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在我进入哈姆普顿大学的第一年年底，我又遇到了另一个困难。大多数学生回家过暑假了。我没有钱回家，但我必须去某个地方。在那些日子里，很少有学生被允许在假期留在学校。看到其他学生准备离开并开始回家，这让我感到非常难过和想家。我不仅没有钱回家，而且也没有钱去任何地方。Insomeway,however,Ihadgottenholdofanextra,second-handcoatwhichIthoughtwasaprettyvaluablecoat.ThisIdecidedtosell,inordertogetalittlemoneyfortravellingexpenses.Ihadagooddealofboyishpride,andItriedtohide,asfarasIcould,fromtheotherstudentsthefactthatIhadnomoneyandnowheretogo.ImadeitknowntoafewpeopleinthetownofHamptonthatIhadthiscoattosell,and,afteragooddealofpersuading,onecolouredmanpromisedtocometomyroomtolookthecoatoverandconsiderthematterofbuyingit.Thischeeredmydroopingspiritsconsiderably.Earlythenextmorningmyprospectivecustomerappeared.Afterlookingthegarmentovercarefully,heaskedmehowmuchIwantedforit.ItoldhimIthoughtitwasworththreedollars.Heseemedtoagreewithmeastoprice,butremarkedinthemostmatter-of-factway:"ItellyouwhatIwilldo;Iwilltakethecoat,andwillpayyoufivecents,cashdown,andpayyoutherestofthemoneyjustassoonasIcangetit."Itisnothardtoimaginewhatmyfeelingswereatthetime.然而，在某种程度上，我得到了一件二手外套，我认为这是一件相当有价值的衣服。我决定把它卖掉，以筹集一些旅费。我少年心性，非常要面子，尽量不让我身边的其他同学知道我没有钱，也没有地方可去。我在汉普顿镇告诉了少数人我要卖这件外套的事，经过一番劝说，一个有色人种答应到我的房间来看一看这件外套，并考虑是否购买。这大大鼓舞了我的精神。第二天一大早，我的潜在顾客就出现了。他仔细看了看这件衣服后，问我想要多少钱。我告诉他我认为它值三美元。他似乎同意这个价格，但以一种最平淡的方式说道：“我告诉你我要怎么做；我会买下这件外套，现在给你五分钱现金，剩下的钱等我能拿到的时候再付给你。”不难想象我当时的感受。WiththisdisappointmentIgaveupallhopeofgettingoutofthetownofHamptonformyvacationwork.IwantedverymuchtogowhereImightsecureworkthatwouldatleastpaymeenoughtopurchasesomemuch-neededclothingandothernecessities.Inafewdayspracticallyallthestudentsandteachershadleftfortheirhomes,andthisservedtodepressmyspiritsevenmore.怀着这种失望，我完全放弃了在汉普顿镇度过假期工作的希望。我非常想找到一份工作，至少能让我挣到足够的钱来购买一些急需的衣服和其他必需品。几天之内，几乎所有学生和老师都回家了，这更让我情绪低落。AftertryingforseveraldaysinandnearthetownofHampton,IfinallysecuredworkinarestaurantatFortressMonroe.Thewages,however,wereverylittlemorethanmyboard.Atnight,andbetweenmeals,Ifoundconsiderabletimeforstudyandreading;andinthisdirectionIimprovedmyselfverymuchduringthesummer.在汉普顿镇及其附近尝试了几天之后，我终于在弗orts蒙摩恩堡的一家餐馆找到了工作。然而，工资比我的伙食费只多了一点点。晚上和两餐之间，我找到了相当多的时间来学习和阅读；在那个夏天，我在这一方面取得了很大的进步。WhenIleftschoolattheendofmyfirstyear,IowedtheinstitutionsixteendollarsthatIhadnotbeenabletoworkout.Itwasmygreatestambitionduringthesummertosavemoneyenoughwithwhichtopaythisdebt.Ifeltthatthiswasadebtofhonour,andthatIcouldhardlybringmyselftothepointofeventryingtoenterschoolagaintillitwaspaid.IeconomizedineverywaythatIcouldthinkof—didmyownwashing,andwentwithoutnecessarygarments—butstillIfoundmysummervacationendingandIdidnothavethesixteendollars.当我第一学年结束离校时，我还欠学校十六美元，这笔钱我没能通过劳动挣出来。整个夏天，我的最大愿望就是攒够足够的钱来偿还这笔债务。我觉得这是一笔名誉债，我很难让自己尝试再次入学，除非它被还清。我尽量在各个方面节省——自己洗衣服，省下必要的衣物开销——但夏天还是结束了，我还是没有攒够那十六美元。