As soon
as I met Mr. Cleveland I became impressed with his simplicity,
greatness, and rugged honesty. I have met him many times since then,
both at public functions and at his private residence in Princeton,
and the more I see of him the more I admire him. When he visited the
Negro Building in Atlanta he seemed to give himself up wholly, for
that hour, to the coloured people. He seemed to be as careful to
shake hands with some old coloured "auntie" clad partially in rags,
and to take as much pleasure in doing so, as if he were greeting some
millionnaire [sic]. Many of the coloured people took advantage of the
occasion to get him to write his name in a book or on a slip of paper.
He was as careful and patient in doing this as if he were putting his
signature to some great state document.
Mr. Cleveland has not only shown his friendship for me in many
personal ways, but has always consented to do anything I have asked of
him for our school. This he has done, whether it was to make a
personal donation or to use his influence in securing the donations of
others. Judging from my personal acquaintance with Mr. Cleveland, I
do not believe that he is conscious of possessing any colour
prejudice. He is too great for that. In my contact with people I
find that, as a rule, it is only the little, narrow people who live
for themselves, who never read good books, who do not travel, who
never open up their souls in a way to permit them to come into contact
with other souls -- with the great outside world.
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