A Boys' Life of Booker T. Washington/Preface
PREFACE
The single aim in telling the story that follows is to interest boys in the life of Booker T. Washington.
This man's life was of such singular and vital importance in the history of his own race and in the history of our country that it ought to be familiar to all the youth of the land, and to the negro youth especially, since it is the greatest inspiration to the latter to be found in the annals of American history.
There has been no attempt to be original or exhaustive in the treatment. While a great mass of material has been consulted, it should be frankly stated that the story follows very closely the material found in Washington's "Up from Slavery" and "My Larger Education" and Scott and Stowe's "Booker T. Washington: Builder of a Civilization."
The author desires to acknowledge his indebtedness to Doubleday, Page and Company for permission to use extensive quotations from these books.
If some boy by reading this book is inspired to higher ambition and encouraged to nobler effort, the author will feel that the book is fully justified.