Oneday,duringthelastweekofmystayintherestaurant,Ifoundunderoneofthetablesacrisp,newten-dollarbill.Icouldhardlycontainmyself,Iwassohappy.AsitwasnotmyplaceofbusinessIfeltittobetheproperthingtoshowthemoneytotheproprietor.ThisIdid.HeseemedasgladasIwas,buthecoollyexplainedtomethat,asitwashisplaceofbusiness,hehadarighttokeepthemoney,andheproceededtodoso.This,Iconfess,wasanotherprettyhardblowtome.IwillnotsaythatIbecamediscouraged,forasInowlookbackovermylifeIdonotrecallthatIeverbecamediscouragedoveranythingthatIsetouttoaccomplish.IhavebeguneverythingwiththeideathatIcouldsucceed,andIneverhadmuchpatiencewiththemultitudesofpeoplewhoarealwaysreadytoexplainwhyonecannotsucceed.Ideterminedtofacethesituationjustasitwas.AttheendoftheweekIwenttothetreasureroftheHamptonInstitute,GeneralJ.F.B.Marshall,andtoldhimfranklymycondition.TomygratificationhetoldmethatIcouldreentertheinstitution,andthathewouldtrustmetopaythedebtwhenIcould.DuringthesecondyearIcontinuedtoworkasajanitor.有一天，在我在餐馆的最后一周里，我发现了一张放在一张桌子下面的新崭崭的十美元钞票。我几乎无法控制自己的情绪，我是如此地高兴。由于这不是我的工作场所，我觉得把钱给老板看是正确的做法。我照做了。他似乎和我一样高兴，但他冷静地向我解释说，由于这是他的工作场所，他有权保留这笔钱，于是他真的这么做了。我承认，这对我来说又是一个不小的打击。我不会说我变得灰心丧气了，因为现在回想起来，我并不记得自己在开始做任何事情的时候因为遇到困难而感到气馁。我做每件事的时候都抱着能够成功的信念，并且我对那些总是急于解释为什么一个人不能成功的人群没有太多耐心。我决定直面这种情况。一周结束时，我去找汉普顿学院的财务主管J.F.B.马歇尔将军，坦率地告诉他我的状况。令我欣慰的是，他告诉我我可以重新进入学校，并且他会相信我能偿还债务。在第二年，我继续担任门卫的工作。TheeducationthatIreceivedatHamptonoutofthetext-bookswasbutasmallpartofwhatIlearnedthere.Oneofthethingsthatimpresseditselfuponmedeeply,thesecondyear,wastheunselfishnessoftheteachers.Itwashardformetounderstandhowanyindividualscouldbringthemselvestothepointwheretheycouldbesohappyinworkingforothers.Beforetheendoftheyear,IthinkIbeganlearningthatthosewhoarehappiestarethosewhodothemostforothers.ThislessonIhavetriedtocarrywithmeeversince.我在汉普顿通过课本学到的知识只是我在那里学到的一小部分。第二年，给我留下深刻印象的事情之一是老师们的无私精神。我很难理解，一些人怎么能让自己达到这样一种状态——他们能够如此快乐地为他人工作。在这一年结束之前，我想我已经开始明白那些最快乐的人就是那些为别人做最多事情的人。这个教训我一直努力铭记于心。IalsolearnedavaluablelessonatHamptonbycomingintocontactwiththebestbreedsoflivestockandfowls.Nostudent,Ithink,whohashadtheopportunityofdoingthiscouldgooutintotheworldandcontenthimselfwiththepoorestgrades.在汉普顿我还学到宝贵的一课，那就是接触到最好的家畜和家禽。我想，任何一个有机会做到这一点的学生，在走向社会后都不会满足于平庸。PerhapsthemostvaluablethingthatIgotoutofmysecondyearwasanunderstandingoftheuseandvalueoftheBible.MissNathalieLord,oneoftheteachers,fromPortland,Me.,taughtmehowtouseandlovetheBible.BeforethisIhadnevercaredagreatdealaboutit,butnowIlearnedtolovetoreadtheBible,notonlyforthespiritualhelpwhichitgives,butonaccountofitasliterature.Thelessonstaughtmeinthisrespecttooksuchaholduponmethatatthepresenttime,whenIamathome,nomatterhowbusyIam,Ialwaysmakeitaruletoreadachapteroraportionofachapterinthemorning,beforebeginningtheworkoftheday.也许我在第二年学到的最有价值的东西是对《圣经》的使用和价值的理解。来自缅因州波特兰市的老师纳萨莉·洛德小姐教会了我如何使用并热爱《圣经》。在此之前，我对它并不太关心，但现在我学会了喜爱阅读《圣经》，不仅因为它给予的精神帮助，还因为它作为文学作品的价值。