general atmosphere of the home life of our youth; while the bravery
displayed by the colored man in every war of American independence has
demonstrated his ability to risk life fearlessly "in defense of a
country in which too many states permit his exclusion from the rights
of citizenship." Such sacrifice presupposes a moral ideal of the
highest type.

The position of the women of the race, always an index to the real
progress of a people, in spite of slanderous attacks from unscrupulous
members of her own and other races, is gradually improving, and was
materially aided and abetted by the liberal ideas that especially
obtained in the latter half of the century with reference to the
development of women--irrespective of race or color--along the line of
education, the professions, the industrial arts, etc.

As to the advancement of the Negro from a financial standpoint, it is
possible that his achievements during the period in question might
have been greater; yet both from within and without there have been
many hindrances to overcome in the matter of accumulating wealth.

One of the greatest crimes of the slave system was that in practically
denying to the slave the right to the product of his labor or any part
thereof; it, to all intents and purposes destroyed his acquisitive
faculty; thus he had small incentive to labor when free; and as the
years went by, accumulated little in the shape of capital; showed
little interest in profitable investment of his savings, if he were so
fortunate as to have any. The great number of secret orders, and other
schemes for the unwary, the main object of which apparently was to
"bury the people" with great pomp and show, drained his pockets of
most of the surplus change.