INTEGRITY IS NOT CHEAP – 

One of the books I enjoyed reading for inspiration was “Up From Slavery” by Booker T. Washington, the founder of Tuskegee Institute in 1881. The circumstances in which this great man grew up in and all that he overcame to have an enormous impact on America, especially those who came out of slavery, is highly admirable to say the least. He tells a story of honesty and ethics that should motivate us all to be more vigilant when we make a promise. Here is that story in Dr. Washington’s own words:

“I have said that there are few instances of a member of my race betraying a specific trust. One of the best illustrations of this which I know of is in the case of an ex-slave from Virginia whom I met not long ago in a little town in the state of Ohio. I found that this man had made a contract with his master, two or three years previous to the Emancipation Proclamation, to the effect that the slave was to be permitted to buy himself, by paying so much per year for his body; and while he was paying for himself,he was to be permitted to labour where and for whom he pleased. Finding that he could secure better wages in Ohio, he went there. When freedom came, he was still in debt to his master some three hundred dollars. Not withstanding that the Emancipation Proclamation freed him from any obligation to his master, this black man walked the greater portion of the distance back to where his old master lived in Virginia,and placed the last dollar,with interest,in his hands. In talking to me about this, the man told me that he knew that he did not have to pay the debt, but that he had given his word to his master, and his word he had never broken. He felt that he could not enjoy his freedom till he had fulfilled his promise.” (The Country Life Press, Garden City, N.Y., 1900, 1901, Ch. 1, pp. 14-15).

If a man who had no reason other than personal integrity could fulfill a promise he made to another man, how much more should we be determined to fulfill our promises to God and each other. My hat goes off to Dr. Washington, and I salute this unnamed brother for his faithfulness and honesty. They both should become paragons for us to emulate.