她在这一方面的教导深深影响了我，以至于现在，当我回家的时候，无论我多么忙碌，我都会在每天开始工作之前，读一章或者一部分章节。WhateverabilityImayhaveasapublicspeakerIoweinameasuretoMissLord.WhenshefoundoutthatIhadsomeinclinationinthisdirection,shegavemeprivatelessonsinthematterofbreathing,emphasis,andarticulation.Simplytobeabletotalkinpublicforthesakeoftalkinghasneverhadtheleastattractiontome.Infact,Iconsiderthatthereisnothingsoemptyandunsatisfactoryasmereabstractpublicspeaking;butfrommyearlychildhoodIhavehadadesiretodosomethingtomaketheworldbetter,andthentobeabletospeaktotheworldaboutthatthing.无论我在公众演讲方面具备何种能力，都离不开Lord小姐的帮助。当她发现我对这方面有些兴趣时，她私下给我上了关于呼吸、重音和发音的课程。仅仅为了说话而说话，从未对我有任何吸引力。事实上，我认为没有什么比单纯的抽象公众演讲更空洞和令人不满意了；但从我小时候起，我就希望做些事情来让世界变得更好，然后能够向世界谈论那件事。ThedebatingsocietiesatHamptonwereaconstantsourceofdelighttome.ThesewereheldonSaturdayevening;andduringmywholelifeatHamptonIdonotrecallthatImissedasinglemeeting.Inotonlyattendedtheweeklydebatingsociety,butwasinstrumentalinorganizinganadditionalsociety.Inoticedthatbetweenthetimewhensupperwasoverandthetimetobegineveningstudytherewereabouttwentyminuteswhichtheyoungmenusuallyspentinidlegossip.Abouttwentyofusformedasocietyforthepurposeofutilizingthistimeindebateorinpracticeinpublicspeaking.Fewpersonseverderivedmorehappinessorbenefitfromtheuseoftwentyminutesoftimethanwedidinthisway.汉普顿的辩论社团对我来说一直是快乐的源泉。这些活动在周六晚上举行；在我整个汉普顿求学期间，我不记得错过任何一次会议。我不仅参加了每周的辩论社团，还参与组织了一个额外的社团。我注意到，在晚饭结束和开始晚自习之间大约有二十分钟的时间，年轻人们通常会用来闲聊。我们大约二十个人成立了一个社团，目的是利用这段时间进行辩论或练习公开演讲。很少有人能像我们这样从这二十分钟的时间里获得如此多的快乐或益处。AttheendofmysecondyearatHampton,bythehelpofsomemoneysentmebymymotherandbrotherJohn,supplementedbyasmallgiftfromoneoftheteachersatHampton,IwasenabledtoreturntomyhomeinMalden,WestVirginia,tospendmyvacation.WhenIreachedhomeIfoundthatthesalt-furnaceswerenotrunning,andthatthecoal-minewasnotbeingoperatedonaccountoftheminersbeingouton"strike."Thiswassomethingwhich,itseemed,usuallyoccurredwheneverthemengottwoorthreemonthsaheadintheirsavings.Duringthestrike,ofcourse,theyspentallthattheyhadsaved,andwouldoftenreturntoworkindebtatthesamewages,orwouldmovetoanothermineatconsiderableexpense.Ineithercase,myobservationsconvincedmethattheminerswereworseoffattheendofthestrike.Beforethedaysofstrikesinthatsectionofthecountry,Iknewminerswhohadconsiderablemoneyinthebank,butassoonastheprofessionallabouragitatorsgotcontrol,thesavingsofeventhemorethriftyonesbegandisappearing.在我就读汉普顿学院的第二学年末，靠母亲和约翰哥哥寄来的钱以及汉普顿一位老师的小额馈赠，我得以回家乡西弗吉尼亚州马尔登度过假期。回到家时，我发现盐炉没有开工，煤矿也因矿工罢工而停止运作。“罢工”似乎总是在矿工们攒下两三个月的积蓄时发生。当然，在罢工期间，他们花光了所有的积蓄，往往会以相同的工资重新开始工作时负债累累，或者会为了搬家到另一个矿井而付出不小的开销。无论是哪种情况，我的观察都让我确信矿工们在罢工结束后处境更糟。在那个地区罢工之前，我知道有一些矿工在银行里存了不少钱，但一旦职业劳工煽动者掌握了控制权，即使是那些更为节俭的矿工也开始失去他们的积蓄。