they are
doing; he hears their complaints, if they have any; he counsels with
them; they 'get together.'

"Mrs. Washington's labors for the good of her people are not confined
to the school. She is (has been) president of the Southern Federation
of Colored Women's Clubs, editor of the official organ of the National
Federation of Colored Women's Clubs, of which she is also an officer.
She is a frequent contributor to the newspapers and magazines. (Mrs.
Washington has since served two terms as president of the National
Federation of Colored Women's Clubs.)

"Mr. Washington's own estimate of his wife's helpfulness to him may
be gathered from his tribute in his widely read autobiography, 'Up
from Slavery': 'She is completely one with me in the work directly
connected with the school, relieving me of many burdens and
perplexities.'"

CHAPTER TWELVE

WASHINGTON: THE MAN

Just as in the first chapter we sought to show the man in the making,
so in this last chapter we shall seek to picture him as he became in
the full fruition of his life. In the fully developed man of the last
decade of his life we find the same traits and qualities which began
to show themselves in those early years of constant struggle and
frequent privation. There is the same intense mental and physical
activity; the same readiness to fight against any odds in a good
cause; the same modesty, frankness, open-mindedness, and passion for
service.

One of the many illustrations of this intense activity was shown in a
trip he made to Atlanta, Ga., three or four years before he died. Even
at this time his strength had begun to wane. In accordance with his
unfailing practice he got up at six o'clock in the morning, and after
visiting his poultry and his beloved pigs, mounted his horse and rode
over farms and grounds inspecting crops and buildings and what-not
until eight o'clock, when he went to his office and attacked his huge
morning's mail. After dictating for an hour or more he left his office
just in time to catch a train which brought him to Atlanta at two
o'clock in the afternoon. At the station he shook hands with four
hundred people who had gathered to meet him. As he went along the
streets to the Government Building he shook hands with many others who
recognized him in passing. At the Government Building he shook hands
with another large group assembled there to meet him. After the dinner
tendered him by some of the leading individuals