The students had come from homes where they had had no opportunities for lessons which would teach them how to care for their bodies.

With few exceptions, the homes in Tuskegee in which the students boarded were but little improvement upon those from which they had come.

We wanted to teach the students how to bathe; how to care for their teeth and clothing.

We wanted to teach them what to eat, and how to eat it properly, and how to care for their rooms.

Aside from this, we wanted to give them such a practical knowledge of some one industry, together with the spirit of industry, thrift, and economy, that they would be sure of knowing how to make a living after they had left us.