The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Life of Harriet Beecher Stowe
by Charles Edward Stowe
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Title: The Life of Harriet Beecher Stowe
Author: Charles Edward Stowe
Release Date: October, 2004 [EBook #6702]
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LIFE OF HARRIET BEECHER STOWE
Compiled From
Her Letters and Journals
BY HER SON
CHARLES EDWARD STOWE
[Illustration: Handwritten Preface
It seems but fitting, that I should preface this story of my life,
with a few words of introduction.
The desire to leave behind me some reflection of my life, has been
cherished by me, for many years past; but failing strength and
increasing infirmities have prevented its accomplishment.
At my suggestion and with what assistance I have been able to render
my son Revd. Charles Edward Stow, has compiled from my letters and
journals, this biography. It is this true story of my own words, and
has therefore all the force of an autobiography.
It is perhaps much more accurate as to detail & impression than is
possible with any autobiography, written later in life.
If these pages, shall lead those who read them to a firmer trust in
God and a deeper sense of this fatherly goodness throughout the days
of our Earthly pilgrimage I can stay with Valient for Faith in the
Pilgrim's Progress.
I am going to my Father's & this with great difficulty. I am got
hither, yet now I do not repent me of all the troubles I have been
at, to arrive where I am.
My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage & my
courages & skills to him that can get it.
Hartford Sept. 30 1889
(Signed) Harriet Beecher Stowe]
INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT.
I desire to express my thanks here to Harper & Brothers, of New York,
for permission to use letters already published in the "Autobiography
and Correspondence of Lyman Beecher." I have availed myself freely of
this permission in chapters i. and iii. In chapter xx. I have given
letters already published in the "Life of George Eliot," by Mr. Cross;
but in every instance I have copied from the original MSS. and not
from the published work. In conclusion, I desire to express my
indebtedness to Mr. Kirk Munroe, who has been my co-laborer in the
work of compilation.
CHARLES E. STOWE.
HARTFORD, _September_ 30, 1889.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
CHILDHOOD 1811-1824.
DEATH OF HER MOTHER.--FIRST JOURNEY FROM HOME.--LIFE AT NUT PLAINS.--
SCHOOL DAYS AND HOURS WITH FAVORITE AUTHORS.--THE NEW MOTHER.--
LITCHFIELD ACADEMY AND ITS INFLUENCE.--FIRST LITERARY EFFORTS.--A
REMARKABLE COMPOSITION.--GOES TO HARTFORD.
CHAPTER II.
SCHOOL DAYS IN HARTFORD, 1824-1832.
MISS CATHERINE BEECHER.--PROFESSOR FISHER.--THE WRECK OF THE ALBION
AND DEATH OF PROFESSOR FISHER.--"THE MINISTER'S WOOING."--MISS
CATHERINE BEECHER'S SPIRITUAL HISTORY.--MRS. STOWE'S RECOLLECTIONS OF
HER SCHOOL DAYS IN HARTFORD.--HER CONVERSION.--UNITES WITH THE FIRST
CHURCH IN HARTFORD.--HER DOUBTS AND SUBSEQUENT RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT.
--HER FINAL PEACE.
CHAPTER III.
CINCINNATI, 1832-1836.
DR. BEECHER CALLED TO CINCINNATI.--THE WESTWARD JOURNEY.--FIRST LETTER
FROM HOME.--DESCRIPTION OF WALNUT HILLS.--STARTING A NEW SCHOOL.--
INWARD GLIMPSES.--THE SEMI-COLON CLUB.--EARLY IMPRESSIONS OF SLAVERY.
--A JOURNEY TO THE EAST.--THOUGHTS AROUSED BY FIRST VISIT TO NIAGARA.--
MARRIAGE TO PROFESSOR STOWE.
CHAPTER IV.
EARLY MARRIED LIFE, 1836-1840.
PROFESSOR STOWE'S INTEREST IN POPULAR EDUCATION.--HIS DEPARTURE FOR
EUROPE.--SLAVERY RIOTS IN CINCINNATI.--BIRTH OF TWIN DAUGHTERS.--
PROFESSOR STOWE'S RETURN AND VISIT TO COLUMBUS.--DOMESTIC TRIALS.--
AIDING A FUGITIVE SLAVE.--AUTHORSHIP UNDER DIFFICULTIES.--A BEECHER
ROUND ROBIN.
CHAPTER V.
POVERTY AND SICKNESS, 1840-1850.
FAMINE IN CINCINNATI.--SUMMER AT THE EAST.--PLANS FOR LITERARY WORK.--
EXPERIENCE ON A RAILROAD.--DEATH OF HER BROTHER GEORGE.--SICKNESS AND
DESPAIR.--A JOURNEY IN SEARCH OF HEALTH.--GOES TO BRATTLEBORO' WATER-
CURE.--TROUBLES AT LANE SEMINARY.--CHOLERA IN CINCINNATI.--DEATH OF
YOUNGEST CHILD.--DETERMINED TO LEAVE THE WEST.
CHAPTER VI.
REMOVAL TO BRUNSWICK, 1850-1852.
MRS. STOWE'S REMARKS ON WRITING AND UNDERSTANDING BIOGRAPHY.--THEIR
APPROPRIATENESS TO HER OWN BIOGRAPHY.--REASONS FOR PROFESSOR STOWE'S
LEAVING CINCINNATI.--MRS. STOWE'S JOURNEY TO BROOKLYN.--HER BROTHER'S
SUCCESS AS A MINISTER.--LETTERS FROM HARTFORD AND BOSTON.--ARRIVES IN
BRUNSWICK.--HISTORY OF THE SLAVERY AGITATION.--PRACTICAL WORKING OF
THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW.--MRS. EDWARD BEECHER'S LETTER TO MRS. STOWE
AND ITS EFFECT.--DOMESTIC TRIALS.--BEGINS TO WRITE "UNCLE TOM'S CABIN"
AS A SERIAL FOR THE "NATIONAL ERA."--LETTER TO FREDERICK DOUGLASS.--
"UNCLE TOM'S CABIN" A WORK OF RELIGIOUS EMOTION.
CHAPTER VII.
UNCLE TOM'S CABIN, 1852.
"UNCLE TOM'S CABIN" AS A SERIAL IN THE "NATIONAL ERA."--AN OFFER FOR
ITS PUBLICATION IN BOOK FORM.--WILL IT BE A SUCCESS?--AN UNPRECEDENTED
CIRCULATION.--CONGRATULATORY MESSAGES.--KIND WORDS FROM ABROAD.--MRS.
STOWE TO THE EARL OF CARLISLE.--LETTERS FROM AND TO LORD SHAFTESBURY.
--CORRESPONDENCE WITH ARTHUR HELPS.
CHAPTER VIII.
FIRST TRIP TO EUROPE, 1853.
THE EDMONDSONS.--BUYING SLAVES TO SET THEM FREE.--JENNY LIND.--
PROFESSOR STOWE IS CALLED TO ANDOVER.--FITTING UP THE NEW HOME.--THE
"KEY TO UNCLE TOM'S CABIN."--"UNCLE TOM" ABROAD.--HOW IT WAS PUBLISHED
IN ENGLAND.--PREFACE TO THE EUROPEAN EDITION.--THE BOOK IN FRANCE.--IN
GERMANY.--A GREETING FROM CHARLES KINGSLEY.--PREPARING TO VISIT
SCOTLAND.--LETTER TO MRS. FOLLEN
CHAPTER IX.
SUNNY MEMORIES, 1853.
CROSSING THE ATLANTIC.--ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND.--RECEPTION IN LIVERPOOL.--
WELCOME TO SCOTLAND.--A GLASGOW TEA-PARTY.--EDINBURGH HOSPITALITY.--
ABERDEEN.--DUNDEE AND BIRMINGHAM.--JOSEPH STURGE.--ELIHU BURRITT.--
LONDON.--THE LORD MAYOR'S DINNER.--CHARLES DICKENS AND HIS WIFE
CHAPTER X.
FROM OVER THE SEA, 1853.
THE EARL OF CARLISLE.--ARTHUR HELPS.--THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF ARGYLL.
--MARTIN FARQUHAR TUPPER.--A MEMORABLE MEETING AT STAFFORD HOUSE.--
MACAULAY AND DEAN MILMAN.--WINDSOR CASTLE.--PROFESSOR STOWE RETURNS TO
AMERICA.--MRS. STOWE ON THE CONTINENT.--IMPRESSIONS OF PARIS.--EN
ROUTE TO SWITZERLAND AND GERMANY.--BACK TO ENGLAND.--HOMEWARD BOUND
CHAPTER XI.
HOME AGAIN, 1853-1856.
ANTI-SLAVERY WORK.--STIRRING TIMES IN THE UNITED STATES.--ADDRESS TO
THE LADIES OF GLASGOW.--APPEAL TO THE WOMEN OF AMERICA.--
CORRESPONDENCE WITH WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON.--THE WRITING OF "DRED."--
FAREWELL LETTER FROM GEORGIANA MAY.--SECOND VOYAGE TO ENGLAND.
CHAPTER XII.
DRED, 1856.
SECOND VISIT TO ENGLAND.--A GLIMPSE AT THE QUEEN.--THE DUKE OF ARGYLL
AND INVERARY.--EARLY CORRESPONDENCE WITH LADY BYRON.--DUNROBIN CASTLE
AND ITS INMATES.--A VISIT TO STOKE PARK.--LORD DUFFERIN.--HARLES
KINGSLEY AT HOME.--PARIS REVISITED.--MADAME MOHL'S RECEPTIONS
CHAPTER XIII.
OLD SCENES REVISITED, 1856.
EN ROUTE TO ROME.--TRIALS OF TRAVEL.--A MIDNIGHT ARRIVAL AND AN
INHOSPITABLE RECEPTION.--GLORIES OF THE ETERNAL CITY.--NAPLES AND
VESUVIUS.--VENICE.--HOLY WEEK IN ROME.--RETURN TO ENGLAND.--LETTER
FROM HARRIET MARTINEAU ON "DRED."--A WORD FROM MR. PRESCOTT ON
"DRED."--FAREWELL TO LADY BYRON.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE MINISTER'S WOOING, 1857-1859.
DEATH OF MRS. STOWE'S OLDEST SON.--LETTER TO THE DUCHESS OF
SUTHERLAND.--LETTER TO HER DAUGHTERS IN PARIS.--LETTER TO HER SISTER
CATHERINE.--VISIT TO BRUNSWICK AND ORR'S ISLAND.--WRITES "THE
MINISTER'S WOOING" AND "THE PEARL OF ORR'S ISLAND."--MR. WHITTIER'S
COMMENTS.--MR. LOWELL ON "THE MINISTER'S WOOING."--LETTER TO MRS.
STOWE FROM MR. LOWELL.--JOHN RUSKIN ON "THE MINISTER'S WOOING."--A
YEAR OF SADNESS.--LETTER TO LADY BYRON.--LETTER TO HER DAUGHTER.--
DEPARTURE FOR EUROPE.
CHAPTER XV.
THE THIRD TRIP TO EUROPE, 1859.
THIRD VISIT TO EUROPE.--LADY BYRON ON "THE MINISTER'S WOOING."--SOME
FOREIGN PEOPLE AND THINGS AS THEY APPEARED TO PROFESSOR STOWE.--A
WINTER IN ITALY.--THINGS UNSEEN AND UNREVEALED.--SPECULATIONS
CONCERNING SPIRITUALISM.--JOHN RUSKIN.--MRS. BROWNING.--THE RETURN TO
AMERICA.--LETTERS TO DR. HOLMES
CHAPTER XVI.
THE CIVIL WAR, 1860-1865.
THE OUTBREAK OF CIVIL WAR.--MRS. STOWE'S SON ENLISTS.--THANKSGIVING
DAY IN WASHINGTON.--THE PROCLAMATION OF EMANCIPATION.--REJOICINGS IN
BOSTON.--FRED STOWE AT GETTYSBURG.--LEAVING ANDOVER AND SETTLING IN
HARTFORD.--A REPLY TO THE WOMEN OF ENGLAND.--LETTERS FROM JOHN BRIGHT,
ARCHBISHOP WHATELY, AND NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE.
CHAPTER XVII.
FLORIDA, 1865-1869.
LETTER TO DUCHESS OF ARGYLL.--MRS. STOWE DESIRES TO HAVE A HOME AT THE
SOUTH.--FLORIDA THE BEST FIELD FOR DOING GOOD.--SHE BUYS A PLACE AT
MANDARIN.--A CHARMING WINTER RESIDENCE--"PALMETTO LEAVES."--EASTER
SUNDAY AT MANDARIN.--CORRESPONDENCE WITH DR. HOLMES.--"POGANUC
PEOPLE."--RECEPTIONS IN NEW ORLEANS AND TALLAHASSEE.--LAST WINTER AT
MANDARIN.
CHAPTER XVIII.
OLDTOWN FOLKS, 1869.
PROFESSOR STOWE THE ORIGINAL OF "HARRY" IN "OLDTOWN FOLKS."--PROFESSOR
STOWE'S LETTER TO GEORGE ELIOT.--HER REMARKS ON THE SAME.--PROFESSOR
STOWE'S NARRATIVE OF HIS YOUTHFUL ADVENTURES IN THE WORLD OF SPIRITS.
--PROFESSOR STOWE'S INFLUENCE ON MRS. STOWE'S LITERARY LIFE.--GEORGE
ELIOT ON "OLDTOWN FOLKS."
CHAPTER XIX.
THE BYRON CONTROVERSY, 1869-1870.
MRS. STOWE'S STATEMENT OF HER OWN CASE.--THE CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH
SHE FIRST MET LADY BYRON.--LETTERS TO LADY BYRON.--LETTER TO DR.
HOLMES WHEN ABOUT TO PUBLISH "THE TRUE STORY OF LADY BYRON'S LIFE" IN
THE "ATLANTIC."--DR. HOLMES'S REPLY.--THE CONCLUSION OF THE MATTER.
CHAPTER XX.
GEORGE ELIOT.
CORRESPONDENCE WITH GEORGE ELIOT.--GEORGE ELIOT'S FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF
MRS. STOWE.--MRS. STOWE'S LETTER TO MRS. FOLLEN.--GEORGE ELIOT'S
LETTER TO MRS. STOWE.--MRS. STOWE'S REPLY.--LIFE IN FLORIDA.--ROBERT
DALE OWEN AND MODERN SPIRITUALISM.--GEORGE ELIOT'S LETTER ON THE
PHENOMENA OF SPIRITUALISM.--MRS. STOWE'S DESCRIPTION OF SCENERY IN
FLORIDA.--MRS. STOWE CONCERNING "MIDDLEMARCH."--GEORGE ELIOT TO MRS.
STOWE DURING REV. H. W. BEECHER'S TRIAL.--MRS. STOWE CONCERNING HER
LIFE EXPERIENCE WITH HER BROTHER, H. W. BEECHER, AND His TRIAL.--MRS.
LEWES' LAST LETTER TO MRS. STOWE.--DIVERSE MENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF
THESE TWO WOMEN.--MRS. STOWE'S FINAL ESTIMATE OF MODERN SPIRITUALISM.
CHAPTER XXI.
CLOSING SCENES, 1870-1889.
LITERARY LABORS.--COMPLETE LIST OF PUBLISHED BOOKS.--FIRST READING
TOUR.--PEEPS BEHIND THE CURTAIN.--SOME NEW ENGLAND CITIES.--A LETTER
FROM MAINE.--PLEASANT AND UNPLEASANT READINGS.--SECOND TOUR.--A
WESTERN JOURNEY.--VISIT TO OLD SCENES.--CELEBRATION OF SEVENTIETH
BIRTHDAY.--CONGRATULATORY POEMS FROM MR. WHITTIER AND DR. HOLMES.--
LAST WORDS.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PORTRAIT OF MRS. STOWE. From a crayon by Richmond, made in England in
1853
SILVER INKSTAND PRESENTED TO MRS. STOWE BY HER ENGLISH ADMIRERS IN
1853
PORTRAIT OF MRS. STOWE'S GRANDMOTHER, ROXANNA FOOTE. From a miniature
painted on ivory by her daughter, Mrs. Lyman Beecher.
BIRTHPLACE AT LITCHFIELD, CONN.
PORTRAIT OF CATHERINE E. BEECHER. From a photograph taken in 1875
THE HOME AT WALNUT HILLS, CINCINNATI. [Footnote: From recent
photographs and from views in the Autobiography of Lyman Beecher,
published by Messrs. Harper & Brothers.]
PORTRAIT OF HENRY WARD BEECHER. From a photograph by Rockwood, in 1884
MANUSCRIPT PAGE OF "UNCLE TOM'S CABIN" (facsimile)
THE ANDOVER HOME. From a painting by F. Rondel, in 1860, owned by Mrs.
H. F. Allen.
PORTRAIT OF LYMAN BEECHER, AT THE AGE OF EIGHTY-SEVEN. From a painting
owned by the Boston Congregational Club.
PORTRAIT OF THE DUCHESS OF SUTHERLAND. From an engraving presented to
Mrs. Stowe.
THE OLD HOME AT HARTFORD
THE HOME AT MANDARIN, FLORIDA
PORTRAIT OF CALVIN ELLIS STOWE. From a photograph taken in 1882
PORTRAIT OF MRS. STOWE. From a photograph by Ritz and Hastings, in
1884
THE LATER HARTFORD HOME
CHAPTER I.
CHILDHOOD, 1811-1824.
DEATH OF HER MOTHER.--FIRST JOURNEY FROM HOME.--LIFE AT NUT PLAINS.--
SCHOOL DAYS AND HOURS WITH FAVORITE AUTHORS.--THE NEW MOTHER.--
LITCHFIELD ACADEMY AND ITS INFLUENCE.--FIRST LITERARY EFFORTS.--A
REMARKABLE COMPOSITION.--GOES TO HARTFORD.
Harriet Beecher (Stowe) was born June 14, 1811, in the characteristic
New England town of Litchfield, Conn. Her father was the Rev. Dr.
Lyman Beecher, a distinguished Calvinistic divine, her mother Roxanna
Foote, his first wife. The little new-comer was ushered into a
household of happy, healthy children, and found five brothers and
sisters awaiting her. The eldest was Catherine, born September 6,
1800. Following her were two sturdy boys, William and Edward; then
came Mary, then George, and at last Harriet. Another little Harriet
born three years before had died when only one month old, and the
fourth daughter was named, in memory of this sister, Harriet Elizabeth
Beecher. Just two years after Harriet was born, in the same month,
another brother, Henry Ward, was welcomed to the family circle, and
after him came Charles, the last of Roxanna Beecher's children.
The first memorable incident of Harriet's life was the death of her
mother, which occurred when she was four years old, and which ever
afterwards remained with her as the tenderest, saddest, and most
sacred memory of her childhood. Mrs. Stowe's recollections of her
mother are found in a letter to her brother Charles, afterwards
published in the "Autobiography and Correspondence of Lyman Beecher."
She says:--
"I was between three and four years of age when our mother died, and
my personal recollections of her are therefore but few. But the deep
interest and veneration that she inspired in all who knew her were
such that during all my childhood I was constantly hearing her spoken
of, and from one friend or another some incident or anecdote of her
life was constantly being impressed upon me.
"Mother was one of those strong, restful, yet widely sympathetic
natures in whom all around seemed to find comfort and repose. The
communion between her and my father was a peculiar one. It was an
intimacy throughout the whole range of their being. There was no human
mind in whose decisions he had greater confidence. Both intellectually
and morally he regarded her as the better and stronger portion of
himself, and I remember hearing him say that after her death his first
sensation was a sort of terror, like that of a child suddenly shut out
alone in the dark.
"In my own childhood only two incidents of my mother twinkle like rays
through the darkness. One was of our all running and dancing out
before her from the nursery to the sitting-room one Sabbath morning,
and her pleasant voice saying after us, 'Remember the Sabbath day to
keep it holy, children.'
"Another remembrance is this: mother was an enthusiastic
horticulturist in all the small ways that limited means allowed. Her
brother John in New York had just sent her a small parcel of fine
tulip-bulbs. I remember rummaging these out of an obscure corner of
the nursery one day when she was gone out, and being strongly seized
with the idea that they were good to eat, using all the little English
I then possessed to persuade my brothers that these were onions such
as grown people ate and would be very nice for us. So we fell to and
devoured the whole, and I recollect being somewhat disappointed in the
odd sweetish taste, and thinking that onions were not so nice as I had
supposed. Then mother's serene face appeared at the nursery door and
we all ran towards her, telling with one voice of our discovery and
achievement. We had found a bag of onions and had eaten them all up.
"Also I remember that there was not even a momentary expression of
impatience, but that she sat down and said, 'My dear children, what
you have done makes mamma very sorry. Those were not onions but roots
of beautiful flowers, and if you had let them alone we should have
next summer in the garden great beautiful red and yellow flowers such
as you never saw.' I remember how drooping and dispirited we all grew
at this picture, and how sadly we regarded the empty paper bag.
"Then I have a recollection of her reading aloud to the children Miss
Edgeworth's 'Frank,' which had just come out, I believe, and was
exciting a good deal of attention among the educational circles of
Litchfield. After that came a time when every one said she was sick,
and I used to be permitted to go once a day into her room, where she
sat bolstered up in bed. I have a vision of a very fair face with a
bright red spot on each cheek and her quiet smile. I remember dreaming
one night that mamma had got well, and of waking with loud transports
of joy that were hushed down by some one who came into the room. My
dream was indeed a true one. She was forever well.
"Then came the funeral. Henry was too little to go. I can see his
golden curls and little black frock as he frolicked in the sun like a
kitten, full of ignorant joy.
"I recollect the mourning dresses, the tears of the older children,
the walking to the burial-ground, and somebody's speaking at the
grave. Then all was closed, and we little ones, to whom it was so
confused, asked where she was gone and would she never come back.
"They told us at one time that she had been laid in the ground, and at
another that she had gone to heaven. Thereupon Henry, putting the two
things together, resolved to dig through the ground and go to heaven
to find her; for being discovered under sister Catherine's window one
morning digging with great zeal and earnestness, she called to him to
know what he was doing. Lifting his curly head, he answered with great
simplicity, 'Why, I'm going to heaven to find mamma.'
"Although our mother's bodily presence thus disappeared from our
circle, I think her memory and example had more influence in moulding
her family, in deterring from evil and exciting to good, than the
living presence of many mothers. It was a memory that met us
everywhere, for every person in the town, from the highest to the
lowest, seemed to have been so impressed by her character and life
that they constantly reflected some portion of it back upon us.
"The passage in 'Uncle Tom' where Augustine St. Clare describes his
mother's influence is a simple reproduction of my own mother's
influence as it has always been felt in her family."
Of his deceased wife Dr. Beecher said: "Few women have attained to
more remarkable piety. Her faith was strong and her prayer prevailing.
It was her wish that all her sons should devote themselves to the
ministry, and to it she consecrated them with fervent prayer. Her
prayers have been heard. All her sons have been converted and are now,
according to her wish, ministers of Christ."
Such was Roxanna Beecher, whose influence upon her four-year-old
daughter was strong enough to mould the whole after-life of the author
of "Uncle Tom's Cabin." After the mother's death the Litchfield home
was such a sad, lonely place for the child that her aunt, Harriet
Foote, took her away for a long visit at her grandmother's at Nut
Plains, near Guilford, Conn., the first journey from home the little
one had ever made. Of this visit Mrs. Stowe herself says:--
"Among my earliest recollections are those of a visit to Nut Plains
immediately after my mother's death. Aunt Harriet Foote, who was with
mother during all her last sickness, took me home to stay with her. At
the close of what seemed to me a long day's ride we arrived after dark
at a lonely little white farmhouse, and were ushered into a large
parlor where a cheerful wood fire was crackling; I was placed in the
arms of an old lady, who held me close and wept silently, a thing at
which I marveled, for my great loss was already faded from my childish
mind.
"I remember being put to bed by my aunt in a large room, on one side
of which stood the bed appropriated to her and me, and on the other
that of my grandmother. My aunt Harriet was no common character. A
more energetic human being never undertook the education of a child.
Her ideas of education were those of a vigorous English woman of the
old school. She believed in the Church, and had she been born under
that regime would have believed in the king stoutly, although being of
the generation following the Revolution she was a not less stanch
supporter of the Declaration of Independence.
[Illustration: Roxanna Foote]
"According to her views little girls were to be taught to move very
gently, to speak softly and prettily, to say 'yes ma'am,' and 'no
ma'am,' never to tear their clothes, to sew, to knit at regular hours,
to go to church on Sunday and make all the responses, and to come home
and be catechised.
"During these catechisings she used to place my little cousin Mary and
myself bolt upright at her knee, while black Dinah and Harry, the
bound boy, were ranged at a respectful distance behind us; for Aunt
Harriet always impressed it upon her servants 'to order themselves
lowly and reverently to all their betters,' a portion of the Church
catechism that always pleased me, particularly when applied to them,
as it insured their calling me 'Miss Harriet,' and treating me with a
degree of consideration such as I never enjoyed in the more democratic
circle at home. I became proficient in the Church catechism, and gave
my aunt great satisfaction by the old-fashioned gravity and steadiness
with which I learned to repeat it.
"As my father was a Congregational minister, I believe Aunt Harriet,
though the highest of High Church women, felt some scruples as to
whether it was desirable that my religious education should be
entirely out of the sphere of my birth. Therefore when this
catechetical exercise was finished she would say, 'Now, niece, you
have to learn another catechism, because your father is a Presbyterian
minister,'--and then she would endeavor to make me commit to memory
the Assembly catechism.
"At this lengthening of exercise I secretly murmured. I was rather
pleased at the first question in the Church catechism, which is
certainly quite on the level of any child's understanding,--'What is
your name?' It was such an easy good start, I could say it so loud and
clear, and I was accustomed to compare it with the first question in
the Primer, 'What is the chief end of man?' as vastly more difficult
for me to answer. In fact, between my aunt's secret unbelief and my
own childish impatience of too much catechism, the matter was
indefinitely postponed after a few ineffectual attempts, and I was
overjoyed to hear her announce privately to grandmother that she
thought it would be time enough for Harriet to learn the Presbyterian
catechism when she went home."
Mingled with this superabundance of catechism and plentiful needlework
the child was treated to copious extracts from Lowth's Isaiah,
Buchanan's Researches in Asia, Bishop Heber's Life, and Dr. Johnson's
Works, which, after her Bible and Prayer Book, were her grandmother's
favorite reading. Harriet does not seem to have fully appreciated
these; but she did enjoy her grandmother's comments upon their
biblical readings. Among the Evangelists especially was the old lady
perfectly at home, and her idea of each of the apostles was so
distinct and dramatic that she spoke of them as of familiar
acquaintances. She would, for instance, always smile indulgently at
Peter's remarks and say, "There he is again, now; that's just like
Peter. He's always so ready to put in."
It must have been during this winter spent at Nut Plains, amid such
surroundings, that Harriet began committing to memory that wonderful
assortment of hymns, poems, and scriptural passages from which in
after years she quoted so readily and effectively, for her sister
Catherine, in writing of her the following November, says:--
"Harriet is a very good girl. She has been to school all this summer,
and has learned to read very fluently. She has committed to memory
twenty-seven hymns and two long chapters in the Bible. She has a
remarkably retentive memory and will make a very good scholar."
At this time the child was five years old, and a regular attendant at
"Ma'am Kilbourne's" school on West Street, to which she walked every
day hand in hand with her chubby, rosy-faced, bare-footed, four-year-
old brother, Henry Ward. With the ability to read germinated the
intense literary longing that was to be hers through life. In those
days but few books were specially prepared for children, and at six
years of age we find the little girl hungrily searching for mental
food amid barrels of old sermons and pamphlets stored in a corner of
the garret. Here it seemed to her were some thousands of the most
unintelligible things. "An appeal on the unlawfulness of a man
marrying his wife's sister" turned up in every barrel she
investigated, by twos, or threes, or dozens, till her soul despaired
of finding an end. At last her patient search was rewarded, for at the
very bottom of a barrel of musty sermons she discovered an ancient
volume of "The Arabian Nights." With this her fortune was made, for in
these most fascinating of fairy tales the imaginative child discovered
a well-spring of joy that was all her own. When things went astray
with her, when her brothers started off on long excursions, refusing
to take her with them, or in any other childish sorrow, she had only
to curl herself up in some snug corner and sail forth on her bit of
enchanted carpet into fairyland to forget all her griefs.
In recalling her own child-life Mrs. Stowe, among other things,
describes her father's library, and gives a vivid bit of her own
experiences within its walls. She says: "High above all the noise of
the house, this room had to me the air of a refuge and a sanctuary.
Its walls were set round from floor to ceiling with the friendly,
quiet faces of books, and there stood my father's great writing-chair,
on one arm of which lay open always his Cruden's Concordance and his
Bible. Here I loved to retreat and niche myself down in a quiet corner
with my favorite books around me. I had a kind of sheltered feeling as
I thus sat and watched my father writing, turning to his books, and
speaking from time to time to himself in a loud, earnest whisper. I
vaguely felt that he was about some holy and mysterious work quite
beyond my little comprehension, and I was careful never to disturb him
by question or remark.
"The books ranged around filled me too with a solemn awe. On the lower
shelves were enormous folios, on whose backs I spelled in black
letters, 'Lightfoot Opera,' a title whereat I wondered, considering
the bulk of the volumes. Above these, grouped along in friendly,
social rows, were books of all sorts, sizes, and bindings, the titles
of which I had read so often that I knew them by heart. There were
Bell's Sermons, Bonnett's Inquiries, Bogue's Essays, Toplady on
Predestination, Boston's Fourfold State, Law's Serious Call, and other
works of that kind. These I looked over wistfully, day after day,
without even a hope of getting something interesting out of them. The
thought that father could read and understand things like these filled
me with a vague awe, and I wondered if I would ever be old enough to
know what it was all about.
"But there was one of my father's books that proved a mine of wealth
to me. It was a happy hour when he brought home and set up in his
bookcase Cotton Mather's 'Magnalia,' in a new edition of two volumes.
What wonderful stories those! Stories too about my own country.
Stories that made me feel the very ground I trod on to be consecrated
by some special dealing of God's Providence."
[Illustration: BIRTHPLACE AT LITCHFIELD, CONNECTICUT.]
In continuing these reminiscences Mrs. Stowe describes as follows her
sensations upon first hearing the Declaration of Independence: "I had
never heard it before, and even now had but a vague idea of what was
meant by some parts of it. Still I gathered enough from the recital of
the abuses and injuries that had driven my nation to this course to
feel myself swelling with indignation, and ready with all my little
mind and strength to applaud the concluding passage, which Colonel
Talmadge rendered with resounding majesty. I was as ready as any of
them to pledge my life, fortune, and sacred honor for such a cause.
The heroic element was strong in me, having come down by ordinary
generation from a long line of Puritan ancestry, and just now it made
me long to do something, I knew not what: to fight for my country, or
to make some declaration on my own account."
When Harriet was nearly six years old her father married as his second
wife Miss Harriet Porter of Portland, Maine, and Mrs. Stowe thus
describes her new mother: "I slept in the nursery with my two younger
brothers. We knew that father was gone away somewhere on a journey and
was expected home, therefore the sound of a bustle in the house the
more easily awoke us. As father came into our room our new mother
followed him. She was very fair, with bright blue eyes, and soft
auburn hair bound round with a black velvet bandeau, and to us she
seemed very beautiful.
"Never did stepmother make a prettier or sweeter impression. The
morning following her arrival we looked at her with awe. She seemed to
us so fair, so delicate, so elegant, that we were almost afraid to go
near her. We must have appeared to her as rough, red-faced, country
children, honest, obedient, and bashful. She was peculiarly dainty and
neat in all her ways and arrangements, and I used to feel breezy,
rough, and rude in her presence.
"In her religion she was distinguished for a most unfaltering Christ-
worship. She was of a type noble but severe, naturally hard, correct,
exact and exacting, with intense natural and moral ideality. Had it
not been that Doctor Payson had set up and kept before her a tender,
human, loving Christ, she would have been only a conscientious bigot.
This image, however, gave softness and warmth to her religious life,
and I have since noticed how her Christ-enthusiasm has sprung up in
the hearts of all her children."
In writing to her old home of her first impressions of her new one,
Mrs. Beecher says: "It is a very lovely family, and with heartfelt
gratitude I observed how cheerful and healthy they were. The sentiment
is greatly increased, since I perceive them to be of agreeable habits
and some of them of uncommon intellect."
This new mother proved to be indeed all that the name implies to her
husband's children, and never did they have occasion to call her aught
other than blessed.
Another year finds a new baby brother, Frederick by name, added to the
family. At this time too we catch a characteristic glimpse of Harriet
in one of her sister Catherine's letters. She says: "Last week we
interred Tom junior with funeral honors by the side of old Tom of
happy memory. Our Harriet is chief mourner always at their funerals.
She asked for what she called an _epithet_ for the gravestone of
Tom junior, which I gave as follows:--
"Here lies our Kit,
Who had a fit,
And acted queer,
Shot with a gun,
Her race is run,
And she lies here."
In June, 1820, little Frederick died from scarlet fever, and Harriet
was seized with a violent attack of the same dread disease; but, after
a severe struggle, recovered.
Following her happy, hearty child-life, we find her tramping through
the woods or going on fishing excursions with her brothers, sitting
thoughtfully in her father's study, listening eagerly to the animated
theological discussions of the day, visiting her grandmother at Nut
Plains, and figuring as one of the brightest scholars in the
Litchfield Academy, taught by Mr. John Brace and Miss Pierce. When she
was eleven years old her brother Edward wrote of her: "Harriet reads
everything she can lay hands on, and sews and knits diligently."
At this time she was no longer the youngest girl of the family, for
another sister (Isabella) had been born in 1822. This event served
greatly to mature her, as she was intrusted with much of the care of
the baby out of school hours. It was not, however, allowed to
interfere in any way with her studies, and, under the skillful
direction of her beloved teachers, she seemed to absorb knowledge with
every sense. She herself writes: "Much of the training and inspiration
of my early days consisted not in the things that I was supposed to be
studying, but in hearing, while seated unnoticed at my desk, the
conversation of Mr. Brace with the older classes. There, from hour to
hour, I listened with eager ears to historical criticisms and
discussions, or to recitations in such works as Paley's Moral
Philosophy, Blair's Rhetoric, Allison on Taste, all full of most
awakening suggestions to my thoughts.
"Mr. Brace exceeded all teachers I ever knew in the faculty of
teaching composition. The constant excitement in which he kept the
minds of his pupils, the wide and varied regions of thought into which
he led them, formed a preparation for composition, the main requisite
for which is to have something which one feels interested to say."
In her tenth year Harriet began what to her was the fascinating work
of writing compositions, and so rapidly did she progress that at the
school exhibition held when she was twelve years old, hers was one of
the two or three essays selected to be read aloud before the august
assembly of visitors attracted by the occasion.
Of this event Mrs. Stowe writes: "I remember well the scene at that
exhibition, to me so eventful. The hall was crowded with all the
literati of Litchfield. Before them all our compositions were read
aloud. When mine was read I noticed that father, who was sitting on
high by Mr. Brace, brightened and looked interested, and at the close
I heard him ask, 'Who wrote that composition?' 'Your daughter, sir,'
was the answer. It was the proudest moment of my life. There was no
mistaking father's face when he was pleased, and to have interested
him was past all juvenile triumphs."
That composition has been carefully preserved, and on the old yellow
sheets the cramped childish hand-writing is still distinctly legible.
As the first literary production of one who afterwards attained such
distinction as a writer, it is deemed of sufficient value and interest
to be embodied in this biography exactly as it was written and read
sixty-five years ago. The subject was certainly a grave one to be
handled by a child of twelve.
CAN THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL BE PROVED BY THE LIGHT OF NATURE?
It has justly been concluded by the philosophers of every age that
"The proper study of mankind is man," and his nature and composition,
both physical and mental, have been subjects of the most critical
examination. In the course of these researches many have been at a
loss to account for the change which takes place in the body at the
time of death. By some it has been attributed to the flight of its
tenant, and by others to its final annihilation.
The questions, "What becomes of the soul at the time of death?" and,
if it be not annihilated, "What is its destiny after death?" are those
which, from the interest that we all feel in them, will probably
engross universal attention.
In pursuing these inquiries it will be necessary to divest ourselves
of all that knowledge which we have obtained from the light which
revelation has shed over them, and place ourselves in the same
position as the philosophers of past ages when considering the same
subject.
The first argument which has been advanced to prove the immortality of
the soul is drawn from the nature of the mind itself. It has (say the
supporters of this theory) no composition of parts, and therefore, as
there are no particles, is not susceptible of divisibility and cannot
be acted upon by decay, and therefore if it will not decay it will
exist forever.
Now because the mind is not susceptible of decay effected in the
ordinary way by a gradual separation of particles, affords no proof
that that same omnipotent power which created it cannot by another
simple exertion of power again reduce it to nothing. The only reason
for belief which this argument affords is that the soul cannot be
acted upon by decay. But it does not prove that it cannot destroy its
existence. Therefore, for the validity of this argument, it must
either be proved that the "Creator" has not the power to destroy it,
or that he has not the will; but as neither of these can be
established, our immortality is left dependent on the pleasure of the
Creator. But it is said that it is evident that the Creator designed
the soul for immortality, or he would never have created it so
essentially different from the body, for had they both been designed
for the same end they would both have been created alike, as there
would have been no object in forming them otherwise. This only proves
that the soul and body had not the same destinations. Now of what
these destinations are we know nothing, and after much useless
reasoning we return where we began, our argument depending upon the
good pleasure of the Creator.
And here it is said that a being of such infinite wisdom and
benevolence as that of which the Creator is possessed would not have
formed man with such vast capacities and boundless desires, and would
have given him no opportunity for exercising them.
In order to establish the validity of this argument it is necessary to
prove by the light of Nature that the Creator is benevolent, which,
being impracticable, is of itself sufficient to render the argument
invalid.
But the argument proceeds upon the supposition that to destroy the
soul would be unwise. Now this is arraigning the "All-wise" before the
tribunal of his subjects to answer for the mistakes in his government.
Can we look into the council of the "Unsearchable" and see what means
are made to answer their ends? We do not know but the destruction of
the soul may, in the government of God, be made to answer such a
purpose that its existence would be contrary to the dictates of
wisdom.
The great desire of the soul for immortality, its secret, innate
horror of annihilation, has been brought to prove its immortality. But
do we always find this horror or this desire? Is it not much more
evident that the great majority of mankind have no such dread at all?
True that there is a strong feeling of horror excited by the idea of
perishing from the earth and being forgotten, of losing all those
honors and all that fame awaited them. Many feel this secret horror
when they look down upon the vale of futurity and reflect that though
now the idols of the world, soon all which will be left them will be
the common portion of mankind--oblivion! But this dread does not arise
from any idea of their destiny beyond the tomb, and even were this
true, it would afford no proof that the mind would exist forever,
merely from its strong desires. For it might with as much correctness
be argued that the body will exist forever because we have a great
dread of dying, and upon this principle nothing which we strongly
desire would ever be withheld from us, and no evil that we greatly
dread will ever come upon us, a principle evidently false.
