While to us his phrases are racist and identify with the notorious stereotypes of present day, his wording was maybe mild in comparison with the prejudiced masses of the time. As we are now, while we may not be able to avoid initially taking offense to his words, we should work to understand Riis’s comments in their historical context. His pointing out of the redeemable qualities of these people–strong work ethic, cleanliness, etc.–was probably not commonly included in a description of these groups when talked about by those who were well-off and away from the poverty. It would also probably not have been a good idea to leave his account completely devoid of negative stereotypes, as the readers may not then have enough footing to feel they can trust or relate to his words at all; if he were to just preach their efforts, the readers may have just thought Jacob Riis unreliable and unworldly. In writing this, he needed to pose as a messenger between the two halves of society–to identify the unfortunate half without identifying withthem, so that he may be accepted as a relevant and sensible voice for the fortunate half to be persuaded by.