Mymotherandtheothermembersofmyfamilywere,ofcourse,muchrejoicedtoseemeandtonotetheimprovementthatIhadmadeduringmytwoyears'absence.Therejoicingonthepartofallclassesofthecolouredpeople,andespeciallytheolderones,overmyreturn,wasalmostpathetic.Ihadtopayavisittoeachfamilyandtakeamealwitheach,andateachplacetellthestoryofmyexperiencesatHampton.InadditiontothisIhadtospeakbeforethechurchandSunday-school,andatvariousotherplaces.ThethingthatIwasmostinsearchof,though,work,Icouldnotfind.Therewasnoworkonaccountofthestrike.IspentnearlythewholeofthefirstmonthofmyvacationinanefforttofindsomethingtodobywhichIcouldearnmoneytopaymywaybacktoHamptonandsavealittlemoneytouseafterreachingthere.我的母亲和我的家人们，当然，看到我回来并且注意到我在两年离家期间的进步时非常高兴。所有阶层的有色人种，尤其是年长者，对我回来感到的喜悦几乎是令人心酸的。我不得不去拜访每一个家庭，并且在每一家吃一顿饭，每到一处都要讲述我在哈姆普顿的经历。除此之外，我还得在教堂、周日学校以及各种其他场合发表演讲。不过，我最需要找的工作却找不到。由于罢工的原因，没有工作可做。我在假期的第一个月几乎全都花在努力寻找可以赚钱的工作上了，这样我就能挣够回哈姆普顿的路费并攒下一些钱以备到达后使用。Towardtheendofthefirstmonth,Iwenttoaplaceaconsiderabledistancefrommyhome,totrytofindemployment.Ididnotsucceed,anditwasnightbeforeIgotstartedonmyreturn.WhenIhadgottenwithinamileorsoofmyhomeIwassocompletelytiredoutthatIcouldnotwalkanyfarther,andIwentintoanold,abandonedhousetospendtheremainderofthenight.Aboutthreeo'clockinthemorningmybrotherJohnfoundmeasleepinthishouse,andbroketome,asgentlyashecould,thesadnewsthatourdearmotherhaddiedduringthenight.在一月快结束的时候，我去了离家很远的地方，试图找份工作。我没有成功，天黑了才开始踏上归途。当我距离家还有一英里左右时，我已经完全筋疲力尽，再也走不动了，于是走进了一座废弃的老房子，打算在那里度过剩下的夜晚。凌晨三点左右，我的哥哥约翰发现我在那所房子里睡着了，并且尽量温和地告诉我一个悲伤的消息——我们的亲爱的妈妈在昨晚去世了。Thisseemedtomethesaddestandblankestmomentinmylife.Forseveralyearsmymotherhadnotbeeningoodhealth,butIhadnoidea,whenIpartedfromherthepreviousday,thatIshouldneverseeheraliveagain.Besidesthat,Ihadalwayshadanintensedesiretobewithherwhenshedidpassaway.OneofthechiefambitionswhichspurredmeonatHamptonwasthatImightbeabletogettobeinapositioninwhichIcouldbettermakemymothercomfortableandhappy.Shehadsooftenexpressedthewishthatshemightbepermittedtolivetoseeherchildreneducatedandstartedoutintheworld.这在我看来是我生命中最悲伤和最茫然的时刻。多年来，我母亲的身体一直不太好，但在前一天分别时，我并没有想到从此再也见不到她活着的样子了。除此之外，我一直非常渴望在我母亲去世时能陪在她身边。激励我在哈姆普顿大学前进的主要目标之一就是能够达到一种更好的境地，从而让我能让母亲过得更舒适、更快乐。她常常表达这样一个愿望，希望能活到看到她的孩子们接受教育并开始在世界上闯荡。Inaveryshorttimeafterthedeathofmymotherourlittlehomewasinconfusion.MysisterAmanda,althoughshetriedtodothebestshecould,wastooyoungtoknowanythingaboutkeepinghouse,andmystepfatherwasnotabletohireahousekeeper.Sometimeswehadfoodcookedforus,andsometimeswedidnot.Irememberthatmorethanonceacanoftomatoesandsomecrackersconstitutedameal.Ourclothingwentuncaredfor,andeverythingaboutourhomewassooninatumble-downcondition.Itseemstomethatthiswasthemostdismalperiodofmylife.在我母亲去世后不久，我们的小家就陷入了混乱。我的姐姐阿曼达虽然尽力而为了，但她年纪太小，不知道如何管理家务，而我的继父又无法雇到一位管家。有时有人帮我们煮饭，有时则没有。我记得不止一次，一罐西红柿和一些饼干就成了我们的餐食。我们的衣服无人照料，家里的所有东西很快就变得破败不堪。对我来说，这是我生命中最黯淡的时期。Mygoodfriend,Mrs.Ruffner,towhomIhavealreadyreferred,alwaysmademewelcomeatherhome,andassistedmeinmanywaysduringthistryingperiod.Beforetheendofthevacationshegavemesomework,andthis,togetherwithworkinacoal-mineatsomedistancefrommyhome,enabledmetoearnalittlemoney.