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 in 
 
 AUTOBIOGRAPHY 
 
 HI 
 
 -OF 
 
 , ALFRED LEONARD EDWARD WEEKS 
 
 AND 
 
 HH 
 
 ANNIE ELIZABETH COOKE WEEKS 
 
 Principal and Wife 
 
 OF THE 
 
 
 i Bern Collegiate Industrial Institute 
 
 New Bern, N. C. 
 
s 
 
REV. ALFRED LEONARD EDWARD WEEKS 
 
 Born July 20th, 1875 
 
 Educated at Elizabeth City State Normal and 
 Shaw University. Became pastor of the 
 First Baptist Church, May 1900, which 
 position he still holds. Founder 
 and Principal of the New Bern 
 Collegiate Industrial Insti¬ 
 tute, New Bern, N. C. 
 
 oo 
 

 Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2019 with funding from 
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 
 https://archive.org/details/autobiographyofrOOweek 
 
A Sketch of the Life and Character of 
 Rev. Alfred Leonard Edward Weeks. 
 
 Alfred Leonard Edward Weeks, the 
 subject of this article, was born in 
 Mount Olive, Wayne County, North 
 Carolina, on July 20th, 1875. He is 
 the son of Alfred and Laura Weeks, 
 ex-slaves, who still live in that place. 
 The humble home of his parents is 
 situated in the Southern section of 
 Mount Olive, in a neighborhood called 
 Hillsboro. His father, having been 
 sold several times in the days of slav¬ 
 ery, helped to build the fortification 
 around Richmond, Va., during the Ci¬ 
 vil War. He was very poor and not 
 able to give his twelve children any 
 advantages, educationally, aside from 
 those found in the public schools— 
 (which were very few.) 
 
 When quite young, Alfred Leonard 
 was placed at school in the country, 
 where before he was twelve years of 
 age, his mind was the subject of re¬ 
 ligious impressions; although at the 
 time he was ignorant of their source, 
 he was afterward made sensible that 
 it was the Lord’s Holy Spirit that had 
 thus early visited him. And when 
 about nine years of age, his fa¬ 
 ther happened to the accident of 
 
4 
 
 cutting his foot nearly off, and thus 
 he was not able for a long time, to 
 assist in caring for the twelve chil¬ 
 dren of the home. 
 
 Because of the accident above spok¬ 
 en of, his mother, Mrs. Laura Weeks, 
 was compelled to hire herself to hotels 
 or individual families as cook, until 
 the children became old enough to 
 help her. The children were reared 
 therefore, from the crumbs which fell 
 from the tables at the places wherever 
 she worked. 
 
 After attaining his twelfth year, he 
 entered school at Wynn’s Chapel, 
 where he prosecuted his studies, under 
 the direction of Rev. A. A. Smith, for 
 about three years. During this period 
 his mind was often drawn into serious¬ 
 ness, and although his quick and lively 
 disposition, and the many temptations 
 to which he was exposed, sometimes 
 led him astray, yet he was mercifully 
 preserved from many of the snares 
 into which the young and inexperienc¬ 
 ed too often fall. Much credit should 
 be given to Rev. A. A. Smith for his 
 private tutelage during these three 
 years. 
 
 On August 3rd, in 1890, being 15 
 years old, he joined the Free Will 
 Baptist Church, at Mount Olive. He 
 
0 
 
 pursued his studies with great dili¬ 
 gence and success, but his tender mind 
 was much shocked at the dissipation 
 and wickedness which prevailed a- 
 mong the members, and by obedience 
 to the secret checks and limitations 
 of the Holy Spirit, he was preserved 
 from participating in the gross corrup¬ 
 tions around him. Soon after he joined 
 the church, under the living and pow¬ 
 erful influence of the Gospel, Alfred 
 Leonard Edward’s spiritual condition 
 was effectually reached: the witness 
 for God in his own heart, owning and 
 answering the testimony. The impres¬ 
 sions which had been early made be¬ 
 ing thus renewed and strengthened, 
 fresh desires after holiness were be¬ 
 gotten in his soul. In this seeking 
 frame of'mind, he was led to perceive 
 the emptiness and formality which 
 prevailed among his people in their 
 religion; and finding some of his fel¬ 
 low associates of similar views, they 
 held religious meetings among them¬ 
 selves in their private homes. This 
 greatly offended the heads of the 
 church, who charged him with non¬ 
 conformity. Alfred Leonard Edward, 
 however, believing his principles and 
 practices were founded in truth, and 
 essential to his peace of mind, could 
 
