ng now. If a poor man wants to enjoy a little freedom,
let him go on de farm and work for hisself. It is sho' worth somethin'
to be boss, and, on de farm you can be boss all you want to, 'less de
man 'low his wife to hold dat 'portant post. A man wid a good wife, one
dat pulls wid him, can see and feel some pleasure and experience some
independence. But, bless your soul, if he gits a woman what wants to be
both husband and wife, fare-you-well and good-bye, too, to all love,
pleasure, and independence; 'cause you sho' is gwine to ketch hell here
and no mild climate whenever you goes 'way. A bad man is worse, but a
bad woman is almost terrible.

"White man, dere is too many peoples in dese big towns and cities. Dere
is more of them than dere is jobs to make a livin' wid. When some of
them find out dat they can't make a livin', they turns to mischief, de
easy way they thinks, takin' widout pay or work, dat which b'longs to
other people. If I understands right, de fust sin dat was committed in
de world was de takin' of somethin' dat didn't b'long to de one what
took it. De gentleman what done dis was dat man Adam, back yonder in de
garden. If what Adam done back yonder would happen now, he would be
guilty of crime. Dat's how 'ciety names sin. Well, what I got to say is
dis: If de courts, now, would give out justice and punishment as quick
as dat what de Good Master give to Adam, dere would be less crime in de
land I believes. But I 'spose de courts would be better if they had de
same jurisdiction as de Master has. Yes, sir, they would be gwine some
then.

"I tells you, dis gittin' what don't b'long to you is de main cause of
dese wars and troubles 'bout over dis world now. I hears de white folks
say dat them Japanese is doin' dis very thing today in fightin' them
Chinamens. Japan say dat China has done a terrible crime against them
and de rest of de world, when it ain't nothin' but dat they wants
somethin' what don't belong to them, and dat somethin' is to git more
country. I may be wrong, anyhow, dat is what I has heard.

"What does I think de colored people need most? If you please sir, I
want to say dis. I ain't got much learnin', 'cause dere was no schools
hardly 'round where I was brung up, but I thinks dat good teachers and
work is what de colored race needs worser than anything else. If they
has learnin', they will be more ashame to commit crime, most of them
will be; and, if they has work to do, they ain't gwine t