In either case, my observations
convinced me that the miners were worse off at the end of the strike.
Before the days of strikes in that section of the country, I knew
miners who had considerable money in the bank, but as soon as the
professional labour agitators got control, the savings of even the
more thrifty ones began disappearing.
My mother and the other members of my family were, of course, much
rejoiced to see me and to note the improvement that I had made during
my two years' absence. The rejoicing on the part of all classes of
the coloured people, and especially the older ones, over my return,
was almost pathetic. I had to pay a visit to each family and take a
meal with each, and at each place tell the story of my experiences at
Hampton. In addition to this I had to speak before the church and
Sunday-school, and at various other places. The thing that I was most
in search of, though, work, I could not find. There was no work on
account of the strike. I spent nearly the whole of the first month of
my vacation in an effort to find something to do by which I could earn
money to pay my way back to Hampton and save a little money to use
after reaching there.
Toward the end of the first month, I went to place a considerable
distance from my home, to try to find employment.
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