arents
there, I went to Milldale, Ala., to take up new work that offered a
change of climate. I returned every fifteen or thirty days, however, to
look after the needs of my parents. The entire expense of caring for
them, my sister and her children, was quite $60 a month. My work at
Milldale made good returns. I was with the Standard Coal Company, and
after I had been there fifteen months I had to my credit $1,000, an
amount I had long striven to save.

During this time my mother was stricken with fever, and after lingering
three months (one of which I spent at her bedside) she died. Our little
home was cast in deep sorrow. I returned to Milldale and resumed work
there. After two years had expired I had to my credit, I am glad to say,
$1,460. With this sum in hand I concluded I would take a course in
pharmacy. On October 15, 1894, I entered the Meharry Medical College at
Nashville, Tenn., the dean of which is that prince of gentlemen and
father of Negro physicians, Dr. George W. Hubbard. I completed the
course February 4, 1896, graduating at the head of the class with a
general average of 94-1/4 per cent.

I had pleasant associations while there with many of my former Tuskegee
class- and school-mates, among them being Dr. A. H. Kenniebrew, now of
Jacksonville, Ill., and for a while Resident Physician of the Tuskegee
Institute; Dr. T. N. Harris, of Mobile, Ala., and Dr. A. T. Braxton, of
Columbia, Tenn. Each of these is succeeding at the places named most
satisfactorily as physicians. At Meharry it was our constant pleasure to
refer to our training at Tuskegee, and to acknowledge how indelibly the
lessons learned there had been stamped upon our minds and hearts. While
there I had the opportunity to compare the instruction received at
Tuskegee--that of the academic department--with that of the other
institutions of learning in this and even other countries. At Meharry
one is thrown in direct contact with educated men and women from the
leading Negro colleges of this country, and with many from English
institutions of note. After careful investigation I found that the
Tuskegee-trained student, at all times, was among the very best there.
At Tuskegee I still consider that one of the greatest lessons taught is
that of "learning to learn."

[Illustration: AT THE HOSPITAL.

A corner in the boys' ward.]

At the close of my first year at Meharry I returned to Birmingham, and
after a conference with Drs. A. M. Brown and