is much in excess of that for black, so that great
temptation is offered. I knew a man who had seventeen such in his
house, and of nearly a dozen whom I saw there, none were too dark to
have passed for English brunettes.

Though nothing whatever can be said in defence of this practice of
tearing our fellow-men from their homes, and selling them as slaves,
our natural feelings of horror abate considerably when we become
acquainted with its results under the rule of Islam. Instead of the
fearful state of things which occurred under English or American rule,
it is a pleasure to find that, whatever may be the shortcomings of the
Moors, in this case, at any rate, they have set us a good example.
Even their barbarous treatment of Christian slaves till within a
century was certainly no worse than our treatment of black slaves.

To begin with, Mohammedans make no distinction in civil or religious
rights between a black skin and a white. So long as a man avows belief
in no god but God, and in Mohammed as the prophet of God, complying
with certain outward forms of his religion, he is held to be as good a
Muslim as anyone else; and as the whole social and civil fabrics
are built upon religion and the teachings of the Koran, the social
position of every well-behaved Mohammedan is practically equal. The
possession of authority of any kind will naturally command a certain
amount of respectful attention, and he who has any reason for seeking
a favour from another is sure to adopt a more subservient mien; but
beyond this, few such class distinctions are known as those common in
Europe. The slave who, away from home, can behave as a gentleman, will
be received as such, irrespective of his colour, and when freed he
may aspire to any position under the Sultan. There are, indeed, many
instances of black men having been ministers, governors, and even
ambassadors to Europe, and such appointments are too common to excite
astonishment. They have even, in the past, assisted in giving rise to
the misconception that the people of Morocco were "Black-a-Moors."

In many households the slave becomes the trusted steward of his owner,
and receives a sufficient allowance to live in comfort. He will
possess a paper giving him his freedom on his master's death, and
altogether he will have a very good time of it. The liberation
of slaves is enjoined upon those who follow Mohammed as a most
praiseworthy act, and as one which cannot fail to bring its own