IN 1893 I was married to Miss Margaret James Murray, a native of
Mississippi, and a graduate of Fisk University, in Nashville, Tenn.,
who had come to Tuskegee as a teacher several years before, and at the
time we were married was filling the position of Lady Principal. Not
only is Mrs. Washington completely one with me in the work directly
connected with the school, relieving me of many burdens and
perplexities, but aside from her work on the school grounds, she
carries on a mothers' meeting in the town of Tuskegee, and a
plantation work among the women, children, and men who live in a
settlement connected with a large plantation about eight miles from
Tuskegee. Both the mothers' meeting and the plantation work are
carried on, not only with a view to helping those who are directly
reached, but also for the purpose of furnishing object-lessons in
these two kinds of work that may be followed by our students when they
go out into the world for their own life-work.
Aside from these two enterprises, Mrs. Washington is also largely
responsible for a woman's club at the school which brings together,
twice a month, the women who live on the school grounds and those who
live near, for the discussion of some important topic. She is also
the President of what is known as the Federation of Southern Coloured
Women's Clubs, and is Chairman of the Executive Committee of the
National Federation of Coloured Women's Clubs.
Portia, the oldest of my three children, has learned dressmaking.
She has unusual ability in instrumental music. Aside from her studies
at Tuskegee, she has already begun to teach there.
Booker Taliaferro is my next oldest child. Young as he is, he has
already nearly mastered the brick-mason's trade. He began working at
this trade when he was quite small, dividing his time between this and
class work; and he has developed great skill in the trade and a
fondness for it. He says that he is going to be an architect and
brickmason. One of the most satisfactory letters that I have ever
received from any one came to me from Booker last summer. When I left
home for the summer, I told him that he must work at his trade half of
each day, and that the other half of the day he could spend as he
pleased. When I had been away from home two weeks, I received the
following letter from him: