ave been, in very many instances, what their mothers made them.

Having obtained his spelling-book, Booker Washington commenced his
education without a teacher, the consequence being that he was occupied
for some weeks in overcoming the difficulties of the alphabet, which,
under the most favourable conditions, would have detained him but a few
hours. In due course he made more rapid progress under the teaching of a
negro boy who had the rare distinction of being able to read a printed
page; and, as was quite natural, such an example of literary attainments
in youth was no less envied than admired.

Then something else occurred which cannot fail to strike us as being
almost a phenomenon--at all events, a thing altogether extraordinary
under the circumstances. What, through the vista of a third of a
century, looks like a perfect _furore_ for education took complete
possession of the ex-slaves, and, what made this the more singular, the
burning desire for school teaching extended to aspirants of all ages.
Before philanthropists came forward to help them the coloured people
were found to have their own appointed tutor, and care was taken that he
should fare well. Thus, in the case of Booker Washington, the first
comparatively competent teacher with whom he came in contact was a
quondam soldier who had served in the war. Surely no tutor ever had more
enthusiastic pupils; and whether the age of the learner was seven or
seventy-five, it seemed to make no difference in damping their
enthusiasm. Indeed, it may be seriously questioned whether any other
race of people would ever have rivalled this extraordinary ardour in
learning to read. And circumstances made it necessary that even the
Sunday schools, in common with the day schools, should, first of all,
give the most elementary of teaching. What a contrast such a state of
things presents to anything of the kind with which we are familiar in
connection with any other country! How many there are who remain
illiterate, or semi-illiterate, in spite of the schools which are
provided and admirably equipped under any national system of education!
In their darkest days of ignorance and bondage the negro slaves showed
the most lively desire for education. In what measure is that true of
any other race? We know that through a long succession of centuries our
own peasantry remained, for the most part, quite illiterate, all the
while showing a kind of sullen content or stolid indifference.