我的好朋友，露夫纳夫人，我在前面提到过的那位女士，总是欢迎我去她家，并在我这段艰难时期以多种方式帮助了我。假期结束前，她给了我一些工作，再加上在离我家很远的一个煤矿的工作，使我能够赚到一点钱。AtonetimeitlookedasifIwouldhavetogiveuptheideaofreturningtoHampton,butmyheartwassosetonreturningthatIdeterminednottogiveupgoingbackwithoutastruggle.Iwasveryanxioustosecuresomeclothesforthewinter,butinthisIwasdisappointed,exceptforafewgarmentswhichmybrotherJohnsecuredforme.Notwithstandingmyneedofmoneyandclothing,IwasveryhappyinthefactthatIhadsecuredenoughmoneytopaymytravellingexpensesbacktoHampton.Oncethere,IknewthatIcouldmakemyselfsousefulasajanitorthatIcouldinsomewaygetthroughtheschoolyear.曾经有一段时间，我觉得我可能不得不放弃回汉普顿学院的想法，但我内心非常渴望回去，所以我决定不轻易放弃，一定要努力争取回去的机会。我很想为冬天准备一些衣服，但除了我的哥哥约翰为我弄到的几件衣物外，其他都落空了。尽管我急需钱和衣服，但想到我已经攒够了回汉普顿学院的旅费，心里还是很高兴。一旦到了那里，我知道我可以当一名看门人，让自己变得很有用，这样我就能以某种方式完成学校的学年。ThreeweeksbeforethetimefortheopeningofthetermatHampton,IwaspleasantlysurprisedtoreceivealetterfrommygoodfriendMissMaryF.Mackie,theladyprincipal,askingmetoreturntoHamptontwoweeksbeforetheopeningoftheschool,inorderthatImightassistherincleaningthebuildingsandgettingthingsinorderforthenewschoolyear.ThiswasjusttheopportunityIwanted.Itgavemeachancetosecureacreditinthetreasurer'soffice.IstartedforHamptonatonce.开学前三个星期的时候，我意外地收到了我的好朋友玛丽·F·麦基女士（女校长）来信，她邀请我在学校开学前两周返回汉普顿，以便协助她清理建筑物并为新学年做好准备。这正是我想要的机会。它给了我一个机会在财务办公室获得信用。我立刻动身前往汉普顿。DuringthesetwoweeksIwastaughtalessonwhichIshallneverforget.MissMackiewasamemberofoneoftheoldestandmostculturedfamiliesoftheNorth,andyetfortwoweekssheworkedbymysidecleaningwindows,dustingrooms,puttingbedsinorder,andwhatnot.Shefeltthatthingswouldnotbeinconditionfortheopeningofschoolunlesseverywindow-panewasperfectlyclean,andshetookthegreatestsatisfactioninhelpingtocleanthemherself.TheworkwhichIhavedescribedshedideveryyearthatIwasatHampton.在这两周里，我学到了永远不会忘记的一课。麦克伊小姐是北方最古老且最有文化家庭的一员，然而在这两周里，她都在我旁边一起工作，擦窗户、除尘、整理床铺等等。她认为除非每块窗玻璃都完美地清洁，否则学校开学时环境不会达到理想状态，她自己动手清理窗户感到非常满足。我所描述的这些工作，她每年在我就读哈姆普顿期间都会做。Itwashardformeatthistimetounderstandhowawomanofhereducationandsocialstandingcouldtakesuchdelightinperformingsuchservice,inordertoassistintheelevationofanunfortunaterace.EversincethenIhavehadnopatiencewithanyschoolformyraceintheSouthwhichdidnotteachitsstudentsthedignityoflabour.我当时很难理解，像她这样受过教育且社会地位如此之高的女性，怎么能如此欣然地从事这样的服务工作，以帮助提升一个不幸的种族。从那以后，我对南方任何不教导学生尊重劳动的黑人学校都失去了耐心。DuringmylastyearatHamptoneveryminuteofmytimethatwasnotoccupiedwithmydutiesasjanitorwasdevotedtohardstudy.Iwasdetermined,ifpossible,tomakesucharecordinmyclassaswouldcausemetobeplacedonthe"honourroll"ofCommencementspeakers.ThisIwassuccessfulindoing.ItwasJuneof1875whenIfinishedtheregularcourseofstudyatHampton.ThegreatestbenefitsthatIgotoutofmymylifeattheHamptonInstitute,perhaps,maybeclassifiedundertwoheads:—在我在汉普顿的最后一学年，除了履行看门人的职责外，每一分钟都被用来刻苦学习。