When, however, I found myself at the school for the first time, I also found myself confronted with two other difficulties.  In the first place, I found that all of the other children wore hats or caps on their heads, and I had neither hat nor cap.  In fact, I do not remember that, up to the time of going to school, I had ever worn any kind of covering upon my head, nor do I recall that either I or anybody else had even thought anything about the need of covering for my head.  But, of course, when I saw how all the other boys were dressed, I began to feel quite uncomfortable.  As usual, I put the case before my mother, and she explained to me that she had no money with which to buy a ‘store hat,’ which was a rather new institution at that time among the members of my race and was considered quite the thing for young and old to own, but that she would find a way to help me out of the difficulty.  She accordingly got two pieces of ‘homespun’ (jeans) and sewed them together, and I was soon the proud possessor of my first cap.

My second difficulty was with regard to my name, or rather, a name.  From the time when I could remember anything I had been called simply ‘Booker.’  Before going to school it had never occurred to me that it was needful or appropriate to have an additional name.  When I heard the school roll called, I noticed that all of the children had at least two names, and some of them indulged in what seemed to me the extravagance of having three.  I was in deep perplexity, because I knew the teacher would demand of me at least two names, and I had only one.  By the time the occasion came for the enrolling of my name, an idea occurred to me which I thought would make me equal to the situation; and so, when the teacher asked me what my full name was, I calmly told him ‘Booker Washington,’ as if I had been called by that name all my life; and by that name I have since been known.  Later in my life I found that my mother had given me the name of ‘Booker Taliaferro’ soon after I was born, but in some way that part of my name seemed to disappear and for a long while was forgotten, but as soon as I found out about it I revived it, and made my full name, ’Booker Taliaferro Washington.’  I think there are not many men in our country who have had the privilege of naming themselves in the way that I have.

The time that I was permitted to attend school during the day was short, and my attendance was irregular.  It was not long before I had to stop attending day-school altogether, and devote all of my time again to work.  I resorted to the night-school again.  In fact, the greater part of the education I secured in my boyhood was gathered through the night-school after my day’s work was done.  I had difficulty often in securing a satisfactory teacher.  Sometimes, after I had secured someone to teach me at night, I would find, much to my disappointment, that the teacher knew but little more than I did.  Often I would have to walk several miles at night in order to recite my night-school lessons.  There was never a time in my youth, no matter how dark and discouraging the days might be, when one resolve did not continually remain with me, and that was a determination to secure an education at any cost....