It was not long before I had
to stop attending day-school altogether, and devote all of my time
again to work. I resorted to the night-school again. In fact, the
greater part of the education I secured in my boyhood was gathered
through the night-school after my day's work was done. I had
difficulty often in securing a satisfactory teacher. Sometimes, after
I had secured some one to teach me at night, I would find, much to my
disappointment, that the teacher knew but little more than I did.
Often I would have to walk several miles at night in order to recite
my night-school lessons. There was never a time in my youth, no
matter how dark and discouraging the days might be, when one resolve
did not continually remain with me, and that was a determination to
secure an education at any cost.
Soon after we moved to West Virginia, my mother adopted into our
family, notwithstanding our poverty, an orphan boy, to whom afterward
we gave the name of James B. Washington. He has ever since remained a
member of the family.
After I had worked in the salt-furnace for some time, work was
secured for me in a coal-mine which was operated mainly for the
purpose of securing fuel for the salt-furnace. Work in the coal-mine
I always dreaded. One reason for this was that any one who worked in
a coal-mine was always unclean.
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