or why should he be otherwise?

Deceptive and dishonest, for what motive has he to be honest? He is
governed only by fear of the lash, with little thought of anything
future, with little knowledge of that hereafter whence are derived the
most powerful motives to present virtue. His mind is shrouded in
ignorance, his moral nature almost wholly uncultivated, his condition
is little above that of the beast with whom he toils, and with whom he
perishes. As in the case of the master, so in the case of the slave;
some will rise above the influence that surround and drag them down,
and, in spite of all these depressing and demoralizing influences,
will maintain their integrity. But such is not the rule, such is not
the tendency of the system. No one who has either reflected on the
matter or observed the actual working of the system can honestly
suppose that it is. It is a notorious fact that, as a general rule,
wherever this system exists, the slave is indolent, deceptive,
dishonest, improvident, not to be trusted away from the eyes of honest
people.

Such a system having a growth of two hundred and fifty years, would it
be reasonable to expect that thirty-five years could eradicate
entirely the work done during the two hundred and fifty years? While
this is all true, can any one with so many facts and figures all about
him, entertain a doubt as to the Negro's progress along all lines of
human activity and toil? The Negro has either advanced, morally and
religiously, or the proud Anglo-Saxon's standard of morals and
religion is a hopeless failure. Considering the depths from which he
came, the fact that he has come at all, or any part of the way, shows
at least some progress.

A journey through this country, especially the South, the home of the
Negroes, and an inspection of the homes and surroundings, and coming
into near contact with them, will serve to change a great many
baseless and unfair criticisms found afloat among a certain class of
people, of whom Mr. Wm. Hannibal Thomas' book, entitled "The American
Negro," is the mouthpiece. One room log huts, dirty floor, the home of
the Negro, for large families during the period when slavery existed,
are giving away to neat little cottages, sometimes two-story
buildings, with rooms, furniture and surroundings sufficient to make
each member of the family comfortable, and secluded enough to avoid
the temptation to immoral conduct. And these homes, together with
lands attached