我下定决心，如果可能的话，要在班级里取得足够好的成绩，从而被列入毕业典礼演讲者的“荣誉名单”。我成功地做到了这一点。那是1875年6月，当我完成了汉普顿正规课程的学习时。我在汉普顿学院的生活给我带来的最大益处，或许可以归类为以下两个方面：Firstwascontactwithagreatman,GeneralS.C.Armstrong,who,Irepeat,was,inmyopinion,therarest,strongest,andmostbeautifulcharacterthatithaseverbeenmyprivilegetomeet.首先是结识了一位伟人，S.C.阿姆斯特朗将军，我再说一遍，在我看来，他是我有幸遇到过的最罕见、最坚强、最美好的人物。Second,atHampton,forthefirsttime,Ilearnedwhateducationwasexpectedtodoforanindividual.BeforegoingthereIhadagooddealofthethenratherprevalentideaamongourpeoplethattosecureaneducationmeanttohaveagood,easytime,freefromallnecessityformanuallabour.AtHamptonInotonlylearnedthatitwasnotadisgracetolabour,butlearnedtolovelabour,notaloneforitsfinancialvalue,butforlabour'sownsakeandfortheindependenceandself-reliancewhichtheabilitytodosomethingwhichtheworldwantsdonebrings.AtthatinstitutionIgotmyfirsttasteofwhatitmeanttolivealifeofunselfishness,myfirstknowledgeofthefactthatthehappiestindividualsarethosewhodothemosttomakeothersusefulandhappy.其次，在汉普顿，我第一次了解到教育应该对一个人做些什么。在我去那里的时候，我们的人民中间普遍流行着一种观念，即获得教育意味着过上轻松的好日子，摆脱所有体力劳动的必要性。在汉普顿，我不仅学到劳动并不是一件可耻的事情，还学会了热爱劳动，不仅仅因为它能带来经济价值，而是出于劳动本身的乐趣，以及能够做一些这个世界需要完成的事情所带来的独立性和自力更生的能力。在那里，我初次尝到了无私生活是什么滋味，第一次知道最幸福的人是那些尽最大努力使他人有用和快乐的人。IwascompletelyoutofmoneywhenIgraduated.IncompanywithotherHamptonstudents,IsecuredaplaceasatablewaiterinasummerhotelinConnecticut,andmanagedtoborrowenoughmoneywithwhichtogetthere.IhadnotbeeninthishotellongbeforeIfoundoutthatIknewpracticallynothingaboutwaitingonahoteltable.Theheadwaiter,however,supposedthatIwasanaccomplishedwaiter.Hesoongavemechargeofthetableatwhichtheresatfourorfivewealthyandratheraristocraticpeople.MyignoranceofhowtowaituponthemwassoapparentthattheyscoldedmeinsuchaseveremannerthatIbecamefrightenedandlefttheirtable,leavingthemsittingtherewithoutfood.AsaresultofthisIwasreducedfromthepositionofwaitertothatofadish-carrier.当我毕业时，已经完全身无分文。和其他汉普顿学生一起，我在康涅狄格州的一家夏季酒店找到了一份当餐桌侍者的职位，并借到了足够的钱得以到达那里。没过多久，我就发现我对如何在酒店餐桌上服务几乎一无所知。然而，领班侍者以为我已经是一名熟练的侍者了。他很快让我负责一张坐着四五位富有且有些贵族气派的人的餐桌。我对如何伺候他们完全无知，表现得如此明显，以至于他们以非常严厉的态度责骂我，使我感到害怕，于是我离开了他们的餐桌，让他们坐在那里没有食物。由于这件事，我的职位从侍者降为了餐具搬运工。ButIdeterminedtolearnthebusinessofwaiting,anddidsowithinafewweeksandwasrestoredtomyformerposition.IhavehadthesatisfactionofbeingaguestinthishotelseveraltimessinceIwasawaiterthere.但我决心学会服务生的工作，并在几周内做到了，并恢复了我以前的地位。自从我当服务员以来，我曾多次以客人的身份在这个酒店里感到满意。AtthecloseofthehotelseasonIreturnedtomyformerhomeinMalden,andwaselectedtoteachthecolouredschoolatthatplace.Thiswasthebeginningofoneofthehappiestperiodsofmylife.InowfeltthatIhadtheopportunitytohelpthepeopleofmyhometowntoahigherlife.Ifeltfromthefirstthatmerebookeducationwasnotallthattheyoungpeopleofthattownneeded.Ibeganmyworkateighto'clockinthemorning,and,asarule,itdidnotenduntilteno'clockatnight.Inadditiontotheusualroutineofteaching,Itaughtthepupilstocombtheirhair,andtokeeptheirhandsandfacesclean,aswellastheirclothing.Igavespecialattentiontoteachingthemtheproperuseofthetooth-brushandthebath.InallmyteachingIhavewatchedcarefullytheinfluenceofthetooth-brush,andIamconvincedthattherearefewsingleagenciesofcivilizationthataremorefar-reaching.