December 15, 1900.
Mr. Andrew Carnegie,
5 W. Fifty-first St.,
New York.
Dear Sir:
Complying with the request which you made of me
when I saw you at your residence a few days ago, I now submit in
writing an appeal for a library building for our institution.
We have 1100 students, 86 officers and instructors, together
with their families, and about 200 coloured people living near the
school, all of whom would make use of the library building.
We have over 12,000 books, periodicals, etc., gifts from our
friends, but we have no suitable place for them, and we have no
suitable reading-room.
Our graduates go to work in every section of the South, and
whatever knowledge might be obtained in the library would serve to
assist in the elevation of the whole Negro race.
Such a building as we need could be erected for about $20,000.
All of the work for the building, such as brickmaking, brick-masonry, carpentry, blacksmithing, etc., would be done by the
students. The money which you would give would not only supply
the building, but the erection of the building would give a large
number of students an opportunity to learn the building trades,
and the students would use the money paid to them to keep
themselves in school. I do not believe that a similar amount of
money often could be made go so far in uplifting a whole race.
If you wish further information, I shall be glad to furnish
it.
Yours truly,
Booker T. Washington,
Principal.
