The more books,
the larger they were, and the longer the titles printed upon
them, the better pleased the students and their parents seemed to
be.
I gave little heed to these protests, except that I lost no
opportunity to go into as many parts of the state as I could, for
the purpose of speaking to the parents, and showing them the
value of industrial education. Besides, I talked to the students
constantly on the subject. Notwithstanding the unpopularity of
industrial work, the school continued to increase in numbers to
such an extent that by the middle of the second year there was an
attendance of about one hundred and fifty, representing almost
all parts of the state of Alabama, and including a few from other
states.
In the summer of 1882 Miss Davidson and I both went North and
engaged in the work of raising funds for the completion of our
new building. On my way North I stopped in New York to try to get
a letter of recommendation from an officer of a missionary
organization who had become somewhat acquainted with me a few
years previous. This man not only refused to give me the letter,
but advised me most earnestly to go back home at once, and not
make any attempt to get money, for he was quite sure that I would
never get more than enough to pay my travelling expenses.
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