在酒店季结束时，我回到了我在马尔登的旧居，并被选为该地有色人种学校的教师。这是我一生中最幸福时期之一的开端。我现在觉得我有机会帮助家乡的人们迈向更高的生活。从一开始，我就觉得单纯的书本教育并不是那个镇上的年轻人所需要的全部。我早上八点钟开始教学工作，通常到晚上十点钟才结束。除了正常的教学任务外，我还教学生们梳头，保持手脸清洁以及衣物整洁。我特别注意教导他们正确使用牙刷和洗澡的方法。在我的整个教学过程中，我一直仔细观察牙刷的影响，我深信没有多少单一的文明手段能有如此深远的影响。Thereweresomanyoftheolderboysandgirlsinthetown,aswellasmenandwomen,whohadtoworkinthedaytimeandstillwerecravinganopportunityforaneducation,thatIsoonopenedanight-school.Fromthefirst,thiswascrowdedeverynight,beingaboutaslargeastheschoolthatItaughtintheday.Theeffortsofsomeofthemenandwomen,whoinmanycaseswereoverfiftyyearsofage,tolearn,wereinsomecasesverypathetic.镇上有那么多年龄较大的男孩和女孩，还有男人和女人，他们白天要工作，但仍渴望有机会接受教育，所以我不久就开办了一所夜校。从一开始，这所夜校每晚都挤满了人，规模几乎和我白天教的学校一样大。一些年龄在五十多岁甚至更大的男人和女人努力学习的样子，在某些情况下非常令人心酸。MydayandnightschoolworkwasnotallthatIundertook.Iestablishedasmallreading-roomandadebatingsociety.OnSundaysItaughttwoSunday-schools,oneinthetownofMaldenintheafternoon,andtheotherinthemorningataplacethreemilesdistantfromMalden.Inadditiontothis,IgaveprivatelessonstoseveralyoungmenwhomIwasfittingtosendtotheHamptonInstitute.Withoutregardtopayandwithlittlethoughtofit,ItaughtanyonewhowantedtolearnanythingthatIcouldteachhim.Iwassupremelyhappyintheopportunityofbeingabletoassistsomebodyelse.Ididreceive,however,asmallsalaryfromthepublicfund,formyworkasapublic-schoolteacher.我的白天和夜晚学校工作并不是我所承担的所有事情。我还建立了一个小型阅览室和一个辩论俱乐部。每逢周日，我教授两所星期日学校，下午在马尔登镇的一所，上午则在距离马尔登三英里外的地方另一所。除此之外，我还给几个年轻人私下授课，我正在准备让他们进入哈姆普顿学院。不管报酬如何，也几乎没有考虑报酬，我教任何想学并且我能教的东西的人。能够帮助别人，我感到无比幸福。然而，我从公共基金中确实得到了一笔小额薪水，作为我担任公立学校教师工作的报酬。DuringthetimethatIwasastudentatHamptonmyolderbrother,John,notonlyassistedmeallthathecould,butworkedallofthetimeinthecoal-minesinordertosupportthefamily.Hewillinglyneglectedhisowneducationthathemighthelpme.ItwasmyearnestwishtohelphimtopreparetoenterHampton,andtosavemoneytoassisthiminhisexpensesthere.BothoftheseobjectsIwassuccessfulinaccomplishing.InthreeyearsmybrotherfinishedthecourseatHampton,andheisnowholdingtheimportantpositionofSuperintendentofIndustriesatTuskegee.WhenhereturnedfromHampton,webothcombinedoureffortsandsavingstosendouradoptedbrother,James,throughtheHamptonInstitute.Thiswesucceededindoing,andheisnowthepostmasterattheTuskegeeInstitute.Theyear1877,whichwasmysecondyearofteachinginMalden,IspentverymuchasIdidthefirst.在我就读于汉普顿学院期间，我的哥哥约翰不仅尽他所能帮助了我，还一直在煤矿工作以维持家庭生计。他心甘情愿地牺牲了自己的教育机会来帮助我。我很希望能帮助他准备进入汉普顿学院，并且存钱来资助他在那里的开销。这两个目标我都成功实现了。三年后，我的哥哥完成了汉普顿学院的课程，现在他在塔斯基吉担任工业superintendent一职。当他从汉普顿回来时，我们俩都投入了我们的努力和积蓄，送我们的养兄弟詹姆斯进入汉普顿学院学习。