In fact, the thing that
touched me almost as deeply as the visit of the President itself was
the deep pride which all classes of citizens in Alabama seemed to take
in our work.
The morning of December 16th brought to the little city of
Tuskegee such a crowd as it had never seen before. With the President
came Mrs. McKinley and all of the Cabinet officers but one; and most
of them brought their wives or some members of their families.
Several prominent generals came, including General Shafter and General
Joseph Wheeler, who were recently returned from the Spanish-American
war. There was also a host of newspaper correspondents. The Alabama
Legislature was in session in Montgomery at this time. This body
passed a resolution to adjourn for the purpose of visited Tuskegee.
Just before the arrival of the President's party the Legislature
arrived, headed by the governor and other state officials.
The citizens of Tuskegee had decorated the town from the station
to the school in a generous manner. In order to economize in the
matter of time, we arranged to have the whole school pass in review
before the President. Each student carried a stalk of sugar-cane with
some open bolls [sic] of cotton fastened to the end of it. Following
the students the work of all departments of the school passed in
review, displayed on "floats" drawn by horses, mules, and oxen.
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