ends in view he will lay aside every cent he can possibly spare. In spite of his apparent carelessness, of his fondness for enjoyment, especially in the form of dancing, the Haitian peasant is more thrifty than the men of the towns and cities, the latter as a rule spending all that they can earn.
The Haitian people are noted for their hospitality and the kind welcome they extend to foreigners. In the country parts as well as in the towns a stranger is always sure of finding shelter. One can travel without fear all over the island; no one would think of molestting a traveler, even were it known that he had his pockets full of gold. Foreigners, men and women, who have ridden all about the country know perfectly well that they can do so in all security; not only will the Haitian peasant not think of stealing, but he will even often refuse any remuneration for the hospitality he so readily offers. The best room, the best bed, in the humblest abode, is given to the transient guest, whom in all probability they will never again see; they set their choicest dishes before him.[1] And what is the reward of this kind-hearted people? Many a time the very foreigner who has taken the greatest advantage of the hospitality of the Haitian peasants will be the first to represent them as returning to barbarism, as adepts of Vaudou, snake worshippers, and even as cannibals.
There are men who hunger so for notoriety that in order to obtain it they do not hesitate to resort to falsehoods of the most flagrant type. The truth is of very little account to a certain class of travelers. Provided that their sensational books be sold, what matter to
- ↑ The Tribune of Nassau (Bahamas), under date of February 3, 1904, contains the following impression of an Englishman, Mr. A. S. Haigh, who had recently traveled through Haiti: "There are no more law-abiding, civil, peaceful and well-behaved people to be found anywhere than the common people of Haiti. One can travel alone, at any hour of the night or day, in any part of the lowlands or mountainous districts, with money or valuables in his possession, without fear of molestation; and they will give up all they have, gladly, to accommodate strangers. They are exceedingly hospitable."