Again, it has been said that the constant progression of the powers of
the mind affords another proof of its immortality. Concerning this,
Addison remarks, "Were a human soul ever thus at a stand in her
acquirements, were her faculties to be full blown and incapable of
further enlargement, I could imagine that she might fall away
insensibly and drop at once into a state of annihilation. But can we
believe a thinking being that is in a perpetual progress of
improvement, and traveling on from perfection to perfection after
having just looked abroad into the works of her Creator and made a few
discoveries of his infinite wisdom and goodness, must perish at her
first setting out and in the very beginning of her inquiries?"
In answer to this it may be said that the soul is not always
progressing in her powers. Is it not rather a subject of general
remark that those brilliant talents which in youth expand, in manhood
become stationary, and in old age gradually sink to decay? Till when
the ancient man descends to the tomb scarce a wreck of that once
powerful mind remains.
Who, but upon reading the history of England, does not look with awe
upon the effects produced by the talents of her Elizabeth? Who but
admires that undaunted firmness in time of peace and that profound
depth of policy which she displayed in the cabinet? Yet behold the
tragical end of this learned, this politic princess! Behold the
triumphs of age and sickness over her once powerful talents, and say
not that the faculties of man are always progressing in their powers.
From the activity of the mind at the hour of death has also been
deduced its immortality. But it is not true that the mind is always
active at the time of death. We find recorded in history numberless
instances of those talents, which were once adequate to the government
of a nation, being so weakened and palsied by the touch of sickness as
scarcely to tell to beholders what they once were. The talents of the
statesman, the wisdom of the sage, the courage and might of the
warrior, are instantly destroyed by it, and all that remains of them
is the waste of idiocy or the madness of insanity.
Some minds there are who at the time of death retain their faculties
though much impaired, and if the argument be valid these are the only
cases where immortality is conferred. Again, it is urged that the
inequality of rewards and punishments in this world demand another in
which virtue may be rewarded and vice punished. This argument, in the
first place, takes for its foundation that by the light of nature the
distinction between virtue and vice can be discovered. By some this is
absolutely disbelieved, and by all considered as extremely doubtful.
And, secondly, it puts the Creator under an obligation to reward and
punish the actions of his creatures. No such obligation exists, and
therefore the argument cannot be valid. And this supposes the Creator
to be a being of justice, which cannot by the light of nature be
proved, and as the whole argument rests upon this foundation it
certainly cannot be correct.
This argument also directly impeaches the wisdom of the Creator, for
the sense of it is this,--that, forasmuch as he was not able to manage
his government in this world, he must have another in which to rectify
the mistakes and oversights of this, and what an idea would this give
us of our All-wise Creator?
It is also said that all nations have some conceptions of a future
state, that the ancient Greeks and Romans believed in it, that no
nation has been found but have possessed some idea of a future state
of existence. But their belief arose more from the fact that they
wished it to be so than from any real ground of belief; for arguments
appear much more plausible when the mind wishes to be convinced. But
it is said that every nation, however circumstanced, possess some idea
of a future state. For this we may account by the fact that it was
handed down by tradition from the time of the flood. From all these
arguments, which, however plausible at first sight, are found to be
futile, may be argued the necessity of a revelation. Without it, the
destiny of the noblest of the works of God would have been left in
obscurity. Never till the blessed light of the Gospel dawned on the
borders of the pit, and the heralds of the Cross proclaimed "Peace on
earth and good will to men," was it that bewildered and misled man was
enabled to trace his celestial origin and glorious destiny.
The sun of the Gospel has dispelled the darkness that has rested on
objects beyond the tomb. In the Gospel man learned that when the dust
returned to dust the spirit fled to the God who gave it. He there
found that though man has lost the image of his divine Creator, he is
still destined, after this earthly house of his tabernacle is
dissolved, to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth
not away, to a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
Soon after the writing of this remarkable composition, Harriet's
child-life in Litchfield came to an end, for that same year she went
to Hartford to pursue her studies in a school which had been recently
established by her sister Catherine in that city.
CHAPTER II.
SCHOOL DAYS IN HARTFORD, 1824-1832.
MISS CATHERINE BEECHER.--PROFESSOR FISHER.--THE WRECK OF THE ALBION
AND DEATH OF PROFESSOR FISHER.--"THE MINISTER'S WOOING."--MISS
CATHERINE BEECHER'S SPIRITUAL HISTORY.--MRS. STOWE'S RECOLLECTIONS OF
HER SCHOOL DAYS IN HARTFORD.--HER CONVERSION.--UNITES WITH THE FIRST
CHURCH IN HARTFORD.--HER DOUBTS AND SUBSEQUENT RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT.
--HER FINAL PEACE.
The school days in Hartford began a new era in Harriet's life. It was
the formative period, and it is therefore important to say a few words
concerning her sister Catherine, under whose immediate supervision she
was to continue her education. In fact, no one can comprehend either
Mrs. Stowe or her writings without some knowledge of the life and
character of this remarkable woman, whose strong, vigorous mind and
tremendous personality indelibly stamped themselves on the sensitive,
yielding, dreamy, and poetic nature of the younger sister. Mrs. Stowe
herself has said that the two persons who most strongly influenced her
at this period of her life were her brother Edward and her sister
Catherine.
Catherine was the oldest child of Lyman Beecher and Roxanna Foote, his
wife. In a little battered journal found among her papers is a short
sketch of her life, written when she was seventy-six years of age. In
a tremulous hand she begins: "I was born at East Hampton, L. I.,
September 5, 1800, at 5 P.M., in the large parlor opposite father's
study. Don't remember much about it myself." The sparkle of wit in
this brief notice of the circumstances of her birth is very
characteristic. All through her life little ripples of fun were
continually playing on the surface of that current of intense thought
and feeling in which her deep, earnest nature flowed.
When she was ten years of age her father removed to Litchfield, Conn.,
and her happy girlhood was passed in that place. Her bright and
versatile mind and ready wit enabled her to pass brilliantly through
her school days with but little mental exertion, and those who knew
her slightly might have imagined her to be only a bright, thoughtless,
light-hearted girl. In Boston, at the age of twenty, she took lessons
in music and drawing, and became so proficient in these branches as to
secure a position as teacher in a young ladies' school, kept by a Rev.
Mr. Judd, an Episcopal clergyman, at New London, Conn. About this time
she formed the acquaintance of Professor Alexander Metcalf Fisher, of
Yale College, one of the most distinguished young men in New England.
In January of the year 1822 they became engaged, and the following
spring Professor Fisher sailed for Europe to purchase books and
scientific apparatus for the use of his department in the college.
In his last letter to Miss Beecher, dated March 31, 1822, he writes:--
"I set out at 10 precisely to-morrow, in the Albion for Liverpool; the
ship has no superior in the whole number of excellent vessels
belonging to this port, and Captain Williams is regarded as first on
their list of commanders. The accommodations are admirable--fare $140.
Unless our ship should speak some one bound to America on the passage,
you will probably not hear from me under two months."
Before two months had passed came vague rumors of a terrible shipwreck
on the coast of Ireland. Then the tidings that the Albion was lost.
Then came a letter from Mr. Pond, at Kinsale, Ireland, dated May 2,
1822:--
"You have doubtless heard of the shipwreck of the Albion packet of New
York, bound to Liverpool. It was a melancholy shipwreck. It happened
about four o'clock on the morning of the 22d of April. Professor
Fisher, of Yale College, was one of the passengers. Out of twenty-
three cabin passengers, but one reached the shore. He is a Mr.
Everhart, of Chester County, Pennsylvania. He informs me that
Professor Fisher was injured by things that fetched away in the cabin
at the time the ship was knocked down. This was between 8 and 9
o'clock in the evening of the twenty-first. Mr. Fisher, though badly
bruised, was calm and resolute, and assisted Captain Williams by
taking the injured compass to his berth and repairing it. About five
minutes before the vessel struck Captain Williams informed the
passengers of their danger, and all went on deck except Professor
Fisher, who remained sitting in his berth. Mr. Everhart was the last
person who left the cabin, and the last who ever saw Professor Fisher
alive."
I should not have spoken of this incident of family history with such
minuteness, except for the fact that it is so much a part of Mrs.
Stowe's life as to make it impossible to understand either her
character or her most important works without it. Without this
incident "The Minister's Wooing" never would have been written, for
both Mrs. Marvyn's terrible soul struggles and old Candace's direct
and effective solution of all religious difficulties find their origin
in this stranded, storm-beaten ship on the coast of Ireland, and the
terrible mental conflicts through which her sister afterward passed,
for she believed Professor Fisher eternally lost. No mind more
directly and powerfully influenced Harriet's than that of her sister
Catherine, unless it was her brother Edward's, and that which acted
with such overwhelming power on the strong, unyielding mind of the
older sister must have, in time, a permanent and abiding influence on
the mind of the younger.
After Professor Fisher's death his books came into Miss Beecher's
possession, and among them was a complete edition of Scott's works. It
was an epoch in the family history when Doctor Beecher came down-
stairs one day with a copy of "Ivanhoe" in his hand, and said: "I have
always said that my children should not read novels, but they must
read these."
The two years following the death of Professor Fisher were passed by
Miss Catherine Beecher at Franklin, Mass., at the home of Professor
Fisher's parents, where she taught his two sisters, studied
mathematics with his brother Willard, and listened to Doctor Emmons'
fearless and pitiless preaching. Hers was a mind too strong and
buoyant to be crushed and prostrated by that which would have driven a
weaker and less resolute nature into insanity. Of her it may well be
said:--
"She faced the spectres of the mind
And laid them, thus she came at length
To find a stronger faith her own."
Gifted naturally with a capacity for close metaphysical analysis and a
robust fearlessness in following her premises to a logical conclusion,
she arrived at results startling and original, if not always of
permanent value.
In 1840 she published in the "Biblical Repository" an article on Free
Agency, which has been acknowledged by competent critics as the ablest
refutation of Edwards on "The Will" which has appeared. An amusing
incident connected with this publication may not be out of place here.
A certain eminent theological professor of New England, visiting a
distinguished German theologian and speaking of this production, said:
"The ablest refutation of Edwards on 'The Will' which was ever written
is the work of a woman, the daughter of Dr. Lyman Beecher." The worthy
Teuton raised both hands in undisguised astonishment. "You have a
woman that can write an able refutation of Edwards on 'The Will'? God
forgive Christopher Columbus for discovering America!"
Not finding herself able to love a God whom she thought of in her own
language as "a perfectly happy being, unmoved by my sorrows or tears,
and looking upon me only with dislike and aversion," she determined
"to find happiness in living to do good." "It was right to pray and
read the Bible, so I prayed and read. It was right to try to save
others, so I labored for their salvation. I never had any fear of
punishment or hope of reward all these years." She was tormented with
doubts. "What has the Son of God done which the meanest and most
selfish creature upon earth would not have done? After making such a
wretched race and placing them in such disastrous circumstances,
somehow, without any sorrow or trouble, Jesus Christ had a human
nature that suffered and died. If something else besides ourselves
will do all the suffering, who would not save millions of wretched
beings and receive all the honor and gratitude without any of the
trouble? Sometimes when such thoughts passed through my mind, I felt
that it was all pride, rebellion, and sin."
So she struggles on, sometimes floundering deep in the mire of doubt,
and then lifted for the moment above it by her naturally buoyant
spirits, and general tendency to look on the bright side of things. In
this condition of mind, she came to Hartford in the winter of 1824,
and began a school with eight scholars, and it was in the practical
experience of teaching that she found a final solution of all her
difficulties. She continues:--
"After two or three years I commenced giving instruction in mental
philosophy, and at the same time began a regular course of lectures
and instructions from the Bible, and was much occupied with plans for
governing my school, and in devising means to lead my pupils to become
obedient, amiable, and pious. By degrees I finally arrived at the
following principles in the government of my school:--
"First. It is indispensable that my scholars should feel that I am
sincerely and deeply interested in their best happiness, and the more
I can convince them of this, the more ready will be their obedience.
"Second. The preservation of authority and order depends upon the
certainty that unpleasant consequences to themselves will inevitably
be the result of doing wrong.
"Third. It is equally necessary, to preserve my own influence and
their affection, that they should feel that punishment is the natural
result of wrong-doing in such a way that they shall regard themselves,
instead of me, as the cause of their punishment.
"Fourth. It is indispensable that my scholars should see that my
requisitions are reasonable. In the majority of cases this can be
shown, and in this way such confidence will be the result that they
will trust to my judgment and knowledge, in cases where no explanation
can be given.
"Fifth. The more I can make my scholars feel that I am actuated by a
spirit of self-denying benevolence, the more confidence they will feel
in me, and the more they will be inclined to submit to self-denying
duties for the good of others.
"After a while I began to compare my experience with the government of
God. I finally got through the whole subject, and drew out the
results, and found that all my difficulties were solved and all my
darkness dispelled."
Her solution in brief is nothing more than that view of the divine
nature which was for so many years preached by her brother, Henry Ward
Beecher, and set forth in the writings of her sister Harriet,--the
conception of a being of infinite love, patience, and kindness who
suffers with man. The sufferings of Christ on the cross were not the
sufferings of his human nature merely, but the sufferings of the
divine nature in Him. In Christ we see the only revelation of God, and
that is the revelation of one that suffers. This is the fundamental
idea in "The Minister's Wooing," and it is the idea of God in which
the storm-tossed soul of the older sister at last found rest. All this
was directly opposed to that fundamental principle of theologians that
God, being the infinitely perfect Being, cannot suffer, because
suffering indicates imperfection. To Miss Beecher's mind the lack of
ability to suffer with his suffering creatures was a more serious
imperfection. Let the reader turn to the twenty-fourth chapter of "The
Minister's Wooing" for a complete presentation of this subject,
especially the passage that begins, "Sorrow is divine: sorrow is
reigning on the throne of the universe."
In the fall of the year 1824, while her sister Catherine was passing
through the soul crisis which we have been describing, Harriet came to
the school that she had recently established.
In a letter to her son written in 1886, speaking of this period of her
life, Mrs. Stowe says: "Somewhere between my twelfth and thirteenth
year I was placed under the care of my elder sister Catherine, in the
school that she had just started in Hartford, Connecticut. When I
entered the school there were not more than twenty-five scholars in
it, but it afterwards numbered its pupils by the hundreds. The school-
room was on Main Street, nearly opposite Christ Church, over Sheldon &
Colton's harness store, at the sign of the two white horses. I never
shall forget the pleasure and surprise which these two white horses
produced in my mind when I first saw them. One of the young men who
worked in the rear of the harness store had a most beautiful tenor
voice, and it was my delight to hear him singing in school hours :--
'When in cold oblivion's shade
Beauty, wealth, and power are laid,
When, around the sculptured shrine,
Moss shall cling and ivy twine,
Where immortal spirits reign,
There shall we all meet again.'
"As my father's salary was inadequate to the wants of his large
family, the expense of my board in Hartford was provided for by a
species of exchange. Mr. Isaac D. Bull sent a daughter to Miss
Pierce's seminary in Litchfield, and she boarded in my father's family
in exchange for my board in her father's family. If my good, refined,
neat, particular stepmother could have chosen, she could not have
found a family more exactly suited to her desires. The very soul of
neatness and order pervaded the whole establishment. Mr. I. D. Bull
was a fine, vigorous, white-haired man on the declining slope of life,
but full of energy and of kindness. Mr. Samuel Collins, a neighbor who
lived next door, used to frequently come in and make most impressive
and solemn calls on Miss Mary Anne Bull, who was a brunette and a
celebrated beauty of the day. I well remember her long raven curls
falling from the comb that held them up on the top of her head. She
had a rich soprano voice, and was the leading singer in the Centre
Church choir. The two brothers also had fine, manly voices, and the
family circle was often enlivened by quartette singing and flute
playing. Mr. Bull kept a very large wholesale drug store on Front
Street, in which his two sons, Albert and James, were clerks. The
oldest son, Watson Bull, had established a retail drug store at the
sign of the 'Good Samaritan.' A large picture of the Good Samaritan
relieving the wounded traveler formed a striking part of the sign, and
was contemplated by me with reverence.
[Illustration: Catherine E. Beecher]
"The mother of the family gave me at once a child's place in her
heart. A neat little hall chamber was allotted to me for my own, and a
well made and kept single bed was given me, of which I took daily care
with awful satisfaction. If I was sick nothing could exceed the
watchful care and tender nursing of Mrs. Bull. In school my two most
intimate friends were the leading scholars. They had written to me
before I came and I had answered their letters, and on my arrival they
gave me the warmest welcome. One was Catherine Ledyard Cogswell,
daughter of the leading and best-beloved of Hartford physicians. The
other was Georgiana May, daughter of a most lovely Christian woman who
was a widow. Georgiana was one of many children, having two younger
sisters, Mary and Gertrude, and several brothers. Catherine Cogswell
was one of the most amiable, sprightly, sunny-tempered individuals I
have ever known. She was, in fact, so much beloved that it was
difficult for me to see much of her. Her time was all bespoken by
different girls. One might walk with her to school, another had the
like promise on the way home. And at recess, of which we had every day
a short half hour, there was always a suppliant at Katy's shrine, whom
she found it hard to refuse. Yet, among all these claimants, she did
keep a little place here and there for me. Georgiana was older and
graver, and less fascinating to the other girls, but between her and
me there grew up the warmest friendship, which proved lifelong in its
constancy.
"Catherine and Georgiana were reading 'Virgil' when I came to the
school. I began the study of Latin alone, and at the end of the first
year made a translation of 'Ovid' in verse, which was read at the
final exhibition of the school, and regarded, I believe, as a very
creditable performance. I was very much interested in poetry, and it
was my dream to be a poet. I began a drama called 'Cleon.' The scene
was laid in the court and time of the emperor Nero, and Cleon was a
Greek lord residing at Nero's court, who, after much searching and
doubting, at last comes to the knowledge of Christianity. I filled
blank book after blank book with this drama. It filled my thoughts
sleeping and waking. One day sister Catherine pounced down upon me,
and said that I must not waste my time writing poetry, but discipline
my mind by the study of Butler's 'Analogy.' So after this I wrote out
abstracts from the 'Analogy,' and instructed a class of girls as old
as myself, being compelled to master each chapter just ahead of the
class I was teaching. About this time I read Baxter's 'Saint's Rest.'
I do not think any book affected me more powerfully. As I walked the
pavements I used to wish that they might sink beneath me if only I
might find myself in heaven. I was at the same time very much
interested in Butler's 'Analogy,' for Mr. Brace used to lecture on
such themes when I was at Miss Pierce's school at Litchfield. I also
began the study of French and Italian with a Miss Degan, who was born
in Italy.
"It was about this time that I first believed myself to be a
Christian. I was spending my summer vacation at home, in Litchfield. I
shall ever remember that dewy, fresh summer morning. I knew that it
was a sacramental Sunday, and thought with sadness that when all the
good people should take the sacrificial bread and wine I should be
left out. I tried hard to feel my sins and count them up; but what
with the birds, the daisies, and the brooks that rippled by the way,
it was impossible. I came into church quite dissatisfied with myself,
and as I looked upon the pure white cloth, the snowy bread and shining
cups, of the communion table, thought with a sigh: 'There won't be
anything for me to-day; it is all for these grown-up Christians.'
Nevertheless, when father began to speak, I was drawn to listen by a
certain pathetic earnestness in his voice. Most of father's sermons
were as unintelligible to me as if he had spoken in Choctaw. But
sometimes he preached what he was accustomed to call a 'frame sermon;'
that is, a sermon that sprung out of the deep feeling of the occasion,
and which consequently could be neither premeditated nor repeated. His
text was taken from the Gospel of John, the declaration of Jesus:
'Behold, I call you no longer servants, but friends.' His theme was
Jesus as a soul friend offered to every human being.
"Forgetting all his hair-splitting distinctions and dialectic
subtleties, he spoke in direct, simple, and tender language of the
great love of Christ and his care for the soul. He pictured Him as
patient with our errors, compassionate with our weaknesses, and
sympathetic for our sorrows. He went on to say how He was ever near
us, enlightening our ignorance, guiding our wanderings, comforting our
sorrows with a love unwearied by faults, unchilled by ingratitude,
till at last He should present us faultless before the throne of his
glory with exceeding joy.
"I sat intent and absorbed. Oh! how much I needed just such a friend,
I thought to myself. Then the awful fact came over me that I had never
had any conviction of my sins, and consequently could not come to Him.
I longed to cry out 'I will,' when father made his passionate appeal,
'Come, then, and trust your soul to this faithful friend.' Like a
flash it came over me that if I needed conviction of sin, He was able
to give me even this also. I would trust Him for the whole. My whole
soul was illumined with joy, and as I left the church to walk home, it
seemed to me as if Nature herself were hushing her breath to hear the
music of heaven.
"As soon as father came home and was seated in his study, I went up to
him and fell in his arms saying, 'Father, I have given myself to
Jesus, and He has taken me.' I never shall forget the expression of
his face as he looked down into my earnest, childish eyes; it was so
sweet, so gentle, and like sunlight breaking out upon a landscape. 'Is
it so?' he said, holding me silently to his heart, as I felt the hot
tears fall on my head. 'Then has a new flower blossomed in the kingdom
this day.'"
If she could have been let alone, and taught "to look up and not down,
forward and not back, out and not in," this religious experience might
have gone on as sweetly and naturally as the opening of a flower in
the gentle rays of the sun. But unfortunately this was not possible at
that time, when self-examination was carried to an extreme that was
calculated to drive a nervous and sensitive mind well-nigh distracted.
First, even her sister Catherine was afraid that there might be
something wrong in the case of a lamb that had come into the fold
without being first chased all over the lot by the shepherd; great
stress being laid, in those days, on what was called "being under
conviction." Then also the pastor of the First Church in Hartford, a
bosom friend of Dr. Beecher, looked with melancholy and suspicious
eyes on this unusual and doubtful path to heaven,--but more of this
hereafter. Harriet's conversion took place in the summer of 1825, when
she was fourteen, and the following year, April, 1826, Dr. Beecher
resigned his pastorate in Litchfield to accept a call to the Hanover
Street Church, Boston, Mass. In a letter to her grandmother Foote at
Guilford, dated Hartford, March 4, 1826, Harriet writes:--
"You have probably heard that our home in Litchfield is broken up.
Papa has received a call to Boston, and concluded to accept, because
he could not support his family in Litchfield. He was dismissed last
week Tuesday, and will be here (Hartford) next Tuesday with mamma and
Isabel. Aunt Esther will take Charles and Thomas to her house for the
present. Papa's salary is to be $2,000 and $500 settlement.
"I attend school constantly and am making some progress in my studies.
I devote most of my attention to Latin and to arithmetic, and hope
soon to prepare myself to assist Catherine in the school."
This breaking up of the Litchfield home led Harriet, under her
father's advice, to seek to connect herself with the First Church of
Hartford. Accordingly, accompanied by two of her school friends, she
went one day to the pastor's study to consult with him concerning the
contemplated step. The good man listened attentively to the child's
simple and modest statement of Christian experience, and then with an
awful, though kindly, solemnity of speech and manner said, "Harriet,
do you feel that if the universe should be destroyed (awful pause) you
could be happy with God alone?" After struggling in vain, in her
mental bewilderment, to fix in her mind some definite conception of
the meaning of the sounds which fell on her ear like the measured
strokes of a bell, the child of fourteen stammered out, "Yes, sir."
"You realize, I trust," continued the doctor, "in some measure at
least, the deceitfulness of your heart, and that in punishment for
your sins God might justly leave you to make yourself as miserable as
you have made yourself sinful?"
"Yes, sir," again stammered Harriet.
Having thus effectually, and to his own satisfaction, fixed the
child's attention on the morbid and over-sensitive workings of her own
heart, the good and truly kind-hearted man dismissed her with a
fatherly benediction. But where was the joyous ecstasy of that
beautiful Sabbath morning of a year ago? Where was that heavenly
friend? Yet was not this as it should be, and might not God leave her
"to make herself as miserable as she had made herself sinful"?
In a letter addressed to her brother Edward, about this time, she
writes: "My whole life is one continued struggle: I do nothing right.
I yield to temptation almost as soon as it assails me. My deepest
feelings are very evanescent. I am beset behind and before, and my
sins take away all my happiness. But that which most constantly besets
me is pride--I can trace almost all my sins back to it."
In the mean time, the school is prospering. February 16, 1827,
Catherine writes to Dr. Beecher: "My affairs go on well. The stock is
all taken up, and next week I hope to have out the prospectus of the
'Hartford Female Seminary.' I hope the building will be done, and all
things in order, by June. The English lady is coming with twelve
pupils from New York." Speaking of Harriet, who was at this time with
her father in Boston, she adds: "I have received some letters from
Harriet to-day which make me feel uneasy. She says, 'I don't know as I
am fit for anything, and I have thought that I could wish to die
young, and let the remembrance of me and my faults perish in the
grave, rather than live, as I fear I do, a trouble to every one. You
don't know how perfectly wretched I often feel: so useless, so weak,
so destitute of all energy. Mamma often tells me that I am a strange,
inconsistent being. Sometimes I could not sleep, and have groaned and
cried till midnight, while in the day-time I tried to appear cheerful
and succeeded so well that papa reproved me for laughing so much. I
was so absent sometimes that I made strange mistakes, and then they
all laughed at me, and I laughed, too, though I felt as though I
should go distracted. I wrote rules; made out a regular system for
dividing my time; but my feelings vary so much that it is almost
impossible for me to be regular.'"
But let Harriet "take courage in her dark sorrows and melancholies,"
as Carlyle says: "Samuel Johnson too had hypochondrias; all great
souls are apt to have, and to be in thick darkness generally till the
eternal ways and the celestial guiding stars disclose themselves, and
the vague abyss of life knits itself up into firmaments for them."
At the same time (the winter of 1827), Catherine writes to Edward
concerning Harriet: "If she could come here (Hartford) it might be the
best thing for her, for she can talk freely to me. I can get her
books, and Catherine Cogswell, Georgiana May, and her friends here
could do more for her than any one in Boston, for they love her and
she loves them very much. Georgiana's difficulties are different from
Harriet's: she is speculating about doctrines, etc. Harriet will have
young society here all the time, which she cannot have at home, and I
think cheerful and amusing friends will do much for her. I can do
better in preparing her to teach drawing than any one else, for I best
know what is needed."
It was evidently necessary that something should be done to restore
Harriet to a more tranquil and healthful frame of mind; consequently
in the spring of 1827, accompanied by her friend Georgiana May, she
went to visit her grandmother Foote at Nut Plains, Guilford. Miss May
refers to this visit in a letter to Mrs. Foote, in January of the
following winter.
HARTFORD, _January_ 4, 1828.
DEAR MRS. FOOTE:--. . . I very often think of you and the happy hours
I passed at your house last spring. It seems as if it were but
yesterday: now, while I am writing, I can see your pleasant house and
the familiar objects around you as distinctly as the day I left them.
Harriet and I are very much the same girls we were then. I do not
believe we have altered very much, though she is improved in some
respects.
The August following this visit to Guilford Harriet writes to her
brother Edward in a vein which is still streaked with sadness, but
shows some indication of returning health of mind.
"Many of my objections you did remove that afternoon we spent
together. After that I was not as unhappy as I had been. I felt,
nevertheless, that my views were very indistinct and contradictory,
and feared that if you left me thus I might return to the same dark,
desolate state in which I had been all summer. I felt that my immortal
interest, my happiness for both worlds, was depending on the turn my
feelings might take. In my disappointment and distress I called upon
God, and it seemed as if I was heard. I felt that He could supply the
loss of all earthly love. All misery and darkness were over. I felt as
if restored, nevermore to fall. Such sober certainty of waking bliss
had long been a stranger to me. But even then I had doubts as to
whether these feelings were right, because I felt love to God alone
without that ardent love for my fellow-creatures which Christians have
often felt. . . . I cannot say exactly what it is makes me reluctant
to speak of my feelings. It costs me an effort to express feeling of
any kind, but more particularly to speak of my private religious
feelings. If any one questions me, my first impulse is to conceal all
I can. As for expression of affection towards my brothers and sisters,
my companions or friends, the stronger the affection the less
inclination have I to express it. Yet sometimes I think myself the
most frank, open, and communicative of beings, and at other times the
most reserved. If you can resolve all these caprices into general
principles, you will do more than I can. Your speaking so much
philosophically has a tendency to repress confidence. We never wish to
have our feelings analyzed down; and very little, nothing, that we say
brought to the test of mathematical demonstration.
"It appears to me that if I only could adopt the views of God you
presented to my mind, they would exert a strong and beneficial
influence over my character. But I am afraid to accept them for
several reasons. First, it seems to be taking from the majesty and
dignity of the divine character to suppose that his happiness can be
at all affected by the conduct of his sinful, erring creatures.
Secondly, it seems to me that such views of God would have an effect
on our own minds in lessening that reverence and fear which is one of
the greatest motives to us for action. For, although to a generous
mind the thought of the love of God would be a sufficient incentive to
action, there are times of coldness when that love is not felt, and
then there remains no sort of stimulus. I find as I adopt these
sentiments I feel less fear of God, and, in view of sin, I feel only a
sensation of grief which is more easily dispelled and forgotten than
that I formerly felt."
A letter dated January 3, 1828, shows us that Harriet had returned to
Hartford and was preparing herself to teach drawing and painting,
under the direction of her sister Catherine.
MY DEAR GRANDMOTHER,--I should have written before to assure you of my
remembrance of you, but I have been constantly employed, from nine in
the morning till after dark at night, in taking lessons of a painting
and drawing master, with only an intermission long enough to swallow a
little dinner which was sent to me in the school-room. You may easily
believe that after spending the day in this manner, I did not feel in
a very epistolary humor in the evening, and if I had been, I could not
have written, for when I did not go immediately to bed I was obliged
to get a long French lesson.
The seminary is finished, and the school going on nicely. Miss
Clarissa Brown is assisting Catherine in the school. Besides her,
Catherine, and myself, there are two other teachers who both board in
the family with us: one is Miss Degan, an Italian lady who teaches
French and Italian; she rooms with me, and is very interesting and
agreeable. Miss Hawks is rooming with Catherine. In some respects she
reminds me very much of my mother. She is gentle, affectionate,
modest, and retiring, and much beloved by all the scholars. . . . I am
still going on with my French, and carrying two young ladies through
Virgil, and if I have time, shall commence Italian.
I am very comfortable and happy.
I propose, my dear grandmamma, to send you by the first opportunity a
dish of fruit of my own painting. Pray do not now devour it in
anticipation, for I cannot promise that you will not find it sadly
tasteless in reality. If so, please excuse it, for the sake of the
poor young artist. I admire to cultivate a taste for painting, and I
wish to improve it; it was what my dear mother admired and loved, and
I cherish it for her sake. I have thought more of this dearest of all
earthly friends these late years, since I have been old enough to know
her character and appreciate her worth. I sometimes think that, had
she lived, I might have been both better and happier than I now am,
but God is good and wise in all his ways.
A letter written to her brother Edward in Boston, dated March 27,
1828, shows how slowly she adopted the view of God that finally became
one of the most characteristic elements in her writings.
"I think that those views of God which you have presented to me have
had an influence in restoring my mind to its natural tone. But still,
after all, God is a being afar off. He is so far above us that
anything but the most distant reverential affection seems almost
sacrilegious. It is that affection that can lead us to be familiar
that the heart needs. But easy and familiar expressions of attachment
and that sort of confidential communication which I should address to
papa or you would be improper for a subject to address to a king, much
less for us to address to the King of kings. The language of prayer is
of necessity stately and formal, and we cannot clothe all the little
minutiae of our wants and troubles in it. I wish I could describe to
you how I feel when I pray. I feel that I love God,--that is, that I
love Christ,--that I find comfort and happiness in it, and yet it is
not that kind of comfort which would arise from free communication of
my wants and sorrows to a friend. I sometimes wish that the Saviour
were visibly present in this world, that I might go to Him for a
solution of some of my difficulties. . . . Do you think, my dear
brother, that there is such a thing as so realizing the presence and
character of God that He can supply the place of earthly friends? I
really wish to know what you think of this. . . . Do you suppose that
God really loves sinners before they come to Him? Some say that we
ought to tell them that God hates them, that He looks on them with
utter abhorrence, and that they must love Him before He will look on
them otherwise. Is it right to say to those who are in deep distress,'
God is interested in you; He feels for and loves you'?"
Appended to this letter is a short note from Miss Catherine Beecher,
who evidently read the letter over and answered Harriet's questions
herself. She writes: "When the young man came to Jesus, is it not said
that Jesus loved him, though he was unrenewed?"
In April, 1828, Harriet again writes to her brother Edward:---
"I have had more reason to be grateful to that friend than ever
before. He has not left me in all my weakness. It seems to me that my
love to Him is the love of despair. All my communion with Him, though
sorrowful, is soothing. I am painfully sensible of ignorance and
deficiency, but still I feel that I am willing that He should know
all. He will look on all that is wrong only to purify and reform. He
will never be irritated or impatient. He will never show me my faults
in such a manner as to irritate without helping me. A friend to whom I
would acknowledge all my faults must be perfect. Let any one once be
provoked, once speak harshly to me, once sweep all the chords of my
soul out of tune, I never could confide there again. It is only to the
most perfect Being in the universe that imperfection can look and hope
for patience. How strange! . . . You do not know how harsh and
forbidding everything seems, compared with his character. All through
the day in my intercourse with others, everything has a tendency to
destroy the calmness of mind gained by communion with Him. One
flatters me, another is angry with me, another is unjust to me.
"You speak of your predilections for literature having been a snare to
you. I have found it so myself. I can scarcely think, without tears
and indignation, that all that is beautiful and lovely and poetical
has been laid on other altars. Oh! will there never be a poet with a
heart enlarged and purified by the Holy Spirit, who shall throw all
the graces of harmony, all the enchantments of feeling, pathos, and
poetry, around sentiments worthy of them? . . . It matters little what
service He has for me. . . . I do not mean to live in vain. He has
given me talents, and I will lay them at his feet, well satisfied, if
He will accept them. All my powers He can enlarge. He made my mind,
and He can teach me to cultivate and exert its faculties."
The following November she writes from Groton, Conn., to Miss May:--
"I am in such an uncertain, unsettled state, traveling back and forth,
that I have very little time to write. In the first place, on my
arrival in Boston I was obliged to spend two days in talking and
telling news. Then after that came calling, visiting, etc., and then I
came off to Groton to see my poor brother George, who was quite out of
spirits and in very trying circumstances. To-morrow I return to Boston
and spend four or five days, and then go to Franklin, where I spend
the rest of my vacation.
"I found the folks all well on my coming to Boston, and as to my new
brother, James, he has nothing to distinguish him from forty other
babies, except a very large pair of blue eyes and an uncommonly fair
complexion, a thing which is of no sort of use or advantage to a man
or boy.
"I am thinking very seriously of remaining in Groton and taking care
of the female school, and at the same time being of assistance and
company for George. On some accounts it would not be so pleasant as
returning to Hartford, for I should be among strangers. Nothing upon
this point can be definitely decided till I have returned to Boston,
and talked to papa and Catherine."
Evidently papa and Catherine did not approve of the Groton plan, for
in February of the following winter Harriet writes from Hartford to
Edward, who is at this time with his father in Boston:---
"My situation this winter (1829) is in many respects pleasant. I room
with three other teachers, Miss Fisher, Miss Mary Dutton, and Miss
Brigham. Ann Fisher you know. Miss Dutton is about twenty, has a fine
mathematical mind, and has gone as far into that science perhaps as
most students at college. She is also, as I am told, quite learned in
the languages. . . . Miss Brigham is somewhat older: is possessed of
a fine mind and most unconquerable energy and perseverance of
character. From early childhood she has been determined to obtain an
education, and to attain to a certain standard. Where persons are
determined to be anything, they will be. I think, for this reason, she
will make a first-rate character. Such are my companions. We spend our
time in school during the day, and in studying in the evening. My plan
of study is to read rhetoric and prepare exercises for my class the
first half hour in the evening; after that the rest of the evening is
divided between French and Italian. Thus you see the plan of my
employment and the character of my immediate companions. Besides
these, there are others among the teachers and scholars who must exert
an influence over my character. Miss Degan, whose constant occupation
it is to make others laugh; Mrs. Gamage, her room-mate, a steady,
devoted, sincere Christian. . . . Little things have great power over
me, and if I meet with the least thing that crosses my feelings, I am
often rendered unhappy for days and weeks. . . . I wish I could bring
myself to feel perfectly indifferent to the opinions of others. I
believe that there never was a person more dependent on the good and
evil opinions of those around than I am. This desire to be loved
forms, I fear, the great motive for all my actions. . . . I have been
reading carefully the book of Job, and I do not think that it contains
the views of God which you presented to me. God seems to have stripped
a dependent creature of all that renders life desirable, and then to
have answered his complaints from the whirlwind; and instead of
showing mercy and pity, to have overwhelmed him by a display of his
power and justice. . . . With the view I received from you, I should
have expected that a being who sympathizes with his guilty, afflicted
creatures would not have spoken thus. Yet, after all, I do believe
that God is such a being as you represent Him to be, and in the New
Testament I find in the character of Jesus Christ a revelation of God
as merciful and compassionate; in fact, just such a God as I need.
"Somehow or another you have such a reasonable sort of way of saying
things that when I come to reflect I almost always go over to your
side. . . . My mind is often perplexed, and such thoughts arise in it
that I cannot pray, and I become bewildered. The wonder to me is, how
all ministers and all Christians can feel themselves so inexcusably
sinful, when it seems to me we all come into the world in such a way
that it would be miraculous if we did not sin. Mr. Hawes always says
in prayer, 'We have nothing to offer in extenuation of any of our
sins,' and I always think when he says it, that we have everything to
offer in extenuation. The case seems to me exactly as if I had been
brought into the world with such a thirst for ardent spirits that
there was just a possibility, though no hope, that I should resist,
and then my eternal happiness made dependent on my being temperate.
Sometimes when I try to confess my sins, I feel that after all I am
more to be pitied than blamed, for I have never known the time when I
have not had a temptation within me so strong that it was certain I
should not overcome it. This thought shocks me, but it comes with such
force, and so appealingly, to all my consciousness, that it stifles
all sense of sin. . . .
"Sometimes when I read the Bible, it seems to be wholly grounded on
the idea that the sin of man is astonishing, inexcusable, and without
palliation or cause, and the atonement is spoken of as such a
wonderful and undeserved mercy that I am filled with amazement. Yet if
I give up the Bible I gain nothing, for the providence of God in
nature is just as full of mystery, and of the two I think that the
Bible, with all its difficulties, is preferable to being without it;
for the Bible holds out the hope that in a future world all shall be
made plain. . . . So you see I am, as Mr. Hawes says, 'on the waves,'
and all I can do is to take the word of God that He does do right and
there I rest."
The following summer, in July, she writes to Edward: "I have never
been so happy as this summer. I began it in more suffering than I ever
before have felt, but there is One whom I daily thank for all that
suffering, since I hope that it has brought me at last to rest
entirely in Him. I do hope that my long, long course of wandering and
darkness and unhappiness is over, and that I have found in Him who
died for me all, and more than all, I could desire. Oh, Edward, you
can feel as I do; you can speak of Him! There are few, very few, who
can. Christians in general do not seem to look to Him as their best
friend, or realize anything of his unutterable love. They speak with a
cold, vague, reverential awe, but do not speak as if in the habit of
close and near communion; as if they confided to Him every joy and
sorrow and constantly looked to Him for direction and guidance. I
cannot express to you, my brother, I cannot tell you, how that Saviour
appears to me. To bear with one so imperfect, so weak, so
inconsistent, as myself, implied long suffering and patience more than
words can express. I love most to look on Christ as my teacher, as one
who, knowing the utmost of my sinfulness, my waywardness, my folly,
can still have patience; can reform, purify, and daily make me more
like himself."
