This, I confess, was another pretty hard blow to me. I
will not say that I became discouraged, for as I now look back
over my life I do not recall that I ever became discouraged over
anything that I set out to accomplish. I have begun everything
with the idea that I could succeed, and I never had much patience
with the multitudes of people who are always ready to explain why
one cannot succeed. I determined to face the situation just as it
was. At the end of the week I went to the treasurer of the
Hampton Institute, General J.F.B. Marshall, and told him frankly
my condition. To my gratification he told me that I could reenter
the institution, and that he would trust me to pay the debt when
I could. During the second year I continued to work as a janitor.
The education that I received at Hampton out of the text-books
was but a small part of what I learned there. One of the things
that impressed itself upon me deeply, the second year, was the
unselfishness of the teachers. It was hard for me to understand
how any individuals could bring themselves to the point where
they could be so happy in working for others. Before the end of
the year, I think I began learning that those who are happiest
are those who do the most for others. This lesson I have tried to
carry with me ever since.
Pages:
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94