6 
 
 not abandon them; and as his deter¬ 
 mination was unalterable, he was 
 forced to move his membership to 
 the Missionary Baptist Church, where 
 the gravity of his deportment, and 
 correct conduct, indicated that the 
 good work so early begun in him, was 
 gradually going forward. He refrain¬ 
 ed from associating with the fashion¬ 
 able world, or mingling with its vain 
 amusements, but took great delight 
 in the company of the most grave and 
 sober persons. His relatives viewed his 
 conduct with great disapprobation. 
 Alfred Leonard Edward’s thirst, how¬ 
 ever, was not for earthly glory, but 
 heavenly; “he chose rather to suffer 
 affliction with the people of God, than 
 to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a 
 season;” and though it grieved him 
 to disobey his earthly friends, he felt 
 that it would be far worse to resist 
 the will of his Father in Heaven. 
 
 This church and pastor, however, 
 soon perceived that the young man’s 
 ambitions were worthy of encouarge- 
 ment, and he was therefore licensed 
 to preach the Gospel at the age of 17 
 years. 
 
 The Lord had better things in store 
 for him, even the things that accom¬ 
 pany salvation; and soon after he 
 
7 
 
 moved his membership, the visitations 
 of the Holy Spirit to his soul were 
 renewed, the glories of this world 
 were stained in his view, and all of 
 its pleasant pictures spoiled. 
 
 In reference to this period of his 
 life, he says: “Now was all the glory 
 of this world as a buble; yea nothing 
 was dear to me that I might win 
 Christ; for the love, pleasure, and 
 friendship of this world were a bur¬ 
 den to my soul. In this seeking state 
 I was directed to the testimony of 
 Jesus in my own conscience as the 
 true shining light, given me to dis¬ 
 cern the thoughts and intents of my 
 own heart. And no sooner was I 
 turned unto it but I found it to he 
 that which from my childhood had 
 visited me, though I distinctly knew 
 it not.” 
 
 On July 15th, 1892, he presented 
 himself to the County Superintendent 
 of Public Instruction of Wayne Coun¬ 
 ty, as an applicant for a certificate 
 to teach school in the public school 
 of that county. Having finished his 
 examination the county examiner 
 said: “What does your father do?” 
 “He is a blacksmith,” was the reply. 
 “You are black enough”, said the ex¬ 
 aminer, “ and you will only have to 
 
8 
 
 get the smith. Your answers are 
 good and you have made good marks 
 on all of the branches, but your age 
 will prevent you from receiving a 
 certificate.” “Thank you, I will try 
 again,” was the reply. On returning 
 home Alfred Leonard Edward spent 
 August and September in attending 
 revival meetings, and reviewing the 
 branches taught in the public school 
 in North Carolina, and on October 
 the 12th, early in the morning, he left 
 his home with his coat on his shoul¬ 
 der, and covered the distance from 
 Mount Olive, N. C., to Kinston, N. C. 
 (which is 40 miles) for the purpose 
 of taking examination on the 14th. 
 Having taken examination, he made a 
 good certificate, and on the day after 
 the examination, he walked from Kin¬ 
 ston to LaGrange, a distance of about 
 12 miles, where he secured a school 
 to teach. 
 
 The school committee decided that 
 the schooj should not open until the 
 first Monday in the following Decem¬ 
 ber, and run for three months at a 
 salary of $20.00 per month. 
 