So, after four years of struggling and suffering, she returns to the
place where she started from as a child of thirteen. It has been like
watching a ship with straining masts and storm-beaten sails, buffeted
by the waves, making for the harbor, and coming at last to quiet
anchorage. There have been, of course, times of darkness and
depression, but never any permanent loss of the religious trustfulness
and peace of mind indicated by this letter.
The next three years were passed partly in Boston, and partly in
Guilford and Hartford. Writing of this period of her life to the Rev.
Charles Beecher, she says:---
My Dear Brother:---The looking over of father's letters in the period
of his Boston life brings forcibly to my mind many recollections. At
this time I was more with him, and associated in companionship of
thought and feeling for a longer period than any other of my
experience.
In the summer of 1832 she writes to Miss May, revealing her spiritual
and intellectual life in a degree unusual, even for her.
"After the disquisition on myself above cited, you will be prepared to
understand the changes through which this wonderful _ego et me
ipse_ has passed.
"The amount of the matter has been, as this inner world of mine has
become worn out and untenable, I have at last concluded to come out of
it and live in the external one, and, as F------ S------ once advised
me, to give up the pernicious habit of meditation to the first
Methodist minister that would take it, and try to mix in society
somewhat as another person would.
"'_Horas non numero nisi serenas.'_ Uncle Samuel, who sits by me,
has just been reading the above motto, the inscription on a sun-dial
in Venice. It strikes me as having a distant relationship to what I
was going to say. I have come to a firm resolution to count no hours
but unclouded ones, and to let all others slip out of my memory and
reckoning as quickly as possible. . . .
"I am trying to cultivate a general spirit of kindliness towards
everybody. Instead of shrinking into a corner to notice how other
people behave, I am holding out my hand to the right and to the left,
and forming casual or incidental acquaintances with all who will be
acquainted with me. In this way I find society full of interest and
pleasure--a pleasure which pleaseth me more because it is not old and
worn out. From these friendships I expect little; therefore generally
receive more than I expect. From past friendships I have expected
everything, and must of necessity have been disappointed. The kind
words and looks and smiles I call forth by looking and smiling are not
much by themselves, but they form a very pretty flower border to the
way of life. They embellish the day or the hour as it passes, and when
they fade they only do just as you expected they would. This kind of
pleasure in acquaintanceship is new to me. I never tried it before.
When I used to meet persons, the first inquiry was, 'Have they such
and such a character, or have they anything that might possibly be of
use or harm to me?'"
It is striking, the degree of interest a letter had for her.
"Your long letter came this morning. It revived much in my heart. Just
think how glad I must have been this morning to hear from you. I was
glad. . . . I thought of it through all the vexations of school this
morning. . . . I have a letter at home; and when I came home from
school, I went leisurely over it.
"This evening I have spent in a little social party,--a dozen or so,--
and I have been zealously talking all the evening. When I came to my
cold, lonely room, there was your letter lying on the dressing-table.
It touched me with a sort of painful pleasure, for it seems to me
uncertain, improbable, that I shall ever return and find you as I have
found your letter. Oh, my dear G-----, it is scarcely well to love
friends thus. The greater part that I see cannot move me deeply. They
are present, and I enjoy them; they pass and I forget them. But those
that I love differently; those that I LOVE; and oh, how much that word
means! I feel sadly about them. They may change; they must die; they
are separated from me, and I ask myself why should I wish to love with
all the pains and penalties of such conditions? I check myself when
expressing feelings like this, so much has been said of it by the
sentimental, who talk what they could not have felt. But it is so
deeply, sincerely so in me, that sometimes it will overflow. Well,
there is a heaven,--a heaven,--a world of love, and love after all is
the life-blood, the existence, the all in all of mind."
This is the key to her whole life. She was impelled by love, and did
what she did, and wrote what she did, under the impulse of love. Never
could "Uncle Tom's Cabin" or "The Minister's Wooing" have been
written, unless by one to whom love was the "life-blood of existence,
the all in all of mind." Years afterwards Mrs. Browning was to express
this same thought in the language of poetry.
"But when a soul by choice and conscience doth
Throw out her full force on another soul,
The conscience and the concentration both
Make mere life love. For life in perfect whole
And aim consummated is love in sooth,
As nature's magnet heat rounds pole with pole."
CHAPTER III.
CINCINNATI, 1832-1836.
DR. BEECHER CALLED TO CINCINNATI.--THE WESTWARD JOURNEY.--FIRST LETTER
FROM HOME.--DESCRIPTION OF WALNUT HILLS.--STARTING A NEW SCHOOL.--
INWARD GLIMPSES.--THE SEMI-COLON CLUB.--EARLY IMPRESSIONS OF SLAVERY.
--A JOURNEY TO THE EAST.--THOUGHTS AROUSED BY FIRST VISIT TO NIAGARA.--
MARRIAGE TO PROFESSOR STOWE.
IN 1832, after having been settled for six years over the Hanover
Street Church in Boston, Dr. Beecher received and finally accepted a
most urgent call to become President of Lane Theological Seminary in
Cincinnati. This institution had been chartered in 1829, and in 1831
funds to the amount of nearly $70,000 had been promised to it provided
that Dr. Beecher accepted the presidency. It was hard for this New
England family to sever the ties of a lifetime and enter on so long a
journey to the far distant West of those days; but being fully
persuaded that their duty lay in this direction, they undertook to
perform it cheerfully and willingly. With Dr. Beecher and his wife
were to go Miss Catherine Beecher, who had conceived the scheme of
founding in Cincinnati, then considered the capital of the West, a
female college, and Harriet, who was to act as her principal
assistant. In the party were also George, who was to enter Lane as a
student, Isabella, James, the youngest son, and Miss Esther Beecher,
the "Aunt Esther" of the children.
Before making his final decision, Dr. Beecher, accompanied by his
daughter Catherine, visited Cincinnati to take a general survey of
their proposed battlefield, and their impressions of the city are
given in the following letter written by the latter to Harriet in
Boston:--
"Here we are at last at our journey's end, alive and well. We are
staying with Uncle Samuel (Foote), whose establishment I will try and
sketch for you. It is on a height in the upper part of the city, and
commands a fine view of the whole of the lower town. The city does not
impress me as being so very new. It is true everything looks neat and
clean, but it is compact, and many of the houses are of brick and very
handsomely built. The streets run at right angles to each other, and
are wide and well paved. We reached here in three days from Wheeling,
and soon felt ourselves at home. The next day father and I, with three
gentlemen, walked out to Walnut Hills. The country around the city
consists of a constant succession and variety of hills of all shapes
and sizes, forming an extensive amphitheatre. The site of the seminary
is very beautiful and picturesque, though I was disappointed to find
that both river and city are hidden by intervening hills. I never saw
a place so capable of being rendered a paradise by the improvements of
taste as the environs of this city. Walnut Hills are so elevated and
cool that people have to leave there to be sick, it is said. The
seminary is located on a farm of one hundred and twenty-five acres of
fine land, with groves of superb trees around it, about two miles from
the city. We have finally decided on the spot where our house shall
stand in case we decide to come, and you cannot (where running water
or the seashore is wanting) find another more delightful spot for a
residence. It is on an eminence, with a grove running up from the back
to the very doors, another grove across the street in front, and fine
openings through which distant hills and the richest landscapes
appear.
"I have become somewhat acquainted with those ladies we shall have the
most to do with, and find them intelligent, New England sort of folks.
Indeed, this is a New England city in all its habits, and its
inhabitants are more than half from New England. The Second Church,
which is the best in the city, will give father a unanimous call to be
their minister, with the understanding that he will give them what
time he can spare from the seminary.
"I know of no place in the world where there is so fair a prospect of
finding everything that makes social and domestic life pleasant. Uncle
John and Uncle Samuel are just the intelligent, sociable, free, and
hospitable sort of folk that everybody likes and everybody feels at
home with.
"The folks are very anxious to have a school on our plan set on foot
here. We can have fine rooms in the city college building, which is
now unoccupied, and everybody is ready to lend a helping hand. As to
father, I never saw such a field of usefulness and influence as is
offered to him here."
This, then, was the field of labor in which the next eighteen years of
the life of Mrs. Stowe were to be passed. At this time her sister Mary
was married and living in Hartford, her brothers Henry Ward and
Charles were in college, while William and Edward, already licensed to
preach, were preparing to follow their father to the West.
Mr. Beecher's preliminary journey to Cincinnati was undertaken in the
early spring of 1832, but he was not ready to remove his family until
October of that year. An interesting account of this westward journey
is given by Mrs. Stowe in a letter sent back to Hartford from
Cincinnati, as follows:--
"Well, my dear, the great sheet is out and the letter is begun. All
our family are here (in New York), and in good health.
"Father is to perform to-night in the Chatham Theatre! 'positively for
the _last_ time this season!' I don't know, I'm sure, as we shall
ever get to Pittsburgh. Father is staying here begging money for the
Biblical Literature professorship; the incumbent is to be C. Stowe.
Last night we had a call from Arthur Tappan and Mr. Eastman. Father
begged $2,000 yesterday, and now the good people are praying him to
abide certain days, as he succeeds so well. They are talking of
sending us off and keeping him here. I really dare not go and see Aunt
Esther and mother now; they were in the depths of tribulation before
at staying so long, and now,
'In the lowest depths, _another_ deep!'
Father is in high spirits. He is all in his own element,--dipping into
books; consulting authorities for his oration; going round here,
there, everywhere; begging, borrowing, and spoiling the Egyptians;
delighted with past success and confident for the future.
"Wednesday. Still in New York. I believe it would kill me dead to live
long in the way I have been doing since I have been here. It is a sort
of agreeable delirium. There's only one thing about it, it is too
_scattering._ I begin to be athirst for the waters of quietness."
[Illustration: The home at Walnut Hills, Cincinnati.]
Writing from Philadelphia, she adds:--
"Well, we did get away from New York at last, but it was through much
tribulation. The truckman carried all the family baggage to the wrong
wharf, and, after waiting and waiting on board the boat, we were
obliged to start without it, George remaining to look it up. Arrived
here late Saturday evening,--dull, drizzling weather; poor Aunt Esther
in dismay,--not a clean cap to put on,--mother in like state; all of
us destitute. We went, half to Dr. Skinner's and half to Mrs. Elmes's:
mother, Aunt Esther, father, and James to the former; Kate, Bella, and
myself to Mr. Elmes's. They are rich, hospitable folks, and act the
part of Gaius in apostolic times. . . . Our trunks came this morning.
Father stood and saw them all brought into Dr. Skinner's entry, and
then he swung his hat and gave a 'hurrah,' as any man would whose wife
had not had a clean cap or ruffle for a week. Father does not succeed
very well in opening purses here. Mr. Eastman says, however, that this
is not of much consequence. I saw to-day a notice in the
'Philadelphian' about father, setting forth how 'this distinguished
brother, with his large family, having torn themselves from the
endearing scenes of their home,' etc., etc., 'were going, like Jacob,'
etc.,--a very scriptural and appropriate flourish. It is too much
after the manner of men, or, as Paul says, speaking 'as a fool.' A
number of the pious people of this city are coming here this evening
to hold a prayer-meeting with reference to the journey and its object.
For _this_ I thank them."
From Downington she writes:--
"Here we all are,--Noah and his wife and his sons and his daughters,
with the cattle and creeping things, all dropped down in the front
parlor of this tavern, about thirty miles from Philadelphia. If to-day
is a fair specimen of our journey, it will be a very pleasant,
obliging driver, good roads, good spirits, good dinner, fine scenery,
and now and then some 'psalms and hymns and spiritual songs;' for with
George on board you may be sure of music of some kind. Moreover,
George has provided himself with a quantity of tracts, and he and the
children have kept up a regular discharge at all the wayfaring people
we encountered. I tell him he is _peppering_ the land with moral
influence.
"We are all well; all in good spirits. Just let me give you a peep
into our traveling household. Behold us, then, in the front parlor of
this country inn, all as much at home as if we were in Boston. Father
is sitting opposite to me at this table, reading; Kate is writing a
billet-doux to Mary on a sheet like this; Thomas is opposite, writing
in a little journal that he keeps; Sister Bell, too, has her little
record; George is waiting for a seat that he may produce his paper and
write. As for me, among the multitude of my present friends, my heart
still makes occasional visits to absent ones,--visits full of
pleasure, and full of cause of gratitude to Him who gives us friends.
I have thought of you often to-day, my G. We stopped this noon at a
substantial Pennsylvania tavern, and among the flowers in the garden
was a late monthly honeysuckle like the one at North Guilford. I made
a spring for it, but George secured the finest bunch, which he wore in
his buttonhole the rest of the noon.
"This afternoon, as we were traveling, we struck up and sang
'Jubilee.' It put me in mind of the time when we used to ride along
the rough North Guilford roads and make the air vocal as we went
along. Pleasant times those. Those were blue skies, and that was a
beautiful lake and noble pine-trees and rocks they were that hung over
it. But those we shall look upon 'na mair.'
"Well, my dear, there is a land where we shall not _love_ and
_leave._ Those skies shall never cease to shine, the waters of
life we shall _never_ be called upon to leave. We have here no
continuing city, but we seek one to come. In such thoughts as these I
desire ever to rest, and with such words as these let us 'comfort one
another and edify one another.'
"Harrisburg, Sunday evening. Mother, Aunt Esther, George, and the
little folks have just gathered into Kate's room, and we have just
been singing. Father has gone to preach for Mr. De Witt. To-morrow we
expect to travel sixty-two miles, and in two more days shall reach
Wheeling; there we shall take the steamboat to Cincinnati."
On the same journey George Beecher writes:--
"We had poor horses in crossing the mountains. Our average rate for
the last four days to Wheeling was forty-four miles. The journey,
which takes the mail-stage forty-eight hours, took us eight days. At
Wheeling we deliberated long whether to go on board a boat for
Cincinnati, but the prevalence of the cholera there at last decided us
to remain. While at Wheeling father preached eleven times,--nearly
every evening,--and gave them the Taylorite heresy on sin and decrees
to the highest notch; and what amused me most was to hear him
establish it from the Confession of Faith. It went high and dry,
however, above all objections, and they were delighted with it, even
the old school men, since it had not been christened 'heresy' in their
hearing. After remaining in Wheeling eight days, we chartered a stage
for Cincinnati, and started next morning.
"At Granville, Ohio, we were invited to stop and attend a protracted
meeting. Being in no great hurry to enter Cincinnati till the cholera
had left, we consented. We spent the remainder of the week there, and
I preached five times and father four. The interest was increasingly
deep and solemn each day, and when we left there were forty-five cases
of conversion in the town, besides those from the surrounding towns.
The people were astonished at the doctrine; said they never saw the
truth so plain in their lives."
Although the new-comers were cordially welcomed in Cincinnati, and
everything possible was done for their comfort and to make them feel
at home, they felt themselves to be strangers in a strange land. Their
homesickness and yearnings for New England are set forth by the
following extracts from Mrs. Stowe's answer to the first letter they
received from Hartford after leaving there:--
My dear Sister (Mary),--The Hartford letter from all and sundry has
just arrived, and after cutting all manner of capers expressive of
thankfulness, I have skipped three stairs at a time up to the study to
begin an answer. My notions of answering letters are according to the
literal sense of the word; not waiting six months and then scrawling a
lazy reply, but sitting down the moment you have read a letter, and
telling, as Dr. Woods says, "How the subject strikes you." I wish I
could be clear that the path of duty lay in talking to you this
afternoon, but as I find a loud call to consider the heels of George's
stockings, I must only write a word or two, and then resume my
darning-needle. You don't know how anxiously we all have watched for
some intelligence from Hartford. Not a day has passed when I have not
been the efficient agent in getting somebody to the post-office, and
every day my heart has sunk at the sound of "no letters." I felt a
tremor quite sufficient for a lover when I saw your handwriting once
more, so you see that in your old age you can excite quite as much
emotion as did the admirable Miss Byron in her adoring Sir Charles. I
hope the consideration and digestion of this fact will have its due
weight in encouraging you to proceed.
The fact of our having received said letter is as yet a state secret,
not to be made known till all our family circle "in full assembly
meet" at the tea-table. Then what an illumination! "How we shall be
edified and fructified," as that old Methodist said. It seems too bad
to keep it from mother and Aunt Esther a whole afternoon, but then I
have the comfort of thinking that we are consulting for their greatest
happiness "on the whole," which is metaphysical benevolence.
So kind Mrs. Parsons stopped in the very midst of her pumpkin pies to
think of us? Seems to me I can see her bright, cheerful face now! And
then those well known handwritings! We _do_ love our Hartford
friends dearly; there can be, I think, no controverting that fact.
Kate says that the word _love_ is used in _six senses_, and
I am sure in some one of them they will all come in. Well, good-by for
the present.
Evening. Having finished the last hole on George's black vest, I stick
in my needle and sit down to be sociable. You don't know how coming
away from New England has sentimentalized us all! Never was there such
an abundance of meditation on our native land, on the joys of
friendship, the pains of separation. Catherine had an alarming
paroxysm in Philadelphia which expended itself in "The Emigrant's
Farewell." After this was sent off she felt considerably relieved. My
symptoms have been of a less acute kind, but, I fear, more enduring.
There! the tea-bell rings. Too bad! I was just going to say something
bright. Now to take your letter and run! How they will stare when I
produce it!
After tea. Well, we have had a fine time. When supper was about half
over, Catherine began: "We have a dessert that we have been saving all
the afternoon," and then I held up my letter. "See here, this is from
Hartford!" I wish you could have seen Aunt Esther's eyes brighten, and
mother's pale face all in a smile, and father, as I unfolded the
letter and began. Mrs. Parsons's notice of her Thanksgiving
predicament caused just a laugh, and then one or two sighs (I told you
we were growing sentimental!). We did talk some of keeping it
(Thanksgiving), but perhaps we should all have felt something of the
text, "How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?" Your
praises of Aunt Esther I read twice in an audible voice, as the
children made some noise the first time. I think I detected a visible
blush, though she found at that time a great deal to do in spreading
bread and butter for James, and shuffling his plate; and, indeed, it
was rather a vehement attack on her humility, since it gave her at
least "angelic perfection," if not "Adamic" (to use Methodist
technics). Jamie began his Sunday-school career yesterday. The
superintendent asked him how old he was. "I'm four years old now, and
when _it snows very hard_ I shall be five," he answered. I have
just been trying to make him interpret his meaning; but he says, "Oh,
I said so because I could not think of anything else to say." By the
by, Mary, speaking of the temptations of cities, I have much
solicitude on Jamie's account lest he should form improper intimacies,
for yesterday or day before we saw him parading by the house with his
arm over the neck of a great hog, apparently on the most amicable
terms possible; and the other day he actually got upon the back of
one, and rode some distance. So much for allowing these animals to
promenade the streets, a particular in which Mrs. Cincinnati has
imitated the domestic arrangements of some of her elder sisters, and a
very disgusting one it is.
Our family physician is one Dr. Drake, a man of a good deal of
science, theory, and reputed skill, but a sort of general mark for the
opposition of all the medical cloth of the city. He is a tall,
rectangular, perpendicular sort of a body, as stiff as a poker, and
enunciates his prescriptions very much as though he were delivering a
discourse on the doctrine of election. The other evening he was
detained from visiting Kate, and he sent a very polite, ceremonious
note containing a prescription, with Dr. D.'s compliments to Miss
Beecher, requesting that she would take the inclosed in a little
molasses at nine o'clock precisely.
The house we are at present inhabiting is the most inconvenient, ill-
arranged, good-for-nothing, and altogether to be execrated affair that
ever was put together. It was evidently built without a thought of a
winter season. The kitchen is so disposed that it cannot be reached
from any part of the house without going out into the air. Mother is
actually obliged to put on a bonnet and cloak every time she goes into
it. In the house are two parlors with folding doors between them. The
back parlor has but one window, which opens on a veranda and has its
lower half painted to keep out what little light there is. I need
scarcely add that our landlord is an old bachelor and of course acted
up to the light he had, though he left little enough of it for his
tenants.
During this early Cincinnati life Harriet suffered much from ill-
health accompanied by great mental depression; but in spite of both
she labored diligently with her sister Catherine in establishing their
school. They called it the Western Female Institute, and proposed to
conduct it upon the college plan, with a faculty of instructors. As
all these things are treated at length in letters written by Mrs.
Stowe to her friend, Miss Georgiana May, we cannot do better than turn
to them. In May, 1833, she writes:--
"Bishop Purcell visited our school to-day and expressed himself as
greatly pleased that we had opened such an one here. He spoke of my
poor little geography, [Footnote: This geography was begun by Mrs.
Stowe during the summer of 1832, while visiting her brother William at
Newport, R. I. It was completed during the winter of 1833, and
published by the firm of Corey, Fairbank & Webster, of Cincinnati.]
and thanked me for the unprejudiced manner in which I had handled the
Catholic question in it. I was of course flattered that he should have
known anything of the book.
"How I wish you could see Walnut Hills. It is about two miles from the
city, and the road to it is as picturesque as you can imagine a road
to be without 'springs that run among the hills.' Every possible
variety of hill and vale of beautiful slope, and undulations of land
set off by velvet richness of turf and broken up by groves and forests
of every outline of foliage, make the scene Arcadian. You might ride
over the same road a dozen times a day untired, for the constant
variation of view caused by ascending and descending hills relieves
you from all tedium. Much of the wooding is beech of a noble growth.
The straight, beautiful shafts of these trees as one looks up the cool
green recesses of the woods seems as though they might form very
proper columns for a Dryad temple. _There_! Catherine is growling
at _me_ for sitting up so late; so 'adieu to music, moonlight,
and you.' I meant to tell you an abundance of classical things that I
have been thinking to-night, but 'woe's me.'
"Since writing the above my whole time has been taken up in the labor
of our new school, or wasted in the fatigue and lassitude following
such labor. To-day is Sunday, and I am staying at home because I think
it is time to take some efficient means to dissipate the illness and
bad feelings of divers kinds that have for some time been growing upon
me. At present there is and can be very little system or regularity
about me. About half of my time I am scarcely alive, and a great part
of the rest the slave and sport of morbid feeling and unreasonable
prejudice. I have everything but good health.
"I still rejoice that this letter will find you in good old
Connecticut--thrice blessed--'oh, had I the wings of a dove' I would
be there too. Give my love to Mary H. I remember well how gently she
used to speak to and smile on that forlorn old daddy that boarded at
your house one summer. It was associating with her that first put into
my head the idea of saying something to people who were not agreeable,
and of saying something when I had nothing to say, as is generally the
case on such occasions."
Again she writes to the same friend: "Your letter, my dear G., I have
just received, and read through three times. Now for my meditations
upon it. What a woman of the world you are grown. How good it would be
for me to be put into a place which so breaks up and precludes
thought. Thought, intense emotional thought, has been my disease. How
much good it might do me to be where I could not but be thoughtless. . . .
"Now, Georgiana, let me copy for your delectation a list of matters
that I have jotted down for consideration at a teachers' meeting to be
held to-morrow night. It runneth as follows. Just hear! 'About quills
and paper on the floor; forming classes; drinking in the entry (cold
water, mind you); giving leave to speak; recess-bell, etc., etc.' 'You
are tired, I see,' says Gilpin, 'so am I,' and I spare you.
"I have just been hearing a class of little girls recite, and telling
them a fairy story which I had to spin out as it went along, beginning
with 'once upon a time there was,' etc., in the good old-fashioned way
of stories.
"Recently I have been reading the life of Madame de Stael
and 'Corinne.' I have felt an intense sympathy with many parts of that
book, with many parts of her character. But in America feelings
vehement and absorbing like hers become still more deep, morbid, and
impassioned by the constant habits of self-government which the rigid
forms of our society demand. They are repressed, and they burn
inwardly till they burn the very soul, leaving only dust and ashes. It
seems to me the intensity with which my mind has thought and felt on
every subject presented to it has had this effect. It has withered and
exhausted it, and though young I have no sympathy with the feelings of
youth. All that is enthusiastic, all that is impassioned in admiration
of nature, of writing, of character, in devotional thought and
emotion, or in the emotions of affection, I have felt with vehement
and absorbing intensity,--felt till my mind is exhausted, and seems to
be sinking into deadness. Half of my time I am glad to remain in a
listless vacancy, to busy myself with trifles, since thought is pain,
and emotion is pain."
During the winter of 1833-34 the young school-teacher became so
distressed at her own mental listlessness that she made a vigorous
effort to throw it off. She forced herself to mingle in society, and,
stimulated by the offer of a prize of fifty dollars by Mr. James Hall,
editor of the "Western Monthly," a newly established magazine, for the
best short story, she entered into the competition. Her story, which
was entitled "Uncle Lot," afterwards republished in the "May-flower,"
was by far the best submitted, and was awarded the prize without
hesitation. This success gave a new direction to her thoughts, gave
her an insight into her own ability, and so encouraged her that from
that time on she devoted most of her leisure moments to writing.
Her literary efforts were further stimulated at this time by the
congenial society of the Semi-Colon Club, a little social circle that
met on alternate weeks at Mr. Samuel Foote's and Dr. Drake's. The name
of the club originated with a roundabout and rather weak bit of logic
set forth by one of its promoters. He said: "You know that in Spanish
Columbus is called 'Colon.' Now he who discovers a new pleasure is
certainly half as great as he who discovers a new continent. Therefore
if Colon discovered a continent, we who have discovered in this club a
new pleasure should at least be entitled to the name of 'Semi-
Colons.'" So Semi-Colons they became and remained for some years.
At some meetings compositions were read, and at others nothing was
read, but the time was passed in a general discussion of some
interesting topic previously announced. Among the members of the club
were Professor Stowe, unsurpassed in Biblical learning; Judge James
Hall, editor of the "Western Monthly;" General Edward King; Mrs.
Peters, afterwards founder of the Philadelphia School of Design; Miss
Catherine Beecher; Mrs. Caroline Lee Hentz; E. P. Cranch; Dr. Drake;
S. P. Chase, and many others who afterwards became prominent in their
several walks of life.
In one of her letters to Miss May, Mrs. Stowe describes one of her
methods for entertaining the members of the Semi-Colon as follows:--
"I am wondering as to what I shall do next. I have been writing a
piece to be read next Monday evening at Uncle Sam's soiree (the Semi-
Colon). It is a letter purporting to be from Dr. Johnson. I have been
stilting about in his style so long that it is a relief to me to come
down to the jog of common english. Now I think of it I will just give
you a history of my campaign in this circle.
"My first piece was a letter from Bishop Butler, written in his
outrageous style of parentheses and foggification. My second a
satirical essay on the modern uses of languages. This I shall send to
you, as some of the gentlemen, it seems, took a fancy to it and
requested leave to put it in the 'Western Magazine,' and so it is in
print. It is ascribed to _Catherine_, or I don't know that I
should have let it go. I have no notion of appearing in _propria
personce_.
"The next piece was a satire on certain members who were getting very
much into the way of joking on the worn-out subjects of matrimony and
old maid and old bachelorism. I therefore wrote a set of legislative
enactments purporting to be from the ladies of the society, forbidding
all such allusions in future. It made some sport at the time. I try
not to be personal, and to be courteous, even in satire.
"But I have written a piece this week that is making me some disquiet.
I did not like it that there was so little that was serious and
rational about the reading. So I conceived the design of writing a
_set of letters_, and throwing them in, as being the letters of a
friend. I wrote a letter this week for the first of the set,--easy,
not very sprightly,--describing an imaginary situation, a house in the
country, a gentleman and lady, Mr. and Mrs. Howard, as being pious,
literary, and agreeable. I threw into the letter a number of little
particulars and incidental allusions to give it the air of having been
really a letter. I meant thus to give myself an opportunity for the
introduction of different subjects and the discussion of different
characters in future letters.
"I meant to write on a great number of subjects in future. Cousin
Elisabeth, only, was in the secret; Uncle Samuel and Sarah Elliot were
not to know.
"Yesterday morning I finished my letter, smoked it to make it look
yellow, tore it to make it look old, directed it and scratched out the
direction, postmarked it with red ink, sealed it and broke the seal,
all this to give credibility to the fact of its being a real letter.
Then I inclosed it in an envelope, stating that it was a part of a
_set_ which had incidentally fallen into my hands. This envelope
was written in a scrawny, scrawly, gentleman's hand.
"I put it into the office in the morning, directed to 'Mrs. Samuel E.
Foote,' and then sent word to Sis that it was coming, so that she
might be ready to enact the part.
"Well, the deception took. Uncle Sam examined it and pronounced, _ex
cathedra_, that it must have been a real letter. Mr. Greene (the
gentleman who reads) declared that it must have come from Mrs. Hall,
and elucidated the theory by spelling out the names and dates which I
had erased, which, of course, he accommodated to his own tastes. But
then, what makes me feel uneasy is that Elisabeth, after reading it,
did not seem to be exactly satisfied. She thought it had too much
sentiment, too much particularity of incident,--she did not exactly
know what. She was afraid that it would be criticised unmercifully.
Now Elisabeth has a tact and quickness of perception that I trust to,
and her remarks have made me uneasy enough. I am unused to being
criticised, and don't know how I shall bear it."
In 1833 Mrs. Stowe first had the subject of slavery brought to her
personal notice by taking a trip across the river from Cincinnati into
Kentucky in company with Miss Dutton, one of the associate teachers in
the Western Institute. They visited an estate that afterwards figured
as that of Colonel Shelby in "Uncle Tom's Cabin," and here the young
authoress first came into personal contact with the negro slaves of
the South. In speaking, many years afterwards, of this visit, Miss
Dutton said: "Harriet did not seem to notice anything in particular
that happened, but sat much of the time as though abstracted in
thought. When the negroes did funny things and cut up capers, she did
not seem to pay the slightest attention to them. Afterwards, however,
in reading 'Uncle Tom,' I recognized scene after scene of that visit
portrayed with the most minute fidelity, and knew at once where the
material for that portion of the story had been gathered."
At this time, however, Mrs. Stowe was more deeply interested in the
subject of education than in that of slavery, as is shown by the
following extract from one of her letters to Miss May, who was herself
a teacher. She says:--
"We mean to turn over the West by means of _model schools_ in
this, its capital. We mean to have a young lady's school of about
fifty or sixty, a primary school of little girls to the same amount,
and then a primary school for _boys_. We have come to the
conclusion that the work of teaching will never be rightly done till
it passes into _female_ hands. This is especially true with
regard to boys. To govern boys by moral influences requires tact and
talent and versatility; it requires also the same division of labor
that female education does. But men of tact, versatility, talent, and
piety will not devote their lives to teaching. They must be ministers
and missionaries, and all that, and while there is such a thrilling
call for action in this way, every man who is merely teaching feels as
if he were a Hercules with a distaff, ready to spring to the first
trumpet that calls him away. As for division of labor, men must have
salaries that can support wife and family, and, of course, a revenue
would be required to support a requisite number of teachers if they
could be found.
"Then, if men have more knowledge they have less talent at
communicating it, nor have they the patience, the long-suffering, and
gentleness necessary to superintend the formation of character. We
intend to make these principles understood, and ourselves to set the
example of what females can do in this way. You see that first-rate
talent is necessary for all that we mean to do, especially for the
last, because here we must face down the prejudices of society and we
must have exemplary success to be believed. We want original, planning
minds, and you do not know how few there are among females, and how
few we can command of those that exist."
During the summer of 1834 the young teacher and writer made her first
visit East since leaving New England two years before. Its object was
mainly to be present at the graduation of her favorite brother, Henry
Ward, from Amherst College. The earlier part of this journey was
performed by means of stage to Toledo, and thence by steamer to
Buffalo. A pleasant bit of personal description, and also of
impressions of Niagara, seen for the first time on this journey, are
given in a letter sent back to Cincinnati during its progress. In it
she says of her fellow-travelers:--
"Then there was a portly, rosy, clever Mr. Smith, or Jones, or
something the like; and a New Orleans girl looking like distraction,
as far as dress is concerned, but with the prettiest language and
softest intonations in the world, and one of those faces which, while
you say it isn't handsome, keeps you looking all the time to see what
it can be that is so pretty about it. Then there was Miss B., an
independent, good-natured, do-as-I-please sort of a body, who seemed
of perpetual motion from morning till night. Poor Miss D. said, when
we stopped at night, 'Oh, dear! I suppose Lydia will be fiddling about
our room till morning, and we shall not one of us sleep.' Then, by way
of contrast, there was a Mr. Mitchell, the most gentlemanly, obliging
man that ever changed his seat forty times a day to please a lady. Oh,
yes, he could ride outside,---or, oh, certainly, he could ride
inside,--he had no objection to this, or that, or the other. Indeed,
it was difficult to say what could come amiss to him. He speaks in a
soft, quiet manner, with something of a drawl, using very correct,
well-chosen language, and pronouncing all his words with carefulness;
has everything in his dress and traveling appointments comme il
faut_; and seems to think there is abundant time for everything
that is to be done in this world, without, as he says, 'any
unnecessary excitement.' Before the party had fully discovered his
name he was usually designated as 'the obliging gentleman,' or 'that
gentleman who is so accommodating.' Yet our friend, withal, is of
Irish extraction, and I have seen him roused to talk with both hands
and a dozen words in a breath. He fell into a little talk about
abolition and slavery with our good Mr. Jones, a man whose mode of
reasoning consists in repeating the same sentence at regular intervals
as long as you choose to answer it. This man, who was finally
convinced that negroes were black, used it as an irrefragible argument
to all that could be said, and at last began to deduce from it that
they might just as well be slaves as anything else, and so he
proceeded till all the philanthropy of our friend was roused, and he
sprung up all lively and oratorical and gesticulatory and indignant to
my heart's content. I like to see a quiet man that can be roused."
In the same letter she gives her impressions of Niagara, as follows :--
"I have seen it (Niagara) and yet live. Oh, where is your soul? Never
mind, though. Let me tell, if I can, what is unutterable. Elisabeth,
it is not _like_ anything; it did not look like anything I
expected; it did not look like a waterfall. I did not once think
whether it was high or low; whether it roared or didn't roar; whether
it equaled my expectations or not. My mind whirled off, it seemed to
me, in a new, strange world. It seemed unearthly, like the strange,
dim images in the Revelation. I thought of the great white throne; the
rainbow around it; the throne in sight like unto an emerald; and oh
that beautiful water rising like moonlight, falling as the soul sinks
when it dies, to rise refined, spiritualized, and pure. That rainbow,
breaking out, trembling, fading, and again coming like a beautiful
spirit walking the waters. Oh, it is lovelier than it is great; it is
like the Mind that made it: great, but so veiled in beauty that we
gaze without terror. I felt as if I could have _gone over_ with
the waters; it would be so beautiful a death; there would be no fear
in it. I felt the rock tremble under me with a sort of joy. I was so
maddened that I could have gone too, if it had gone."
While at the East she was greatly affected by hearing of the death of
her dear friend, Eliza Tyler, the wife of Professor Stowe. This lady
was the daughter of Dr. Bennett Tyler, president of the Theological
Institute of Connecticut, at East Windsor; but twenty-five years of
age at the time of her death, a very beautiful woman gifted with a
wonderful voice. She was also possessed of a well-stored mind and a
personal magnetism that made her one of the most popular members of
the Semi-Colon Club, in the proceedings of which she took an active
interest.
Her death left Professor Stowe a childless widower, and his forlorn
condition greatly excited the sympathy of her who had been his wife's
most intimate friend. It was easy for sympathy to ripen into love, and
after a short engagement Harriet E. Beecher became the wife of
Professor Calvin E. Stowe.
Her last act before the wedding was to write the following note to the
friend of her girlhood, Miss Georgiana May:--
_January_ 6, 1836.
Well, my dear G., about half an hour more and your old friend,
companion, schoolmate, sister, etc., will cease to be Hatty Beecher
and change to nobody knows who. My dear, you are engaged, and pledged
in a year or two to encounter a similar fate, and do you wish to know
how you shall feel? Well, my dear, I have been dreading and dreading
the time, and lying awake all last week wondering how I should live
through this overwhelming crisis, and lo! it has come and I feel
_nothing at all_.
The wedding is to be altogether domestic; nobody present but my own
brothers and sisters, and my old colleague, Mary Dutton; and as there
is a sufficiency of the ministry in our family we have not even to
call in the foreign aid of a minister. Sister Katy is not here, so she
will not witness my departure from her care and guidance to that of
another. None of my numerous friends and acquaintances who have taken
such a deep interest in making the connection for me even know the
day, and it will be all done and over before they know anything about
it.
Well, it is really a mercy to have this entire stupidity come over one
at such a time. I should be crazy to feel as I did yesterday, or
indeed to feel anything at all. But I inwardly vowed that my last
feelings and reflections on this subject should be yours, and as I
have not got any, it is just as well to tell you _that_. Well,
here comes Mr. S., so farewell, and for the last time I subscribe,
Your own H. E. B.
CHAPTER IV.
EARLY MARRIED LIFE, 1836-1840.
PROFESSOR STOWE'S INTEREST IN POPULAR EDUCATION.--HIS DEPARTURE FOR
EUROPE.--SLAVERY RIOTS IN CINCINNATI.--BIRTH OF TWIN DAUGHTERS.--
PROFESSOR STOWE'S RETURN AND VISIT TO COLUMBUS.--DOMESTIC TRIALS.--
AIDING A FUGITIVE SLAVE.--AUTHORSHIP UNDER DIFFICULTIES.--A BEECHER
ROUND ROBIN.
The letter to her friend Georgiana May, begun half an hour before her
wedding, was not completed until nearly two months after that event.
Taking it from her portfolio, she adds:--
"Three weeks have passed since writing the above, and my husband and
self are now quietly seated by our own fireside, as domestic as any
pair of tame fowl you ever saw; he writing to his mother, and I to
you. Two days after our marriage we took a wedding excursion, so
called, though we would most gladly have been excused this conformity
to ordinary custom had not necessity required Mr. Stowe to visit
Columbus, and I had too much adhesiveness not to go too. Ohio roads at
this season are no joke, I can tell you, though we were, on the whole,
wonderfully taken care of, and our expedition included as many
pleasures as an expedition at this time of the year _ever_ could.
"And now, my dear, perhaps the wonder to you, as to me, is how this
momentous crisis in the life of such a wisp of nerve as myself has
been transacted so quietly. My dear, it is a wonder to myself. I am
tranquil, quiet, and happy. I look _only_ on the present, and
leave the future with Him who has hitherto been so kind to me. 'Take
no thought for the morrow' is my motto, and my comfort is to rest on
Him in whose house there are many mansions provided when these
fleeting earthly ones pass away.
"Dear Georgy, naughty girl that I am, it is a month that I have let
the above lie by, because I got into a strain of emotion in it that I
dreaded to return to. Well, so it shall be no longer. In about five
weeks Mr. Stowe and myself start for New England. He sails the first
of May. I am going with him to Boston, New York, and other places, and
shall stop finally at Hartford, whence, as soon as he is gone, it is
my intention to return westward."
