I could come out in it; but he said it was a mighty big undertaking. They called meetings for two years, until they got ashamed, and the white peopled laughed at them and said what big fools they were. They went so far as to have my name printed and circulated all over the city, saying that I was a fraud, and I never would build an institution, because they had not authorized me to build it. They said to build a non-sectarian institution I would have to go to the President of the United States and get license to build a school of that character.
The leading white people of the city told me to have them prosecuted for circulating such a paper against me without any foundation. None of them had given a dollar for the institution.
I laughed when I chanced to hear what they would say, because I knew that they were very ignorant; I knew that God had chosen some one to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, and I had begun to think that He had chosen your humble servant to lead those ignorant people out of the second Egypt. One of the ablest lawyers in the city of Raleigh told me if I said so he would put the last one of them in the work house. I remember I repeated these words to Judge Strong, and told him I believed in what Davy Crockett said,
"First know that you are right and then go ahead." I further told him, if I would take time to fool with those ignorant colored people I would never build Latta University. In other words, I would never solve the negro problem, that I so earnestly desired to solve. I remember one morning early my physician that had been attending my family came by my home, on his way to see a patient a few doors above, and he saw my wife, as she was standing on the piazza, and he said to her, "Have you seen the papers this morning?" She replied, "No, sir; I have not seen them. What is in the papers so interesting?" His reply was, "Your husband is ruined forever. You ought to read the newspapers. Even your children and you are ruined." My wife began shedding tears, and said she wished I had never thought of building an institution. I came to the door to speak some words of consolation to her, and to tell her not to weep, because right would win. She said she wished that I had never seen an institution or heard of one, to have the people to talk about me that way. Some of her friends were visiting her at that time, and they came to the door and saw her weeping, and they began crying. It affected me so much that I almost shed tears myself. We had a sad home and there was no breakfast ate that morning. I knelt down upon
my knees and asked them to engage in prayer with me a few moments. I took the matter to God, and after I had prayed to Him I felt more determined than I did before that I would yet build that institution, in spite of men or devils.
In a few days my family became reconciled over the matter, and said, I will leave the matter with you and God. I did not attempt to erect an institution to make money out of it. My purpose from the beginning up until the present, as far as I have gone, was to prove that the negro race could do something, regardless of color or previous condition of servitude. I have always desired, from my youth, to do something worthy of speaking of, that would be a light to the race that I am identified with.
The white people of the city published it in their newspapers that my undertaking to build a non-sectarian institution was a worthy cause. They said that it was worthy of any one's consideration. They said they knew that it was a big undertaking. They further said, if I was successful I would have credit for doing more than any man they had ever heard of, having no means to start with. They said that the colored people were ignorant and for me not to pay any attention to them. I taught school and got money to start the institution. I found that we must have some aid to enable the students to
attend school at such rates as we do, and for that reason I had to ask the general public to help us in a small and humble way. After explaining my cause to the people, they said it was a good thing; but I found the people, as a rule, not very charitable. I found that I had to work hard enough, for ten dollars, to get a hundred and fifty dollars; but I determined, by the help of God, to accomplish my purpose.
The colored people that fought me in establishing the Latta University, and held indignation meetings against the fostering of the same, as soon as the school ran one session, came to me and said they were ignorant and were misled. They said that they had nothing against my building the institution; that they were misled by an ignorant preacher. They said if they had a plenty of such men as myself they would soon be equal to all other races. They said that I was the smartest man in the South, and not only the smartest man in the South, but the smartest man in the world. They said that no man on earth could build that institution as I did without means to start with, and they knew that I had no means to start with, and they did not want me to take all of that responsibility upon myself; they thought that I would make a failure, and it would be injurious to the race.
I had no person to give me an introduction to the Northern men. I was a stranger among them all. I was not so fortunate as my friend, Booker T. Washington, in having a friend like General Armstrong to introduce me to friends in the North, East and West. I had no person to loan me a dollar to start with, I admit, as my white friends and colored friends said. We have a Board of Directors, and they tried to raise money, but they could not raise twenty-five dollars, and they said, "You will have to build this school or it will not be built." So I prayed and worked. I prayed in season and out of season, and worked in season and out of season.
The State has not given the school a dollar, but it does not charge any taxes on the school property. I would work hard all day, in a half run, and sometimes running. I would be so tired when I reached my hotel I could hardly eat my supper. Many times I would find it necessary to get up out of my bed at one o'clock or two o'clock in the morning to take a train to meet an appointment at nine o'clock in the morning. I never failed in being on time.
WHEN I COMMENCED TO ESTABLISH THE LATTA UNIVERSITY.
The white people are not enemies to the colored people, when they find out that they are doing something to better their condition. When I started to erect this Latta University many of the colored people said it was too much for one man to do, and God did not intend for one man to do that much. They called meetings and held some indignation meetings, declaring that God would be angry if one man would attempt to do that much. They invited me to their meetings. I attended some of them, and they would elect one of their members chairman and one secretary, but they were all chairman and all secretary, for they all talked at the same time. They went so far as to say that the Governor of the State of North Carolina would not allow one man to do that much to solve the negro problem.
