登陆注册
5264900000042

第42章 Chapter X. A Harder Task Than Making Bricks Withou

The most serious problem, though, was to get the boarding department started off in running order, with nothing to do with in the way of furniture, and with no money with which to buy anything. The merchants in the town would let us have what food we wanted on credit. In fact, in those earlier years I was constantly embarrassed because people seemed to have more faith in me than I had in myself. It was pretty hard to cook, however, with stoves, and awkward to eat without dishes. At first the cooking was done out-of-doors, in the old-fashioned, primitive style, in pots and skillets placed over a fire. Some of the carpenters' benches that had been used in the construction of the building were utilized for tables. As for dishes, there were too few to make it worth while to spend time in describing them.

No one connected with the boarding department seemed to have any idea that meals must be served at certain fixed and regular hours, and this was a source of great worry. Everything was so out of joint and so inconvenient that I feel safe in saying that for the first two weeks something was wrong at every meal. Either the meat was not done or had been burnt, or the salt had been left out of the bread, or the tea had been forgotten.

Early one morning I was standing near the dining-room door listening to the complaints of the students. The complaints that morning were especially emphatic and numerous, because the whole breakfast had been a failure. One of the girls who had failed to get any breakfast came out and went to the well to draw some water to drink and take the place of the breakfast which she had not been able to get. When she reached the well, she found that the rope was broken and that she could get no water. She turned from the well and said, in the most discouraged tone, not knowing that I was where I could hear her, "We can't even get water to drink at this school." I think no one remark ever came so near discouraging me as that one.

At another time, when Mr. Bedford--whom I have already spoken of as one of our trustees, and a devoted friend of the institution--was visiting the school, he was given a bedroom immediately over the dining room. Early in the morning he was awakened by a rather animated discussion between two boys in the dining room below. The discussion was over the question as to whose turn it was to use the coffee-cup that morning. One boy won the case by proving that for three mornings he had not had an opportunity to use the cup at all.

But gradually, with patience and hard work, we brought order out of chaos, just as will be true of any problem if we stick to it with patience and wisdom and earnest effort.

As I look back now over that part of our struggle, I am glad to see that we had it. I am glad that we endured all those discomforts and inconveniences. I am glad that our students had to dig out the place for their kitchen and dining room. I am glad that our first boarding-place was in the dismal, ill-lighted, and damp basement. Had we started in a fine, attractive, convenient room, I fear we would have "lost our heads" and become "stuck up." It means a great deal, I think, to start off on a foundation which one has made for one's self.

When our old students return to Tuskegee now, as they often do, and go into our large, beautiful, well-ventilated, and well-lighted dining room, and see tempting, well-cooked food--largely grown by the students themselves--and see tables, neat tablecloths and napkins, and vases of flowers upon the tables, and hear singing birds, and note that each meal is served exactly upon the minute, with no disorder, and with almost no complaint coming from the hundreds that now fill our dining room, they, too, often say to me that they are glad that we started as we did, and built ourselves up year by year, by a slow and natural process of growth.

同类推荐
  • 子渊诗集

    子渊诗集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Last Chronicle of Barset

    The Last Chronicle of Barset

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 学射录

    学射录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Path of the King

    The Path of the King

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 证治汇补

    证治汇补

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 我把世界玩坏了

    我把世界玩坏了

    当这世界变成了一部电影,一部小说,一个故事。而你,是设计这个世界剧情走向的人,你所设计的一切剧情,都会具象的在这个世界所实现。你会怎么做?将现代社会变成神话世界?变成魔幻的世界?亦或者是,变成一个修行者纵横的世界?还是一个崩坏的世界?
  • 爱你是唯一的秘密

    爱你是唯一的秘密

    总有人相濡以沫数十年,却输给天真或妖冶的一张脸①。婚后第四个年头,他甩出一纸离婚协议书,“签了它,我也不算亏欠你。”她费尽心思,用尽手段,得到的仅是他讽刺的冷嘲:“舒冉,到底是谁先背叛谁,你该再清楚不过。”她红着眼眶,笑靥如花,“靳祁森,你可千万别后悔。”在梁舒冉眼里,霍誉铭这个男人就是个笑里藏刀的老狐狸,阴险狡猾,厚颜无耻。初次见面,她芳龄二十,他是她的老师,他调侃她:“乖,宝贝,咱回家。”经年之后再相见。他救她于水深火热之中又不忘趁机揩油。狭窄车厢里,他借酒装疯调戏她,“宝贝,怎么感谢我?”
  • The Complete Chronicles of Narnia(7 Books)(英文朗读版)