 On being told the decision of the 
 committee, he walked back to Kinston 
 N. C., and hired himself to the author¬ 
 ities of that town as a street hand 
 
9 
 
 for 75 cents per day. Having worked 
 here until the first of December, he 
 sent one half of his earnings to his 
 mother at Mount Olive, and fitted him¬ 
 self for his winter’s work with the 
 remainder, after having paid all of his 
 bills. Having taught the school be¬ 
 fore mentioned in the winter of 1892— 
 93, he returned to Mount Olive, where 
 he had only $5.00 of his winter’s earn¬ 
 ings left, after having divided with 
 his parents. He purchased two acres 
 of land, which cost $100, and paid 
 the $5.00 on the purchase price. The 
 summer was spent in grubbing and 
 making ready one of these acres for 
 the truck farm (strawberry crop. ) 
 Having planted this crop, he again 
 taught the public school at LaGrange 
 N. C., in the winter 1893—94, after 
 which he went to Elizabeth City, and 
 attended the State Normal School for 
 two years, 1894—95 and 1995—96. 
 During the time he was in attendance 
 at the State Normal School at Eliza¬ 
 beth City, he managed to pay his way 
 through this school by teaching public 
 school in Perquiman county. Having 
 finished at this school he next went 
 to Shaw University, Raleigh, N. C., 
 to take Theology. Having to divide 
 his earnings with his parents, he 
 
10 
 
 could not stay in school an entire 
 session at any time, however, he 
 would teach two or three months dur¬ 
 ing the winter, and remain in school 
 unti lthe middle of April, and then 
 go home to see about his strawber¬ 
 ries. The following summer, after 
 the first session he attended Shaw 
 University, was spent in selling goods 
 as an agent, and about the last of 
 September he had above $200.00 worth 
 of goods stolen from him. He had 
 worked hard to get back to school, 
 and had saved his money, but a few 
 days before the time for him to leave 
 for school, was compelled to send 
 all of his summer’s earnings to the 
 company to which the goods belonged, 
 beuce the goods hod been sent him 
 on 30 days time, and he felt when 
 the time was out the debt must be 
 paid. Sending his trunk on to Rol- 
 eigh, N. C., and walking from Mount 
 Olive, N. C., to Selma, N. C., a dis¬ 
 tance of 40 miles, he boarded a train 
 for Raleigh, riding 33 miles, where 
 he hoped to enter Shaw University, 
 although all of his money was* paid 
 out to save his credit, and his heart 
 was aching because he had only two 
 dollars with which to pay the first 
 month’s expenses (for the first 
 
1] 
 
 month’s expenses were $9.00—$7.00 
 for board, lodging and tuition and 
 $2.00 incidental expenses for the year) 
 Having arrived at Shaw University 
 and having told of his summer’s work 
 together with what had befallen him 
 a few days before the day on which 
 he was to leave his home for school, 
 he was allowed to enter by paying 
 $2.00 which was all the money he 
 had. Having entered the University, 
 the.number of his acquaintances in¬ 
 creased, and thereby his way grew 
 more difficult; though he had found 
 comfort in reading the Holy Scrip¬ 
 tures, and thinking on Heavenly, 
 things he was now trying to see just 
 where the other $7.00 to pay the bal¬ 
 ance of the present month’s expenses, 
 will come from, and how he was to 
 stay in school another month. But 
 it had pleased the Lord to call him 
 into the work of the Gospel ministry. 
 As a messenger of glad tidings of life 
 and salvation, he would leave the 
 University each Friday evening for 
 some place where he had secured an 
 appointment to preach, having bor¬ 
 rowed from some of his teachers, the 
 money with which to go. The going 
 away from the University each week 
 only prepared him for his future use- 
 
12 
 
 fulness, as he never was able to se¬ 
 cure enough to pay any of his bills. 
 
