"Well, that simply makes the problem all the more interesting."
His unfailing humor, with which he so frequently disarms the criticism of those who oppose him, his inexhaustible good will, which has frequently made him the victim of self-seeking individuals, but has just as frequently converted an open enemy into a sincere friend and supporter, are the striking features of his mind and character.
Booker Washington has received many honors and made many friends among the best and most distinguished men in this country and in Europe. Harvard University, in 1897, conferred upon him the honorary degree of Master of Arts. He has been received, in spite of the fact that he was a negro, by the highest representations of the people at home and abroad. When he went abroad in 1912, he was entertained at dinner by the King of Denmark. He had previously, in company with Mrs. Washington, visited England in 1899, and had been received at Windsor Castle by Queen Victoria.
He has used all the influence and power which these distinctions have brought him for the single purpose of furthering the work to which he has devoted his life. His work is not yet done; but he has lived to see the program which he laid down in his Atlanta speech adopted by the best elements of both races in the South. As an old colored preacher once said speaking not of Booker Washington, but of one of the missionary teachers whom Booker Washington had sent out into one of the dark corners of the South: "It was midnight when he came here. Now it is daybreak."
Bibliography
Books
- Little Journey to Tuskegee. By Elbert Hubbard.
- Man Farthest Down. (Doubleday, Page & Co.) By Booker T. Washington.
- My Larger Education. (Doubleday, Page & Co.) By Booker T. Washington.
- Story of the Negro. (Doubleday, Page & Co.) By Booker T. Washington.
