The utter disregard of the comfort of the slaves, in little things, can scarcely be conceived by those who have not been a component part of slaveholding communities.  Take a few particulars out of hundreds that might be named.  In South Carolina musketoes swarm in myriads, more than half the year—­they are so excessively annoying at night, that no family thinks of sleeping without nets or “musketoe-bars” hung over their bedsteads, yet slaves are never provided with them, unless it be the favorite old domestics who get the cast-off pavilions; and yet these very masters and mistresses will be so kind to their horses as to provide them with fly nets.  Bedsteads and bedding too, are rarely provided for any of the slaves—­if the waiters and coachmen, waiting maids, cooks, washers, &c., have beds at all, they must generally get them for themselves.  Commonly they lie down at night on the bare floor, with a small blanket wrapped round them in winter, and in summer a coarse osnaburg sheet, or nothing.  Old slaves generally have beds, but it is because when younger they have provided them for themselves.

Only two meals a day are allowed the house slaves—­the first at twelve o’clock.  If they eat before this time, it is by stealth, and I am sure there must be a good deal of suffering among them from hunger, and particularly by children.  Besides this, they are often kept from their meals by way of punishment.  No table is provided for them to eat from.  They know nothing of the comfort and pleasure of gathering round the social board—­each takes his plate or tin pan and iron spoon and holds it in the hand or on the lap.  I never saw slaves seated round a table to partake of any meal.

As the general rule, no lights of any kind, no firewood—­no towels, basins, or soap, no tables, chairs, or other furniture, are provided.  Wood for cooking and washing for the family is found, but when the master’s work is done, the slave must find wood for himself if he has a fire.  I have repeatedly known slave children kept the whole winter’s evening, sitting on the stair-case in a cold entry, just to be at hand to snuff candles or hand a tumbler of water from the side-board, or go on errands from one room to another.  It may be asked why they were not permitted to stay in the parlor, when they would be still more at hand.  I answer, because waiters are not allowed to sit in the presence of their owners, and as children who were kept running all day, would of course get very tired of standing for two or three hours, they were allowed to go into the entry and sit on the staircase until rung for.  Another reason is, that even slaveholders at times find the presence of slaves very annoying; they cannot exercise entire freedom of speech before them on all subjects.