 The following spring, the straw¬ 
 berry crop failed and the young man 
 had many debts at home, which caus¬ 
 ed him more worry. Rev. A. A. Smith 
 at this time, took in charge the land, 
 and house, which Mr. Weeks had had 
 erected, paying the partise to keep 
 them from harming the young man. 
 During the following summer, the 
 time was spent in ditching, grubbing, 
 picking berries, picking cotton or any¬ 
 thing to obtain honest money, with 
 which to pay debts and return to 
 school. The summer was so short 
 that the time came to enter school 
 before the debts were paid, and so 
 what money had been made, was di¬ 
 vided among those to whom he was 
 obligated, and he returned to school 
 with more financial burdens than be¬ 
 fore. However, he kept full of life 
 and kept trying to make himself. 
 Having entered this time with more 
 obligations, he nevertheless tried, as 
 best he could, under the existing con¬ 
 ditions, to do his best in his studies, 
 On March 3rd, 1900 he was called to 
 the pastorate of the Cedar Grove Bap¬ 
 tist Church, (now First Baptist 
 Church) of New Bern, N. C., where 
 
he has been since that time. Arriv¬ 
 ing in New Bern and remaining there 
 as_ pastor from the 1st of May 1900 to 
 the 1st of May, 1902, where the school 
 accommodations were very poor, for 
 his people, he decided that if the Gos¬ 
 pel is to be preached effectually the 
 intellectual and industrial conditions 
 of his people must be improved, and 
 brought up to a standard where they 
 can appropriate the teachings to them 
 selves individually. Hence the birth 
 of the school, which was founded by 
 him, and which was chartered on the 
 7th day of May 1902. 
 
 The first session of the New Bern 
 Collegiate Industrial Institute began 
 on October 6, 1902, with an enroll¬ 
 ment of about 300 pupils, and three 
 teachers, namely, Rev. A. L. E. Weeks, 
 Prof. J. M. B. Wooten, and Miss Annie 
 Elizabeth Cooke. The property, known 
 in New Bern, as the old Fair Grounds 
 was purchased at a cost of $12,500 
 on which was erected a two-story 
 frame building 40x65 feet, containing 
 four class roooms down stairs, and 
 an assembly room up-stairs. Rev. 
 Weeks was assisted by the generous 
 citizens of the community, and by 
 friends in the North, in providing the 
 running expenses of the institution, 
 
14 
 
 to some extent, but at no time has he 
 been able to pay the bills when they 
 came due or to close the school any 
 session free of debt, from a point of 
 running expenses. The teachers have 
 been very considerate, have work¬ 
 ed very faithfully to assist principle 
 Weeks in carrying out his idea in this 
 school. 
 
 On July 22, 1903, Rev. Weeks mar¬ 
 ried Miss Annie Elizabeth Cooke, of 
 Wake Forest, N. C., whose autobiog¬ 
 raphy is herein printed. Rev. A. L. 
 E. Weeks and wife, Mrs. Annie Eliza¬ 
 beth Cooke Weeks, have been work¬ 
 ing together in this institute since 
 their marriage. Both the church and 
 school, with which they are connected 
 have made all the progress they could 
 possibly make. To make the school 
 a success Rev. Weeks has travelled 
 through the surrounding community, 
 and through the North, but there have 
 been so many beggars for similar 
 institutions that the substantial de¬ 
 velopment of the school has been very 
 slow. However, the ground purchased 
 has been paid for, a part of which 
 was sold to satisfy the claims against 
 the other. The enterprise is very 
 much in need of dormitories, for boys 
 and girls. Rev. Weeks believes that 
 
15 
 
 the work of spreading and deepen¬ 
 ing education in the South must be, 
 continued through such institutions 
 as Tuskegee, Hampton, the New Bern 
 Collegiate Industrial Institute and 
 many others. The reader asks how 
 can I help? The most pressing needs 
 of the school are as follows: Money 
 for an administration building; and 
 dormitories; 50.00 a year for annual 
 scholarshps for the training of one 
 student a year; $1,000 for permanent 
 scholarships; money for current ex¬ 
 penses in any amounts, however, 
 small, and an endowment fund. Too 
 much credit cannot be given to Hons. 
 T. A. Green, J. B. Blades, W. B. 
 Blades, J. A. Meadows and wife, C, 
 W. Munger, I. H. Smith, Mayor James 
 A. Bryan, and many others in New 
 Bern, N. C., as well as The American 
 Baptist Home Mission Society of New 
 York, headed by Rev. H. L. More¬ 
 house, D. D., and other friends through 
 the North for the assistance they have 
 rendered the Institute. 
 
