Booker T. Washington to Charles W. Chesnutt, 26 October 1903
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October 26, 1903.
My Dear Mr. Chesnutt:-
Will you be kind enough to let me know something about the character and importance of the organization referred to in the enclosed letter. I would state in this connection that the sum mentioned would be[?] no inducement for me to go to Cleveland because I get two or three times that amount elsewhere, but if it is a wealthy and influential organization, the amount received indirectly and later on would be more important than the sum mentioned.1
I have not had time since my return from Europe to take up the thread of our former correspondence which I enjoyed very much.2
I wonder if you have read my article in the October Atlantic Monthly,3 and how much of it, if any, you afree with? I suspect that we are about as far apart as usual.
Very sincerely yours,Correspondent: Booker T. Washington (1856–1913), one of the most well-known Black activists of the early 20th century, was born into slavery in Virginia. In 1881, he became the president of what would become the Tuskegee Institute, advocating widely as a speaker and writer for technical education for Blacks, whose entry into American industry and business leadership he believed to be the road to equality. His political power was significant, but because he frequently argued for compromise with White Southerners, including on voting rights, he was also criticized by other Black activists, especially by W. E. B. Du Bois.
1. The enclosure has not survived, but see Chesnutt's answer from October 31, 1903, which makes clear that the inquiry about a speaking opportunity in Cleveland came from Rabbi Gries of the Cleveland Temple for the Temple Course lecture series. [back]
2. Booker T. Washington took a vacation in Europe in September and October 1903, returning to New York on October 13, 1903. [back]
3. "The Fruits of Industrial Training" by Booker T. Washington was published in the Atlantic Monthly 92, no. 552 (October 1903): 453–62. [back]