    The Complete Chronicles of Narnia(7 Books)(英文朗读版)

    《纳尼亚传奇》系列作品对后世作家影响深远,包括《哈利波特》系列的作者J·K·罗琳都曾表示自己深受C·S·刘易斯作品的影响。随着《纳尼亚传奇》系列故事改编成电影,全世界更多观众和读者开始认识这部不朽的作品。穿梭在一个又一个的纳尼亚冒险故事中,这绝对是你一生难忘的神奇旅程……
  • 青青那夏不流殇

    青青那夏不流殇

    夏絮是一个红到发紫的小说家,却在校园里“深藏功与名”。幼年时便走进了自己心里的男孩,那些不曾跟人提到过的过去,到底在夏絮的心里有着怎样的意义。他们又会以什么样的方式再次重逢?学校里,一个是放荡不羁的少年,面对死党对她始终钟情不移的暗恋,他以为他会无动于衷结果自己却深陷其中。一个是和自己一样的当红少年偶像歌手,又有多少不被人知的辛酸。他以为他一次次故意的制造事端,她会选择答应自己的要求,却不料自己竟掉进了她的温柔陷阱。看似帅气到有点邪魅的新实习老师,到底又是何种身份?突然发现的那首诗歌底稿,到底谁才是那年海边的那个男孩?阴谋背后到底是什么样的心酸故事...
  • 龙啸江湖

    龙啸江湖

    林云自小失去双亲师从邪神向傲天功成后出谷去看望小时候的恩人,却发现恩人王员外遭魔教炎神教的麻烦,出手相助却没能保全恩人王员外一家,从而引发了与炎神教的冲突卷入了江湖旋涡,后遇李雪晴结吴天林思雨携带佳人兄弟与魔教斗志斗勇最终扫荡魔教还江湖一个太平杀阴党扶忠良于险境最终威震天下
  • 岩忍者日志

    岩忍者日志

    我们是岩,至坚之土。当雨来了,岩化为土,当雨停了,土化为尘。我们是不足道的微尘,终将散于风里,死于雷霆,迷失雾海,陷落火中。也许我们终将死去,不见痕迹,不留遗声。但谁能否认,被微尘改变过的世界,会没有半点不同。交流群,624897508
  • 总裁花式宠:女配,要上天!

    总裁花式宠:女配,要上天!

    【系统流,女强爽文,非快穿】一场背叛,雇佣兵女王叶笙不幸被逆袭系统绑定,成为了总裁文中恶毒女配。剧情提前展开,三个月后她就死于非命?白莲花女主口蜜腹剑要踩她上位?还有她那所谓的未婚夫,步步都在将她往死路领。面对这么大一个烂摊子,叶笙微微一笑:人生真是如戏,不巧我就是编剧,欺负我的一个都别想活到大结局!
  • 末世空间之执手

    末世空间之执手

    末世来了,丧尸遍地。安晓第一时间觉醒了异能,有空间有系统。安晓本来以为她能跟小说里的玛丽苏女主一样,在末世里称王称霸。不过遗憾地是这一切都是幻想,安晓的空间既没有灵泉也不能种田,甚至连最基本的储存物资都做不到,只有一条臭气熏天臭水沟。至于系统更是一个废柴的污水处理系统。安晓握爪既然一切都靠不住还是抱紧顾准哥哥的大腿才是正经!
  • 绝色草包

    绝色草包

    一朝穿越,二十一世纪第一特工蝶雨穿越到了女扮男装的将军府大少爷身上。呵,说我废材,神技在手,一招灭神皇;说我无言,绝色容颜引无数男女折腰;说我一无是处,绝世兵器,丹药随手粘来。终于,众人忍不住了:我去⊙?⊙!谁来收了这妖孽!
  • 情归何处

    情归何处

    彭海到现在也说不清,那次同学聚会自己为什么要去。2004年2月7号是个周六,有几个已经退了休的女生来电话,说要举行一个同学聚会。原本彭海说不去,没兴趣,也没时间,但不知怎么三弄两弄的,就开着车去了,并且还特意绕了一个弯子,接上了家住翠微路的一个女同学。这个女同学就是后来和他一起生活了两年的李彬彬。