This reference to her husband as about to leave her relates to his
sailing for Europe to purchase books for Lane Seminary, and also as a
commissioner appointed by the State of Ohio to investigate the public
school systems of the old world. He had long been convinced that
higher education was impossible in the West without a higher grade of
public schools, and had in 1833 been one of the founders in Cincinnati
of "The College of Teachers," an institution that existed for ten
years, and exerted a widespread influence. Its objects were to
popularize the common schools, raise the standard of teachers, and
create a demand for education among the people. Professor Stowe was
associated in this movement with many of the leading intellects of
Ohio at that time, and among them were Albert Pickett, Dr. Drake,
Smith Grimke, Archbishop Purcell, President A. H. McGuffey, Dr.
Beecher, Lydia Sigourney, Caroline Lee Hentz, and others. Their
influence finally extended to the state legislature, and it was
concluded to authorize Professor Stowe, when abroad, to investigate
and report upon the common school systems of Europe, especially
Prussia.
He sailed from New York for London in the ship Montreal, Captain
Champlin, on June 8, 1836, and carried with him, to be opened only
after he was at sea, a letter from his wife, from which the following
extract is made:--
"Now, my dear, that you are gone where you are out of the reach of my
care, advice, and good management, it is fitting that you should have
something under my hand and seal for your comfort and furtherance in
the new world you are going to. Firstly, I must caution you to set
your face as a flint against the 'cultivation of indigo,' as Elisabeth
calls it, in any way or shape. Keep yourself from it most
scrupulously, and though you are unprovided with that precious and
savory treatise entitled 'Kemper's Consolations,' [Footnote: A
ridiculous book from which Mr. Stowe derived endless amusement.] yet
you can exercise yourself to recall and set in order such parts
thereof as would more particularly suit your case, particularly those
portions wherewith you so much consoled Kate, Aunt Esther, and your
unworthy handmaid, while you yet tarried at Walnut Hills. But
seriously, dear one, you must give more way to hope than to memory.
You are going to a new scene now, and one that I hope will be full of
enjoyment to you. I want you to take the good of it.
"Only think of all you expect to see: the great libraries and
beautiful paintings, fine churches, and, above all, think of seeing
Tholuck, your great Apollo. My dear, I wish I were a man in your
place; if I wouldn't have a grand time!"
During her husband's absence abroad Mrs. Stowe lived quietly in
Cincinnati with her father and brothers. She wrote occasionally short
stories, articles, and essays for publication in the "Western Monthly
Magazine" or the "New York Evangelist," and maintained a constant
correspondence with her husband by means of a daily journal, which was
forwarded to him once a month. She also assisted her brother, Henry
Ward, who had accepted a temporary position as editor of the
"Journal," a small daily paper published in the city.
At this time the question of slavery was an exciting one in
Cincinnati, and Lane Seminary had become a hotbed of abolition. The
anti-slavery movement among the students was headed by Theodore D.
Weld, one of their number, who had procured funds to complete his
education by lecturing through the South. While thus engaged he had
been so impressed with the evils and horrors of slavery that he had
become a radical abolitionist, and had succeeded in converting several
Southerners to his views of the subject. Among them was Mr. J. G.
Birney of Huntsville, Alabama, who not only liberated his slaves, but
in connection with Dr. Gamaliel Bailey of Cincinnati founded in that
city an anti-slavery paper called "The Philanthropist." This paper was
finally suppressed, and its office wrecked by a mob instigated by
Kentucky slaveholders, and it is of this event that Mrs. Stowe writes
to her husband as follows:--
"Yesterday evening I spent scribbling for Henry's newspaper (the
'Journal') in this wise: 'Birney's printing-press has been mobbed, and
many of the respectable citizens are disposed to wink at the outrage
in consideration of its moving in the line of their prejudices.'
"I wrote a conversational sketch, in which I rather satirized this
inconsistent spirit, and brought out the effects of patronizing
_any_ violation of private rights. It was in a light, sketchy
style, designed to draw attention to a long editorial of Henry's in
which he considers the subject fully and seriously. His piece is, I
think, a powerful one; indeed, he does write very strongly. I am quite
proud of his editorials; they are well studied, earnest, and
dignified. I think he will make a first-rate writer. Both our pieces
have gone to press to-day, with Charles's article on music, and we
have had not a little diversion about our _family newspaper_.
"I thought, when I was writing last night, that I was, like a good
wife, defending one of your principles in your absence, and wanted you
to see how manfully I talked about it. Henry has also taken up and
examined the question of the Seminole Indians, and done it very
nobly."
Again:--
"The excitement about Birney continues to increase. The keeper of the
Franklin Hotel was assailed by a document subscribed to by many of his
boarders demanding that Birney should be turned out of doors. He chose
to negative the demand, and twelve of his boarders immediately left,
Dr. F. among the number. A meeting has been convoked by means of a
handbill, in which some of the most respectable men of the city are
invited by name to come together and consider the question whether
they will allow Mr. Birney to continue his paper in the city. Mr.
Greene says that, to his utter surprise, many of the most respectable
and influential citizens gave out that they should go.
"He was one of the number they invited, but he told those who came to
him that he would have nothing to do with disorderly public meetings
or mobs in any shape, and that he was entirely opposed to the whole
thing.
"I presume they will have a hot meeting, if they have any at all.
"I wish father were at home to preach a sermon to his church, for many
of its members do not frown on these things as they ought."
"Later: The meeting was held, and was headed by Morgan, Neville, Judge
Burke, and I know not who else. Judge Burnet was present and consented
to their acts. The mob madness is certainly upon this city when men of
sense and standing will pass resolutions approving in so many words of
things done contrary to law, as one of the resolutions of this meeting
did. It quoted the demolition of the tea in Boston harbor as being
authority and precedent.
"A large body, perhaps the majority of citizens, disapprove, but I
fear there will not be public disavowal. Even N. Wright but faintly
opposes, and Dr. Fore has been exceedingly violent. Mr. Hammond
(editor of the 'Gazette') in a very dignified and judicious manner has
condemned the whole thing, and Henry has opposed, but otherwise the
papers have either been silent or in favor of mobs. We shall see what
the result will be in a few days.
"For my part, I can easily see how such proceedings may make converts
to abolitionism, for already my sympathies are strongly enlisted for
Mr. Birney, and I hope that he will stand his ground and assert his
rights. The office is fire-proof, and inclosed by high walls. I wish
he would man it with armed men and see what can be done. If I were a
man I would go, for one, and take good care of at least one window.
Henry sits opposite me writing a most valiant editorial, and tells me
to tell you he is waxing mighty in battle."
In another letter she writes:--
"I told you in my last that the mob broke into Birney's press, where,
however, the mischief done was but slight. The object appeared to be
principally to terrify. Immediately there followed a general
excitement in which even good men in their panic and prejudice about
abolitionism forgot that mobs were worse evils than these, talked
against Birney, and winked at the outrage; N. Wright and Judge Burnet,
for example. Meanwhile the turbulent spirits went beyond this and
talked of revolution and of righting things without law that could not
be righted by it. At the head of these were Morgan, Neville,
Longworth, Joseph Graham, and Judge Burke. A meeting was convoked at
Lower Market Street to decide whether they would permit the publishing
of an abolition paper, and to this meeting able citizens were by name
summoned.
"There were four classes in the city then: Those who meant to go as
revolutionists and support the mob; those who meant to put down
Birney, but rather hoped to do it without a mob; those who felt
ashamed to go, foreseeing the probable consequence, and yet did not
decidedly frown upon it; and those who sternly and decidedly
reprehended it.
"The first class was headed by Neville, Longworth, Graham, etc.; the
second class, though of some numbers, was less conspicuous; of the
third, Judge Burnet, Dr. Fore, and N. Wright were specimens; and in
the last such men as Hammond, Mansfield, S. P. Chase, [Footnote:
Salmon P. Chase.] and Chester were prominent. The meeting in so many
words voted a mob, nevertheless a committee was appointed to wait on
Mr. Birney and ascertain what he proposed to do; and, strange to tell,
men as sensible as Uncle John and Judge Burnet were so short-sighted
as to act on that committee.
"All the newspapers in the city, except Hammond's ('Gazette') and
Henry's (the 'Journal'), were either silent or openly 'mobocratic.' As
might have been expected, Birney refused to leave, and that night the
mob tore down his press, scattered the types, dragged the whole to the
river, threw it in, and then came back to demolish the office.
"They then went to the houses of Dr. Bailey, Mr. Donaldson, and Mr.
Birney; but the persons they sought were not at home, having been
aware of what was intended. The mayor was a silent spectator of these
proceedings, and was heard to say, 'Well, lads, you have done well, so
far; go home now before you disgrace yourselves;' but the 'lads' spent
the rest of the night and a greater part of the next day (Sunday) in
pulling down the houses of inoffensive and respectable blacks. The
'Gazette' office was threatened, the 'Journal' office was to go next;
Lane Seminary and the water-works also were mentioned as probable
points to be attacked by the mob.
"By Tuesday morning the city was pretty well alarmed. A regular corps
of volunteers was organized, who for three nights patrolled the
streets with firearms and with legal warrant from the mayor, who by
this time was glad to give it, to put down the mob even by bloodshed.
"For a day or two we did not know but there would actually be war to
the knife, as was threatened by the mob, and we really saw Henry
depart with his pistols with daily alarm, only we were all too full of
patriotism not to have sent every brother we had rather than not have
had the principles of freedom and order defended.
"But here the tide turned. The mob, unsupported by a now frightened
community, slunk into their dens and were still; and then Hammond,
who, during the few days of its prevalence, had made no comments, but
published simply the Sermon on the Mount, the Constitution of Ohio,
and the Declaration of Independence, without any comment, now came out
and gave a simple, concise history of the mob, tracing it to the
market-house meeting, telling the whole history of the meeting, with
the names of those who got it up, throwing on them and on those who
had acted on the committee the whole responsibility of the following
mob. It makes a terrible sensation, but it 'cuts its way,' and all who
took other stand than that of steady opposition from the first are
beginning to feel the reaction of public sentiment, while newspapers
from abroad are pouring in their reprehensions of the disgraceful
conduct of Cincinnati. Another time, I suspect, such men as Judge
Burnet, Mr. Greene, and Uncle John will keep their fingers out of such
a trap, and people will all learn better than to wink at a mob that
happens to please them at the outset, or in any way to give it their
countenance. Mr. Greene and Uncle John were full of wrath against
mobs, and would not go to the meeting, and yet were cajoled into
acting on that committee in the vain hope of getting Birney to go away
and thus preventing the outrage.
"They are justly punished, I think, for what was very irresolute and
foolish conduct, to say the least."
The general tone of her letters at this tune would seem to show that,
while Mrs. Stowe was anti-slavery in her sympathies, she was not a
declared abolitionist. This is still further borne out in a letter
written in 1837 from Putnam, Ohio, whither she had gone for a short
visit to her brother William. In it she says:--
"The good people here, you know, are about half abolitionists. A lady
who takes a leading part in the female society in this place yesterday
called and brought Catherine the proceedings of the Female Anti-
Slavery Convention.
"I should think them about as ultra as to measures as anything that
has been attempted, though I am glad to see a better spirit than marks
such proceedings generally.
"To-day I read some in Mr. Birney's 'Philanthropist.' Abolitionism
being the fashion here, it is natural to look at its papers.
"It does seem to me that there needs to be an _intermediate_
society. If not, as light increases, all the excesses of the abolition
party will not prevent humane and conscientious men from joining it.
"Pray what is there in Cincinnati to satisfy one whose mind is
awakened on this subject? No one can have the system of slavery
brought before him without an irrepressible desire to _do_
something, and what is there to be done?"
On September 29, 1836, while Professor Stowe was still absent in
Europe, his wife gave birth to twin daughters, Eliza and Isabella, as
she named them; but Eliza Tyler and Harriet Beecher, as her husband
insisted they should be called, when, upon reaching New York, he was
greeted by the joyful news. His trip from London in the ship Gladiator
had been unusually long, even for those days of sailing vessels, and
extended from November 19, 1836, to January 20, 1837.
During the summer of 1837 Mrs. Stowe suffered much from ill health, on
which account, and to relieve her from domestic cares, she was sent to
make a long visit at Putnam with her brother, Rev. William Beecher.
While here she received a letter from her husband, in which he says:--
"We all of course feel proper indignation at the doings of last
General Assembly, and shall treat them with merited contempt. This
alliance between the old school (Presbyterians) and slaveholders will
make more abolitionists than anything that has been done yet."
In December Professor Stowe went to Columbus with the extended
educational report that he had devoted the summer to preparing; and in
writing from there to his wife he says:--
"To-day I have been visiting the governor and legislators. They
received me with the utmost kindness, and are evidently anticipating
much from my report. The governor communicated it to the legislature
to-day, and it is concluded that I read it in Dr. Hodges' church on
two evenings, to-morrow and the day after, before both houses of the
legislature and the citizens. The governor (Vance) will preside at
both meetings. I like him (the governor) much. He is just such a
plain, simple-hearted, sturdy body as old Fritz (Kaiser Frederick),
with more of natural talent than his predecessor in the gubernatorial
chair. For my year's work in this matter I am to receive $500."
On January 14, 1838, Mrs. Stowe's third child, Henry Ellis, was born.
It was about this time that the famous reunion of the Beecher family
described in Lyman Beecher's "Autobiography" occurred. Edward made a
visit to the East, and when he returned he brought Mary (Mrs. Thomas
Perkins) from Hartford with him. William came down from Putnam, Ohio,
and George from Batavia, New York, while Catherine, Harriet, Henry,
Charles, Isabella, Thomas, and James were already at home. It was the
first time they had ever all met together. Mary had never seen James,
and had seen Thomas but once. The old doctor was almost transported
with joy as they all gathered about him, and his eup of happiness was
filled to overflowing when, the next day, which was Sunday, his pulpit
was filled by Edward in the morning, William in the after-noon, and
George in the evening.
Side by side with this charming picture we have another of domestic
life outlined by Mrs. Stowe's own hand. It is contained in the
following letter, written June 21, 1838, to Miss May, at New Haven,
Conn.:--
MY DEAR, DEAR GEORGIANA,--Only think how long it is since I have
written to you, and how changed I am since then--the mother of three
children! Well, if I have not kept the reckoning of old times, let
this last circumstance prove my apology, for I have been hand, heart,
and head full since I saw you.
"Now, to-day, for example, I'll tell you what I had on my mind from
dawn to dewy eve. In the first place I waked about half after four and
thought, 'Bless me, how light it is! I must get out of bed and rap to
wake up Mina, for breakfast must be had at six o'clock this morning.'
So out of bed I jump and seize the tongs and pound, pound, pound over
poor Mina's sleepy head, charitably allowing her about half an hour to
get waked up in,--that being the quantum of time that it takes me,--or
used to. Well, then baby wakes--quâ, quâ, quâ, so I give him his
breakfast, dozing meanwhile and soliloquizing as follows: "Now I must
not forget to tell Mr. Stowe about the starch and dried apples"--doze--
"ah, um, dear me! why doesn't Mina get up? I don't hear her,"
--doze--"a, um,--I wonder if Mina has soap enough! I think there were
two bars left on Saturday"--doze again--I wake again. "Dear me, broad
daylight! I must get up and go down and see if Mina is getting
breakfast." Up I jump and up wakes baby. "Now, little boy, be good and
let mother dress, because she is in a hurry." I get my frock half on
and baby by that time has kicked himself down off his pillow, and is
crying and fisting the bed-clothes in great order. I stop with one
sleeve off and one on to settle matters with him. Having planted him
bolt upright and gone all up and down the chamber barefoot to get
pillows and blankets, to prop him up, I finish putting my frock on and
hurry down to satisfy myself by actual observation that the breakfast
is in progress. Then back I come into the nursery, where, remembering
that it is washing day and that there is a great deal of work to be
done, I apply myself vigorously to sweeping, dusting, and the setting
to rights so necessary where there are three little mischiefs always
pulling down as fast as one can put up.
"Then there are Miss H---- and Miss E----, concerning whom Mary will
furnish you with all suitable particulars, who are chattering,
hallooing, or singing at the tops of their voices, as may suit their
various states of mind, while the nurse is getting their breakfast
ready. This meal being cleared away, Mr. Stowe dispatched to market
with various memoranda of provisions, etc., and the baby being washed
and dressed, I begin to think what next must be done. I start to cut
out some little dresses, have just calculated the length and got one
breadth torn off when Master Henry makes a doleful lip and falls to
crying with might and main. I catch him up and turning round see one
of his sisters flourishing the things out of my workbox in fine style.
Moving it away and looking the other side I see the second little
mischief seated by the hearth chewing coals and scraping up ashes with
great apparent relish. Grandmother lays hold upon her and charitably
offers to endeavor to quiet baby while I go on with my work. I set at
it again, pick up a dozen pieces, measure them once more to see which
is the right one, and proceed to cut out some others, when I see the
twins on the point of quarreling with each other. Number one pushes
number two over. Number two screams: that frightens the baby and he
joins in. I call number one a naughty girl, take the persecuted one in
my arms, and endeavor to comfort her by trotting to the old lyric:--
"So ride the gentlefolk,
And so do we, so do we."
Meanwhile number one makes her way to the slop jar and forthwith
proceeds to wash her apron in it. Grandmother catches her by one
shoulder, drags her away, and sets the jar up out of her reach. By and
by the nurse comes up from her sweeping. I commit the children to her,
and finish cutting out the frocks.
But let this suffice, for of such details as these are all my days
made up. Indeed, my dear, I am but a mere drudge with few ideas beyond
babies and housekeeping. As for thoughts, reflections, and sentiments,
good lack! good lack!
I suppose I am a dolefully uninteresting person at present, but I hope
I shall grow young again one of these days, for it seems to me that
matters cannot always stand exactly as they do now.
Well, Georgy, this marriage is--yes, I will speak well of it, after
all; for when I can stop and think long enough to discriminate my head
from my heels, I must say that I think myself a fortunate woman both
in husband and children. My children I would not change for all the
ease, leisure, and pleasure that I could have without them. They are
money on interest whose value will be constantly increasing.
In 1839 Mrs. Stowe received into her family as a servant a colored
girl from Kentucky. By the laws of Ohio she was free, having been
brought into the State and left there by her mistress. In spite of
this, Professor Stowe received word, after she had lived with them
some months, that the girl's master was in the city looking for her,
and that if she were not careful she would be seized and conveyed back
into slavery. Finding that this could be accomplished by boldness,
perjury, and the connivance of some unscrupulous justice, Professor
Stowe determined to remove the girl to some place of security where
she might remain until the search for her should be given up.
Accordingly he and his brother-in-law, Henry Ward Beecher, both armed,
drove the fugitive, in a covered wagon, at night, by unfrequented
roads, twelve miles back into the country, and left her in safety with
the family of old John Van Zandt, the fugitive's friend.
It is from this incident of real life and personal experience that
Mrs. Stowe conceived the thrilling episode of the fugitives' escape
from Tom Loker and Marks in "Uncle Tom's Cabin."
An amusing and at the same time most interesting account of her
struggles to accomplish literary work amid her distracting domestic
duties at this time is furnished by the letter of one of her intimate
friends, who writes:--
"It was my good fortune to number Mrs. Stowe among my friends, and
during a visit to her I had an opportunity one day of witnessing the
combined exercise of her literary and domestic genius in a style that
to me was quite amusing.
"'Come Harriet,' said I, as I found her tending one baby and watching
two others just able to walk, 'where is that piece for the "Souvenir"
which I promised the editor I would get from you and send on next
week? You have only this one day left to finish it, and have it I
must.'
"'And how will you get it, friend of mine?' said Harriet. 'You will at
least have to wait till I get house-cleaning over and baby's teeth
through.'
"'As to house-cleaning, you can defer it one day longer; and as to
baby's teeth, there is to be no end to them, as I can see. No, no; to-
day that story must be ended. There Frederick has been sitting by
Ellen and saying all those pretty things for more than a month now,
and she has been turning and blushing till I am sure it is time to go
to her relief. Come, it would not take you three hours at the rate you
can write to finish the courtship, marriage, catastrophe,
éclaircissement, and all; and this three hours' labor of your brains
will earn enough to pay for all the sewing your fingers could do for a
year to come. Two dollars a page, my dear, and you can write a page in
fifteen minutes! Come, then, my lady housekeeper, economy is a
cardinal virtue; consider the economy of the thing.'
"'But, my dear, here is a baby in my arms and two little pussies by my
side, and there is a great baking down in the kitchen, and there is a
"new girl" for "help," besides preparations to be made for house-cleaning
next week. It is really out of the question, you see.'
"'I see no such thing. I do not know what genius is given for, if it
is not to help a woman out of a scrape. Come, set your wits to work,
let me have my way, and you shall have all the work done and finish
the story too.'
"'Well, but kitchen affairs?'
"'We can manage them too. You know you can write anywhere and anyhow.
Just take your seat at the kitchen table with your writing weapons,
and while you superintend Mina fill up the odd snatches of time with
the labors of your pen.'
"I carried my point. In ten minutes she was seated; a table with
flour, rolling-pin, ginger, and lard on one side, a dresser with eggs,
pork, and beans and various cooking utensils on the other, near her an
oven heating, and beside her a dark-skinned nymph, waiting orders.
"'Here, Harriet,' said I, 'you can write on this atlas in your lap; no
matter how the writing looks, I will copy it.'
"'Well, well,' said she, with a resigned sort of amused look. 'Mina,
you may do what I told you, while I write a few minutes, till it is
time to mould up the bread. Where is the inkstand?'
"'Here it is, close by, on the top of the tea-kettle,' said I.
"At this Mina giggled, and we both laughed to see her merriment at our
literary proceedings.
"I began to overhaul the portfolio to find the right sheet.
"'Here it is,' said I. 'Here is Frederick sitting by Ellen, glancing
at her brilliant face, and saying something about "guardian angel,"
and all that--you remember?'
"'Yes, yes,' said she, falling into a muse, as she attempted to
recover the thread of her story.
"'Ma'am, shall I put the pork on the top of the beans?' asked Mina.
"'Come, come,' said Harriet, laughing. 'You see how it is. Mina is a
new hand and cannot do anything without me to direct her. We must give
up the writing for to-day.'
"'No, no; let us have another trial. You can dictate as easily as you
can write. Come, I can set the baby in this clothes-basket and give
him some mischief or other to keep him quiet; you shall dictate and I
will write. Now, this is the place where you left off: you were
describing the scene between Ellen and her lover; the last sentence
was, "Borne down by the tide of agony, she leaned her head on her
hands, the tears streamed through her fingers, and her whole frame
shook with convulsive sobs." What shall I write next?'
"'Mina, pour a little milk into this pearlash,' said Harriet.
"'Come,' said I. '"The tears streamed through her fingers and her
whole frame shook with convulsive sobs." What next?'
"Harriet paused and looked musingly out of the window, as she turned
her mind to her story. 'You may write now,' said she, and she dictated
as follows:
"'"Her lover wept with her, nor dared he again to touch the point so
sacredly guarded"--Mina, roll that crust a little thinner. "He spoke
in soothing tones"--Mina, poke the coals in the oven.'
"'Here,' said I, 'let me direct Mina about these matters, and write a
while yourself.'
"Harriet took the pen and patiently set herself to the work. For a
while my culinary knowledge and skill were proof to all Mina's
investigating inquiries, and they did not fail till I saw two pages
completed.
"'You have done bravely,' said I, as I read over the manuscript; 'now
you must direct Mina a while. Meanwhile dictate and I will write.'
"Never was there a more docile literary lady than my friend. Without a
word of objection she followed my request.
"'I am ready to write,' said I. 'The last sentence was: "What is this
life to one who has suffered as I have?" What next?'
"'Shall I put in the brown or the white bread first?' said Mina.
"'The brown first,' said Harriet.
"'"What is this life to one who has suffered as I have?"' said I.
"Harriet brushed the flour off her apron and sat down for a moment in
a muse. Then she dictated as follows:--
"'"Under the breaking of my heart I have borne up. I have borne up
under all that tries a woman,--but this thought,--oh, Henry!"'
"'Ma'am, shall I put ginger into this pumpkin?' queried Mina.
"'No, you may let that alone just now,' replied Harriet. She then
proceeded:--
"'"I know my duty to my children. I see the hour must come. You must
take them, Henry; they are my last earthly comfort."'
"'Ma'am, what shall I do with these egg-shells and all this truck
here?' interrupted Mina.
"'Put them in the pail by you,' answered Harriet. "'"They are my last
earthly comfort,"' said I. 'What next?'
"She continued to dictate,--
"'"You must take them away. It may be---perhaps it _must_ be---
that I shall soon follow, but the breaking heart of a wife still
pleads, 'a little longer, a little longer.'"'
"'How much longer must the gingerbread stay in?' inquired Mina.
"'Five minutes,' said Harriet.
"'"A little longer, a little longer,"' I repeated in a dolorous tone,
and we burst into a laugh.
"Thus we went on, cooking, writing, nursing, and laughing, till I
finally accomplished my object. The piece was finished, copied, and
the next day sent to the editor."
The widely scattered members of the Beecher family had a fashion of
communicating with each other by means of circular letters. These,
begun on great sheets of paper, at either end of the line, were passed
along from one to another, each one adding his or her budget of news
to the general stock. When the filled sheet reached the last person
for whom it was intended, it was finally remailed to its point of
departure. Except in the cases of Mrs. Stowe and Mrs. Perkins, the
simple address "Rev. Mr. Beecher" was sufficient to insure its safe
delivery in any town to which it was sent.
One of these great, closely-written sheets, bearing in faded ink the
names of all the Beechers, lies outspread before us as we write. It is
postmarked Hartford, Conn., Batavia, N. Y., Chillicothe, Ohio,
Zanesville, Ohio, Walnut Hills, Ohio, Indianapolis, Ind.,
Jacksonville, Ill., and New Orleans, La. In it Mrs. Stowe occupies her
allotted space with--
WALNUT HILLS, 27,1839.
DEAR FRIENDS,---I am going to Hartford myself, and therefore shall not
write, but hurry along the preparations for my forward journey. Belle,
father says you may go to the White Mountains with Mr. Stowe and me
this summer. George, we may look in on you coming back. Good-by.
Affectionately to all, H. E. STOWE.
CHAPTER V.
POVERTY AND SICKNESS, 1840-1850.
FAMINE IN CINCINNATI.--SUMMER AT THE EAST.--PLANS FOR LITERARY WORK.--
EXPERIENCE ON A RAILROAD.--DEATH OF HER BROTHER GEORGE.--SICKNESS AND
DESPAIR.--A JOURNEY IN SEARCH OF HEALTH.--GOES TO BRATTLEBORO'
WATERCURE.--TROUBLES AT LANE SEMINARY.---CHOLERA IN CINCINNATI.--DEATH
OF YOUNGEST CHILD.---DETERMINED TO LEAVE THE WEST.
On January 7, 1839, Professor Stowe wrote to his mother in Natick,
Mass.: "You left here, I believe, in the right time, for as there has
been no navigation on the Ohio River for a year, we are almost in a
state of famine as to many of the necessities of life. For example,
salt (coarse) has sold in Cincinnati this winter for three dollars a
bushel; rice eighteen cents a pound; coffee fifty cents a pound; white
sugar the same; brown sugar twenty cents; molasses a dollar a gallon;
potatoes a dollar a bushel. We do without such things mostly; as there
is yet plenty of bread and bacon (flour six and seven dollars a
barrel, and good pork from six to eight cents a pound) we get along
very comfortably.
"Our new house is pretty much as it was, but they say it will be
finished in July. I expect to visit you next summer, as I shall
deliver the Phi Beta Kappa oration at Dartmouth College; but whether
wife and children come with me or not is not yet decided."
Mrs. Stowe came on to the East with her husband and children during
the following summer, and before her return made a trip through the
White Mountains.
In May, 1840, her second son was born and named Frederick William,
after the sturdy Prussian king, for whom her husband cherished an
unbounded admiration.
Mrs. Stowe has said somewhere: "So we go, dear reader, so long as we
have a body and a soul. For worlds must mingle,--the great and the
little, the solemn and the trivial, wreathing in and out like the
grotesque carvings on a gothic shrine; only did we know it rightly,
nothing is trivial, since the human soul, with its awful shadow, makes
all things sacred." So in writing a biography it is impossible for us
to tell what did and what did not powerfully influence the character.
It is safer simply to tell the unvarnished truth. The lily builds up
its texture of delicate beauty from mould and decay. So how do we know
from what humble material a soul grows in strength and beauty!
In December, 1840, writing to Miss May, Mrs. Stowe says:--
"For a year I have held the pen only to write an occasional business
letter such as could not be neglected. This was primarily owing to a
severe neuralgic complaint that settled in my eyes, and for two months
not only made it impossible for me to use them in writing, but to fix
them with attention on anything. I could not even bear the least light
of day in my room. Then my dear little Frederick was born, and for two
months more I was confined to my bed. Besides all this, we have had an
unusual amount of sickness in our family. . . .
"For all that my history of the past year records so many troubles, I
cannot on the whole regard it as a very troublous one. I have had so
many counterbalancing mercies that I must regard myself as a person
greatly blessed. It is true that about six months out of the twelve I
have been laid up with sickness, but then I have had every comfort and
the kindest of nurses in my faithful Anna. My children have thriven,
and on the whole 'come to more,' as the Yankees say, than the care of
them. Thus you see my troubles have been but enough to keep me from
loving earth too well."
In the spring of 1842 Mrs. Stowe again visited Hartford, taking her
six-year-old daughter Hatty with her. In writing from there to her
husband she confides some of her literary plans and aspirations to
him, and he answers:--
"My dear, you must be a literary woman. It is so written in the book
of fate. Make all your calculations accordingly. Get a good stock of
health and brush up your mind. Drop the E. out of your name. It only
incumbers it and interferes with the flow and euphony. Write yourself
fully and always Harriet Beecher Stowe, which is a name euphonious,
flowing, and full of meaning. Then my word for it, your husband will
lift up his head in the gate, and your children will rise up and call
you blessed.
"Our humble dwelling has to-day received a distinguished honor of
which I must give you an account. It was a visit from his excellency
the Baron de Roenne, ambassador of his majesty the King of Prussia to
the United States. He was pleased to assure me of the great
satisfaction my report on Prussian schools had afforded the king and
members of his court, with much more to the same effect. Of course
having a real live lord to exhibit, I was anxious for some one to
exhibit him to; but neither Aunt Esther nor Anna dared venture near
the study, though they both contrived to get a peep at his lordship
from the little chamber window as he was leaving.
"And now, my dear wife, I want you to come home as quick as you can.
The fact is I cannot live without you, and if we were not so
prodigious poor I would come for you at once. There is no woman like
you in this wide world. Who else has so much talent with so little
self-conceit; so much reputation with so little affectation; so much
literature with so little nonsense; so much enterprise with so little
extravagance; so much tongue with so little scold; so much sweetness
with so little softness; so much of so many things and so little of so
many other things?"
In answer to this letter Mrs. Stowe writes from Hartford:--
"I have seen Johnson of the 'Evangelist.' He is very liberally
disposed, and I may safely reckon on being paid for all I do there.
Who is that Hale, Jr., that sent me the 'Boston Miscellany,' and will
he keep his word with me? His offers are very liberal,--twenty dollars
for three pages, not very close print. Is he to be depended on? If so,
it is the best offer I have received yet. I shall get something from
the Harpers some time this winter or spring. Robertson, the publisher
here, says the book ('The Mayflower') will sell, and though the terms
they offer me are very low, that I shall make something on it. For a
second volume I shall be able to make better terms. On the whole, my
dear, if I choose to be a literary lady, I have, I think, as good a
chance of making profit by it as any one I know of. But with all this,
I have my doubts whether I shall be able to do so.
"Our children are just coming to the age when everything depends on my
efforts. They are delicate in health, and nervous and excitable, and
need a mother's whole attention. Can I lawfully divide my attention by
literary efforts?
"There is one thing I must suggest. If I am to write, I must have a
room to myself, which shall be my room. I have in my own mind pitched
on Mrs. Whipple's room. I can put the stove in it. I have bought a
cheap carpet for it, and I have furniture enough at home to furnish it
comfortably, and I only beg in addition that you will let me change
the glass door from the nursery into that room and keep my plants
there, and then I shall be quite happy.
"All last winter I felt the need of some place where I could go and be
quiet and satisfied. I could not there, for there was all the setting
of tables, and clearing up of tables, and dressing and washing of
children, and everything else going on, and the constant falling of
soot and coal dust on everything in the room was a constant annoyance
to me, and I never felt comfortable there though I tried hard. Then if
I came into the parlor where you were I felt as if I were interrupting
you, and you know you sometimes thought so too.
"Now this winter let the cooking-stove be put into that room, and let
the pipe run up through the floor into the room above. We can eat by
our cooking-stove, and the children can be washed and dressed and keep
their playthings in the room above, and play there when we don't want
them below. You can study by the parlor fire, and I and my plants,
etc., will take the other room. I shall keep my work and all my things
there and feel settled and quiet. I intend to have a regular part of
each day devoted to the children, and then I shall take them in
there."
In his reply to this letter Professor Stowe says:--
"The little magazine ('The Souvenir') goes ahead finely. Fisher sent
down to Fulton the other day and got sixty subscribers. He will make
the June number as handsome as possible, as a specimen number for the
students, several of whom will take agencies for it during the coming
vacation. You have it in your power by means of this little magazine
to form the mind of the West for the coming generation. It is just as
I told you in my last letter. God has written it in his book that you
must be a literary woman, and who are we that we should contend
against God? You must therefore make all your calculations to spend
the rest of your life with your pen.
"If you only could come home to-day how happy should I be. I am daily
finding out more and more (what I knew very well before) that you are
the most intelligent and agreeable woman in the whole circle of my
acquaintance."
That Professor Stowe's devoted admiration for his wife was
reciprocated, and that a most perfect sympathy of feeling existed
between the husband and wife, is shown by a line in one of Mrs.
Stowe's letters from Hartford in which she says: "I was telling Belle
yesterday that I did not know till I came away how much I was
dependent upon you for information. There are a thousand favorite
subjects on which I could talk with you better than with any one else.
If you were not already my dearly loved husband I should certainly
fall in love with you."
In this same letter she writes of herself:--
"One thing more in regard to myself. The absence and wandering of mind
and forgetfulness that so often vexes you is a physical infirmity with
me. It is the failing of a mind not calculated to endure a great
pressure of care, and so much do I feel the pressure I am under, so
much is my mind often darkened and troubled by care, that life
seriously considered holds out few allurements,--only my children.
"In returning to my family, from whom I have been so long separated, I
am impressed with a new and solemn feeling of responsibility. It
appears to me that I am not probably destined for long life; at all
events, the feeling is strongly impressed upon my mind that a work is
put into my hands which I must be earnest to finish shortly. It is
nothing great or brilliant in the world's eye; it lies in one small
family circle, of which I am called to be the central point."
On her way home from this Eastern visit Mrs. Stowe traveled for the
first time by rail, and of this novel experience she writes to Miss
Georgiana May:--
BATAVIA, _August_ 29, 1842.
"Here I am at Brother William's, and our passage along this railroad
reminds me of the verse of the psalm:--
"Tho' lions roar and tempests blow,
And rocks and dangers fill the way."
Such confusion of tongues, such shouting and swearing, such want of
all sort of system and decency in arrangements, I never desire to see
again. I was literally almost trodden down and torn to pieces in the
Rochester depot when I went to help my poor, near-sighted spouse in
sorting out the baggage. You see there was an accident which happened
to the cars leaving Rochester that morning, which kept us two hours
and a half at the passing place this side of Auburn, waiting for them
to come up and go by us. The consequence was that we got into this
Rochester depot aforesaid after dark, and the steamboat, the canal-
boat, and the Western train of cars had all been kept waiting three
hours beyond their usual time, and they all broke loose upon us the
moment we put our heads out of the cars, and such a jerking, and
elbowing, and scuffling, and swearing, and protesting, and scolding
you never heard, while the great locomotive sailed up and down in the
midst thereof, spitting fire and smoke like some great fiend monster
diverting himself with our commotions. I do think these steam concerns
border a little too much on the supernatural to be agreeable,
especially when you are shut up in a great dark depot after sundown.
Well, after all, we had to ride till twelve o'clock at night to get to
Batavia, and I've been sick abed, so to speak, ever since."
The winter of 1842 was one of peculiar trial to the family at Walnut
Hills; as Mrs. Stowe writes, "It was a season of sickness and gloom."
Typhoid fever raged among the students of the seminary, and the house
of the president was converted into a hospital, while the members of
his family were obliged to devote themselves to nursing the sick and
dying.
July 6, 1843, a few weeks before the birth of her third daughter,
Georgiana May, a most terrible and overwhelming sorrow came on Mrs.
Stowe, in common with all the family, in the sudden death of her
brother, the Rev. George Beecher.
He was a young man of unusual talent and ability, and much loved by
his church and congregation. The circumstances of his death are
related in a letter written by Mrs. Stowe, and are as follows:
"Noticing the birds destroying his fruit and injuring his plants, he
went for a double-barreled gun, which he scarcely ever had used, out
of regard to the timidity and anxiety of his wife in reference to it.
Shortly after he left the house, one of the elders of his church in
passing saw him discharge one barrel at the birds. Soon after he heard
the fatal report and saw the smoke, but the trees shut out the rest
from sight. . . . In about half an hour after, the family assembled at
breakfast, and the servant was sent out to call him. . . . In a few
minutes she returned, exclaiming, 'Oh, Mr. Beecher is dead! Mr.
Beecher is dead!' . . . In a short time a visitor in the family,
assisted by a passing laborer, raised him up and bore him to the
house. His face was pale and but slightly marred, his eyes were
closed, and over his countenance rested the sweet expression of
peaceful slumber. . . . Then followed the hurried preparations for the
funeral and journey, until three o'clock, when, all arrangements being
made, he was borne from his newly finished house, through his blooming
garden, to the new church, planned and just completed under his
directing eye. . . . The sermon and the prayers were finished, the
choir he himself had trained sung their parting hymn, and at about
five the funeral train started for a journey of over seventy miles.
That night will stand alone in the memories of those who witnessed its
scenes!
"At ten in the evening heavy clouds gathered lowering behind, and
finally rose so as nearly to cover the hemisphere, sending forth
mutterings of thunder and constant flashes of lightning.
"The excessive heat of the weather, the darkness of the night, the
solitary road, the flaring of the lamps and lanterns, the flashes of
the lightning, the roll of approaching thunder, the fear of being
overtaken in an unfrequented place and the lights extinguished by the
rain, the sad events of the day, the cries of the infant boy sick with
the heat and bewailing the father who ever before had soothed his
griefs, all combined to awaken the deepest emotions of the sorrowful,
the awful, and the sublime. . . .
"And so it is at last; there must come a time when all that the most
heart-broken, idolizing love can give us is a coffin and a grave! All
that could be done for our brother, with all his means and all the
affection of his people and friends, was just this, no more! After
all, the deepest and most powerful argument for the religion of Christ
is its power in times like this. Take from us Christ and what He
taught, and what have we here? What confusion, what agony, what
dismay, what wreck and waste! But give Him to us, even the most
stricken heart can rise under the blow; yea, even triumph!
"'Thy brother shall rise again,' said Jesus; and to us who weep He
speaks: 'Rejoice, inasmuch as ye are made partakers of Christ's
sufferings, that when his glory shall be revealed, ye also may be glad
with exceeding joy!'"
The advent of Mrs. Stowe's third daughter was followed by a protracted
illness and a struggle with great poverty, of which Mrs. Stowe writes
in October, 1843:--
"Our straits for money this year are unparalleled even in our annals.
