The Booker T. Washington Papers, Vol.2, page 151, Nov. 1881, U. of Illinois Press

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NOVEMBER · 1881 understand how much is needed to be done here till he dwells in the midst of the people for a while. Our first object is to pay for the land. To aid in this we have started a subscription paper round among the white and colored citizens of this town. Don't know yet what the result will be. We are also getting up an entertainment for the same object. In these two ways we hope to raise a good part of the $3.~95 still due. You will see by the photograph that we must have more suitable buildings. The attendance of students this year has been greater than was expected, but we hope to make the present buildings do for this year. I have no idea that the state will do more than pay for tuition, that seems to be their general policy in all the schools. ~ met the State Supt6 a few days ago, in Montgomery, who seems pleased with our work and promises to try to secure Peabody; aid for us next year. We hope to pay for the land before our school term ends. After this Miss Davidson and ~ have been planning to spend a good part of our vacation in trying to get up a building. We must have a building by next term or we will have no where to accommodate the students. One great difficulty under which we have to labor now, is the irregular attendance of our students; most of them are so poor that they are not able to stay here and pay board for more than three or four months at the time before they have to go to teaching again. Some remain in school a few days or weeks, and have to go out and work on their farms a while and return. Most of the former teachers are married which makes it an exceedingly hard struggle for them. The sacrifices that many of the students are making for the purpose of remaining in school are most praise worthy. Of course the irregular attendance detracts much from the value of our work. While some have to go others come and our present attendance is about eighty and will probably remain about that this term. Now as soon as we are able to put our land under cultivation we will be able to remedy this difficulty to a certain extent. With the coming spring we ought to be able to make at least a start so that the farm will be of some value to us the next year, but we are without implements, stock, vehicles or capital, yet we may see our way to the light by the time spring approaches. We must have at least a small amount of the things I have mentioned before we can do anything. Our land is not the regular cotton land though it will grow cotton, but I am satisfied that that will not be the most profitable thing to ~