 On February 28, 1906, the congre¬ 
 gation of the First Baptist Church, 
 of which Rev. Weeks is pastor, lost 
 its house of worship, and in 16 
 months the friends of the church were 
 called on to dedicate a new brick 
 
16 
 
 structure 42x72 feet, having two 
 stories. At this dedication, the main 
 auditorium was finished, all but the 
 painting. The Church on November 
 30, 1907, owed a debt of $2,250, hav¬ 
 ing raised from February 28, 1906 to 
 that date the difference between 
 $8,000 and $2,250 or $4,750. This is 
 very remarkable when it is known 
 that this congregation is made up of 
 common laborers, who receive an 
 average of $1.00 per day for their 
 labor. 
 
 Rev. Weeks is still working at New 
 Bern as head of the school and pastor 
 of the Church spoken of above. He 
 said to a friends a few days ago, “I 
 shall seek to make life henceforth, a 
 consecrated thing; that so, when the 
 sunset is nearing, with its murky va¬ 
 pors and lowering skies, the very 
 clouds of sorrow may be fringed with 
 golden light. Thus will the song in 
 the house of my pilgrimage be always 
 the truest harmony. It will be com¬ 
 posed of no jarring, discordant notes; 
 but with all its varied tones, will 
 form one substance, life-long melody; 
 dropped for a moment in death, only 
 to be resumed with the angels, and 
 blended with the everlasting cadence 
 of my Father’s house. His motto is; 
 
17 
 
 “Take me, O my Father, take me! 
 
 Take me, save me, through Thy Son; 
 That which Thou wouldst have me, 
 make me, 
 
 Let Thy will in me be done. 
 
 “The highest glory is not where, 
 
 ’Mid crimson clouds, the fight is won; 
 ’Tis to reclaim the erring son, 
 
 Long used the sinful yoke to bear.” 
 
 • • 
 The highest benedictions hide 
 Where sacrifice is pure and true; 
 
 And our poor self-denials, too, 
 
 If done for Christ, in Him abide.’ 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 n • 
 
 
Life of Mrs. A. Elizabeth Cooke Weeks 
 wife of the President of New Bern 
 Collegiate Industrial Institute. 
 
 I was born, December 4, 1875, in a 
 little log cabin on a plantation known 
 as the Brooks’ plantation in a little 
 town seventeen miles north of Ral¬ 
 eigh, known as Wake Forest, Wake 
 County, N. C. My father. Rev. Hen¬ 
 derson Cooke (who still lives,) is, and 
 has always been since I have known 
 him, an honest Christian farmer and 
 shoemaker. Though not educated, 
 yet ere the shackles of slavery were 
 loosed from him he learned to read 
 and write, and after freedom became 
 a minister of the gospel. He has al¬ 
 ways been known for his honesty and 
 pure Christian character. My mother, 
 Mariah D. Cooke, a virtuous Christian 
 woman, noted for her straightforward 
 Christian disposition, has always put 
 forth the most earnest efforts to rear 
 her children to be honorable men and 
 women. 
 
 We lived in the little log cabin of 
 which I have spoken until I was four 
 weeks, old, then we moved to another 
 house, this also being a log cabin, but 
 with a little more room. One large 
 
20 
 
 room downstaiars, a small one up- 
 tairs, and a kitchen. We remained 
 here until I was more than two years 
 old. During this time my father had 
 bought 52-100 of an acre of land and 
 put a thre-room house on it, not of 
 logs but of weather boarding. We 
 then moved into this house, and my 
 father would rent land on which to 
 farm. At the age of five my mother 
 allowed me to go to school with the 
 teacher who boarded not very far 
 from our house, as I was too small 
 to go alone, and the children were 
 working on the farm. 
 