Even our bright and cheery neighbor Allen begins to look blue, and
says $600 is the very most we can hope to collect of our salary, once
$1,200. We have a flock of entirely destitute young men in the
seminary, as poor in money as they are rich in mental and spiritual
resources. They promise to be as fine a band as those we have just
sent off. We have two from Iowa and Wisconsin who were actually
crowded from secular pursuits into the ministry by the wants of the
people about them. Revivals began, and the people came to them saying,
'We have no minister, and you must preach to us, for you know more
than we do.'"
In the spring of 1844 Professor Stowe visited the East to arouse an
interest in the struggling seminary and raise funds for its
maintenance. While he was there he received the following letter from
Mrs. Stowe:--
"I am already half sick with confinement to the house and overwork. If
I should sew every day for a month to come I should not be able to
accomplish a half of what is to be done, and should be only more unfit
for my other duties."
This struggle against ill-health and poverty was continued through
that year and well into the next, when, during her husband's absence
to attend a ministerial convention at Detroit, Mrs. Stowe writes to
him:--
_June_ 16, 1845.
"MY DEAR HUSBAND,--It is a dark, sloppy, rainy, muddy, disagreeable
day, and I have been working hard (for me) all day in the kitchen,
washing dishes, looking into closets, and seeing a great deal of that
dark side of domestic life which a housekeeper may who will
investigate too curiously into minutiae in warm, damp weather,
especially after a girl who keeps all clean on the _outside_ of
cup and platter, and is very apt to make good the rest of the text in
the _inside_ of things.
I am sick of the smell of sour milk, and sour meat, and sour
everything, and then the clothes _will_ not dry, and no wet thing
does, and everything smells mouldy; and altogether I feel as if I
never wanted to eat again.
Your letter, which was neither sour nor mouldy, formed a very
agreeable contrast to all these things; the more so for being
unexpected. I am much obliged to you for it. As to my health, it gives
me very little solicitude, although I am bad enough and daily growing
worse. I feel no life, no energy, no appetite, or rather a growing
distaste for food; in fact, I am becoming quite ethereal. Upon
reflection I perceive that it pleases my Father to keep me in the
fire, for my whole situation is excessively harassing and painful. I
suffer with sensible distress in the brain, as I have done more or
less since my sickness last winter, a distress which some days takes
from me all power of planning or executing anything; and you know
that, except this poor head, my unfortunate household has no
mainspring, for nobody feels any kind of responsibility to do a thing
in time, place, or manner, except as I oversee it.
Georgiana is so excessively weak, nervous, cross, and fretful, night
and day, that she takes all Anna's strength and time with her; and
then the children are, like other little sons and daughters of Adam,
full of all kinds of absurdity and folly.
When the brain gives out, as mine often does, and one cannot think or
remember anything, then what is to be done? All common fatigue,
sickness, and exhaustion is nothing to this distress. Yet do I rejoice
in my God and know in whom I believe, and only pray that the fire may
consume the dross; as to the gold, that is imperishable. No real evil
can happen to me, so I fear nothing for the future, and only suffer in
the present tense.
God, the mighty God, is mine, of that I am sure, and I know He knows
that though flesh and heart fail, I am all the while desiring and
trying for his will alone. As to a journey, I need not ask a physician
to see that it is needful to me as far as health is concerned, that is
to say, all human appearances are that way, but I feel no particular
choice about it. If God wills I go. He can easily find means. Money, I
suppose, is as plenty with Him now as it always has been, and if He
sees it is really best He will doubtless help me."
That the necessary funds were provided is evident from the fact that
the journey was undertaken and the invalid spent the summer of 1845 in
Hartford, in Natick, and in Boston. She was not, however, permanently
benefited by the change, and in the following spring it was deemed
necessary to take more radical measures to arrest the progress of her
increasing debility. After many consultations and much correspondence
it was finally decided that she should go to Dr. Wesselhoeft's
watercure establishment at Brattleboro', Vt.
At this time, under date of March, 1846, she writes:
"For all I have had trouble I can think of nothing but the greatness
and richness of God's mercy to me in giving me such friends, and in
always caring for us in every strait. There has been no day this
winter when I have not had abundant reason to see this. Some friend
has always stepped in to cheer and help, so that I have wanted for
nothing. My husband has developed wonderfully as house-father and
nurse. You would laugh to see him in his spectacles gravely marching
the little troop in their nightgowns up to bed, tagging after them, as
he says, like an old hen after a flock of ducks. The money for my
journey has been sent in from an unknown hand in a wonderful manner.
All this shows the care of our Father, and encourages me to rejoice
and to hope in Him."
A few days after her departure Professor Stowe wrote to his wife:--
"I was greatly comforted by your brief letter from Pittsburgh. When I
returned from the steamer the morning you left I found in the post-
office a letter from Mrs. G. W. Bull of New York, inclosing $50 on
account of the sickness in my family. There was another inclosing $50
more from a Mrs. Devereaux of Raleigh, N. C., besides some smaller
sums from others. My heart went out to God in aspiration and
gratitude. None of the donors, so far as I know, have I ever seen or
heard of before.
"Henry and I have been living in a Robinson Crusoe and man Friday sort
of style, greatly to our satisfaction, ever since you went away."
Mrs. Stowe was accompanied to Brattleboro' by her sisters, Catherine
and Mary, who were also suffering from troubles that they felt might
be relieved by hydropathic treatment.
From May, 1846, until March, 1847, she remained at Brattleboro'
without seeing her husband or children. During these weary months her
happiest days were those upon which she received letters from home.
The following extracts, taken from letters written by her during this
period, are of value, as revealing what it is possible to know of her
habits of thought and mode of life at this time.
BRATTLEBORO', _September_, 1846.
MY DEAR HUSBAND,--I have been thinking of all your trials, and I
really pity you in having such a wife. I feel as if I had been only a
hindrance to you instead of a help, and most earnestly and daily do I
pray to God to restore my health that I may do something for you and
my family. I think if I were only at home I could at least sweep and
dust, and wash potatoes, and cook a little, and talk some to my
children, and should be doing something for my family. But the hope of
getting better buoys me up. I go through these tedious and wearisome
baths and bear that terrible douche thinking of my children. They
never will know how I love them. . . .
There is great truth and good sense in your analysis of the cause of
our past failures. We have now come to a sort of crisis. If you and I
do as we should for _five years_ to come the character of our
three oldest children will be established. This is why I am willing to
spend so much time and make such efforts to have health. Oh, that God
would give me these five years in full possession of mind and body,
that I may train my children as they should be trained. I am fully
aware of the importance of system and order in a family. I know that
nothing can be done without it; it is the keystone, the _sine quâ
non_, and in regard to my children I place it next to piety. At the
same time it is true that both Anna [Footnote: The governess, Miss
Anna Smith.] and I labor under serious natural disadvantages on this
subject. It is not all that is necessary to feel the importance of
order and system, but it requires a particular kind of talent to carry
it through a family. Very much the same kind of talent, as Uncle
Samuel said, which is necessary to make a good prime minister. . . .
I think you might make an excellent sermon to Christians on the care
of health, in consideration of the various infirmities and impediments
to the developing the results of religion, that result from bodily ill
health, and I wish you would make one that your own mind may be more
vividly impressed with it. The world is too much in a hurry. Ministers
think there is no way to serve Christ but to overdraw on their
physical capital for four or five years for Christ and then have
nothing to give, but become a mere burden on his hands for the next
five. . . .
_November_ 18.
"The daily course I go through presupposes a degree of vigor beyond
anything I ever had before. For this week, I have gone before
breakfast to the wave-bath and let all the waves and billows roll over
me till every limb ached with cold and my hands would scarcely have
feeling enough to dress me. After that I have walked till I was warm,
and come home to breakfast with such an appetite! Brown bread and milk
are luxuries indeed, and the only fear is that I may eat too much. At
eleven comes my douche, to which I have walked in a driving rain for
the last two days, and after it walked in the rain again till I was
warm. (The umbrella you gave me at Natick answers finely, as well as
if it were a silk one.) After dinner I roll ninepins or walk till
four, then sitz-bath, and another walk till six.
"I am anxious for your health; do be persuaded to try a long walk
before breakfast. You don't know how much good it will do you. Don't
sit in your hot study without any ventilation, a stove burning up all
the vitality of the air and weakening your nerves, and above all, do
amuse yourself. Go to Dr. Mussey's and spend an evening, and to
father's and Professor Allen's. When you feel worried go off somewhere
and forget and throw it off. I should really rejoice to hear that you
and father and mother, with Professor and Mrs. Allen, Mrs. K., and a
few others of the same calibre would agree to meet together for
dancing cotillons. It would do you all good, and if you took Mr. K.'s
wife and poor Miss Much-Afraid, her daughter, into the alliance it
would do them good. Bless me! what a profane set everybody would think
you were, and yet you are the people of all the world most solemnly in
need of it. I wish you could be with me in Brattleboro' and coast down
hill on a sled, go sliding and snowballing by moonlight! I would
snowball every bit of the _hypo_ out of you! Now, my dear, if you
are going to get sick, I am going to come home. There is no use in my
trying to get well if you, in the mean time, are going to run yourself
down."
[Illustration: Ding, dong! Dead and gone!]
_January_, 1847.
MY DEAR SOUL,--I received your most melancholy effusion, and I am
sorry to find it's just so. I entirely agree and sympathize. Why
didn't you engage the two tombstones--one for you and one for me?
I shall have to copy for your edification a "poem on tombstones" which
Kate put at Christmas into the stocking of one of our most
hypochondriac gentlemen, who had pished and pshawed at his wife and us
for trying to get up a little fun. This poem was fronted with the
above vignette and embellished with sundry similar ones, and tied with
a long black ribbon. There were only two cantos in very concise style,
so I shall send you them entire.
CANTO I.
In the kingdom of _Mortin_
I had the good fortin'
To find these verses
On tombs and on hearses,
Which I, being jinglish
Have done into English.
CANTO II.
The man what's so colickish
When his friends are all frolickish
As to turn up his noses
And turn on his toses
Shall have only verses
On tombstones and hearses.
But, seriously, my dear husband, you must try and be patient, for
this cannot last forever. Be patient and bear it like the toothache,
or a driving rain, or anything else that you cannot escape. To see
things as through a glass darkly is your infirmity, you know; but the
Lord will yet deliver you from this trial. I know how to pity you, for
the last three weeks I have suffered from an overwhelming mental
depression, a perfect heartsickness. All I wanted was to get home and
die. Die I was very sure I should at any rate, but I suppose I was
never less prepared to do so."
The long exile was ended in the spring of 1847, and in May Mrs. Stowe
returned to her Cincinnati home, where she was welcomed with sincere
demonstrations of joy by her husband and children.
Her sixth child, Samuel Charles, was born in January of 1848, and
about this time her husband's health became so seriously impaired that
it was thought desirable for him in turn to spend a season at the
Brattleboro' water-cure. He went in June, 1848, and was compelled by
the very precarious state of his health to remain until September,
1849. During this period of more than a year Mrs. Stowe remained in
Cincinnati caring for her six children, eking out her slender income
by taking boarders and writing when she found time, confronting a
terrible epidemic of cholera that carried off one of her little flock,
and in every way showing herself to be a brave woman, possessed of a
spirit that could rise superior to all adversity. Concerning this time
she writes in January, 1849, to her dearest friend:--
MY BELOVED GEORGY,--For six months after my return from Brattleboro'
my eyes were so affected that I wrote scarce any, and my health was in
so strange a state that I felt no disposition to write. After the
birth of little Charley my health improved, but my husband was sick
and I have been so loaded and burdened with cares as to drain me dry
of all capacity of thought, feeling, memory, or emotion.
"Well, Georgy, I am thirty-seven years old! I am glad of it. I like to
grow old and have six children and cares endless. I wish you could see
me with my flock all around me. They sum up my cares, and were they
gone I should ask myself, What now remains to be done? They are my
work, over which I fear and tremble."
In the early summer of 1849 cholera broke out in Cincinnati, and soon
became epidemic. Professor Stowe, absent in Brattleboro', and filled
with anxiety for the safety of his family, was most anxious, in spite
of his feeble health, to return and share the danger with them, but
this his wife would not consent to, as is shown by her letters to him,
written at this time. In one of them, dated June 29, 1849, she says:--
MY DEAR HUSBAND,--This week has been unusually fatal. The disease in
the city has been malignant and virulent. Hearse drivers have scarce
been allowed to unharness their horses, while furniture carts and
common vehicles are often employed for the removal of the dead. The
sable trains which pass our windows, the frequent indications of
crowding haste, and the absence of reverent decency have, in many
cases, been most painful. Of course all these things, whether we will
or no, bring very doleful images to the mind.
On Tuesday one hundred and sixteen deaths from cholera were reported,
and that night the air was of that peculiarly oppressive, deathly kind
that seems to lie like lead on the brain and soul.
As regards your coming home, I am decidedly opposed to it. First,
because the chance of your being taken ill is just as great as the
chance of your being able to render us any help. To exchange the
salubrious air of Brattleboro' for the pestilent atmosphere of this
place with your system rendered sensitive by water-cure treatment
would be extremely dangerous. It is a source of constant gratitude to
me that neither you nor father are exposed to the dangers here.
Second, none of us are sick, and it is very uncertain whether we shall
be.
Third, if we were sick there are so many of us that it is not at all
likely we shall all be taken at once.
_July_ 1. Yesterday Mr. Stagg went to the city and found all
gloomy and discouraged, while a universal panic seemed to be drawing
nearer than ever before. Large piles of coal were burning on the cross
walks and in the public squares, while those who had talked
confidently of the cholera being confined to the lower classes and
those who were imprudent began to feel as did the magicians of old,
"This is the finger of God."
Yesterday, upon the recommendation of all the clergymen of the city,
the mayor issued a proclamation for a day of general fasting,
humiliation, and prayer, to be observed on Tuesday next.
_July_ 3. We are all in good health and try to maintain a calm
and cheerful frame of mind. The doctors are nearly used up. Dr. Bowen
and Dr. Peck are sick in bed. Dr. Potter and Dr. Pulte ought, I
suppose, to be there also. The younger physicians have no rest night
or day. Mr. Fisher is laid up from his incessant visitations with the
sick and dying. Our own Dr. Brown is likewise prostrated, but we are
all resolute to stand by each other, and there are so many of us that
it is not likely we can all be taken sick together.
_July_ 4. All well. The meeting yesterday was very solemn and
interesting. There is more or less sickness about us, but no very
dangerous cases. One hundred and twenty burials from cholera alone
yesterday, yet to-day we see parties bent on pleasure or senseless
carousing, while to-morrow and next day will witness a fresh harvest
of death from them. How we can become accustomed to anything! Awhile
ago ten a day dying of cholera struck terror to all hearts; but now
the tide has surged up gradually until the deaths average over a
hundred daily, and everybody is getting accustomed to it. Gentlemen
make themselves agreeable to ladies by reciting the number of deaths
in this house or that. This together with talk of funerals, cholera
medicines, cholera dietetics, and chloride of lime form the ordinary
staple of conversation. Serious persons of course throw in moral
reflections to their taste.
_July_ 10. Yesterday little Charley was taken ill, not seriously,
and at any other season I should not be alarmed. Now, however, a
slight illness seems like a death sentence, and I will not dissemble
that I feel from the outset very little hope. I still think it best
that you should not return. By so doing you might lose all you have
gained. You might expose yourself to a fatal incursion of disease. It
is decidedly not your duty to do so.
_July_ 12. Yesterday I carried Charley to Dr. Pulte, who spoke in
such a manner as discouraged and frightened me. He mentioned dropsy on
the brain as a possible result. I came home with a heavy heart,
sorrowing, desolate, and wishing my husband and father were here.
About one o'clock this morning Miss Stewart suddenly opened my door
crying, "Mrs. Stowe, Henry is vomiting." I was on my feet in an
instant, and lifted up my heart for help. He was, however, in a few
minutes relieved. Then I turned my attention to Charley, who was also
suffering, put him into a wet sheet, and kept him there until he was
in a profuse perspiration. He is evidently getting better, and is
auspiciously cross. Never was crossness in a baby more admired. Anna
and I have said to each other exultingly a score of times, "How cross
the little fellow is! How he does scold!"
_July_ 15. Since I last wrote our house has been a perfect
hospital. Charley apparently recovering, but still weak and feeble,
unable to walk or play, and so miserably fretful and unhappy. Sunday
Anna and I were fairly stricken down, as many others are, with no
particular illness, but with such miserable prostration. I lay on the
bed all day reading my hymn-book and thinking over passages of
Scripture.
_July_ 17. To-day we have been attending poor old Aunt Frankie's
[Footnote: An old colored woman.] funeral. She died yesterday morning,
taken sick the day before while washing. Good, honest, trustful old
soul! She was truly one who hungered and thirsted for righteousness.
Yesterday morning our poor little dog, Daisy, who had been ailing the
day before, was suddenly seized with frightful spasms and died in half
an hour. Poor little affectionate thing! If I were half as good for my
nature as she for hers I should be much better than I am. While we
were all mourning over her the news came that Aunt Frankie was
breathing her last. Hatty, Eliza, Anna, and I made her shroud
yesterday, and this morning I made her cap. We have just come from her
grave.
_July_ 23. At last, my dear, the hand of the Lord hath touched
us. We have been watching all day by the dying bed of little Charley,
who is gradually sinking. After a partial recovery from the attack I
described in my last letter he continued for some days very feeble,
but still we hoped for recovery. About four days ago he was taken with
decided cholera, and now there is no hope of his surviving this night.
Every kindness is shown us by the neighbors. Do not return. All will
be over before you could possibly get here, and the epidemic is now
said by the physicians to prove fatal to every new case. Bear up. Let
us not faint when we are rebuked of Him. I dare not trust myself to
say more but shall write again soon.
_July_ 26. MY DEAR HUSBAND,--At last it is over and our dear
little one is gone from us. He is now among the blessed. My Charley--
my beautiful, loving, gladsome baby, so loving, so sweet, so full of
life and hope and strength--now lies shrouded, pale and cold, in the
room below. Never was he anything to me but a comfort. He has been my
pride and joy. Many a heartache has he cured for me. Many an anxious
night have I held him to my bosom and felt the sorrow and loneliness
pass out of me with the touch of his little warm hands. Yet I have
just seen him in his death agony, looked on his imploring face when I
could not help nor soothe nor do one thing, not one, to mitigate his
cruel suffering, do nothing but pray in my anguish that he might die
soon. I write as though there were no sorrow like my sorrow, yet there
has been in this city, as in the land of Egypt, scarce a house without
its dead. This heart-break, this anguish, has been everywhere, and
when it will end God alone knows. With this severest blow of all, the
long years of trial and suffering in the West practically end; for in
September, 1849, Professor Stowe returned from Brattleboro', and at
the same time received a call to the Collins Professorship at Bowdoin
College, in Brunswick, Maine, that he decided to accept.
CHAPTER VI.
REMOVAL TO BRUNSWICK, 1850-1852.
MRS. STOWE'S REMARKS ON WRITING AND UNDERSTANDING BIOGRAPHY.--THEIR
APPROPRIATENESS TO HER OWN BIOGRAPHY.--REASONS FOR PROFESSOR STOWE'S
LEAVING CINCINNATI.--MRS. STOWE'S JOURNEY TO BROOKLYN.--HER BROTHER'S
SUCCESS AS A MINISTER.--LETTERS FROM HARTFORD AND BOSTON.--ARRIVES IN
BRUNSWICK.--HISTORY OF THE SLAVERY AGITATION.--PRACTICAL WORKING OF
THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW.--MRS. EDWARD BEECHER'S LETTER TO MRS. STOWE
AND ITS EFFECT.--DOMESTIC TRIALS.--BEGINS TO WRITE "UNCLE TOM'S CABIN"
AS A SERIAL FOR THE "NATIONAL ERA."--LETTER TO FREDERICK DOUGLASS.--
"UNCLE TOM'S CABIN" A WORK OF RELIGIOUS EMOTION.
Early in the winter of 1849 Mrs. Stowe wrote in a private journal in
which she recorded thought and feeling concerning religious themes:
"It has been said that it takes a man to write the life of a man; that
is, there must be similarity of mind in the person who undertakes to
present the character of another. This is true, also, of reading and
understanding biography. A statesman and general would read the life
of Napoleon with the spirit and the understanding, while the
commonplace man plods through it as a task. The difference is that the
one, being of like mind and spirit with the subject of the biography,
is able to sympathize with him in all his thoughts and experiences,
and the other is not. The life of Henry Martyn would be tedious and
unintelligible to a mind like that of a Richelieu or a Mazarin. They
never experienced or saw or heard anything like it, and would be quite
at a loss where to place such a man in their mental categories. It is
not strange, therefore, that of all biography in the world that of
Jesus Christ should be least understood. It is an exception to all the
world has ever seen. 'The world knew Him not.' There is, to be sure, a
simple grandeur about the life of Jesus which awes almost every mind.
The most hardened scoffer, after he has jested and jeered at
everything in the temple of Christianity, stands for a moment
uncovered and breathless when he comes to the object of its adoration
and feels how awful goodness is, and Virtue in her shape how lovely.
Yet, after all, the character of the Christ has been looked at and not
sympathized with. Men have turned aside to see this great sight.
Christians have fallen in adoration, but very few have tried to enter
into his sympathies and to feel as He felt." How little she dreamed
that these words were to become profoundly appropriate as a
description of her own life in its relation to mankind! How little the
countless thousands who read, have read, and will read, "Uncle Tom's
Cabin" enter into or sympathize with the feelings out of which it was
written! A delicate, sensitive woman struggling with poverty, with
weary step and aching head attending to the innumerable demands of a
large family of growing children; a devoted Christian seeking with
strong crying and tears a kingdom not of this world,--is this the
popular conception of the author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin"? Nevertheless
it is the reality. When, amid the burning ruins of a besieged city, a
mother's voice is heard uttering a cry of anguish over a child killed
in her arms by a bursting shell, the attention is arrested, the heart
is touched. So "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was a cry of anguish from a
mother's heart, and uttered in sad sincerity. It was the bursting
forth of deep feeling, with all the intense anguish of wounded love.
It will be the purpose of this chapter to show this, and to cause to
pass before the reader's mind the time, the household, and the heart
from which this cry was heard.
After struggling for seventeen years with ill health and every
possible vexation and hindrance in his work, Professor Stowe became
convinced that it was his duty to himself and his family to seek some
other field of labor.
February 6, 1850, he writes to his mother, in Natick, Mass.: "My
health has not been good this winter, and I do not suppose that I
should live long were I to stay here. I have done a great deal of hard
work here, and practiced no little self-denial. I have seen the
seminary carried through a most vexatious series of lawsuits,
ecclesiastical and civil, and raised from the depths of poverty to
comparative affluence, and I feel at liberty now to leave. During the
three months of June, July, and August last, more than nine thousand
persons died of cholera within three miles of my house, and this
winter, in the same territory, there have been more than ten thousand
cases of small-pox, many of them of the very worst kind. Several have
died on the hill, and the Jesuits' college near us has been quite
broken up by it. There have been, however, no cases in our families or
in the seminary.
"I have received many letters from friends in the East expressing
great gratification at the offer from Bowdoin College, and the hope
that I would accept it. I am quite inclined to do so, but the matter
is not yet finally settled, and there are difficulties in the way.
They can offer me only $1,000 a year, and I must, out of it, hire my
own house, at an expense of $75 to $100 a year. Here the trustees
offer me $1,500 a year if I will stay, and a good house besides, which
would make the whole salary equivalent to $1,800; and to-day I have
had another offer from New York city of $2,300. . . . On the whole, I
have written to Bowdoin College, proposing to them if they will give
me $500 free and clear in addition to the salary, I will accept their
proposition, and I suppose that there is no doubt that they will do
it. In that case I should come on next spring, in May or June."
This offer from Bowdoin College was additionally attractive to
Professor Stowe from the fact that it was the college from which he
graduated, and where some of the happiest years of his life had been
passed.
The professorship was one just established through the gift of Mrs.
Collins, a member of Bowdoin Street Church in Boston, and named in her
honor, the "Collins Professorship of Natural and Revealed Religion."
It was impossible for Professor Stowe to leave Lane Seminary till some
one could be found to take his place; so it was determined that Mrs.
Stowe, with three of the children, should start for the East in April,
and having established the family in Brunswick, Professor Stowe was to
come on with the remaining children when his engagements would permit.
The following extracts from a letter written by Mrs. Stowe at her
brother Henry's, at Brooklyn, April 29, 1850, show us that the journey
was accomplished without special incident.
"The boat got into Pittsburgh between four and five on Wednesday. The
agent for the Pennsylvania Canal came on board and soon filled out our
tickets, calling my three chicks one and a half. We had a quiet and
agreeable passage, and crossed the slides at five o'clock in the
morning, amid exclamations of unbounded delight from all the children,
to whom the mountain scenery was a new and amazing thing. We reached
Hollidaysburg about eleven o'clock, and at two o'clock in the night
were called up to get into the cars at Jacktown. Arriving at
Philadelphia about three o'clock in the afternoon, we took the boat
and railroad line for New York.
"At Lancaster we telegraphed to Brooklyn, and when we arrived in New
York, between ten and eleven at night, Cousin Augustus met us and took
us over to Brooklyn. We had ridden three hundred miles since two
o'clock that morning, and were very tired. . . . I am glad we came
that way, for the children have seen some of the finest scenery in our
country. . . . Henry's people are more than ever in love with him, and
have raised his salary to $3,300, and given him a beautiful horse and
carriage worth $600. . . . My health is already improved by the
journey, and I was able to walk a good deal between the locks on the
canal. As to furniture, I think that we may safely afford an outlay of
$150, and that will purchase all that may be necessary to set us up,
and then we can get more as we have means and opportunity. . . . If I
got anything for those pieces I wrote before coming away, I would like
to be advised thereof by you. . . . My plan is to spend this week in
Brooklyn, the next in Hartford, the next in Boston, and go on to
Brunswick some time in May or June."
May 18, 1850, we find her writing from Boston, where she is staying
with her brother, Rev. Edward Beecher:--
MY DEAR HUSBAND,--I came here from Hartford on Monday, and have since
then been busily engaged in the business of buying and packing
furniture.
I expect to go to Brunswick next Tuesday night by the Bath steamer,
which way I take as the cheaper. My traveling expenses, when I get to
Brunswick, including everything, will have been seventy-six dollars. . . .
And now, lastly, my dear husband, you have never been wanting . . .
in kindness, consideration, and justice, and I want you to reflect
calmly how great a work has been imposed upon me at a time when my
situation particularly calls for rest, repose, and quiet.
To come alone such a distance with the whole charge of children,
accounts, and baggage; to push my way through hurrying crowds, looking
out for trunks, and bargaining with hackmen, has been a very severe
trial of my strength, to say nothing of the usual fatigues of
traveling.
It was at this time, and as a result of the experiences of this trying
period, that Mrs. Stowe wrote that little tract dear to so many
Christian hearts, "Earthly Care a Heavenly Discipline."
On the eve of sailing for Brunswick, Mrs. Stowe writes to Mrs. Sykes
(Miss May): "I am wearied and worn out with seeing to bedsteads,
tables, chairs, mattresses, with thinking about shipping my goods and
making out accounts, and I have my trunk yet to pack, as I go on board
the Bath steamer this evening. I beg you to look up Brunswick on the
map; it is about half a day's ride in the cars from Boston. I expect
to reach there by the way of Bath by to-morrow forenoon. There I have
a house engaged and kind friends who offer every hospitable
assistance. Come, therefore, to see me, and we will have a long talk
in the pine woods, and knit up the whole history from the place where
we left it."
Before leaving Boston she had written to her husband in Cincinnati:
"You are not able just now to bear anything, my dear husband,
therefore trust all to me; I never doubt or despair. I am already
making arrangements with editors to raise money.
"I have sent some overtures to Wright. If he accepts my pieces and
pays you for them, take the money and use it as you see necessary; if
not, be sure and bring the pieces back to me. I am strong in spirit,
and God who has been with me in so many straits will not forsake me
now. I know Him well; He is my Father, and though I may be a blind and
erring child, He will help me for all that. My trust through all
errors and sins is in Him. He who helped poor timid Jacob through all
his fears and apprehensions, who helped Abraham even when he sinned,
who was with David in his wanderings, and who held up the too
confident Peter when he began to sink,--He will help us, and his arms
are about us, so that we shall not sink, my dear husband."
May 29, 1850, she writes from Brunswick: "After a week of most
incessant northeast storm, most discouraging and forlorn to the
children, the sun has at length come out. . . . There is a fair wind
blowing, and every prospect, therefore, that our goods will arrive
promptly from Boston, and that we shall be in our own house by next
week. Mrs. Upham [Footnote: Wife of Professor Upham of Bowdoin
College.] has done everything for me, giving up time and strength and
taking charge of my affairs in a way without which we could not have
got along at all in a strange place and in my present helpless
condition. This family is delightful, there is such a perfect
sweetness and quietude in all its movements. Not a harsh word or hasty
expression is ever heard. It is a beautiful pattern of a Christian
family, a beautiful exemplification of religion. . . ."
The events of the first summer in Brunswick are graphically described
by Mrs. Stowe in a letter written to her sister-in-law, Mrs. George
Beecher, December 17, 1850.
MY DEAR SISTER,--Is it really true that snow is on the ground and
Christmas coming, and I have not written unto thee, most dear sister?
No, I don't believe it! I haven't been so naughty--it's all a mistake--
yes, written I must have--and written I have, too--in the night-
watches as I lay on my bed--such beautiful letters--I wish you had
only gotten them; but by day it has been hurry, hurry, hurry, and
drive, drive, drive! or else the calm of a sick-room, ever since last
spring.
I put off writing when your letter first came because I meant to write
you a long letter--a full and complete one, and so days slid by,--and
became weeks,--and my little Charlie came . . . etc. and etc.!!!
Sarah, when I look back, I wonder at myself, not that I forget any one
thing that I should remember, but that I have remembered anything.
From the time that I left Cincinnati with my children to come forth to
a country that I knew not of almost to the present time, it has seemed
as if I could scarcely breathe, I was so pressed with care. My head
dizzy with the whirl of railroads and steamboats; then ten days'
sojourn in Boston, and a constant toil and hurry in buying my
furniture and equipments; and then landing in Brunswick in the midst
of a drizzly, inexorable northeast storm, and beginning the work of
getting in order a deserted, dreary, damp old house. All day long
running from one thing to another, as for example, thus:---
Mrs. Stowe, how shall I make this lounge, and what shall I cover the
back with first?
_Mrs. Stowe_. With the coarse cotton in the closet.
_Woman_. Mrs. Stowe, there isn't any more soap to clean the
windows.
_Mrs. Stowe_. Where shall I get soap?
Here H., run up to the store and get two bars.
There is a man below wants to see Mrs. Stowe about the cistern. Before
you go down, Mrs. Stowe, just show me how to cover this round end of
the lounge.
There 's a man up from the depot, and he says that a box has come for
Mrs. Stowe, and it's coming up to the house; will you come down and
see about it?
Mrs. Stowe, don't go till you have shown the man how to nail that
carpet in the corner. He 's nailed it all crooked; what shall he do?
The black thread is all used up, and what shall I do about putting
gimp on the back of that sofa? Mrs. Stowe, there is a man come with a
lot of pails and tinware from Furbish; will you settle the bill now?
Mrs. Stowe, here is a letter just come from Boston inclosing that bill
of lading; the man wants to know what he shall do with the goods. If
you will tell me what to say I will answer the letter for you.
Mrs. Stowe, the meat-man is at the door. Hadn't we better get a little
beefsteak, or something, for dinner?
Shall Hatty go to Boardman's for some more black thread?
Mrs. Stowe, this cushion is an inch too wide for the frame. What shall
we do now?
Mrs. Stowe, where are the screws of the black walnut bedstead?
Here's a man has brought in these bills for freight. Will you settle
them now?
Mrs. Stowe, I don't understand using this great needle. I can't make
it go through the cushion; it sticks in the cotton.
Then comes a letter from my husband saying he is sick abed, and all
but dead; don't ever expect to see his family again; wants to know how
I shall manage, in case I am left a widow; knows we shall get in debt
and never get out; wonders at my courage; thinks I am very sanguine;
warns me to be prudent, as there won't be much to live on in case of
his death, etc., etc., etc. I read the letter and poke it into the
stove, and proceed. . . .
Some of my adventures were quite funny; as for example: I had in my
kitchen elect no sink, cistern, or any other water privileges, so I
bought at the cotton factory two of the great hogsheads they bring oil
in, which here in Brunswick are often used for cisterns, and had them
brought up in triumph to my yard, and was congratulating myself on my
energy, when lo and behold! it was discovered that there was no cellar
door except one in the kitchen, which was truly a strait and narrow
way, down a long pair of stairs. Hereupon, as saith John Bunyan, I
fell into a muse,--how to get my cisterns into my cellar. In days of
chivalry I might have got a knight to make me a breach through the
foundation walls, but that was not to be thought of now, and my oil
hogsheads standing disconsolately in the yard seemed to reflect no
great credit on my foresight. In this strait I fell upon a real honest
Yankee cooper, whom I besought, for the reputation of his craft and
mine, to take my hogsheads to pieces, carry them down in staves, and
set them up again, which the worthy man actually accomplished one fair
summer forenoon, to the great astonishment of "us Yankees." When my
man came to put up the pump, he stared very hard to see my hogsheads
thus translated and standing as innocent and quiet as could be in the
cellar, and then I told him, in a very mild, quiet way, that I got 'em
taken to pieces and put together--just as if I had been always in the
habit of doing such things. Professor Smith came down and looked very
hard at them and then said, "Well, nothing can beat a willful woman."
Then followed divers negotiations with a very clever, but (with
reverence) somewhat lazy gentleman of jobs, who occupieth a
carpenter's shop opposite to mine. This same John Titcomb, my very
good friend, is a character peculiar to Yankeedom. He is part owner
and landlord of the house I rent, and connected by birth with all the
best families in town; a man of real intelligence, and good education,
a great reader, and quite a thinker. Being of an ingenious turn he
does painting, gilding, staining, upholstery jobs, varnishing, all in
addition to his primary trade of carpentry. But he is a man studious
of ease, and fully possessed with the idea that man wants but little
here below; so he boards himself in his workshop on crackers and
herring, washed down with cold water, and spends his time working,
musing, reading new publications, and taking his comfort. In his shop
you shall see a joiner's bench, hammers, planes, saws, gimlets,
varnish, paint, picture frames, fence posts, rare old china, one or
two fine portraits of his ancestry, a bookcase full of books, the
tooth of a whale, an old spinning-wheel and spindle, a lady's parasol
frame, a church lamp to be mended, in short, Henry says Mr. Titcomb's
shop is like the ocean; there is no end to the curiosities in it.
In all my moving and fussing Mr. Titcomb has been my right-hand man.
Whenever a screw was loose, a nail to be driven, a lock mended, a pane
of glass set, and these cases were manifold, he was always on hand.
But my sink was no fancy job, and I believe nothing but a very
particular friendship would have moved him to undertake it. So this
same sink lingered in a precarious state for some weeks, and when I
had _nothing else to do_, I used to call and do what I could in
the way of enlisting the good man's sympathies in its behalf.
How many times I have been in and seated myself in one of the old
rocking-chairs, and talked first of the news of the day, the railroad,
the last proceedings in Congress, the probabilities about the
millennium, and thus brought the conversation by little and little
round to my sink! . . . because, till the sink was done, the pump could
not be put up, and we couldn't have any rain-water. Sometimes my
courage would quite fail me to introduce the subject, and I would talk
of everything else, turn and get out of the shop, and then turn back
as if a thought had just struck my mind, and say:--
"Oh, Mr. Titcomb! about that sink?"
"Yes, ma'am, I was thinking about going down street this afternoon to
look out stuff for it."
"Yes, sir, if you would be good enough to get it done as soon as
possible; we are in great need of it."
"I think there's no hurry. I believe we are going to have a dry time
now, so that you could not catch any water, and you won't need a pump
at present."
These negotiations extended from the first of June to the first of
July, and at last my sink was completed, and so also was a new house
spout, concerning which I had had divers communings with Deacon
Dunning of the Baptist church. Also during this time good Mrs.
Mitchell and myself made two sofas, or lounges, a barrel chair, divers
bedspreads, pillow cases, pillows, bolsters, mattresses; we painted
rooms; we revarnished furniture; we--what _didn't_ we do?
Then came on Mr. Stowe; and then came the eighth of July and my little
Charley. I was really glad for an excuse to lie in bed, for I was full
tired, I can assure you. Well, I was what folks call very comfortable
for two weeks, when my nurse had to leave me. . . .
During this time I have employed my leisure hours in making up my
engagements with newspaper editors. I have written more than anybody,
or I myself, would have thought. I have taught an hour a day in our
school, and I have read two hours every evening to the children. The
children study English history in school, and I am reading Scott's
historic novels in their order. To-night I finish the "Abbot;" shall
begin "Kenilworth" next week; yet I am constantly pursued and haunted
by the idea that I don't do anything. Since I began this note I have
been called off at least a dozen times; once for the fish-man, to buy
a codfish; once to see a man who had brought me some barrels of
apples; once to see a book-man; then to Mrs. Upham, to see about a
drawing I promised to make for her; then to nurse the baby; then into
the kitchen to make a chowder for dinner; and now I am at it again,
for nothing but deadly determination enables me ever to write; it is
rowing against wind and tide.
I suppose you think now I have begun, I am never going to stop, and in
truth it looks like it; but the spirit moves now and I must obey.
Christmas is coming, and our little household is all alive with
preparations; every one collecting their little gifts with wonderful
mystery and secrecy. . . .
To tell the truth, dear, I am getting tired; my neck and back ache,
and I must come to a close.
Your ready kindness to me in the spring I felt very much; and
_why_ I did not have the sense to have sent you one line just by
way of acknowledgment, I'm sure I don't know; I felt just as if I had,
till I awoke, and behold! I had not. But, my dear, if my wits are
somewhat wool-gathering and unsettled, my heart is as true as a star.
I love you, and have thought of you often.
This fall I have felt often _sad_, lonesome, both very unusual
feelings with me in these busy days; but the breaking away from my old
home, and leaving father and mother, and coming to a strange place
affected me naturally. In those sad hours my thoughts have often
turned to George; I have thought with encouragement of his blessed
state, and hoped that I should soon be there too. I have many warm and
kind friends here, and have been treated with great attention and
kindness. Brunswick is a delightful residence, and if you come East
next summer you must come to my new home. George [Footnote: Her
brother George's only child.] would delight to go a-fishing with the
children, and see the ships, and sail in the sailboats, and all that.
Give Aunt Harriet's love to him, and tell him when he gets to be a
painter to send me a picture. Affectionately yours, H. STOWE.
The year 1850 is one memorable in the history of our nation as well as
in the quiet household that we have followed in its pilgrimage from
Cincinnati to Brunswick.
The signers of the Declaration of Independence and the statesmen and
soldiers of the Revolution were no friends of negro slavery. In fact,
the very principles of the Declaration of Independence sounded the
deathknell of slavery forever. No stronger utterances against this
national sin are to be found anywhere than in the letters and
published writings of Jefferson, Washington, Hamilton, and Patrick
Henry. "Jefferson encountered difficulties greater than he could
overcome, and after vain wrestlings the words that broke from him, 'I
tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just and that his
justice cannot sleep forever,' were the words of despair."
