George Washington Carver: Perseverance and Resourcefulness
 Dr.
Carver always wore something living on his lapel. It could be either a
flower, a clump of berries or an evergreen.
Resourcefulness: Most Weeds Have a Purpose
"I cannot offer you money, position, or fame," Booker T. Washington
had written to George Carver. "I offer you in their place work--hard,
hard, work--the task of bringing a people from degradation, poverty, and
waste to full personhood."
As Dr. Carver, satchel in hand, stood looking at the dreary frame buildings
and barren, dusty grounds of the Tuskegee Institute, Washington's words
took on grim meaning. The soil was starving, drained of its nutrients
by centuries of planting cotton, only cotton. But some things were growing
here and there. Curiously, Carver set down his bag and began picking this
leafy stalk, then that one, until he had an armful.
"Lad," he called to the boy who had picked him up from the
train, "what is the name of this plant?"
"That?" said the boy. "It's a weed."
 "They're
all weeds." Carver smiled. "But every weed has a name, and most
of them have a purpose."
Within a few weeks, Professor Carver had thirteen students and a task:
to set up a laboratory to test local soil and find ways to enrich it for
farming. Only one hitch; there was no money to buy equipment for a laboratory.
Carver had never let the lack of money stand in his way. God had given
him a brain, and he intended to use it. Marching his students to the school
dump, he directed them to save everything useful: bottles, cooking pots,
jar lids, wire, odd bits of metal, rusty lamps, broken handles. When the
dump had been thoroughly searched, they scoured the back alleys of Tuskegee
for china dishes, rubber, curtain rods, and flat irons.
"All this may seem like junk to you," he told his skeptical
students. "But it is only waiting for us to apply our intelligence
to it. Let's get to work!"
Under Carver's supervision, the students punched holes in pieces of tin
to make strainers to test soil samples. Neatly labeled canning jars held
an assortment of chemicals; broken bottles were cut down and transformed
into beakers; a discarded ink bottle with a cork and a piece of string
made do nicely as a Bunsen burner.
Gradually the makeshift laboratory took shape. And a valuable lesson
was learned by the Tuskegee students that carried over into later years,
when they took their knowledge into the poverty-stricken pockets of the
South. Expensive or brand-new equipment was not a requirement for success.
Dr. Carver was never satisfied with only the obvious use of a thing,
especially when it came to things in nature. He firmly believed God had
provided all that people needed in the created world; God left it to humans
to figure out the secrets locked within each plant, animal, or mineral.
To many, a peanut was just a snack and not worth growing as a crop. But
with Dr. Carver's probing curiosity and scientific knowledge, the peanut
produced butter, oil, milk, dye, salve, shaving cream, paper, shampoo,
metal polish, stains, adhesives, plastics, wallboard, and more--for a
total of three hundred products! It was this variation that provided new
markets for southern crops and saved the South from ruin.
Make It Real! Questions to help
you dig a little deeper and think a little harder.
- What were some of the obstacles George faced that would have made
the average person give up the idea of getting an education?
- In what ways was Dr. Carver resourceful? How can you be more resourceful
with the things God has given you? How is being resourceful a good
way to care for God's creation?
- George's favorite Bible passage was Psalm 121:1-2: "I lift
up my eyes to the hills--from where will my help come? My help comes
from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." (NRSV) Why do you
think this passage is so fitting for the life he led?
- You will find some of Dr. Carver's peanut recipes (soup, bread,
candy and more) at http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/recipes/peanutrecipes.html
- Suggested reading:
- Hero Tales Vol. III by Dave and Neta Jackson (Bethany House
Pub., a division of Baker Pub. Group, 1998).
- George Washington Carver, From Slave to Scientist by Janet
and Geoff Benge (Heroes of History, Emerald Books)
- The Forty Acre Swindle by Dave and Neta Jackson Jackson
(Trailblazer Books, Bethany House)
- Websites:
- Activities:
Back to part one of this George Washington Carver "Glimpses
for Kids" children's worship bulletin insert.
This issue is from the excellent book, Hero Tales Vol. III
by Dave and Neta Jackson (Bethany House Pub., a division of Baker Pub.
Group, 1998). To order a copy of the book, go to www.bethanyhouse.com/herotales.
©2005 by Christian History Institute, Box 540, Worcester, PA19490.
Tel.: 610-584-3500, Fax: 610-584-6643, E-mail: glimpses@chinstitute.org,
Web: www.chinstitute.org or www.glimpsesforkids.org. Prepared by Dawn
Moore with Ken Curtis, PhD, Ann T. Snyder and Beth Jacobson. Story and
photo on p. 1 from Hero Tales Volume III by Dave and Neta Jackson (Bethany
House Pub., a division of Baker Pub. Group, 1998). Photo p. 2 –
Iowa State University Library/Special Collections Department.
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