The Booker T. Washington Papers, Vol.9, page 319, July 1907, U. of Illinois Press

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JULY · 1907 sense, a carrying out of the scheme formulated by the elder Montgomery and his former master for the welfare of that master's former slaves. Others than were intended have become heirs to the plans of these men, but their good will and their forethought have made the success of Mound Bayou possible. As the colony grows older and the life of the community becomes more complicated, new problems present themselves to the men who are still planning and directing its future. The success of the present community has suggested the formation of others similar to this one. Already there are the beginnings of such communities at other points above and below Mound Bayou. Mr. Montgomery believes that the success of these new communities, as well as the future of the Mound Bayou colony, depends largely upon the ability of the new generation, now growing up, to profit by the experience of the older. It is with this idea that he and his associates are even now studying out a scheme by which the work of the schools can be brought into closer touch with the actual work of the colony. ''What we need,'' said Mr. Montgomery, ''is an agricultural school, something that will teach the young men to be better farmers than their fathers have been. But, more than that, we need here a system of education that will teach our young men and women the unclerlying meaning of the work that is being done here. In some way they must be taught the importance of carrying forward this experiment in the spirit in which it was begun. The problem of education is at present the most important which the town and the colony of Mound Bayou have to solve.'' Some time ago, Mr. Montgomery was asked by a newspaper writer what he thought of the future of the colony. What he wrote in reply shows his confidence in the outcome: ''What Mound Bayou is now, and what it has already accomplished is largely prophetic of its future. Situated in the great alluvial Delta district, lands whose productive qualities are not surpassed by any in civilization, timbered by hardwood that finds ready sale at almost fabulous prices, no part of this great section has yet reached its full development. The thriving' hustling towns dotted here and there throughout the Delta, with their factories, waterworks, electric lights and other modern improvements, have become what they are with the Delta only partially developed. What may we expect when practically all the lands have been cleared, properly drained, with a full supply of contented and efficient labor to do the necessary work? In proportion as the whole Delta approaches these conditions, Mound Bayou will progress also. 3~9