"It was the desire of Washington's heart that Virginia should remove
slavery by a public act; and as the prospects of a general
emancipation grew more and more dim . . . he did all that he could by
bequeathing freedom to his own slaves." [Footnote: Bancroft's funeral
oration on Lincoln.]
Hamilton was one of the founders of the Manumission Society, the
object of which was the abolition of slaves in the State of New York.
Patrick Henry, speaking of slavery, said: "A serious view of this
subject gives a gloomy prospect to future times." Slavery was thought
by the founders of our Republic to be a dying institution, and all the
provisions of the Constitution touching slavery looked towards gradual
emancipation as an inevitable result of the growth of the democracy.
From an economic standpoint slave labor had ceased to be profitable.
"The whole interior of the Southern States was languishing, and its
inhabitants emigrating, for want of some object to engage their
attention and employ their industry." The cultivation of cotton was
not profitable for the reason that there was no machine for separating
the seed from the fibre.
This was the state of affairs in 1793, when Eli Whitney, a New England
mechanic, at this time residing in Savannah, Georgia, invented his
cotton-gin, or a machine to separate seed and fibre. "The invention of
this machine at once set the whole country in active motion."
[Footnote: Greeley's American Conflict, vol. i. p. 65.] The effect of
this invention may to some extent be appreciated when we consider that
whereas in 1793 the Southern States produced only about five or ten
thousand bales, in 1859 they produced over five millions. But with
this increase of the cotton culture the value of slave property was
augmented. Slavery grew and spread. In 1818 to 1821 it first became a
factor in politics during the Missouri compromise. By this compromise
slavery was not to extend north of latitude 36° 30'. From the time of
this compromise till the year 1833 the slavery agitation slumbered.
This was the year that the British set the slaves free in their West
Indian dependencies. This act caused great uneasiness among the
slaveholders of the South. The National Anti-Slavery Society met in
Philadelphia and pronounced slavery a national sin, which could be
atoned for only by immediate emancipation. Such men as Garrison and
Lundy began a work of agitation that was soon to set the whole nation
in a ferment. From this time on slavery became the central problem of
American history, and the line of cleavage in American politics. The
invasion of Florida when it was yet the territory of a nation at peace
with the United States, and its subsequent purchase from Spain, the
annexation of Texas and the war with Mexico, were the direct results
of the policy of the pro-slavery party to increase its influence and
its territory. In 1849 the State of California knocked at the door of
the Union for admission as a free State. This was bitterly opposed by
the slaveholders of the South, who saw in it a menace to the slave-
power from the fact that no slave State was seeking admission at the
same time. Both North and South the feeling ran so high as to threaten
the dismemberment of the Union, and the scenes of violence and
bloodshed which were to come eleven years afterwards. It was to
preserve the Union and avert the danger of the hour that Henry Clay
brought forward his celebrated compromise measures in the winter of
1850. To conciliate the North, California was to be admitted as a free
State. To pacify the slaveholders of the South, more stringent laws
were to be enacted "concerning persons bound to service in one State
and escaping into another."
The 7th of March, 1850, Daniel Webster made his celebrated speech, in
which he defended this compromise, and the abolitionists of the North
were filled with indignation, which found its most fitting expression
in Whittier's "Ichabod:"
"So fallen, so lost, the glory from his gray hairs gone."
. . .
"When honor dies the man is dead."
It was in the midst of this excitement that Mrs. Stowe, with her
children and her modest hopes for the future, arrived at the house of
her brother, Dr. Edward Beecher.
Dr. Beecher had been the intimate friend and supporter of Lovejoy, who
had been murdered by the slaveholders at Alton for publishing an anti-
slavery paper. His soul was stirred to its very depths by the
iniquitous law which was at this time being debated in Congress,--a
law which not only gave the slaveholder of the South the right to seek
out and bring back into slavery any colored person whom he claimed as
a slave, but commanded the people of the free States to assist in this
revolting business. The most frequent theme of conversation while Mrs.
Stowe was in Boston was this proposed law, and when she arrived in
Brunswick her soul was all on fire with indignation at this new
indignity and wrong about to be inflicted by the slave-power on the
innocent and defenseless.
After the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act, letter after letter was
received by Mrs. Stowe in Brunswick from Mrs. Edward Beecher and other
friends, describing the heart-rending scenes which were the inevitable
results of the enforcement of this terrible law. Cities were more
available for the capturing of escaped slaves than the country, and
Boston, which claimed to have the cradle of liberty, opened her doors
to the slavehunters. The sorrow and anguish caused thereby no pen
could describe. Families were broken up. Some hid in garrets and
cellars. Some fled to the wharves and embarked in ships and sailed for
Europe. Others went to Canada. One poor fellow who was doing good
business as a crockery merchant, and supporting his family well, when
he got notice that his master, whom he had left many years before, was
after him, set out for Canada in midwinter on foot, as he did not dare
to take a public conveyance. He froze both of his feet on the journey,
and they had to be amputated. Mrs. Edward Beecher, in a letter to Mrs.
Stowe's son, writing of this period, says:---
"I had been nourishing an anti-slavery spirit since Lovejoy was
murdered for publishing in his paper articles against slavery and
intemperance, when our home was in Illinois. These terrible things
which were going on in Boston were well calculated to rouse up this
spirit. What can I do? I thought. Not much myself, but I know one who
can. So I wrote several letters to your mother, telling her of various
heart-rending events caused by the enforcement of the Fugitive Slave
Law. I remember distinctly saying in one of them, 'Now, Hattie, if I
could use a pen as you can, I would write something that would make
this whole nation feel what an accursed thing slavery is.' . . . When
we lived in Boston your mother often visited us. . . . Several numbers
of 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' were written in your Uncle Edward's study at
these times, and read to us from the manuscripts."
A member of Mrs. Stowe's family well remembers the scene in the little
parlor in Brunswick when the letter alluded to was received. Mrs.
Stowe herself read it aloud to the assembled family, and when she came
to the passage, "I would write something that would make this whole
nation feel what an accursed thing slavery is," Mrs. Stowe rose up
from her chair, crushing the letter in her hand, and with an
expression on her face that stamped itself on the mind of her child,
said: "I will write something. I will if I live."
This was the origin of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," and Professor Cairnes has
well said in his admirable work, "The Slave Power," "The Fugitive
Slave Law has been to the slave power a questionable gain. Among its
first-fruits was 'Uncle Tom's Cabin.'"
The purpose of writing a story that should make the whole nation feel
that slavery was an accursed thing was not immediately carried out. In
December, 1850, Mrs. Stowe writes: "Tell sister Katy I thank her for
her letter and will answer it. As long as the baby sleeps with me
nights I can't do much at anything, but I will do it at last. I will
write that thing if I live.
"What are folks in general saying about the slave law, and the stand
taken by Boston ministers universally, except Edward?
"To me it is incredible, amazing, mournful!! I feel as if I should be
willing to sink with it, were all this sin and misery to sink in the
sea. . . . I wish father would come on to Boston, and preach on the
Fugitive Slave Law, as he once preached on the slave-trade, when I was
a little girl in Litchfield. I sobbed aloud in one pew and Mrs. Judge
Reeves in another. I wish some Martin Luther would arise to set this
community right."
December 22, 1850, she writes to her husband in Cincinnati: "Christmas
has passed, not without many thoughts of our absent one. If you want a
description of the scenes in our family preceding it, _vide_ a
'New Year's Story,' which I have sent to the 'New York Evangelist.' I
am sorry that in the hurry of getting off this piece and one for the
'Era' you were neglected." The piece for the "Era" was a humorous
article called "A Scholar's Adventures in the Country," being, in
fact, a picture drawn from life and embodying Professor Stowe's
efforts in the department of agriculture while in Cincinnati.
_December_ 29,1850. "We have had terrible weather here. I
remember such a storm when I was a child in Litchfield. Father and
mother went to Warren, and were almost lost in the snowdrifts.
"Sunday night I rather watched than slept. The wind howled, and the
house rocked just as our old Litchfield house used to. The cold has
been so intense that the children have kept begging to get up from
table at meal-times to warm feet and fingers. Our air-tight stoves
warm all but the floor,---heat your head and keep your feet freezing.
If I sit by the open fire in the parlor my back freezes, if I sit in
my bedroom and try to write my head aches and my feet are cold. I am
projecting a sketch for the 'Era' on the capabilities of liberated
blacks to take care of themselves. Can't you find out for me how much
Willie Watson has paid for the redemption of his friends, and get any
items in figures of that kind that you can pick up in Cincinnati? . . .
When I have a headache and feel sick, as I do to-day, there is
actually not a place in the house where I can lie down and take a nap
without being disturbed. Overhead is the school-room, next door is the
dining-room, and the girls practice there two hours a day. If I lock
my door and lie down some one is sure to be rattling the latch before
fifteen minutes have passed. . . . There is no doubt in my mind that
our expenses this year will come two hundred dollars, if not three,
beyond our salary. We shall be able to come through, notwithstanding;
but I don't want to feel obliged to work as hard every year as I have
this. I can earn four hundred dollars a year by writing, but I don't
want to feel that I must, and when weary with teaching the children,
and tending the baby, and buying provisions, and mending dresses, and
darning stockings, sit down and write a piece for some paper."
January 12, 1851, Mrs. Stowe again writes to Professor Stowe at
Cincinnati: "Ever since we left Cincinnati to come here the good hand
of God has been visibly guiding our way. Through what difficulties
have we been brought! Though we knew not where means were to come
from, yet means have been furnished every step of the way, and in
every time of need. I was just in some discouragement with regard to
my writing; thinking that the editor of the 'Era' was overstocked with
contributors, and would not want my services another year, and lo! he
sends me one hundred dollars, and ever so many good words with it. Our
income this year will be seventeen hundred dollars in all, and I hope
to bring our expenses within thirteen hundred."
It was in the month of February after these words were written that
Mrs. Stowe was seated at communion service in the college church at
Brunswick. Suddenly, like the unrolling of a picture, the scene of the
death of Uncle Tom passed before her mind. So strongly was she
affected that it was with difficulty she could keep from weeping
aloud. Immediately on returning home she took pen and paper and wrote
out the vision which had been as it were blown into her mind as by the
rushing of a mighty wind. Gathering her family about her she read what
she had written. Her two little ones of ten and twelve years of age
broke into convulsions of weeping, one of them saying through is sobs,
"Oh, mamma! slavery is the most cruel thing in the world." Thus Uncle
Tom was ushered into the world, and it was, as we said at the
beginning, a cry, an immediate, an involuntary expression of deep,
impassioned feeling.
Twenty-five years afterwards Mrs. Stowe wrote in a letter to one of
her children, of this period of her life: "I well remember the winter
you were a baby and I was writing 'Uncle Tom's Cabin.' My heart was
bursting with the anguish excited by the cruelty and injustice our
nation was showing to the slave, and praying God to let me do a little
and to cause my cry for them to be heard. I remember many a night
weeping over you as you lay sleeping beside me, and I thought of the
slave mothers whose babes were torn from them."
It was not till the following April that the first chapter of the
story was finished and sent on to the "National Era" at Washington.
In July Mrs. Stowe wrote to Frederick Douglass the following letter,
which is given entire as the best possible introduction to the history
of the career of that memorable work, "Uncle Tom's Cabin."
BRUNSWICK, _July 9_, 1851. FREDERICK DOUGLASS, ESQ.:
_Sir_,---You may perhaps have noticed in your editorial readings
a series of articles that I am furnishing for the "Era" under the
title of "Uncle Tom's Cabin, or Life among the Lowly.".
In the course of my story the scene will fall upon a cotton
plantation. I am very desirous, therefore, to gain information from
one who has been an actual laborer on one, and it occurred to me that
in the circle of your acquaintance there might be one who would be
able to communicate to me some such information as I desire. I have
before me an able paper written by a Southern planter, in which the
details and _modus operandi_ are given from his point of sight. I
am anxious to have something more from another standpoint. I wish to
be able to make a picture that shall be graphic and true to nature in
its details. Such a person as Henry Bibb, if in the country, might
give me just the kind of information I desire. You may possibly know
of some other person. I will subjoin to this letter a list of
questions, which in that case you will do me a favor by inclosing to
the individual, with the request that he will at earliest convenience
answer them.
For some few weeks past I have received your paper through the mail,
and have read it with great interest, and desire to return my
acknowledgments for it. It will be a pleasure to me at some time when
less occupied to contribute something to its columns. I have noticed
with regret your sentiments on two subjects--the church and African
colonization, . . . with the more regret because I think you have a
considerable share of reason for your feelings on both these subjects;
but I would willingly, if I could, modify your views on both points.
In the first place you say the church is "pro-slavery." There is a
sense in which this may be true. The American church of all
denominations, taken as a body, comprises the best and most
conscientious people in the country. I do not say it comprises none
but these, or that none such are found out of it, but only if a census
were taken of the purest and most high principled men and women of the
country, the majority of them would be found to be professors of
religion in some of the various Christian denominations. This fact has
given to the church great weight in this country--the general and
predominant spirit of intelligence and probity and piety of its
majority has given it that degree of weight that it has the power to
decide the great moral questions of the day. Whatever it unitedly and
decidedly sets itself against as moral evil it can put down. In this
sense the church is responsible for the sin of slavery. Dr. Barnes has
beautifully and briefly expressed this on the last page of his work on
slavery, when he says: "Not all the force out of the church could
sustain slavery an hour if it were not sustained in it." It then
appears that the church has the power to put an end to this evil and
does not do it. In this sense she may be said to be pro-slavery. But
the church has the same power over intemperance, and Sabbath-breaking,
and sin of all kinds. There is not a doubt that if the moral power of
the church were brought up to the New Testament standpoint it is
sufficient to put an end to all these as well as to slavery. But I
would ask you, Would you consider it a fair representation of the
Christian church in this country to say that it is pro-intemperance,
pro-Sabbath-breaking, and pro everything that it might put down if it
were in a higher state of moral feeling? If you should make a list of
all the abolitionists of the country, I think that you would find a
majority of them in the church--certainly some of the most influential
and efficient ones are ministers.
I am a minister's daughter, and a minister's wife, and I have had six
brothers in the ministry (one is in heaven); I certainly ought to know
something of the feelings of ministers on this subject. I was a child
in 1820 when the Missouri question was agitated, and one of the
strongest and deepest impressions on my mind was that made by my
father's sermons and prayers, and the anguish of his soul for the poor
slave at that time. I remember his preaching drawing tears down the
hardest faces of the old farmers in his congregation.
I well remember his prayers morning and evening in the family for
"poor, oppressed, bleeding Africa," that the time of her deliverance
might come; prayers offered with strong crying and tears, and which
indelibly impressed my heart and made me what I am from my very soul,
the enemy of all slavery. Every brother I have has been in his sphere
a leading anti-slavery man. One of them was to the last the bosom
friend and counselor of Lovejoy. As for myself and husband, we have
for the last seventeen years lived on the border of a slave State, and
we have never shrunk from the fugitives, and we have helped them with
all we had to give. I have received the children of liberated slaves
into a family school, and taught them with my own children, and it has
been the influence that we found in the church and by the altar that
has made us do all this. Gather up all the sermons that have been
published on this offensive and unchristian Fugitive Slave Law, and
you will find that those against it are numerically more than those in
its favor, and yet some of the strongest opponents have not published
their sermons. Out of thirteen ministers who meet with my husband
weekly for discussion of moral subjects, only three are found who will
acknowledge or obey this law in any shape.
After all, my brother, the strength and hope of your oppressed race
does lie in the church--in hearts united to Him of whom it is said,
"He shall spare the souls of the needy, and precious shall their blood
be in his sight." Everything is against you, but Jesus Christ is for
you, and He has not forgotten his church, misguided and erring though
it be. I have looked all the field over with despairing eyes; I see no
hope but in Him. This movement must and will become a purely religious
one. The light will spread in churches, the tone of feeling will rise,
Christians North and South will give up all connection with, and take
up their testimony against, slavery, and thus the work will be done.
This letter gives us a conception of the state of moral and religious
exaltation of the heart and mind out of which flowed chapter after
chapter of that wonderful story. It all goes to prove the correctness
of the position from which we started, that "Uncle Tom's Cabin" came
from the heart rather than the head. It was an outburst of deep
feeling, a cry in the darkness. The writer no more thought of style or
literary excellence than the mother who rushes into the street and
cries for help to save her children from a burning house thinks of the
teachings of the rhetorician or the elocutionist.
A few years afterwards Mrs. Stowe, writing of this story, said, "This
story is to show how Jesus Christ, who liveth and was dead, and now is
alive and forever-more, has still a mother's love for the poor and
lowly, and that no man can sink so low but that Jesus Christ will
stoop to take his hand. Who so low, who so poor, who so despised as
the American slave? The law almost denies his existence as a person,
and regards him for the most part as less than a man--a mere thing,
the property of another. The law forbids him to read or write, to hold
property, to make a contract, or even to form a legal marriage. It
takes from him all legal right to the wife of his bosom, the children
of his body. He can do nothing, possess nothing, acquire nothing, but
what must belong to his master. Yet even to this slave Jesus Christ
stoops, from where he sits at the right hand of the Father, and says,
'Fear not, thou whom man despiseth, for I am thy brother. Fear not,
for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art
mine.'"
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" is a work of religion; the fundamental principles
of the gospel applied to the burning question of negro slavery. It
sets forth those principles of the Declaration of Independence that
made Jefferson, Hamilton, Washington, and Patrick Henry anti-slavery
men; not in the language of the philosopher, but in a series of
pictures. Mrs. Stowe spoke to the understanding and moral sense
through the imagination.
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" made the enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Law an
impossibility. It aroused the public sentiment of the world by
arousing in the concrete that which had been a mere series of abstract
propositions. It was, as we have already said, an appeal to the
imagination through a series of pictures. People are like children,
and understand pictures better than words. Some one rushes into your
dining-room while you are at breakfast and cries out, "Terrible
railroad accident, forty killed and wounded, six were burned alive."
"Oh, shocking! dreadful!" you exclaim, and yet go quietly on with your
rolls and coffee. But suppose you stood at that instant by the wreck,
and saw the mangled dead, and heard the piercing shrieks of the
wounded, you would be faint and dizzy with the intolerable spectacle.
So "Uncle Tom's Cabin" made the crack of the slavedriver's whip, and
the cries of the tortured blacks ring in every household in the land,
till human hearts could endure it no longer.
CHAPTER VII.
UNCLE TOM'S CABIN, 1852.
"UNCLE TOM'S CABIN" AS A SERIAL IN THE "NATIONAL ERA."--AN OFFER FOR
ITS PUBLICATION IN BOOK FORM.--WILL IT BE A SUCCESS?--AN UNPRECEDENTED
CIRCULATION.--CONGRATULATORY MESSAGES.--KIND WORDS FROM ABROAD.--MRS.
STOWE TO THE EARL OF CARLISLE.--LETTERS FROM AND TO LORD SHAFTESBURY.
--CORRESPONDENCE WITH ARTHUR HELPS.
The wonderful story that was begun in the "National Era," June 5,
1851, and was announced to run for about three months, was not
completed in that paper until April 1, 1852. It had been contemplated
as a mere magazine tale of perhaps a dozen chapters, but once begun it
could no more be controlled than the waters of the swollen
Mississippi, bursting through a crevasse in its levees. The intense
interest excited by the story, the demands made upon the author for
more facts, the unmeasured words of encouragement to keep on in her
good work that poured in from all sides, and above all the ever-
growing conviction that she had been intrusted with a great and holy
mission, compelled her to keep on until the humble tale had assumed
the proportions of a volume prepared to stand among the most notable
books in the world. As Mrs. Stowe has since repeatedly said, "I could
not control the story; it wrote itself;" or "I the author of 'Uncle
Tom's Cabin'? No, indeed. The Lord himself wrote it, and I was but the
humblest of instruments in his hand. To Him alone should be given all
the praise."
Although the publication of the "National Era" has been long since
suspended, the journal was in those days one of decided literary merit
and importance. On its title-page, with the name of Dr. Gamaliel
Bailey as editor, appeared that of John Greenleaf Whittier as
corresponding editor. In its columns Mrs. Southworth made her first
literary venture, while Alice and Phoebe Gary, Grace Greenwood, and a
host of other well-known names were published with that of Mrs. Stowe,
which appeared last of all in its prospectus for 1851.
Before the conclusion of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" Mrs. Stowe had so far
outstripped her contemporaries that her work was pronounced by
competent judges to be the most powerful production ever contributed
to the magazine literature of this country, and she stood in the
foremost rank of American writers.
After finishing her story Mrs. Stowe penned the following appeal to
its more youthful readers, and its serial publication was concluded:--
"The author of 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' must now take leave of a wide
circle of friends whose faces she has never seen, but whose sympathies
coming to her from afar have stimulated and cheered her in her work.
"The thought of the pleasant family circles that she has been meeting
in spirit week after week has been a constant refreshment to her, and
she cannot leave them without a farewell.
"In particular the dear children who have followed her story have her
warmest love. Dear children, you will soon be men and women, and I
hope that you will learn from this story always to remember and pity
the poor and oppressed. When you grow up, show your pity by doing all
you can for them. Never, if you can help it, let a colored child be
shut out from school or treated with neglect and contempt on account
of his color. Remember the sweet example of little Eva, and try to
feel the same regard for all that she did. Then, when you grow up, I
hope the foolish and unchristian prejudice against people merely on
account of their complexion will be done away with.
"Farewell, dear children, until we meet again."
With the completion of the story the editor of the "Era" wrote: "Mrs.
Stowe has at last brought her great work to a close. We do not
recollect any production of an American writer that has excited more
general and profound interest."
For the story as a serial the author received $300. In the mean time,
however, it had attracted the attention of Mr. John P. Jewett, a
Boston publisher, who promptly made overtures for its publication in
book form. He offered Mr. and Mrs. Stowe a half share in the profits,
provided they would share with him the expense of publication. This
was refused by Professor Stowe, who said he was altogether too poor to
assume any such risk; and the agreement finally made was that the
author should receive a ten per cent royalty upon all sales.
Mrs. Stowe had no reason to hope for any large pecuniary gain from
this publication, for it was practically her first book. To be sure,
she had, in 1832, prepared a small school geography for a Western
publisher, and ten years later the Harpers had brought out her
"Mayflower." Still, neither of these had been sufficiently
remunerative to cause her to regard literary work as a money-making
business, and in regard to this new contract she writes: "I did not
know until a week afterward precisely what terms Mr. Stowe had made,
and I did not care. I had the most perfect indifference to the
bargain."
The agreement was signed March 13, 1852, and, as by arrangement with
the "National Era" the book publication of the story was authorized
before its completion as a serial, the first edition of five thousand
copies was issued on the twentieth of the same month.
In looking over the first semi-annual statement presented by her
publishers we find Mrs. Stowe charged, a few days before the date of
publication of her book, with "one copy U. T. C. cloth $.56," and this
was the first copy of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" ever sold in book form. Five
days earlier we find her charged with one copy of Horace Mann's
speeches. In writing of this critical period of her life Mrs. Stowe
says:--
"After sending the last proof-sheet to the office I sat alone reading
Horace Mann's eloquent plea for these young men and women, then about
to be consigned to the slave warehouse of Bruin & Hill in Alexandria,
Va.,--a plea impassioned, eloquent, but vain, as all other pleas on
that side had ever proved in all courts hitherto. It seemed that there
was no hope, that nobody would hear, nobody would read, nobody pity;
that this frightful system, that had already pursued its victims into
the free States, might at last even threaten them in Canada."
[Footnote: Introduction to Illustrated Edition of _Uncle Tom_, p.
xiii. (Houghton, Osgood & Co., 1879.)]
Filled with this fear, she determined to do all that one woman might
to enlist the sympathies of England for the cause, and to avert, even
as a remote contingency, the closing of Canada as a haven of refuge
for the oppressed. To this end she at once wrote letters to Prince
Albert, to the Duke of Argyll, to the Earls of Carlisle and
Shaftesbury, to Macaulay, Dickens, and others whom she knew to be
interested in the cause of anti-slavery. These she ordered to be sent
to their several addresses, accompanied by the very earliest copies of
her book that should be printed.
Then, having done what she could, and committed the result to God, she
calmly turned her attention to other affairs.
In the mean time the fears of the author as to whether or not her book
would be read were quickly dispelled. Three thousand copies were sold
the very first day, a second edition was issued the following week, a
third on the 1st of April, and within a year one hundred and twenty
editions, or over three hundred thousand copies of the book, had been
issued and sold in this country. Almost in a day the poor professor's
wife had become the most talked-of woman in the world, her influence
for good was spreading to its remotest corners, and henceforth she was
to be a public character, whose every movement would be watched with
interest, and whose every word would be quoted. The long, weary
struggle with poverty was to be hers no longer; for, in seeking to aid
the oppressed, she had also so aided herself that within four months
from the time her book was published it had yielded her $10,000 in
royalties.
Now letters regarding the wonderful book, and expressing all shades of
opinion concerning it, began to pour in upon the author. Her lifelong
friend, whose words we have already so often quoted, wrote:--
"I sat up last night until long after one o'clock reading and
finishing 'Uncle Tom's Cabin.' I could not leave it any more than I
could have left a dying child, nor could I restrain an almost
hysterical sobbing for an hour after I laid my head upon my pillow. I
thought I was a thorough-going abolitionist before, but your book has
awakened so strong a feeling of indignation and of compassion that I
never seem to have had any feeling on this subject until now."
The poet Longfellow wrote:--
I congratulate you most cordially upon the immense success and
influence of "Uncle Tom's Cabin." It is one of the greatest triumphs
recorded in literary history, to say nothing of the higher triumph of
its moral effect.
With great regard, and friendly remembrance to Mr. Stowe, I remain,
Yours most truly,
HENRY W. LONGFELLOW.
Whittier wrote to Garrison:--
"What a glorious work Harriet Beecher Stowe has wrought. Thanks for
the Fugitive Slave Law! Better would it be for slavery if that law had
never been enacted; for it gave occasion for 'Uncle Tom's Cabin.'"
Garrison wrote to Mrs. Stowe:--
"I estimate the value of anti-slavery writing by the abuse it brings.
Now all the defenders of slavery have let me alone and are abusing
you."
To Mrs. Stowe, Whittier wrote:--
Ten thousand thanks for thy immortal book. My young friend Mary Irving
(of the "Era") writes me that she has been reading it to some twenty
young ladies, daughters of Louisiana slaveholders, near New Orleans,
and amid the scenes described in it, and that they, with one accord,
pronounce it true.
Truly thy friend,
JOHN G. WHITTIER.
From Thomas Wentworth Higginson came the following:--
To have written at once the most powerful of contemporary fiction and
the most efficient of anti-slavery tracts is a double triumph in
literature and philanthropy, to which this country has heretofore seen
no parallel.
Yours respectfully and gratefully,
T. W. HIGGINSON.
A few days after the publication of the book, Mrs. Stowe, writing from
Boston to her husband in Brunswick, says: "I have been in such a whirl
ever since I have been here. I found business prosperous. Jewett
animated. He has been to Washington and conversed with all the leading
senators, Northern and Southern. Seward told him it was the greatest
book of the times, or something of that sort, and he and Sumner went
around with him to recommend it to Southern men and get them to read
it."
It is true that with these congratulatory and commendatory letters
came hosts of others, threatening and insulting, from the Haleys and
Legrees of the country.
Of them Mrs. Stowe said: "They were so curiously compounded of
blasphemy, cruelty, and obscenity, that their like could only be
expressed by John Bunyan's account of the speech of Apollyon: 'He
spake as a dragon.'"
A correspondent of the "National Era" wrote: "'Uncle Tom's Cabin' is
denounced by time-serving preachers as a meretricious work. Will you
not come out in defense of it and roll back the tide of vituperation?"
To this the editor answered: "We should as soon think of coming out in
defense of Shakespeare."
Several attempts were made in the South to write books controverting
"Uncle Tom's Cabin," and showing a much brighter side of the slavery
question, but they all fell flat and were left unread. Of one of them,
a clergyman of Charleston, S.C., wrote in a private letter:--
"I have read two columns in the 'Southern Press' of Mrs. Eastman's
'Aunt Phillis' Cabin, or Southern Life as it is,' with the remarks of
the editor. I have no comment to make on it, as that is done by
itself. The editor might have saved himself being writ down an ass by
the public if he had withheld his nonsense. If the two columns are a
fair specimen of Mrs. Eastman's book, I pity her attempt and her name
as an author."
In due time Mrs. Stowe began to receive answers to the letters she had
forwarded with copies of her book to prominent men in England, and
these were without exception flattering and encouraging. Through his
private secretary Prince Albert acknowledged with thanks the receipt
of his copy, and promised to read it. Succeeding mails brought scores
of letters from English men of letters and statesmen. Lord Carlisle
wrote:--
"I return my deep and solemn thanks to Almighty God who has led and
enabled you to write such a book. I do feel indeed the most thorough
assurance that in his good Providence such a book cannot have been
written in vain. I have long felt that slavery is by far the
_topping_ question of the world and age we live in, including all
that is most thrilling in heroism and most touching in distress; in
short, the real epic of the universe. The self-interest of the parties
most nearly concerned on the one hand, the apathy and ignorance of
unconcerned observers on the other, have left these august pretensions
to drop very much out of sight. Hence my rejoicing that a writer has
appeared who will be read and must be felt, and that happen what may
to the transactions of slavery they will no longer be suppressed."
To this letter, of which but an extract has been given, Mrs. Stowe
sent the following reply:--
MY LORD,--It is not with the common pleasure of gratified authorship
that I say how much I am gratified by the receipt of your very kind
communication with regard to my humble efforts in the cause of
humanity. The subject is one so grave, so awful--the success of what I
have written has been so singular and so unexpected--that I can scarce
retain a self-consciousness and am constrained to look upon it all as
the work of a Higher Power, who, when He pleases, can accomplish his
results by the feeblest instruments. I am glad of anything which gives
notoriety to the book, because it is a plea for the dumb and the
helpless! I am glad particularly of notoriety in England because I see
with what daily increasing power England's opinion is to act on this
country. No one can tell but a _native_ born here by what an
infinite complexity of ties, nerves, and ligaments this terrible evil
is bound in one body politic; how the slightest touch upon it causes
even the free States to thrill and shiver, what a terribly corrupting
and tempting power it has upon the conscience and moral sentiment even
of a free community. Nobody can tell the thousand ways in which by
trade, by family affinity, or by political expediency, the free part
of our country is constantly tempted to complicity with the
slaveholding part. It is a terrible thing to become used to hearing
the enormities of slavery, to hear of things day after day that one
would think the sun should hide his face from, and yet, to _get used
to them_, to discusss them coolly, to dismiss them coolly. For
example, the sale of intelligent, handsome colored females for vile
purposes, facts of the most public nature, have made this a perfectly
understood matter in our Northern States. I have now, myself, under
charge and educating, two girls of whose character any mother might be
proud, who have actually been rescued from this sale in the New
Orleans market.
I desire to inclose a tract [Footnote: Afterwards embodied in the
_Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin_.] in which I sketched down a few
incidents in the history of the family to which these girls belong; it
will show more than words can the kind of incident to which I allude.
The tract is not a published document, only _printed_ to assist
me in raising money, and it would not, at present, be for the good of
the parties to have it published even in England.
But though these things are known in the free States, and other
things, if possible, worse, yet there is a terrible deadness of moral
sense. They are known by clergymen who yet would not on any account so
far commit themselves as to preach on the evils of slavery, or pray
for the slaves in their pulpits. They are known by politicians who yet
give their votes for slavery extension and perpetuation.
This year both our great leading parties voted to suppress all
agitation of the subject, and in both those parties were men who knew
personally facts of slavery and the internal slave-trade that one
would think no man could ever forget. Men _united_ in pledging
themselves to the Fugitive Slave Law, who yet would tell you in
private conversation that it was an abomination, and who do not
hesitate to say, that as a matter of practice they always help the
fugitive because they _can't_ do otherwise.
The moral effect of this constant insincerity, the moral effect of
witnessing and becoming accustomed to the most appalling forms of
crime and oppression, is to me the most awful and distressing part of
the subject. Nothing makes me feel it so painfully as to see with how
much more keenness the English feel the disclosures of my book than
the Americans. I myself am blunted by use--by seeing, touching,
handling the details. In dealing even for the ransom of slaves, in
learning market prices of men, women, and children, I feel that I
acquire a horrible familiarity with evil.
Here, then, the great, wise, and powerful mind of England, if she will
but fully master the subject, may greatly help us. Hers is the same
kind of mind as our own, but disembarrassed from our temptations and
unnerved by the thousands of influences that blind and deaden us.
There is a healthful vivacity of moral feeling on this subject that
must electrify our paralyzed vitality. For this reason, therefore, I
rejoice when I see minds like your lordship's turning to this subject;
and I feel an intensity of emotion, as if I could say, Do not for
Christ's sake let go; you know not what you may do.
Your lordship will permit me to send you two of the most
characteristic documents of the present struggle, written by two men
who are, in their way, as eloquent for the slave as Chatham was for us
in our hour of need.
I am now preparing some additional notes to my book, in which I shall
further confirm what I have said by facts and statistics, and in
particular by extracts from the _codes of slaveholding States_,
and the _records of their courts_. These are documents that
cannot be disputed, and I pray your lordship to give them your
attention. No disconnected facts can be so terrible as these legal
decisions. They will soon appear in England.
It is so far from being irrelevant for England to notice slavery that
I already see indications that this subject, on _both sides_, is
yet to be presented there, and the battle fought on _English
ground_. I see that my friend the South Carolinian gentleman has
sent to "Fraser's Magazine" an article, before published in this
country, on "Uncle Tom's Cabin." The article in the London "Times" was
eagerly reprinted in this country, was issued as a tract and sold by
the hundred, headed, "What they think of 'Uncle Tom' in England." If I
mistake not, a strong effort will be made to pervert the public mind
of England, and to do away the impression which the book has left.
For a time after it was issued it seemed to go by acclamation. From
quarters the most unexpected, from all political parties, came an
almost unbroken chorus of approbation. I was very much surprised,
knowing the explosive nature of the subject. It was not till the sale
had run to over a hundred thousand copies that reaction began, and the
reaction was led off by the London "Times." Instantly, as by a
preconcerted signal, all papers of a certain class began to abuse; and
some who had at first issued articles entirely commendatory, now
issued others equally depreciatory. Religious papers, notably the "New
York Observer," came out and denounced the book as _anti-
Christian_, anti-evangelical, resorting even to personal slander on
the author as a means of diverting attention from the work.
All this has a meaning, but I think it comes too late. I can think of
no reason why it was not tried sooner, excepting that God had intended
that the cause should have a hearing. It is strange that they should
have waited so long for the political effect of a book which they
might have foreseen at first; but not strange that they should, now
they _do_ see what it is doing, attempt to root it up.
The effects of the book so far have been, I think, these: 1st. To
soften and moderate the bitterness of feeling in _extreme
abolitionists_. 2d. To convert to abolitionist views many whom this
same bitterness had repelled. 3d. To inspire the free colored people
with self-respect, hope, and confidence. 4th. To inspire universally
through the country a kindlier feeling toward the negro race.
It was unfortunate for the cause of freedom that the first agitators
of this subject were of that class which your lordship describes in
your note as "well-meaning men." I speak sadly of their faults, for
they were men of noble hearts. "But oppression maketh a wise man mad"
and they spoke and did many things in the frenzy of outraged humanity
that repelled sympathy and threw multitudes off to a hopeless
distance. It is mournful to think of all the absurdities that have
been said and done in the name and for the sake of this holy cause,
that have so long and so fatally retarded it.
I confess that I expected for myself nothing but abuse from extreme
abolitionists, especially as I dared to name a forbidden shibboleth,
"Liberia," and the fact that the wildest and extremest abolitionists
united with the coldest conservatives, at first, to welcome and
advance the book is a thing that I have never ceased to wonder at.
I have written this long letter because I am extremely desirous that
some leading minds in England should know how _we_ stand. The
subject is now on trial at the bar of a civilized world--a Christian
world! and I feel sure that God has not ordered this without a design.
Yours for the cause,
HARRIET BEECHER STOWE.
In December the Earl of Shaftesbury wrote to Mrs. Stowe:--
MADAM,-It is very possible that the writer of this letter may be
wholly unknown to you. But whether my name be familiar to your ears,
or whether you now read it for the first time, I cannot refrain from
expressing to you the deep gratitude that I feel to Almighty God who
has inspired both your heart and your head in the composition of
"Uncle Tom's Cabin." None but a Christian believer could have produced
such a book as yours, which has absolutely startled the whole world,
and impressed many thousands by revelations of cruelty and sin that
give us an idea of what would be the uncontrolled dominion of Satan on
this fallen earth.
To this letter Mrs. Stowe replied as follows:--
ANDOVER, _January_ 6, 1853.
To THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURY:
_My Lord_,-The few lines I have received from you are a comfort
and an encouragement to me, feeble as I now am in health, and pressed
oftentimes with sorrowful thoughts.
It is a comfort to know that in other lands there are those who feel
as we feel, and who are looking with simplicity to the gospel of
Jesus, and prayerfully hoping his final coming.
My lord, before you wrote me I read with deep emotion your letter to
the ladies of England, and subsequently the noble address of the
Duchess of Sutherland, and I could not but feel that such movements,
originating in such a quarter, prompted by a spirit so devout and
benevolent, were truly of God, and must result in a blessing to the
world.
I grieve to see that both in England and this country there are those
who are entirely incapable of appreciating the Christian and truly
friendly feeling that prompted this movement, and that there are even
those who meet it with coarse personalities such as I had not thought
possible in an English or American paper.
When I wrote my work it was in simplicity and in the love of Christ,
and if I felt anything that seemed to me like a call to undertake it,
it was this, that I had a true heart of love for the Southern people,
a feeling appreciation of their trials, and a sincere admiration of
their many excellent traits, and that I thus felt, I think, must
appear to every impartial reader of the work.
It was my hope that a book so kindly intended, so favorable in many
respects, might be permitted free circulation among them, and that the
gentle voice of Eva and the manly generosity of St. Clare might be
allowed to say those things of the system which would be invidious in
any other form.
At first the book seemed to go by acclamation; the South did not
condemn, and the North was loud and unanimous in praise; not a
dissenting voice was raised; to my astonishment everybody praised. But
when the book circulated so widely and began to penetrate the Southern
States, when it began to be perceived how powerfully it affected every
mind that read it, there came on a reaction.
Answers, pamphlets, newspaper attacks came thick and fast, and certain
Northern papers, religious,--so called,--turned and began to denounce
the work as unchristian, heretical, etc. The reason of all this is
that it has been seen that the book has a direct tendency to do what
it was written for,--to awaken conscience in the slaveholding States
and lead to emancipation.
Now there is nothing that Southern political leaders and capitalists
so dread as anti-slavery feeling among themselves. All the force of
lynch law is employed to smother discussion and blind conscience on
this question. The question is not allowed to be discussed, and he who
sells a book or publishes a tract makes himself liable to fine and
imprisonment.
My book is, therefore, as much under an interdict in some parts of the
South as the Bible is in Italy. It is not allowed in the bookstores,
and the greater part of the people hear of it and me only through
grossly caricatured representations in the papers, with garbled
extracts from the book.
A cousin residing in Georgia this winter says that the prejudice
against my name is so strong that she dares not have it appear on the
outside of her letters, and that very amiable and excellent people
have asked her if such as I could be received into reputable society
at the North.