 To my teacher, I feel a great deal 
 is due, for I learned very fast, to the 
 delight of both my teacher (Dr. N. F. 
 Roberts, who is now Vice-Presi¬ 
 dent of Shaw University) and of my 
 parents. Here I received encourage¬ 
 ment therefore. When quite a little 
 girl in the public school I had a great 
 desire for an education that I might 
 make a useful woman of myself. Be¬ 
 ing the fifth child of a family of thir¬ 
 teen children whose parents were very 
 poor, there seemed to be no possible 
 chance for me to accomplish my aim. 
 The public schools would run from 
 four to five months, but my father 
 being a farmer could only spare us 
 
21 
 
 from the farm about two or three 
 months during the year. However 
 anxious I might have been, I saw no 
 way of succeeding without some spe¬ 
 cial effort being put forth. 
 
 Just at this time I came across two 
 stories headed thus: “Where there’s 
 a will there’s a way,” and “I’ll find 
 a way or make it.” Then and there I 
 decided that 1 had the “will,” and if 
 no one else should open the way for 
 men, I’d find a way or make it. With 
 this in mind, then came the thought. 
 “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and 
 Hs righteousness and all these things 
 shall be added unto you.” At the age 
 of nine, I accepted Christ. It was 
 then that I learned that with an ear¬ 
 nest effort and faith in God much 
 could be accomplished. 
 
 Many days from morn till night 
 have I hoed the cotton and corn or fol¬ 
 lowed the reaper to bind the sheaves, 
 praying to God that some way might 
 open that I might be able to accom¬ 
 plish my education. 
 
 At the age of sixteen I entered Shaw 
 University. After remaining there 
 nearly two months I succeeded in 
 making a certificate and taught as an 
 assistant in a public school for five 
 months at a salary of $15 a month. 
 
22 
 
 This I gave to my father to help him, 
 and he permitted me to return to 
 Shaw that session and remain the 
 balance of the term, which was about 
 five weeks. 
 
 The next year, October, 1893, I en¬ 
 tered Shaw and remained four weeks; 
 then was called home on account of 
 the sickness of my mother and had 
 to remain home four months. Dur¬ 
 ing this time my mother kept very 
 sick. My oldest sister was married, 
 my next older sister was dead, the 
 other two children who were my sen¬ 
 iors were boys, so the household 
 duties all fell on me. Then it was 
 that I waited on my mother, cooked, 
 washed, ironed, looked after the mend¬ 
 ing, and taught as an assistant in the 
 public school there in our town. If 
 one should ask me how I did it I 
 could not tell, only I know I did it and 
 the Lord was with me. I suppose 
 it was one of the times when “I can 
 do all things through Christ which 
 strengthened me,” Phil. 4: 13. 
 
 There was no hour in the night too 
 cold or too late but that I was ready 
 at any moment to administer to my 
 mother’s needs. At the end of the 
 fourth month I returned to Shaw, giv¬ 
 ing papa what money I had made, to 
 
23 
 
 help him and enable him to hire some 
 one to wait on mamma while I stayed 
 in school the remaining two months. 
 My mother’s sickness lasted four 
 years, during which time my father 
 was not able to do scarcely anything 
 for me. 
 
 For six successive years I labored 
 hard trying to accomplish that aim of 
 my heart. During this time I had to 
 undergo many hardships. Many 
 times would I plod my way miles 
 through the snow to and from my 
 work, praying all the way that God 
 would open the way for me. I need 
 not mention the obstacles thrown in 
 my way, for they were many, but the 
 hand of Providence seemed to remove 
 them just as I had done all that I 
 could do. 
 
 At one time when it seemed that 
 the door was almost closed to me, I 
 secured a position as cook for the 
 family of one f the professors of Shaw 
 By this means I got my board, and my 
 father paid my tuition. But this work 
 came sa near taking all of my time 
 that I had very little time for study¬ 
 ing. 
 