I started out with the purpose to erect an institution for educational purposes, non-sectarian as to its religious teaching. They said it was the biggest thing they ever heard of. I knew that they, as a race, were ignorant, but they were telling the truth in that particular. They asked the
Governor his opinion about the matter. He told them it was a very good thing if I could come out in it; but he said it was a mighty big undertaking. They called meetings for two years, until they got ashamed, and the white peopled laughed at them and said what big fools they were. They went so far as to have my name printed and circulated all over the city, saying that I was a fraud, and I never would build an institution, because they had not authorized me to build it. They said to build a non-sectarian institution I would have to go to the President of the United States and get license to build a school of that character.
The leading white people of the city told me to have them prosecuted for circulating such a paper against me without any foundation. None of them had given a dollar for the institution.
I laughed when I chanced to hear what they would say, because I knew that they were very ignorant; I knew that God had chosen some one to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, and I had begun to think that He had chosen your humble servant to lead those ignorant people out of the second Egypt. One of the ablest lawyers in the city of Raleigh told me if I said so he would put the last one of them in the work house. I remember I repeated these words to Judge Strong, and told him I believed in what Davy Crockett said,
"First know that you are right and then go ahead." I further told him, if I would take time to fool with those ignorant colored people I would never build Latta University. In other words, I would never solve the negro problem, that I so earnestly desired to solve. I remember one morning early my physician that had been attending my family came by my home, on his way to see a patient a few doors above, and he saw my wife, as she was standing on the piazza, and he said to her, "Have you seen the papers this morning?" She replied, "No, sir; I have not seen them. What is in the papers so interesting?" His reply was, "Your husband is ruined forever. You ought to read the newspapers. Even your children and you are ruined." My wife began shedding tears, and said she wished I had never thought of building an institution. I came to the door to speak some words of consolation to her, and to tell her not to weep, because right would win. She said she wished that I had never seen an institution or heard of one, to have the people to talk about me that way. Some of her friends were visiting her at that time, and they came to the door and saw her weeping, and they began crying. It affected me so much that I almost shed tears myself. We had a sad home and there was no breakfast ate that morning. I knelt down upon
my knees and asked them to engage in prayer with me a few moments. I took the matter to God, and after I had prayed to Him I felt more determined than I did before that I would yet build that institution, in spite of men or devils.
In a few days my family became reconciled over the matter, and said, I will leave the matter with you and God. I did not attempt to erect an institution to make money out of it. My purpose from the beginning up until the present, as far as I have gone, was to prove that the negro race could do something, regardless of color or previous condition of servitude. I have always desired, from my youth, to do something worthy of speaking of, that would be a light to the race that I am identified with.
The white people of the city published it in their newspapers that my undertaking to build a non-sectarian institution was a worthy cause. They said that it was worthy of any one's consideration. They said they knew that it was a big undertaking. They further said, if I was successful I would have credit for doing more than any man they had ever heard of, having no means to start with. They said that the colored people were ignorant and for me not to pay any attention to them. I taught school and got money to start the institution. I found that we must have some aid to enable the students to
attend school at such rates as we do, and for that reason I had to ask the general public to help us in a small and humble way. After explaining my cause to the people, they said it was a good thing; but I found the people, as a rule, not very charitable. I found that I had to work hard enough, for ten dollars, to get a hundred and fifty dollars; but I determined, by the help of God, to accomplish my purpose.
The colored people that fought me in establishing the Latta University, and held indignation meetings against the fostering of the same, as soon as the school ran one session, came to me and said they were ignorant and were misled. They said that they had nothing against my building the institution; that they were misled by an ignorant preacher. They said if they had a plenty of such men as myself they would soon be equal to all other races. They said that I was the smartest man in the South, and not only the smartest man in the South, but the smartest man in the world. They said that no man on earth could build that institution as I did without means to start with, and they knew that I had no means to start with, and they did not want me to take all of that responsibility upon myself; they thought that I would make a failure, and it would be injurious to the race.
I had no person to give me an introduction to the Northern men. I was a stranger among them all. I was not so fortunate as my friend, Booker T. Washington, in having a friend like General Armstrong to introduce me to friends in the North, East and West. I had no person to loan me a dollar to start with, I admit, as my white friends and colored friends said. We have a Board of Directors, and they tried to raise money, but they could not raise twenty-five dollars, and they said, "You will have to build this school or it will not be built." So I prayed and worked. I prayed in season and out of season, and worked in season and out of season.
The State has not given the school a dollar, but it does not charge any taxes on the school property. I would work hard all day, in a half run, and sometimes running. I would be so tired when I reached my hotel I could hardly eat my supper. Many times I would find it necessary to get up out of my bed at one o'clock or two o'clock in the morning to take a train to meet an appointment at nine o'clock in the morning. I never failed in being on time.