Under these circumstances, it is a matter of particular regret that
the "New York Observer," an old and long-established religious paper
in the United States, extensively read at the South, should have come
out in such a bitter and unscrupulous style of attack as even to
induce some Southern papers, with a generosity one often finds at the
South, to protest against it.
That they should use their Christian character and the sacred name of
Christ still further to blind the minds and strengthen the prejudices
of their Southern brethren is to me a matter of deepest sorrow. All
those things, of course, cannot touch me in my private capacity,
sheltered as I am by a happy home and very warm friends. I only grieve
for it as a dishonor to Christ and a real injustice to many noble-
minded people at the South, who, if they were allowed quietly and
dispassionately to hear and judge, might be led to the best results.
But, my lord, all this only shows us how strong is the interest we
touch. _All the wealth of America_ may be said to be interested
in it. And, if I may judge from the furious and bitter tone of some
English papers, they also have some sensitive connection with the
evil.
I trust that those noble and gentle ladies of England who have in so
good a spirit expressed their views of the question will not be
discouraged by the strong abuse that will follow. England is doing us
good. We need the vitality of a disinterested country to warm our
torpid and benumbed public sentiment.
Nay, the storm of feeling which the book raises in Italy, Germany, and
France is all good, though truly 'tis painful for us Americans to
bear. The fact is, we have become used to this frightful evil, and we
need the public sentiment of the world to help us.
I am now writing a work to be called "Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin." It
contains, in an undeniable form, the facts which corroborate all that
I have said. One third of it is taken up with judicial records of
trials and decisions, and with statute law. It is a most fearful
story, my lord,---I can truly say that I write with life-blood, but as
called of God. I give in my evidence, and I hope that England may so
fix the attention of the world on the facts of which I am the
unwilling publisher, that the Southern States may be compelled to
notice what hitherto they have denied and ignored. If they call the
fiction dreadful, what will they say of the fact, where I cannot deny,
suppress, or color? But it is God's will that it must be told, and I
am the unwilling agent.
This coming month of April, my husband and myself expect to sail for
England on the invitation of the Anti-Slavery Society of the Ladies
and Gentlemen of Glasgow, to confer with friends there.
There are points where English people can do much good; there are also
points where what they seek to do may be made more efficient by a
little communion with those who know the feelings and habits of our
countrymen: but I am persuaded that England can do much for us.
My lord, they greatly mistake who see, in this movement of English
Christians for the abolition of slavery, signs of disunion between the
nations. It is the purest and best proof of friendship England has
ever shown us, and will, I am confident, be so received. I earnestly
trust that all who have begun to take in hand the cause will be in
nothing daunted, but persevere to the end; for though everything else
be against us, _Christ_ is certainly on our side and He _must
at last prevail_, and it will be done, "not by might, nor by power,
but by His Spirit." Yours in Christian sincerity, H. B. STOWE.
Mrs. Stowe also received a letter from Arthur Helps [Footnote: Author
of _Spanish Conquest in America_.--ED.] Accompanying a review of
her work written by himself and published in "Fraser's Magazine." In
his letter Mr. Helps took exception to the comparison instituted in
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" between the working-classes of England and the
slaves of America. In her answer to this criticism and complaint Mrs.
Stowe says:--
MR. ARTHUR HELPS: _My dear Sir_,--I cannot but say I am greatly
obliged to you for the kind opinions expressed in your letter. On one
point, however, it appears that my book has not faithfully represented
to you the feelings of my heart. I mean in relation to the English
nation as a nation. You will notice that the remarks on that subject
occur in the _dramatic_ part of the book, in the mouth of an
intelligent Southerner. As a fair-minded person, bound to state for
both sides all that could be said in the person of St. Clare, the best
that could be said on that point, and what I know _is_ in fact
constantly reiterated, namely, that the laboring class of the South
are in many respects, as to physical comfort, in a better condition
than the poor of England.
This is the slaveholder's stereotyped apology,--a defense it cannot
be, unless two wrongs make one right.
It is generally supposed among us that this estimate of the relative
condition of the slaves and the poor of England is correct, and we
base our ideas on reports made in Parliament and various documentary
evidence; also such sketches as "London Labor and London Poor," which
have been widely circulated among us. The inference, however,
which _we_ of the freedom party draw from it, is _not_ that
the slave is, on the whole, in the best condition because of this
striking difference; that in America the slave has not a recognized
_human_ character _in law, has not even an existence_,
whereas in England the law recognizes and protects the meanest
subject, in theory _always_, and in _fact_ to a certain
extent. A prince of the blood could not strike the meanest laborer
without a liability to prosecution, in _theory_ at least, and
that is something. In America any man may strike any slave he meets,
and if the master does not choose to notice it, he has no redress.
I do not suppose _human nature_ to be widely different in England
and America. In both countries, when any class holds power and wealth
by institutions which in the long run bring misery on lower classes,
they are very unwilling still to part with that wealth and power. They
are unwilling to be convinced that it is their duty, and unwilling to
do it if they are. It is always so everywhere; it is not English
nature or American nature, but human nature. We have seen in England
the battle for popular rights fought step by step with as determined a
resistance from parties in possession as the slaveholder offers in
America.
There was the same kind of resistance in certain quarters there to the
laws restricting the employing of young children eighteen hours a day
in factories, as there is here to the anti-slavery effort.
Again, in England as in America, there are, in those very classes
whose interests are most invaded by what are called popular rights,
some of the most determined supporters of them, and here I think that
the balance preponderates in favor of England. I think there are more
of the high nobility of England who are friends of the common people
and willing to help the cause of human progress, irrespective of its
influence on their own interests, than there are those of a similar
class among slaveholding aristocracy, though even that class is not
without such men. But I am far from having any of that senseless
prejudice against the English nation as a nation which, greatly to my
regret, I observe sometimes in America. It is a relic of barbarism for
two such nations as England and America to cherish any such unworthy
prejudice.
For my own part, I am proud to be of English blood; and though I do
not think England's national course faultless, and though I think many
of her institutions and arrangements capable of much revision and
improvement, yet my heart warms to her as, on the whole, the
strongest, greatest, and best nation on earth. Have not England and
America one blood, one language, one literature, and a glorious
literature it is! Are not Milton and Shakespeare, and all the wise and
brave and good of old, common to us both, and should there be anything
but cordiality between countries that have so glorious an inheritance
in common? If there is, it will be elsewhere than in hearts like mine.
Sincerely yours, H. B. STOWE.
CHAPTER VIII.
FIRST TRIP TO EUROPE, 1853.
THE EDMONDSONS.--BUYING SLAVES TO SET THEM FREE.--JENNY LIND.--
PROFESSOR STOWE is CALLED TO ANDOVER.--FITTING UP THE NEW HOME.--THE
"KEY TO UNCLE TOM'S CABIN."--"UNCLE TOM" ABROAD.--HOW IT WAS PUBLISHED
IN ENGLAND.--PREFACE TO THE EUROPEAN EDITION.--THE BOOK IN FRANCE.--IN
GERMANY.--A GREETING FROM CHARLES KINGSLEY.--PREPARING TO VISIT
SCOTLAND.--LETTER TO MRS. FOLLEN.
Very soon after the publication of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" Mrs. Stowe
visited her brother Henry in Brooklyn, and while there became
intensely interested in the case of the Edmondsons, a slave family of
Washington, D.C. Emily and Mary two of the daughters of Paul (a free
colored man) and Milly (a slave) Edmondson, had, for trying to escape
from bondage, been sold to a trader for the New Orleans market. While
they were lying in jail in Alexandria awaiting the making up of a gang
for the South, their heartbroken father determined to visit the North
and try to beg from a freedom-loving people the money with which to
purchase his daughters' liberty. The sum asked by the trader was
$2,250, but its magnitude did not appall the brave old man, and he set
forth upon his quest full of faith that in some way he would secure
it.
Reaching New York, he went to the anti-slavery bureau and related his
pitiful story. The sum demanded was such a large one and seemed so
exorbitant that even those who took the greatest interest in the case
were disheartened over the prospect of raising it. The old man was
finally advised to go to Henry Ward Beecher and ask his aid. He made
his way to the door of the great Brooklyn preacher's house, but,
overcome by many disappointments and fearing to meet with another
rebuff, hesitated to ring the bell, and sat down on the steps with
tears streaming from his eyes.
There Mr. Beecher found him, learned his story, and promised to do
what he could. There was a great meeting in Plymouth Church that
evening, and, taking the old colored man with him to it, Mrs. Stowe's
brother made such an eloquent and touching appeal on behalf of the
slave girls as to rouse his audience to profound indignation and pity.
The entire sum of $2,250 was raised then and there, and the old man,
hardly able to realize his great joy, was sent back to his despairing
children with their freedom money in his hand.
All this had happened in the latter part of 1848, and Mrs. Stowe had
first known of the liberated girls in 1851, when she had been appealed
to for aid in educating them. From that time forward she became
personally responsible for all their expenses while they remained in
school, and until the death of one of them in 1853.
Now during her visit to New York in the spring of 1852 she met their
old mother, Milly Edmondson, who had come North in the hope of saving
her two remaining slave children, a girl and a young man, from falling
into the trader's clutches. Twelve hundred dollars was the sum to be
raised, and by hard work the father had laid by one hundred of it when
a severe illness put an end to his efforts. After many prayers and
much consideration of the matter, his feeble old wife said to him one
day, "Paul, I'm a gwine up to New York myself to see if I can't get
that money."
Her husband objected that she was too feeble, that she would be unable
to find her way, and that Northern people had got tired of buying
slaves to set them free, but the resolute old woman clung to her
purpose and finally set forth. Beaching New York she made her way to
Mr. Beecher's house, where she was so fortunate as to find Mrs. Stowe.
Now her troubles were at an end, for this champion of the oppressed at
once made the slave woman's cause her own and promised that her
children should be redeemed. She at once set herself to the task of
raising the purchase-money, not only for Milly's children, but for
giving freedom to the old slave woman herself. On May 29, she writes
to her husband in Brunswick:--
"The mother of the Edmondson girls, now aged and feeble, is in the
city. I did not actually know when I wrote 'Uncle Tom' of a living
example in which Christianity had reached its fullest development
under the crushing wrongs of slavery, but in this woman I see it. I
never knew before what I could feel till, with her sorrowful, patient
eyes upon me, she told me her history and begged my aid. The
expression of her face as she spoke, and the depth of patient sorrow
in her eyes, was beyond anything I ever saw.
"'Well,' said I, when she had finished, 'set your heart at rest; you
and your children shall be redeemed. If I can't raise the money
otherwise, I will pay it myself.' You should have seen the wonderfully
sweet, solemn look she gave me as she said, 'The Lord bless you, my
child!'
"Well, I have received a sweet note from Jenny Lind, with her name
and her husband's with which to head my subscription list. They give a
hundred dollars. Another hundred is subscribed by Mr. Bowen in his
wife's name, and I have put my own name down for an equal amount. A
lady has given me twenty-five dollars, and Mr. Storrs has pledged me
fifty dollars. Milly and I are to meet the ladies of Henry's and Dr.
Cox's churches tomorrow, and she is to tell them her story. I have
written to Drs. Bacon and Button in New Haven to secure a similar
meeting of ladies there. I mean to have one in Boston, and another in
Portland. It will do good to the givers as well as to the receivers.
"But all this time I have been so longing to get your letter from New
Haven, for I heard it was there. It is not fame nor praise that
contents me. I seem never to have needed love so much as now. I long
to hear you say how much you love me. Dear one, if this effort impedes
my journey home, and wastes some of my strength, you will not murmur.
When I see this Christlike soul standing so patiently bleeding, yet
forgiving, I feel a sacred call to be the helper of the helpless, and
it is better that my own family do without me for a while longer than
that this mother lose all. _I must redeem her._
_"New Haven, June_ 2. My old woman's case progresses gloriously.
I am to see the ladies of this place tomorrow. Four hundred dollars
were contributed by individuals in Brooklyn, and the ladies who took
subscription papers at the meeting will undoubtedly raise two hundred
dollars more."
Before leaving New York, Mrs. Stowe gave Milly Edmondson her check for
the entire sum necessary to purchase her own freedom and that of her
children, and sent her home rejoicing. That this sum was made up to
her by the generous contributions of those to whom she appealed is
shown by a note written to her husband and dated July, 1852, in which
she says:--
"Had a very kind note from A. Lawrence inclosing a twenty-dollar gold-
piece for the Edmondsons. Isabella's ladies gave me twenty-five
dollars, so you see our check is more than paid already."
Although during her visit in New York Mrs. Stowe made many new
friends, and was overwhelmed with congratulations and praise of her
book, the most pleasing incident of this time seems to have been an
epistolatory interview with Jenny Lind (Goldschmidt). In writing of it
to her husband she says:--
"Well, we have heard Jenny Lind, and the affair was a bewildering
dream of sweetness and beauty. Her face and movements are full of
poetry and feeling. She has the artless grace of a little child, the
poetic effect of a wood-nymph, is airy, light, and graceful.
"We had first-rate seats, and how do you think we got them? When Mr.
Howard went early in the morning for tickets, Mr. Goldschmidt told him
it was impossible to get any good ones, as they were all sold. Mr.
Howard said he regretted that, on Mrs. Stowe's account, as she was
very desirous of hearing Jenny Lind. 'Mrs. Stowe!' exclaimed Mr.
Goldschmidt, 'the author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin"? Indeed, she shall
have a seat whatever happens!'
"Thereupon he took his hat and went out, returning shortly with
tickets for two of the best seats in the house, inclosed in an
envelope directed to me in his wife's handwriting. Mr. Howard said he
could have sold those tickets at any time during the day for ten
dollars each.
"Today I sent a note of acknowledgment with a copy of my book. I am
most happy to have seen her, for she is a noble creature."
To this note the great singer wrote in answer:--
MY DEAR MADAM,--Allow me to express my sincere thanks for your very
kind letter, which I was very happy to receive.
You must feel and know what a deep impression "Uncle Tom's Cabin" has
made upon every heart that can feel for the dignity of human
existence: so I with my miserable English would not even try to say a
word about the great excellency of that most beautiful book, but I
must thank you for the great joy I have felt over that book.
Forgive me, my dear madam: it is a great liberty I take in thus
addressing you, I know, but I have so wished to find an opportunity to
pour out my thankfulness in a few words to you that I cannot help this
intruding. I have the feeling about "Uncle Tom's Cabin" that great
changes will take place by and by, from the impression people receive
out of it, and that the writer of that book can fall asleep today or
tomorrow with the bright, sweet conscience of having been a strong
means in the Creator's hand of operating essential good in one of the
most important questions for the welfare of our black brethren. God
bless and protect you and yours, dear madam, and certainly God's hand
will remain with a blessing over your head.
Once more forgive my bad English and the liberty I have taken, and
believe me to be, dear madam,
Yours most truly, JENNY GOLDSCHMIDT, _née_ LIND.
In answer to Mrs. Stowe's appeal on behalf of the Edmonsons, Jenny
Lind wrote:--
MY DEAR MRS. STOWE,--I have with great interest read your statement of
the black family at Washington. It is with pleasure also that I and my
husband are placing our humble names on the list you sent.
The time is short. I am very, very sorry that I shall not be able to
_see_ you. I must say farewell to you in this way. Hoping that in
the length of time you may live to witness the progression of the good
sake for which you so nobly have fought, my best wishes go with you.
Yours in friendship,
JENNY GOLDSCHMIDT.
While Mrs. Stowe was thus absent from home, her husband received and
accepted a most urgent call to the Professorship of Sacred Literature
in the Theological Seminary at Andover, Mass.
In regard to leaving Brunswick and her many friends there, Mrs. Stowe
wrote: "For my part, if I _must_ leave Brunswick, I would rather
leave at once. I can tear away with a sudden pull more easily than to
linger there knowing that I am to leave at last. I shall never find
people whom I shall like better than those of Brunswick."
As Professor Stowe's engagements necessitated his spending much of the
summer in Brunswick, and also making a journey to Cincinnati, it
devolved upon his wife to remain in Andover, and superintend the
preparation of the house they were to occupy. This was known as the
old stone workshop, on the west side of the Common, and it had a year
or two before been fitted up by Charles Munroe and Jonathan Edwards
[Footnote: Students in the Seminary.] as the Seminary gymnasium.
Beneath Mrs. Stowe's watchful care and by the judicious expenditure of
money, it was transformed by the first of November into the charming
abode which under the name of "The Cabin" became noted as one of the
pleasantest literary centres of the country. Here for many years were
received, and entertained in a modest way, many of the most
distinguished people of this and other lands, and here were planned
innumerable philanthropic undertakings in which Mrs. Stowe and her
scholarly husband were the prime movers.
The summer spent in preparing this home was one of great pleasure as
well as literary activity. In July Mrs. Stowe writes to her husband:
"I had no idea this place was so beautiful. Our family circle is
charming. All the young men are so gentlemanly and so agreeable, as
well as Christian in spirit. Mr. Dexter, his wife, and sister are
delightful. Last evening a party of us went to ride on horseback down
to Pomp's Pond. What a beautiful place it is! There is everything here
that there is at Brunswick except the sea,--a great exception.
Yesterday I was out all the forenoon sketching elms. There is no end
to the beauty of these trees. I shall fill my book with them before I
get through. We had a levee at Professor Park's last week,--quite a
brilliant affair. Today there is to be a fishing party to go to Salem
beach and have a chowder.
"It seems almost too good to be true that we are going to have such a
house in such a beautiful place, and to live here among all these
agreeable people, where everybody seems to love you so much and to
think so much of you. I am almost afraid to accept it, and should not,
did I not see the Hand that gives it all and know that it is both firm
and true. He knows if it is best for us, and His blessing addeth no
sorrow therewith. I cannot describe to you the constant undercurrent
of love and joy and peace ever flowing through my soul. I am so happy
--so blessed!"
The literary work of this summer was directed toward preparing
articles on many subjects for the "New York Independent" and the
"National Era," as well as collecting material for future books. That
the "Pearl of Orr's Island," which afterward appeared as a serial in
the "Independent," was already contemplated, is shown by a letter
written July 29th, in which Mrs. Stowe says: "What a lovely place
Andover is! So many beautiful walks! Last evening a number of us
climbed Prospect Hill, and had a most charming walk. Since I came here
we have taken up hymn-singing to quite an extent, and while we were
all up on the hill we sang 'When I can read my title clear.' It went
finely.
[Illustration: THE ANDOVER HOME]
"I seem to have so much to fill my time, and yet there is my Maine
story waiting. However, I am composing it every day, only I greatly
need living studies for the filling in of my sketches. There is 'old
Jonas,' my 'fish father,' a sturdy, independent fisherman farmer, who
in his youth sailed all over the world and made up his mind about
everything. In his old age he attends prayer-meetings and reads the
'Missionary Herald.' He also has plenty of money in an old brown sea-
chest. He is a great heart with an inflexible will and iron muscles. I
must go to Orr's Island and see him again. I am now writing an article
for the 'Era' on Maine and its scenery, which I think is even better
than the 'Independent' letter. In it I took up Longfellow. Next I
shall write one on Hawthorne and his surroundings.
"To-day Mrs. Jewett sent out a most solemnly savage attack upon me
from the 'Alabama Planter.' Among other things it says: 'The plan for
assaulting the best institutions in the world may be made just as
rational as it is by the wicked (perhaps unconsciously so) authoress
of this book. The woman who wrote it must be either a very bad or a
very fanatical person. For her own domestic peace we trust no enemy
will ever penetrate into her household to pervert the scenes he may
find there with as little logic or kindness as she has used in her
"Uncle Tom's Cabin." There's for you! Can you wonder now that such a
wicked woman should be gone from you a full month instead of the week
I intended? Ah, welladay!"
At last the house was finished, the removal from Brunswick effected,
and the reunited family was comfortably settled in its Andover home.
The plans for the winter's literary work were, however, altered by
force of circumstances. Instead of proceeding quietly and happily with
her charming Maine story, Mrs. Stowe found it necessary to take notice
in some manner of the cruel and incessant attacks made upon her as the
author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," and to fortify herself against them by
a published statement of incontrovertible facts. It was claimed on all
sides that she had in her famous book made such ignorant or malicious
misrepresentations that it was nothing short of a tissue of
falsehoods, and to refute this she was compelled to write a "Key to
Uncle Tom's Cabin," in which should appear the sources from which she
had obtained her knowledge. Late in the winter Mrs. Stowe wrote:--
"I am now very much driven. I am preparing a Key to unlock 'Uncle
Tom's Cabin.' It will contain all the original facts, anecdotes, and
documents on which the story is founded, with some very interesting
and affecting stories parallel to those told of Uncle Tom. Now I want
you to write for me just what you heard that slave-buyer say, exactly
as he said it, that people may compare it with what I have written. My
Key will be stronger than the Cabin."
In regard to this "Key" Mrs. Stowe also wrote to the Duchess of
Sutherland upon hearing that she had headed an address from the women
of England to those of America:--
It is made up of the facts, the documents, the things which my own
eyes have looked upon and my hands have handled, that attest this
awful indictment upon my country. I write it in the anguish of my
soul, with tears and prayer, with sleepless nights and weary days. I
bear my testimony with a heavy heart, as one who in court is forced by
an awful oath to disclose the sins of those dearest.
So I am called to draw up this fearful witness against my country and
send it into all countries, that the general voice of humanity may
quicken our paralyzed vitality, that all Christians may pray for us,
and that shame, honor, love of country, and love of Christ may be
roused to give us strength to cast out this mighty evil. Yours for the
oppressed, H. B. STOWE.
This harassing, brain-wearying, and heart-sickening labor was
continued until the first of April, 1853, when, upon invitation of the
Anti-Slavery Society of Glasgow, Scotland, Mrs. Stowe, accompanied by
her husband and her brother, Charles Beecher, sailed for Europe.
In the mean time the success of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" abroad was already
phenomenal and unprecedented. From the pen of Mr. Sampson Low, the
well-known London publisher, we have the following interesting
statement regarding it:--
"The first edition printed in London was in April, 1852, by Henry
Vizetelly, in a neat volume at ten and sixpence, of which he issued
7,000 copies. He received the first copy imported, through a friend
who had bought it in Boston the day the steamer sailed, for his own
reading. He gave it to Mr. V., who took it to the late Mr. David
Bogue, well known for his general shrewdness and enterprise. He had
the book to read and consider over night, and in the morning returned
it, declining to take it at the very moderate price of five pounds.
"Vizetelly at once put the volume into the hands of a friendly printer
and brought it out on his own account, through the nominal agency of
Clarke & Co. The 7,000 copies sold, other editions followed, and Mr.
Vizetelly disposed of his interest in the book to the printer and
agent, who joined with Mr. Beeton and at once began to issue monster
editions. The demand called for fresh supplies, and these created an
increased demand. The discovery was soon made that any one was at
liberty to reprint the book, and the initiative was thus given to a
new era in cheap literature, founded on American reprints. A shilling
edition followed the one-and-sixpence, and this in turn became the
precursor of one 'complete for sixpence.' From April to December,
1852, twelve different editions (not reissues) were published, and
within the twelve months of its first appearance eighteen different
London publishing houses were engaged in supplying the great demand
that had set in, the total number of editions being forty, varying
from fine art-illustrated editions at 15s., 10s., and 7s. 6d., to the
cheap popular editions of 1s., 9d., and 6d.
"After carefully analyzing these editions and weighing probabilities
with ascertained facts, I am able pretty confidently to say that the
aggregate number of copies circulated in Great Britain and the
colonies exceeds one and a half millions."
A similar statement made by Clarke & Co. in October, 1852, reveals the
following facts. It says: "An early copy was sent from America the
latter end of April to Mr. Bogue, the publisher, and was offered by
him to Mr. Gilpin, late of Bishopsgate Street. Being declined by Mr.
Gilpin, Mr. Bogue offered it to Mr. Henry Vizetelly, and by the latter
gentleman it was eventually purchased for us. Before printing it,
however, as there was one night allowed for decision, one volume was
taken home to be read by Mr. Vizetelly, and the other by Mr.
Salisbury, the printer, of Bouverie Street. The report of the latter
gentleman the following morning, to quote his own words, was: 'I sat
up till four in the morning reading the book, and the interest I felt
was expressed one moment by laughter, another by tears. Thinking it
might be weakness and not the power of the author that affected me, I
resolved to try the effect upon my wife (a rather strong-minded
woman). I accordingly woke her and read a few chapters to her. Finding
that the interest in the story kept her awake, and that she, too,
laughed and cried, I settled in my mind that it was a book that ought
to, and might with safety, be printed.'
"Mr. Vizetelly's opinion coincided with that of Mr. Salisbury, and to
the latter gentleman it was confided to be brought out immediately.
The week following the book was produced and one edition of 7,000
copies worked off. It made no stir until the middle of June, although
we advertised it very extensively. From June it began to make its way,
and it sold at the rate of 1,000 per week during July. In August the
demand became very great, and went on increasing to the 20th, by which
time it was perfectly overwhelming. We have now about 400 people
employed in getting out the book, and seventeen printing machines
besides hand presses. Already about 150,000 copies of the book are in
the hands of the people, and still the returns of sales show no
decline."
The story was dramatized in the United States in August, 1852, without
the consent or knowledge of the author, who had neglected to reserve
her rights for this purpose. In September of the same year we find it
announced as the attraction at two London theatres, namely, the Royal
Victoria and the Great National Standard. In 1853 Professor Stowe
writes: "The drama of 'Uncle Tom' has been going on in the National
Theatre of New York all summer with most unparalleled success.
Everybody goes night after night, and nothing can stop it. The
enthusiasm beats that of the run in the Boston Museum out and out. The
'Tribune' is full of it. The 'Observer,' the 'Journal of Commerce,'
and all that sort of fellows, are astonished and nonplussed. They do
not know what to say or do about it."
While the English editions of the story were rapidly multiplying, and
being issued with illustrations by Cruikshank, introductions by Elihu
Burritt, Lord Carlisle, etc., it was also making its way over the
Continent. For the authorized French edition, translated by Madame
Belloc, and published by Charpentier of Paris, Mrs. Stowe wrote the
following:--
PREFACE TO THE EUROPEAN EDITION.
In authorizing the circulation of this work on the Continent of
Europe, the author has only this apology, that the love of _man_
is higher than the love of country. The great mystery which all
Christian nations hold in common, the union of God with man through
the humanity of Jesus Christ, invests human existence with an awful
sacredness; and in the eye of the true believer in Jesus, he who
tramples on the rights of his meanest fellow-man is not only inhuman
but sacrilegious, and the worst form of this sacrilege is the
institution of _slavery_.
It has been said that the representations of this book are
exaggerations! and oh, _would_ that this were true! Would that
this book were indeed a fiction, and not a close mosaic of facts! But
that it is not a fiction the proofs lie bleeding in thousands of
hearts; they have been attested by surrounding voices from almost
every slave State, and from slave-owners themselves. Since so it must
be, thanks be to God that this mighty cry, this wail of an unutterable
anguish, has at last been heard!
It has been said, and not in utter despair but in solemn hope and
assurance may we regard the struggle that now convulses America,--the
outcry of the demon of slavery, which has heard the voice of Jesus of
Nazareth, and is rending and convulsing the noble nation from which at
last it must depart.
It cannot be that so monstrous a solecism can long exist in the bosom
of a nation which in all respects is the best exponent of the great
principle of universal brotherhood. In America the Frenchman, the
German, the Italian, the Swede, and the Irish all mingle on terms of
equal right; all nations there display their characteristic
excellences and are admitted by her liberal laws to equal privileges:
everything is tending to liberalize, humanize, and elevate, and for
that very reason it is that the contest with slavery there grows every
year more terrible.
The stream of human progress, widening, deepening, strengthening from
the confluent forces of all nations, meets this barrier, behind which
is concentrated all the ignorance, cruelty, and oppression of the dark
ages, and it roars and foams and shakes the barrier, and anon it must
bear it down.
In its commencement slavery overspread every State in the Union: the
progress of society has now emancipated the North from its yoke. In
Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and Maryland, at different times,
strong movements have been made for emancipation,--movements enforced
by a comparison of the progressive march of the adjoining free States
with the poverty and sterility and ignorance produced by a system
which in a few years wastes and exhausts all the resources of the soil
without the power of renewal.
The time cannot be distant when these States will emancipate for self-
preservation; and if no new slave territory be added, the increase of
slave population in the remainder will enforce measures of
emancipation.
Here, then, is the point of the battle. Unless more slave territory is
gained, slavery dies; if it is gained, it lives. Around this point
political parties fight and manoeuvre, and every year the battle wages
hotter.
The internal struggles of no other nation in the world are so
interesting to Europeans as those of America; for America is fast
filling up from Europe, and every European has almost immediately his
vote in her councils.
If, therefore, the oppressed of other nations desire to find in
America an asylum of permanent freedom, let them come prepared, heart
and hand, and vote against the institution of slavery; for they who
enslave man cannot themselves remain free.
True are the great words of Kossuth: "No nation can remain free with
whom freedom is a _privilege_ and not a principle."
This preface was more or less widely copied in the twenty translations
of the book that quickly followed its first appearance. These,
arranged in the alphabetical order of their languages, are as follows:
Armenian, Bohemian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Flemish, French, German,
Hungarian, Illyrian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romaic or modern
Greek, Russian, Servian, Spanish, Wallachian, and Welsh.
In Germany it received the following flattering notice from one of the
leading literary journals: "The abolitionists in the United States
should vote the author of 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' a civic crown, for a
more powerful ally than Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe and her romance
they could not have. We confess that in the whole modern romance
literature of Germany, England, and France, we know of no novel to be
called equal to this. In comparison with its glowing eloquence that
never fails of its purpose, its wonderful truth to nature, the
largeness of its ideas, and the artistic faultlessness of the
machinery in this book, George Sand, with her Spiridon and Claudie,
appears to us untrue and artificial; Dickens, with his but too
faithful pictures from the popular life of London, petty; Bulwer,
hectic and self-conscious. It is like a sign of warning from the New
World to the Old."
Madame George Sand reviewed the book, and spoke of Mrs. Stowe herself
in words at once appreciative and discriminating: "Mrs. Stowe is all
instinct; it is the very reason she appears to some not to have
talent. Has she not talent? What is talent? Nothing, doubtless,
compared to genius; but has she genius? She has genius as humanity
feels the need of genius,--the genius of goodness, not that of the man
of letters, but that of the saint."
Charles Sumner wrote from the senate chamber at Washington to
Professor Stowe: "All that I hear and read bears testimony to the good
Mrs. Stowe has done. The article of George Sand is a most remarkable
tribute, such as was hardly ever offered by such a genius to any
living mortal. Should Mrs. Stowe conclude to visit Europe she will
have a triumph."
From Eversley parsonage Charles Kingsley wrote to Mrs. Stowe:--
A thousand thanks for your delightful letter. As for your progress
and ovation here in England, I have no fear for you. You will be
flattered and worshiped. You deserve it and you must bear it. I am
sure that you have seen and suffered too much and too long to be
injured by the foolish yet honest and heartfelt lionizing which you
must go through.
I have many a story to tell you when we meet about the effects of the
great book upon the most unexpected people.
Yours ever faithfully,
C. KINGSLEY.
March 28, 1853, Professor Stowe sent the following communication to
the Committee of Examination of the Theological Seminary at Andover:
"As I shall not be present at the examinations this term, I think it
proper to make to you a statement of the reasons of my absence. During
the last winter I have not enjoyed my usual health. Mrs. Stowe also
became sick and very much exhausted. At this time we had the offer of
a voyage to Great Britain and back free of expense."
This offer, coming as it did from the friends of the cause of
emancipation in the United Kingdom, was gladly accepted by Mr. and
Mrs. Stowe, and they sailed immediately.
The preceding month Mrs. Stowe had received a letter from Mrs. Follen
in London, asking for information with regard to herself, her family,
and the circumstances of her writing "Uncle Tom's Cabin."
In reply Mrs. Stowe sent the following very characteristic letter,
which may be safely given at the risk of some repetition:--
ANDOVER, _February_ 16, 1853.
MY DEAR MADAM,--I hasten to reply to your letter, to me the more
interesting that I have long been acquainted with you, and during all
the nursery part of my life made daily use of your poems for children.
I used to think sometimes in those days that I would write to you, and
tell you how much I was obliged to you for the pleasure which they
gave us all.
So you want to know something about what sort of a woman I am! Well,
if this is any object, you shall have statistics free of charge. To
begin, then, I am a little bit of a woman,--somewhat more than forty,
about as thin and dry as a pinch of snuff; never very much to look at
in my best days, and looking like a used-up article now.
I was married when I was twenty-five years old to a man rich in Greek
and Hebrew, Latin and Arabic, and, alas! rich in nothing else. When I
went to house-keeping, my entire stock of china for parlor and kitchen
was bought for eleven dollars. That lasted very well for two years,
till my brother was married and brought his bride to visit me. I then
found, on review, that I had neither plates nor teacups to set a table
for my father's family; wherefore I thought it best to reinforce the
establishment by getting me a tea-set that cost ten dollars more, and
this, I believe, formed my whole stock in trade for some years.
But then I was abundantly enriched with wealth of another sort.
I had two little, curly-headed twin daughters to begin with, and my
stock in this line has gradually increased, till I have been the
mother of seven children, the most beautiful and the most loved of
whom lies buried near my Cincinnati residence. It was at his dying bed
and at his grave that I learned what a poor slave mother may feel when
her child is torn away from her. In those depths of sorrow which
seemed to me immeasurable, it was my only prayer to God that such
anguish might not be suffered in vain. There were circumstances about
his death of such peculiar bitterness, of what seemed almost cruel
suffering, that I felt that I could never be consoled for it, unless
this crushing of my own heart might enable me to work out some great
good to others. . . . I allude to this here because I have often felt
that much that is in that book ("Uncle Tom") had its root in the awful
scenes and bitter sorrows of that summer. It has left now, I trust, no
trace on my mind, except a deep compassion for the sorrowful,
especially for mothers who are separated from their children.
During long years of struggling with poverty and sickness, and a hot,
debilitating climate, my children grew up around me. The nursery and
the kitchen were my principal fields of labor. Some of my friends,
pitying my trials, copied and sent a number of little sketches from my
pen to certain liberally paying "Annuals" with my name. With the first
money that I earned in this way I bought a feather-bed! for as I had
married into poverty and without a dowry, and as my husband had only a
large library of books and a great deal of learning, the bed and
pillows were thought the most profitable investment. After this I
thought that I had discovered the philosopher's stone. So when a new
carpet or mattress was going to be needed, or when, at the close of
the year, it began to be evident that my family accounts, like poor
Dora's, "wouldn't add up," then I used to say to my faithful friend
and factotum Anna, who shared all my joys and sorrows, "Now, if you
will keep the babies and attend to the things in the house for one
day, I'll write a piece, and then we shall be out of the scrape." So I
became an author,--very modest at first, I do assure you, and
remonstrating very seriously with the friends who had thought it best
to put my name to the pieces by way of getting up a reputation; and if
you ever see a woodcut of me, with an immoderately long nose, on the
cover of all the U.S. Almanacs, I wish you to take notice, that I have
been forced into it contrary to my natural modesty by the imperative
solicitations of my dear five thousand friends and the public
generally. One thing I must say with regard to my life at the West,
which you will understand better than many English women could.
I lived two miles from the city of Cincinnati, in the country, and
domestic service, not always you know to be found in the city, is next
to an impossibility to obtain in the country, even by those who are
willing to give the highest wages; so what was to be expected for poor
me, who had very little of this world's goods to offer?
Had it not been for my inseparable friend Anna, a noble-hearted
English girl, who landed on our shores in destitution and sorrow, and
clave to me as Ruth to Naomi, I had never lived through all the trials
which this uncertainty and want of domestic service imposed on both:
you may imagine, therefore, how glad I was when, our seminary property
being divided out into small lots which were rented at a low price, a
number of poor families settled in our vicinity, from whom we could
occasionally obtain domestic service. About a dozen families of
liberated slaves were among the number, and they became my favorite
resort in cases of emergency. If anybody wishes to have a black face
look handsome, let them be left, as I have been, in feeble health in
oppressive hot weather, with a sick baby in arms, and two or three
other little ones in the nursery, and not a servant in the whole house
to do a single turn. Then, if they could see my good old Aunt Frankie
coming with her honest, bluff, black face, her long, strong arms, her
chest as big and stout as a barrel, and her hilarious, hearty laugh,
perfectly delighted to take one's washing and do it at a fair price,
they would appreciate the beauty of black people.
My cook, poor Eliza Buck,--how she would stare to think of her name
going to England!--was a regular epitome of slave life in herself;
fat, gentle, easy, loving and lovable, always calling my very modest
house and door-yard "The Place," as if it had been a plantation with
seven hundred hands on it. She had lived through the whole sad story
of a Virginia-raised slave's life. In her youth she must have been a
very handsome mulatto girl. Her voice was sweet, and her manners
refined and agreeable. She was raised in a good family as a nurse and
seamstress. When the family became embarrassed, she was suddenly sold
on to a plantation in Louisiana. She has often told me how, without
any warning, she was suddenly forced into a carriage, and saw her
little mistress screaming and stretching her arms from the window
towards her as she was driven away. She has told me of scenes on the
Louisiana plantation, and she has often been out at night by stealth
ministering to poor slaves who had been mangled and lacerated by the
lash. Hence she was sold into Kentucky, and her last master was the
father of all her children. On this point she ever maintained a
delicacy and reserve that always appeared to me remarkable. She always
called him her husband; and it was not till after she had lived with
me some years that I discovered the real nature of the connection. I
shall never forget how sorry I felt for her, nor my feelings at her
humble apology, "You know, Mrs. Stowe, slave women cannot help
themselves." She had two very pretty quadroon daughters, with her
beautiful hair and eyes, interesting children, whom I had instructed
in the family school with my children. Time would fail to tell you all
that I learned incidentally of the slave system in the history of
various slaves who came into my family, and of the underground
railroad which, I may say, ran through our house. But the letter is
already too long.
You ask with regard to the remuneration which I have received for my
work here in America. Having been poor all my life and expecting to be
poor the rest of it, the idea of making money by a book which I wrote
just because I could not help it, never occurred to me. It was
therefore an agreeable surprise to receive ten thousand dollars as the
first-fruits of three months' sale. I presume as much more is now due.
Mr. Bosworth in England, the firm of Clarke & Co., and Mr. Bentley,
have all offered me an interest in the sales of their editions in
London. I am very glad of it, both on account of the value of what
they offer, and the value of the example they set in this matter,
wherein I think that justice has been too little regarded.
I have been invited to visit Scotland, and shall probably spend the
summer there and in England.
I have very much at heart a design to erect in some of the Northern
States a normal school, for the education of colored teachers in the
United States and in Canada. I have very much wished that some
permanent memorial of good to the colored race might be created out of
the proceeds of a work which promises to have so unprecedented a sale.
My own share of the profits will be less than that of the publishers',
either English or American; but I am willing to give largely for this
purpose, and I have no doubt that the publishers, both American and
English, will unite with me; for nothing tends more immediately to the
emancipation of the slave than the education and elevation of the
free.
I am now writing a work which will contain, perhaps, an equal amount
of matter with "Uncle Tom's Cabin." It will contain all the facts and
documents on which that story was founded, and an immense body of
facts, reports of trials, legal documents, and testimony of people now
living South, which will more than confirm every statement in "Uncle
Tom's Cabin."