我们也成功做到了这一点，现在他是塔斯基吉学院的邮局主任。1877年，这是我第二年在马尔登教书，那段时光和第一年非常相似。ItwaswhilemyhomewasatMaldenthatwhatwasknownasthe"KuKluxKlan"wasintheheightofitsactivity.The"KuKlux"werebandsofmenwhohadjoinedthemselvestogetherforthepurposeofregulatingtheconductofthecolouredpeople,especiallywiththeobjectofpreventingthemembersoftheracefromexercisinganyinfluenceinpolitics.Theycorrespondedsomewhattothe"patrollers"ofwhomIusedtohearagreatdealduringthedaysofslavery,whenIwasasmallboy.The"patrollers"werebandsofwhitemen—usuallyyoungmen—whowereorganizedlargelyforthepurposeofregulatingtheconductoftheslavesatnightinsuchmattersaspreventingtheslavesfromgoingfromoneplantationtoanotherwithoutpasses,andforpreventingthemfromholdinganykindofmeetingswithoutpermissionandwithoutthepresenceatthesemeetingsofatleastonewhiteman.在我家位于马尔登期间，“三K党”正处于其活动的鼎盛时期。“三K党”是一群结成组织的人，他们的目的是规范有色人种的行为，特别是阻止种族成员在政治上行使任何影响力。他们与我在奴隶制时代做小男孩时经常听到的“巡逻队”有些相似。所谓的“巡逻队”是由白人男子——通常是年轻人——组成的团体，主要目的是在夜间监管奴隶的行为，比如防止奴隶在没有通行证的情况下从一个种植园前往另一个种植园，以及未经许可且没有至少一名白人在场的情况下，禁止奴隶举行任何形式的集会。Likethe"patrollers"the"KuKlux"operatedalmostwhollyatnight.Theywere,however,morecruelthanthe"patrollers."Theirobjects,inthemain,weretocrushoutthepoliticalaspirationsoftheNegroes,buttheydidnotconfinethemselvestothis,becauseschoolhousesaswellaschurcheswereburnedbythem,andmanyinnocentpersonsweremadetosuffer.Duringthisperiodnotafewcolouredpeoplelosttheirlives.就像“巡逻队”一样，“三K党”几乎完全在夜间活动。然而，他们比“巡逻队”更为残忍。他们的主要目标是压制黑人的政治抱负，但他们并不局限于这一点，因为他们不仅焚烧学校和教堂，还使许多无辜者遭受苦难。在此期间，不少有色人种失去了生命。Asayoungman,theactsoftheselawlessbandsmadeagreatimpressionuponme.IsawoneopenbattletakeplaceatMaldenbetweensomeofthecolouredandwhitepeople.Theremusthavebeennotfarfromahundredpersonsengagedoneachside;manyonbothsideswereseriouslyinjured,amongthemGeneralLewisRuffner,thehusbandofmyfriendMrs.ViolaRuffner.GeneralRuffnertriedtodefendthecolouredpeople,andforthishewasknockeddownandsoseriouslywoundedthathenevercompletelyrecovered.ItseemedtomeasIwatchedthisstrugglebetweenmembersofthetworaces,thattherewasnohopeforourpeopleinthiscountry.The"KuKlux"periodwas,Ithink,thedarkestpartoftheReconstructiondays.作为一个年轻人，这些无法无天的团伙的行为给我留下了深刻的印象。我在马尔登亲眼目睹了一场有色人种和白人之间的公开战斗。双方可能各有近百人参与；双方都有许多人受了重伤，其中包括我的朋友鲁弗纳夫人（Mrs.ViolaRuffner）的丈夫，路易斯·鲁弗纳将军（GeneralLewisRuffner）。鲁弗纳将军试图保护有色人种，为此他被击倒，并受了如此严重的伤，以至于从未完全康复。当我看着这两个种族成员之间的这场斗争时，我觉得我们的人民在这个国家没有希望。我认为，“三K党”时期是重建时期的最黑暗阶段。IhavereferredtothisunpleasantpartofthehistoryoftheSouthsimplyforthepurposeofcallingattentiontothegreatchangethathastakenplacesincethedaysofthe"KuKlux."To-daytherearenosuchorganizationsintheSouth,andthefactthatsucheverexistedisalmostforgottenbybothraces.TherearefewplacesintheSouthnowwherepublicsentimentwouldpermitsuchorganizationstoexist.我提到南方历史中这一令人不快的部分，仅仅是为了引起人们对自“三K党”时代以来所发生巨大变化的关注。如今，南方已不存在这样的组织，两个种族几乎都已忘记了这些组织曾经存在过。现在，南方很少有地方会允许这些组织的存在。