 The class room work lasted from 
 8:30 to 1:15, during which time I 
 would have from five to six studies 
 
24 
 
 to recite. The remainder of the day 
 was spent in work, and when could I 
 get time to learn all of these lessons? 
 Ah, then it was that every minute 
 meant something to me. And after 
 using every minute rather than go 
 before my teachers with unlearned 
 lessons I would get permission from 
 the Matron to get up before day to 
 study. And many times from two to 
 five A. M., I would study with all 
 earnestness and then retire at five to 
 get one more hour’s sleep. 
 
 For the six years that I have spoken 
 of I had not been permitted to remain 
 in school one entire session at a time. 
 With a very earnest heart I had been 
 praying to God to remain in school an 
 entire session, and God, through His 
 servant, had answered this prayed. For 
 after every possible effort on my part 
 had been put forth during the summer 
 to secure means that I might return 
 to school and had failed, then it was 
 that I was told that friends in Boston 
 had heard of my efforts through Dr. 
 Meserve and had sent the money on 
 to Shaw to pay my expense for my 
 last two years in school. 
 
 Can any of you imagine how thank¬ 
 ful I was when this news was told to 
 me? My gratitude to them and God 
 
25 
 
 I can never tell in words, but I mean 
 to give my life for others to prove 
 my gratefulness to those who so kindly 
 helped me. Thus at the age of twen¬ 
 ty-four, in the year 1900, I graduated 
 from the Scientific Department at 
 Shaw University. 
 
 The same year I was appointed 
 teacher at the Howe University, Mem¬ 
 phis, Tenn. Here I remained two 
 years, and was asked to take a posi¬ 
 tion as teacher in the New Bern Col¬ 
 legiate Industrial Institute. After I 
 had taught here one year the presi¬ 
 dent decided that he needed a help¬ 
 meet, and I thought it a wise decision, 
 so in July, 1903, the president and I 
 were united in the bonds of holy mat¬ 
 rimony. Then our forces were more 
 concentrated on the one thing, and 
 that was to give our life to make this 
 school a success. That the people in 
 this section might have the privilege 
 of a school where they could be taught 
 how to become industrious Christian 
 men and women. 
 
 Now I want to say that it is not an 
 easy task to be in the founding of an 
 institution, nor is it like going to 
 heaven on flowery beds of ease. For, 
 for the last four years I have carried 
 forward a plan to raise money to help 
 
26 
 
 defray the running expenses of the 
 school. For about a month and a half, 
 either in November or January, every 
 day when the weather is fit, beside 
 teaching, I canvass the entire city, 
 taking in just so much each day. Oh, 
 then it is that I walk until with tired 
 and sore feet I feel almost disposed 
 to give up, when this thought comes 
 to me, “I’ll bear the toil, endure the 
 pain supported by thy word.” ’ And 
 wit hall the strength that is left and 
 a double determination I press for¬ 
 ward until the task is complete. 
 
 And by these unyielding efforts we 
 have succeeded in raising ordinary 
 sums to help defray the expenses and 
 also in securing pledges from some 
 who promise to be annual donors to 
 the work as long as it is wisely and 
 executively run. These signs make 
 us feel and know that we have God’s 
 benediction in the work. And though 
 I have not the money to give to this 
 work, if I will give my prayers, works, 
 and myself, God will cause those who 
 have the money to give to this work 
 that it may go on blessing the people 
 of this section and accomplishing its 
 mission for which it was founded. 
 
 Now that my story is about to come 
 to an end, I feel like saying, “All the 
 
27 
 
 way my Saviour has led me” and the 
 hardships which I have had to under¬ 
 go have been a means of preparing 
 me for this very work in which I am 
 now engaged. 
 
 And like the river whose water is 
 used for irrigating purposes distrib¬ 
 utes itself into hundreds of channels, 
 pouring itself out upon the thirsty 
 ground, causing it to blossom and re¬ 
 joice. But where is the river now? It 
 is lost, gone. Its self-life has been 
 surrendered. Its channel is empty and 
 dry. But it lives again in the fruitage 
 of hundreds of fields. The harvest of 
 many happy farmers are garnered be¬ 
 cause the river gave itself. 
 
 It is ever true that sacrifice is the 
 price of service. 
 
 In saving others one cannot save 
 himself. 
 
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