I must confess that till I began the examination of facts in order to
write this book, much as I thought I knew before, I had not begun to
measure the depth of the abyss. The law records of courts and judicial
proceedings are so incredible as to fill me with amazement whenever I
think of them. It seems to me that the book cannot but be felt, and,
coming upon the sensibility awaked by the other, do something.
I suffer exquisitely in writing these things. It may be truly said
that I write with my heart's blood. Many times in writing "Uncle Tom's
Cabin" I thought my health would fail utterly; but I prayed earnestly
that God would help me till I got through, and still I am pressed
beyond measure and above strength.
This horror, this nightmare abomination! can it be in my country! It
lies like lead on my heart, it shadows my life with sorrow; the more
so that I feel, as for my own brothers, for the South, and am pained
by every horror I am obliged to write, as one who is forced by some
awful oath to disclose in court some family disgrace. Many times I
have thought that I must die, and yet I pray God that I may live to
see something done. I shall in all probability be in London in May:
shall I see you?
It seems to me so odd and dream-like that so many persons desire to
see me, and now I cannot help thinking that they will think, when they
do, that God hath chosen "the weak things of this world."
If I live till spring I shall hope to see Shakespeare's grave, and
Milton's mulberry-tree, and the good land of my fathers,--old, old
England! May that day come!
Yours affectionately, H. B. STOWE.
CHAPTER IX.
SUNNY MEMORIES, 1853.
CROSSING THE ATLANTIC.--ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND.--RECEPTION IN LIVERPOOL.
--WELCOME TO SCOTLAND.--A GLASGOW TEA-PARTY.--EDINBURGH HOSPITALITY.
--ABERDEEN.--DUNDEE AND BIRMINGHAM.--JOSEPH STURGE.--ELIHU BURRITT.
--LONDON.--THE LORD MAYOR'S DINNER.--CHARLES DICKENS AND HIS WIFE.
The journey undertaken by Mrs. Stowe with her husband and brother
through England and Scotland, and afterwards with her brother alone
over much of the Continent, was one of unusual interest. No one was
more surprised than Mrs. Stowe herself by the demonstrations of
respect and affection that everywhere greeted her.
Fortunately an unbroken record of this memorable journey, in Mrs.
Stowe's own words, has been preserved, and we are thus able to receive
her own impressions of what she saw, heard, and did, under
circumstances that were at once pleasant, novel, and embarrassing.
Beginning with her voyage, she writes as follows:--
LIVERPOOL, _April_ 11,1853.
MY DEAR CHILDREN,--You wish, first of all, to hear of the voyage. Let
me assure you, my dears, in the very commencement of the matter, that
going to sea is not at all the thing that we have taken it to be. Let
me warn you, if you ever go to sea, to omit all preparations for
amusement on shipboard. Don't leave so much as the unlocking of a
trunk to be done after sailing. In the few precious minutes when the
ship stands still, before she weighs her anchor, set your house, that
is to say your stateroom, as much in order as if you were going to be
hanged; place everything in the most convenient position to be seized
without trouble at a moment's notice; for be sure that in half an hour
after sailing, an infinite desperation will seize you, in which the
grasshopper will be a burden. If anything is in your trunk, it might
almost as well be in the sea, for any practical probability of your
getting to it.
Our voyage out was called "a good run." It was voted unanimously to be
"an extraordinary good passage," "a pleasant voyage;" yet the ship
rocked the whole time from side to side with a steady, dizzy,
continuous motion, like a great cradle. I had a new sympathy for
babies, poor little things, who are rocked hours at a time without so
much as a "by your leave" in the case. No wonder there are so many
stupid people in the world!
We arrived on Sunday morning: the custom-house officers, very
gentlemanly men, came on board; our luggage was all set out, and
passed through a rapid examination, which in many cases amounted only
to opening the trunk and shutting it, and all was over. The whole
ceremony did not occupy two hours.
We were inquiring of some friends for the most convenient hotel, when
we found the son of Mr. Cropper, of Dingle Bank, waiting in the cabin
to take us with him to their hospitable abode. In a few moments after
the baggage had been examined, we all bade adieu to the old ship, and
went on board the little steam tender which carries passengers up to
the city.
This Mersey River would be a very beautiful one, if it were not so
dingy and muddy. As we are sailing up in the tender towards Liverpool,
I deplore the circumstance feelingly.
"What does make this river so muddy?"
"Oh," says a by-stander, "don't you know that
"'The quality of mercy is not strained'?"
I had an early opportunity of making acquaintance with my English
brethren; for, much to my astonishment, I found quite a crowd on the
wharf, and we walked up to our carriage through a long lane of people,
bowing, and looking very glad to see us.
When I came to get into the hack it was surrounded by more faces than
I could count. They stood very quietly, and looked very kindly, though
evidently very much determined to look. Something prevented the hack
from moving on; so the interview was prolonged for some time.
Our carriage at last drove on, taking us through Liverpool and a mile
or two out, and at length wound its way along the gravel paths of a
beautiful little retreat, on the banks of the Mersey, called the
"Dingle." It opened to my eyes like a paradise, all wearied as I was
with the tossing of the sea. I have since become familiar with these
beautiful little spots, which are so common in England; but now all
was entirely new to me.
After a short season allotted to changing our ship garments and for
rest, we found ourselves seated at the dinner table. While dining, the
sister-in-law of our friends came in from the next door, to exchange a
word or two of welcome, and invite us to breakfast with them the
following morning.
The next morning we slept late and hurried to dress, remembering our
engagement to breakfast with the brother of our host, whose cottage
stands on the same ground, within a few steps of our own. I had not
the slightest idea of what the English mean by a breakfast, and
therefore went in all innocence, supposing I should see nobody but the
family circle of my acquaintances. Quite to my astonishment, I found a
party of between thirty and forty people; ladies sitting with their
bonnets on, as in a morning call. It was impossible, however, to feel
more than a momentary embarrassment in the friendly warmth and
cordiality of the circle by whom we were surrounded.
In the evening I went into Liverpool to attend a party of friends of
the anti-slavery cause. When I was going away, the lady of the house
said that the servants were anxious to see me; so I came into the
dressing-room to give them an opportunity.
The next day was appointed to leave Liverpool. A great number of
friends accompanied us to the cars, and a beautiful bouquet of flowers
was sent with a very affecting message from a sick gentleman, who,
from the retirement of his chamber, felt a desire to testify his
sympathy. We left Liverpool with hearts a little tremulous and excited
by the vibration of an atmosphere of universal sympathy and kindness,
and found ourselves, at length, shut from the warm adieu of our
friends, in a snug compartment of the railroad car.
"Dear me!" said Mr. S.; "six Yankees shut up in a car together! Not
one Englishman to tell us anything about the country! Just like the
six old ladies that made their living by taking tea at each other's
houses!"
What a bright lookout we kept for ruins and old houses! Mr. S., whose
eyes are always in every place, allowed none of us to slumber, but
looking out, first on his own side and then on ours, called our
attention to every visible thing. If he had been appointed on a
mission of inquiry, he could not have been more zealous and faithful,
and I began to think that our desire for an English cicerone was quite
superfluous.
Well, we are in Scotland at last, and now our pulse rises as the sun
declines in the west. We catch glimpses of Solway Frith and talk about
Redgauntlet. The sun went down and night drew on; still we were in
Scotland. Scotch ballads, Scotch tunes, and Scotch literature were in
the ascendant. We sang "Auld Lang Syne," "Scots wha hae," and "Bonnie
Doon," and then, changing the key, sang "Dundee," "Elgin," and
"Martyr."
"Take care," said Mr. S.; "don't get too much excited."
"Ah," said I, "this is a thing that comes only once in a lifetime; do
let us have the comfort of it. We shall never come into Scotland for
the _first time_ again."
While we were thus at the fusion point of enthusiasm, the cars stopped
at Lockerbie. All was dim and dark outside, but we soon became
conscious that there was quite a number of people collected, peering
into the window; and with a strange kind of thrill, I heard my name
inquired for in the Scottish accent. I went to the window; there were
men, women, and children gathered, and hand after hand was presented,
with the words, "Ye're welcome to Scotland!"
Then they inquired for and shook hands with all the party, having in
some mysterious manner got the knowledge of who they were, even down
to little G., whom they took to be my son. Was it not pleasant, when I
had a heart so warm for this old country? I shall never forget the
thrill of those words, "Ye're welcome to Scotland," nor the "Gude
night."
After that we found similar welcomes in many succeeding stopping-
places; and though I did wave a towel out of the window, instead of a
pocket handkerchief, and commit other awkwardnesses, from not knowing
how to play my part, yet I fancied, after all, that Scotland and we
were coming on well together. Who the good souls were that were thus
watching for us through the night, I am sure I do not know; but that
they were of the "one blood" which unites all the families of the
earth, I felt.
At Glasgow, friends were waiting in the station-house. Earnest, eager,
friendly faces, ever so many. Warm greetings, kindly words. A crowd
parting in the middle, through which we were conducted into a
carriage, and loud cheers of welcome, sent a throb, as the voice of
living Scotland.
I looked out of the carriage, as we drove on, and saw, by the light of
a lantern, Argyll Street. It was past twelve o'clock when I found
myself in a warm, cosy parlor, with friends whom I have ever since
been glad to remember. In a little time we were all safely housed in
our hospitable apartments, and sleep fell on me for the first time in
Scotland.
The next morning I awoke worn and weary, and scarce could the charms
of the social Scotch breakfast restore me.
Our friend and host was Mr. Bailie Paton. I believe that it is to his
suggestion in a public meeting that we owe the invitation which
brought us to Scotland.
After breakfast the visiting began. First, a friend of the family,
with three beautiful children, the youngest of whom was the bearer of
a handsomely bound album, containing a pressed collection of the sea-
mosses of the Scottish coast, very vivid and beautiful.
All this day is a confused dream to me of a dizzy and overwhelming
kind. So many letters that it took brother Charles from nine in the
morning till two in the afternoon to read and answer them in the
shortest manner; letters from all classes of people, high and low,
rich and poor, in all shades and styles of composition, poetry and
prose; some mere outbursts of feeling; some invitations; some advice
and suggestions; some requests and inquiries; some presenting books,
or flowers, or fruit.
Then came, in their turn, deputations from Paisley, Greenock, Dundee,
Aberdeen, Edinburgh, and Belfast in Ireland; calls of friendship,
invitations of all descriptions to go everywhere, and to see
everything, and to stay in so many places. One kind, venerable
minister, with his lovely daughter, offered me a retreat in his quiet
manse on the beautiful shores of the Clyde.
For all these kindnesses, what could I give in return? There was
scarce time for even a grateful thought on each. People have often
said to me that it must have been an exceeding bore. For my part, I
could not think of regarding it so. It only oppressed me with an
unutterable sadness.
In the afternoon I rode out with the lord provost to see the
cathedral. The lord provost answers to the lord mayor in England. His
title and office in both countries continue only a year, except in
case of re-election.
As I saw the way to the cathedral blocked up by a throng of people who
had come out to see me, I could not help saying, "What went ye out for
to see? a reed shaken with the wind?" In fact I was so worn out that I
could hardly walk through the building. The next morning I was so ill
as to need a physician, unable to see any one that called, or to hear
any of the letters. I passed most of the day in bed, but in the
evening I had to get up, as I had engaged to drink tea with two
thousand people. Our kind friends, Dr. and Mrs. Wardlaw, came after
us, and Mr. S. and I went in the carriage with them. Our carriage
stopped at last at the place. I have a dim remembrance of a way being
made for us through a great crowd all round the house, and of going
with Mrs. Wardlaw up into a dressing-room where I met and shook hands
with many friendly people. Then we passed into a gallery, where a seat
was reserved for our party, directly in front of the audience. Our
friend Bailie Paton presided. Mrs. Wardlaw and I sat together, and
around us many friends, chiefly ministers of the different churches,
the ladies and gentlemen of the Glasgow Anti-Slavery Society and
others. I told you it was a tea-party; but the arrangements were
altogether different from any I had ever seen. There were narrow
tables stretched up and down the whole extent of the great hall, and
every person had an appointed seat. These tables were set out with
cups and saucers, cakes, biscuit, etc., and when the proper time came,
attendants passed along serving tea. The arrangements were so accurate
and methodical that the whole multitude actually took tea together,
without the least apparent inconvenience or disturbance.
There was a gentle, subdued murmur of conversation all over the house,
the sociable clinking of teacups and teaspoons, while the
entertainment was going on. It seemed to me such an odd idea, I could
not help wondering what sort of a teapot that must be in which all
this tea for two thousand people was made. Truly, as Hadji Baba says,
I think they must have had the "father of all the tea-kettles" to boil
it in. I could not help wondering if old mother Scotland had put two
thousand teaspoonfuls of tea for the company, and one for the teapot,
as is our good Yankee custom.
We had quite a sociable time up in our gallery. Our tea-table
stretched quite across, and we drank tea in sight of all the people.
By _we_, I mean a great number of ministers and their wives, and
ladies of the Anti-Slavery society, besides our party, and the friends
whom I have mentioned before. All seemed to be enjoying themselves.
After tea they sang a few verses of the seventy-second psalm in the
old Scotch version.
_April_ 17. To-day a large party of us started on a small steamer
to go down the Clyde. It was a trip full of pleasure and incident. Now
we were shown the remains of old Cardross Castle, where it was said
Robert Bruce breathed his last. And now we came near the beautiful
grounds of Roseneath, a green, velvet-like peninsula, stretching out
into the widening waters.
Somewhere about here I was presented, by his own request, to a broad-
shouldered Scotch farmer, who stood some six feet two, and who paid me
the compliment to say that he had read my book, and that he would walk
sis miles to see me any day. Such a flattering evidence of
discriminating taste, of course, disposed my heart towards him; but
when I went up and put my hand into his great prairie of a palm, I was
as a grasshopper in my own eyes. I inquired who he was and was told he
was one of the Duke of Argyll's farmers. I thought to myself if all
the duke's farmers were of this pattern, that he might be able to
speak to the enemy in the gates to some purpose.
It was concluded after we left Roseneath that, instead of returning by
the boat, we should take carriage and ride home along the banks of the
river. In our carriage were Mr. S. and myself, Dr. Robson, and Lady
Anderson. About this time I commenced my first essay towards giving
titles, and made, as you may suppose, rather an odd piece of work of
it, generally saying "Mrs." first, and "Lady" afterwards, and then
begging pardon. Lady Anderson laughed and said she would give me a
general absolution. She is a truly genial, hearty Scotchwoman, and
seemed to enter happily into the spirit of the hour.
As we rode on, we found that the news of our coming had spread through
the village. People came and stood in their doors, beckoning, bowing,
smiling, and waving their handkerchiefs, and the carriage was several
times stopped by persons who came to offer flowers. I remember, in
particular, a group of young girls bringing to the carriage two of the
most beautiful children I ever saw, whose little hands literally
deluged us with flowers.
At the village of Helensburgh we stopped a little while to call upon
Mrs. Bell, the wife of Mr. Bell, the inventor of the steamboat. His
invention in this country was at about the same time as that of Fulton
in America. Mrs. Bell came to the carriage to speak to us. She is a
venerable woman, far advanced in years. They had prepared a lunch for
us, and quite a number of people had come together to meet us, but our
friends said there was not time for us to stop.
We rode through several villages after this, and met everywhere a warm
welcome. What pleased me was, that it was not mainly from the
literary, nor the rich, nor the great, but the plain, common people.
The butcher came out of his stall and the baker from his shop, the
miller dusty with flour, the blooming, comely young mother, with her
baby in her arms, all smiling and bowing, with that hearty,
intelligent, friendly look, as if they knew we should be glad to see
them.
Once, while we stopped to change horses, I, for the sake of seeing
something more of the country, walked on. It seems the honest landlord
and his wife were greatly disappointed at this; however, they got into
the carriage and rode on to see me, and I shook hands with them with a
right good will.
We saw several of the clergymen, who came out to meet us; and I
remember stopping just to be introduced, one by one, to a most
delightful family, a gray-headed father and mother, with comely
brothers and fair sisters, all looking so kindly and homelike, that I
should have been glad to accept the invitation they gave me to their
dwelling.
This day has been a strange phenomenon to me. In the first place, I
have seen in all these villages how universally the people read. I
have seen how capable they are of a generous excitement and
enthusiasm, and how much may be done by a work of fiction so written
as to enlist those sympathies which are common to all classes.
Certainly a great deal may be effected in this way, if God gives to
any one the power, as I hope he will to many. The power of fictitious
writing, for good as well as evil, is a thing which ought most
seriously to be reflected on. No one can fail to see that in our day
it is becoming a very great agency.
We came home quite tired, as you may well suppose. You will not be
surprised that the next day I found myself more disposed to keep my
bed than go out.
Two days later: We bade farewell to Glasgow, overwhelmed with kindness
to the last, and only oppressed by the thought of how little that was
satisfactory we were able to give in return. Again we were in the
railroad car on our way to Edinburgh. A pleasant two hours' trip is
this from Glasgow to Edinburgh. When the cars stopped at Linlithgow
station, the name started us as out of a dream.
In Edinburgh the cars stopped amid a crowd of people who had assembled
to meet us. The lord provost met us at the door of the car, and
presented us to the magistracy of the city and the committees of the
Edinburgh Anti-Slavery Societies. The drab dresses and pure white
bonnets of many Friends were conspicuous among the dense moving crowd,
as white doves seen against a dark cloud. Mr. S. and myself, and our
future hostess, Mrs. Wigham, entered the carriage with the lord
provost, and away we drove, the crowd following with their shouts and
cheers. I was inexpressibly touched and affected by this. While we
were passing the monument of Scott, I felt an oppressive melancholy.
What a moment life seems in the presence of the noble dead! What a
momentary thing is art, in all its beauty! Where are all those great
souls that have created such an atmosphere of light about Edinburgh?
and how little a space was given them to live and enjoy!
We drove all over Edinburgh, up to the castle, to the university, to
Holyrood, to the hospitals, and through many of the principal streets,
amid shouts, and smiles, and greetings. Some boys amused me very much
by their pertinacious attempts to keep up with the carriage.
"Heck," says one of them, "that's her; see the _courls_!"
The various engravers who have amused themselves by diversifying my
face for the public having all, with great unanimity, agreed in giving
prominence to this point, I suppose the urchins thought they were on
safe ground there. I certainly think I answered one good purpose that
day, and that is of giving the much-oppressed and calumniated class
called boys an opportunity to develop all the noise that was in them,
--a thing for which I think they must bless me in their remembrances.
At last the carriage drove into a deep-graveled yard, and we alighted
at a porch covered with green ivy, and found ourselves once more at
home.
You may spare your anxieties about me, for I do assure you that if I
were an old Sèvres china jar I could not have more careful handling
than I do. Everybody is considerate; a great deal to say when there
appears to be so much excitement. Everybody seems to understand how
good-for-nothing I am; and yet, with all this consideration, I have
been obliged to keep my room and bed for a good part of the time. Of
the multitudes who have called, I have seen scarcely any.
To-morrow evening is to be the great tea-party here. How in the world
I am ever to live through it I don't know.
The amount of letters we found waiting for us here in Edinburgh was,
if possible, more appalling than in Glasgow. Among those from persons
whom you would be interested in hearing of, I may mention a very kind
and beautiful one from the Duchess of Sutherland, and one also from
the Earl of Carlisle, both desiring to make appointments for meeting
us as soon as we come to London. Also a very kind and interesting note
from the Rev. Mr. Kingsley and lady. I look forward with a great deal
of interest to passing a little time with them in their rectory.
As to all engagements, I am in a state of happy acquiescence, having
resigned myself, as a very tame lion, into the hands of my keepers.
Whenever the time comes for me to do anything, I try to behave as well
as I can, which, as Dr. Young says, is all that an angel could do
under the same circumstances.
_April_ 26. Last night came off the _soiree_. The hall was
handsomely decorated with flags in front. We went with the lord
provost in his carriage. We went up as before into a dressing-room,
where I was presented to many gentlemen and ladies. When we go in, the
cheering, clapping, and stamping at first strikes one with a strange
sensation; but then everybody looks so heartily pleased and delighted,
and there is such an all-pervading atmosphere of geniality and
sympathy, as makes me in a few moments feel quite at home. After all,
I consider that these cheers and applauses are Scotland's voice to
America, a recognition of the brotherhood of the countries.
The national penny offering, consisting of a thousand golden
sovereigns on a magnificent silver salver, stood conspicuously in view
of the audience. It has been an unsolicited offering, given in the
smallest sums, often from the extreme poverty of the giver. The
committee who collected it in Edinburgh and Glasgow bore witness to
the willingness with which the very poorest contributed the offering
of their sympathy. In one cottage they found a blind woman, and said,
"Here, at least, is one who will feel no interest, as she cannot have
read the book."
"Indeed," said the old lady, "if I cannot read, my son has read it to
me, and I've got my penny saved to give."
It is to my mind extremely touching to see how the poor, in their
poverty, can be moved to a generosity surpassing that of the rich. Nor
do I mourn that they took it from their slender store, because I know
that a penny given from a kindly impulse is a greater comfort and
blessing to the poorest giver than even a penny received.
As in the case of the other meeting, we came out long before the
speeches were ended. Well, of course I did not sleep all night, and
the next day I felt quite miserable.
From Edinburgh we took cars for Aberdeen. I enjoyed this ride more
than anything we had seen yet, the country was so wild and singular.
In the afternoon we came in sight of the German Ocean. The free,
bracing air from the sea, and the thought that it actually _was_
the German Ocean, and that over the other side was Norway, within a
day's sail of us, gave it a strange, romantic charm. It was towards
the close of the afternoon that we found ourselves crossing the Dee,
in view of Aberdeen. My spirits were wonderfully elated: the grand
scenery and fine, bracing air; the noble, distant view of the city,
rising with its harbor and shipping,--all filled me with delight. In
this propitious state, disposed to be pleased with everything, our
hearts responded warmly to the greetings of the many friends who were
waiting for us at the station-house.
The lord provost received us into his carriage, and as we drove along
pointed out to us the various objects of interest in the beautiful
town. Among other things, a fine old bridge across the Dee attracted
our particular attention. We were conducted to the house of Mr.
Cruikshank, a Friend, and found waiting for us there the thoughtful
hospitality which we had ever experienced in all our stopping-places.
A snug little quiet supper was laid out upon the table, of which we
partook in haste, as we were informed that the assembly at the hall
were waiting to receive us.
There arrived, we found the hall crowded, and with difficulty made our
way to the platform. Whether owing to the stimulating effect of the
air from the ocean, or to the comparatively social aspect of the
scene, or perhaps to both, certain it is that we enjoyed the meeting
with great zest. I was surrounded on the stage with blooming young
ladies, one of whom put into my hands a beautiful bouquet, some
flowers of which I have now, dried, in my album. The refreshment
tables were adorned with some exquisite wax flowers, the work, as I
was afterwards told, of a young lady in the place. One of these
designs especially interested me. It was a group of water-lilies
resting on a mirror, which gave them the appearance of growing in the
water.
We had some very animated speaking, in which the speakers contrived to
blend enthusiastic admiration and love for America with detestation of
slavery.
They presented an offering in a beautiful embroidered purse, and after
much shaking of hands we went home, and sat down to the supper-table
for a little more chat before going to bed. The next morning--as we
had only till noon to stay in Aberdeen--our friends, the lord provost
and Mr. Leslie, the architect, came immediately after breakfast to
show us the place.
About two o'clock we started from Aberdeen, among crowds of friends,
to whom we bade farewell with real regret.
At Stonehaven station, where we stopped a few minutes, there was quite
a gathering of the inhabitants to exchange greetings, and afterwards,
at successive stations along the road, many a kindly face and voice
made our journey a pleasant one.
When we got into Dundee it seemed all alive with welcome. We went in
the carriage with the lord provost, Mr. Thoms, to his residence, where
a party had been waiting dinner for us for some time.
The meeting in the evening was in a large church, densely crowded, and
conducted much as the others had been. When they came to sing the
closing hymn, I hoped they would sing Dundee; but they did not, and I
fear in Scotland, as elsewhere, the characteristic national melodies
are giving way before more modern ones.
We left Dundee at two o'clock, by cars, for Edinburgh again, and in
the evening attended another _soiree_ of the workingmen of
Edinburgh. We have received letters from the workingmen, both in
Dundee and Glasgow, desiring our return to attend _soirees_ in
those cities. Nothing could give us greater pleasure, had we time or
strength. The next day we had a few calls to make, and an invitation
from Lady Drummond to visit classic Hawthornden, which, however, we
had not time to accept. In the forenoon, Mr. S. and I called on Lord
and Lady Gainsborough. Though she is one of the queen's household, she
is staying here at Edinburgh while the queen is at Osborne. I infer,
therefore, that the appointment includes no very onerous duties. The
Earl of Gainsborough is the eldest brother of the Rev. Baptist W.
Noel. It was a rainy, misty morning when I left my kind retreat and
friends in Edinburgh. Considerate as everybody had been about imposing
on my time or strength, still you may well believe that I was much
exhausted. We left Edinburgh, therefore, with the determination to
plunge at once into some hidden and unknown spot, where we might spend
two or three days quietly by ourselves; and remembering your Sunday at
Stratford-on-Avon, I proposed that we should go there. As Stratford,
however, is off the railroad line, we determined to accept the
invitation, which was lying by us, from our friend, Joseph Sturge, of
Birmingham, and take sanctuary with him. So we wrote on, intrusting
him with the secret, and charging him on no account to let any one
know of our arrival.
About night our cars whizzed into the depot at Birmingham; but just
before we came in a difficulty was started in the company. "Mr. Sturge
is to be there waiting for us, but he does not know us and we don't
know him; what is to be done?" C. insisted that he should know him by
instinct; and so, after we reached the depot, we told him to sally out
and try. Sure enough, in a few moments he pitched upon a cheerful,
middle-aged gentleman, with a moderate but not decisive broad brim to
his hat, and challenged him as Mr. Sturge. The result verified the
truth that "instinct is a great matter." In a few moments our new
friend and ourselves were snugly encased in a fly, trotting off as
briskly as ever we could to his place at Edgbaston, nobody a whit the
wiser. You do not know how pleased we felt to think we had done it so
nicely.
As we were drinking tea that evening, Elihu Burritt came in. It was
the first time I had ever seen him, though I had heard a great deal of
him from our friends in Edinburgh. He is a man in middle life, tall
and slender, with fair complexion, blue eyes, an air of delicacy and
refinement, and manners of great gentleness. My ideas of the "learned
blacksmith" had been of something altogether more ponderous and
peremptory. Elihu has been for some years operating, in England and on
the Continent, in a movement which many in our half-Christianized
times regard with as much incredulity as the grim, old warlike barons
did the suspicious imbecilities of reading and writing. The sword now,
as then, seems so much more direct a way to terminate controversies,
that many Christian men, even, cannot conceive how the world is to get
along without it.
We spent the evening in talking over various topics relating to the
anti-slavery movement. Mr. Sturge was very confident that something
more was to be done than had ever been done yet, by combinations for
the encouragement of free in the place of slave grown produce; a
question which has, ever since the days of Clarkson, more or less
deeply occupied the minds of abolitionists in England. I should say
that Mr. Sturge in his family has for many years conscientiously
forborne the use of any article produced by slave labor. I could
scarcely believe it possible that there could be such an abundance and
variety of all that is comfortable and desirable in the various
departments of household living within these limits. Mr. Sturge
presents the subject with very great force, the more so from the
consistency of his example.
The next morning, as we were sitting down to breakfast, our friends
sent in to me a plate of the largest, finest strawberries I have ever
seen, which, considering that it was only the latter part of April,
seemed to me quite an astonishing luxury.
Before we left, we had agreed to meet a circle of friends from
Birmingham, consisting of the Abolition Society there, which is of
long standing, extending back in its memories to the very commencement
of the agitation under Clarkson and Wilberforce. The windows of the
parlor were opened to the ground; and the company invited filled not
only the room, but stood in a crowd on the grass around the window.
Among the peaceable company present was an admiral in the navy, a
fine, cheerful old gentleman, who entered with hearty interest into
the scene.
A throng of friends accompanied us to the depot, while from Birmingham
we had the pleasure of the company of Elihu Burritt, and enjoyed a
delightful run to London, where we arrived towards evening.
At the station-house in London we found the Rev. Messrs. Binney and
Sherman waiting for us with carriages. C. went with Mr. Sherman, and
Mr. S. and I soon found ourselves in a charming retreat called Rose
Cottage, in Walworth, about which I will tell you more anon. Mrs. B.
received us with every attention which the most thoughtful hospitality
could suggest. One of the first things she said to me after we got
into our room was, "Oh, we are so glad you have come! for we are all
going to the lord mayor's dinner tonight, and you are invited." So,
though I was tired, I hurried to dress in all the glee of meeting an
adventure. As soon as Mr. and Mrs. B. and the rest of the party were
ready, crack went the whip, round went the wheels, and away we drove.
We found a considerable throng, and I was glad to accept a seat which
was offered me in the agreeable vicinity of the lady mayoress, so that
I might see what would be interesting to me of the ceremonial.
A very dignified gentleman, dressed in black velvet, with a fine head,
made his way through the throng, and sat down by me, introducing
himself as Lord Chief Baron Pollock. He told me he had just been
reading the legal part of the "Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin," and remarked
especially on the opinion of Judge Ruffin, in the case of _State_
v. _Mann_, as having made a deep impression on his mind.
Dinner was announced between nine and ten o'clock, and we were
conducted into a splendid hall, where the tables were laid.
Directly opposite me was Mr. Dickens, whom I now beheld for the first
time, and was surprised to see looking so young. Mr. Justice Talfourd,
known as the author of "Ion," was also there with his lady. She had a
beautiful, antique cast of head. The lord mayor was simply dressed in
black, without any other adornment than a massive gold chain. We rose
from table between eleven and twelve o'clock--that is, we ladies--and
went into the drawing-room, where I was presented to Mrs. Dickens and
several other ladies. Mrs. Dickens is a good specimen of a truly
English woman; tall, large, and well developed, with fine, healthy
color, and an air of frankness, cheerfulness, and reliability. A
friend whispered to me that she was as observing and fond of humor as
her husband.
After a while the gentlemen came back to the drawing-room, and I had a
few moments of very pleasant, friendly conversation with Mr. Dickens.
They are both people that one could not know a little of without
desiring to know more. After a little we began to talk of separating;
the lord mayor to take his seat in the House of Commons, and the rest
of the party to any other engagement that might be upon their list.
"Come, let us go to the House of Commons," said one of my friends,
"and make a night of it." "With all my heart," replied I, "if I only
had another body to go into to-morrow."
What a convenience in sight-seeing it would be if one could have a
relay of bodies as of clothes, and slip from one into the other! But
we, not used to the London style of turning night into day, are full
weary already. So good-night to you all.
CHAPTER X.
FROM OVER THE SEA, 1853.
THE EARL OF CARLISLE.--ARTHUR HELPS.--THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF ARGYLL.
--MARTIN FARQUHAR TUPPER.--A MEMORABLE MEETING AT STAFFORD HOUSE.--
MACAULAY AND DEAN MILMAN.--WINDSOR CASTLE.--PROFESSOR STOWE RETURNS TO
AMERICA.--MRS. STOWE ON THE CONTINENT.--IMPRESSIONS OF PARIS.--EN
ROUTE TO SWITZERLAND AND GERMANY.--BACK TO ENGLAND.--HOMEWARD BOUND.
ROSE COTTAGE, WALWORTH, LONDON, _May_ 2, 1856.
MY DEAR,--This morning Mrs. Follen called and we had quite a chat. We
are separated by the whole city. She lives at the West End, while I am
down here in Walworth, which is one of the postscripts of London, for
this place has as many postscripts as a lady's letter. This evening we
dined with the Earl of Carlisle. There was no company but ourselves,
for he, with great consideration, said in his note that he thought a
little quiet would be the best thing he could offer.
Lord Carlisle is a great friend to America, and so is his sister, the
Duchess of Sutherland. He is the only English traveler who ever wrote
notes on our country in a real spirit of appreciation.
We went about seven o'clock, the dinner hour being here somewhere
between eight and nine. We were shown into an ante-room adjoining the
entrance hall, and from that into an adjacent apartment, where we met
Lord Carlisle. The room had a pleasant, social air, warmed and
enlivened by the blaze of a coal fire and wax candles.
We had never, any of us, met Lord Carlisle before; but the
considerateness and cordiality of our reception obviated whatever
embarrassment there might have been in this circumstance. In a few
moments after we were all seated, a servant announced the Duchess of
Sutherland, and Lord Carlisle presented me. She is tall and stately,
with a most noble bearing. Her fair complexion, blonde hair, and full
lips speak of Saxon blood.
The only person present not of the family connection was my quondam
correspondent in America, Arthur Helps. Somehow or other I had formed
the impression from his writings that he was a venerable sage of very
advanced years, who contemplated life as an aged hermit from the door
of his cell. Conceive my surprise to find a genial young gentleman of
about twenty-five, who looked as if he might enjoy a joke as well as
another man.
After the ladies left the table, the conversation turned on the Maine
law, which seems to be considered over here as a phenomenon in
legislation, and many of the gentlemen present inquired about it with
great curiosity.
After the gentlemen rejoined us, the Duke and Duchess of Argyll came
in, and Lord and Lady Blantyre. These ladies are the daughters of the
Duchess of Sutherland. The Duchess of Argyll is of slight and fairy-
like figure, with flaxen hair and blue eyes, answering well enough to
the description of Annot Lyle in the Legend of Montrose. Lady Blantyre
was somewhat taller, of fuller figure, with a very brilliant bloom.
Lord Blantyre is of the Stuart blood, a tall and slender young man
with very graceful manners.
As to the Duke of Argyll, we found that the picture drawn of him by
his countrymen in Scotland was in every way correct. Though slight of
figure, with fair complexion and blue eyes, his whole appearance is
indicative of energy and vivacity. His talents and efficiency have
made him a member of the British Cabinet at a much earlier age than is
usual; and he has distinguished himself not only in political life,
but as a writer, having given to the world a work on Presbyterianism,
embracing an analysis of the ecclesiastical history of Scotland since
the Reformation, which is spoken of as written with great ability, and
in a most liberal spirit. He made many inquiries about our
distinguished men, particularly of Emerson, Longfellow, and Hawthorne;
also of Prescott, who appears to be a general favorite here. I felt at
the moment that we never value our own literary men so much as when we
are placed in a circle of intelligent foreigners.
The following evening we went to dine with our old friends of the
Dingle, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cropper, who are now spending a little
time in London. We were delighted to meet them once more and to hear
from our Liverpool friends. Mrs. Cropper's father, Lord Denman, has
returned to England, though with no sensible improvement in his
health.
At dinner we were introduced to Lord and Lady Hatherton. Lady
Hatherton is a person of great cultivation and intelligence, warmly
interested in all the progressive movements of the day; and I gained
much information in her society. There were also present Sir Charles
and Lady Trevelyan; the former holds an appointment at the treasury,
and Lady Trevelyan is a sister of Macaulay.
In the evening quite a circle came in, among others Lady Emma
Campbell, sister of the Duke of Argyll; the daughters of the
Archbishop of Canterbury, who very kindly invited me to visit them at
Lambeth; and Mr. Arthur Helps, besides many others whose names I need
not mention.
_May_ 7. This evening our house was opened in a general way for
callers, who were coming and going all the evening. I think there must
have been over two hundred people, among them Martin Farquhar Tupper,
a little man with fresh, rosy complexion and cheery, joyous manners;
and Mary Howitt, just such a cheerful, sensible, fireside companion as
we find her in her books,--winning love and trust the very first
moment of the interview.
The general topic of remark on meeting me seems to be, that I am not
so bad-looking as they were afraid I was; and I do assure you that
when I have seen the things that are put up in the shop windows here
with my name under them, I have been in wondering admiration at the
boundless loving-kindness of my English and Scottish friends in
keeping up such a warm heart for such a Gorgon. I should think that
the Sphinx in the London Museum might have sat for most of them. I am
going to make a collection of these portraits to bring home to you.
There is a great variety of them, and they will be useful, like the
Irishman's guide-board, which showed where the road did not go.
Before the evening was through I was talked out and worn out; there
was hardly a chip of me left. To-morrow at eleven o'clock comes the
meeting at Stafford House. What it will amount to I do not know; but I
take no thought for the morrow.
_May_ 8.
MY DEAR C.,--In fulfillment of my agreement I will tell you, as nearly
as I can remember, all the details of the meeting at Stafford House.
At about eleven o'clock we drove under the arched carriage-way of a
mansion externally not very showy in appearance.
When the duchess appeared, I thought she looked handsomer by daylight
than in the evening. She received us with the same warm and simple
kindness which she had shown before. We were presented to the Duke of
Sutherland. He is a tall, slender man, with rather a thin face, light-
brown hair, and a mild blue eye, with an air of gentleness and
dignity.
Among the first that entered were the members of the family, the Duke
and Duchess of Argyll, Lord and Lady Blantyre, the Marquis and
Marchioness of Stafford, and Lady Emma Campbell. Then followed Lord
Shaftesbury with his beautiful lady, and her father and mother, Lord
and Lady Palmerston. Lord Palmerston is of middle height, with a keen
dark eye and black hair streaked with gray. There is something
peculiarly alert and vivacious about all his movements; in short, his
appearance perfectly answers to what we know of him from his public
life. One has a strange, mythological feeling about the existence of
people of whom one hears for many years without ever seeing them.
While talking with Lord Palmerston I could but remember how often I
had heard father and Mr. S. exulting over his foreign dispatches by
our own fireside. There were present, also, Lord John Russell, Mr.
Gladstone, and Lord Granville. The latter we all thought very
strikingly resembled in his appearance the poet Longfellow.
After lunch the whole party ascended to the picture-gallery, passing
on our way the grand staircase and hall, said to be the most
magnificent in Europe. The company now began to assemble and throng
the gallery, and very soon the vast room was crowded. Among the throng
I remember many presentations, but of course must have forgotten many
more. Archbishop Whateley was there, with Mrs. and Miss Whateley;
Macaulay, with two of his sisters; Milman, the poet and historian; the
Bishop of Oxford, Chevalier Bunsen and lady, and many more.
When all the company were together, Lord Shaftesbury read a very
short, kind, and considerate address in behalf of the ladies of
England, expressive of their cordial welcome.
This Stafford House meeting, in any view of it, is a most remarkable
fact. Kind and gratifying as its arrangements have been to me, I am
far from appropriating it to myself individually as a personal honor.
I rather regard it as the most public expression possible of the
feelings of the women of England on one of the most important
questions of our day, that of individual liberty considered in its
religious bearings.
On this occasion the Duchess of Sutherland presented Mrs. Stowe with a
superb gold bracelet, made in the form of a slave's shackle, bearing
the inscription: "We trust it is a memorial of a chain that is soon to
be broken." On two of the links were inscribed the dates of the
abolition of the slave-trade and of slavery in English territory.
Years after its presentation to her, Mrs. Stowe was able to have
engraved on the clasp of this bracelet, "Constitutional Amendment
(forever abolishing slavery in the United States)."
Continuing her interesting journal, Mrs. Stowe writes, May 9th:--
DEAR E.,--This letter I consecrate to you, because I know that the
persons and things to be introduced into it will most particularly be
appreciated by you.
In your evening reading circles, Macaulay, Sydney Smith, and Milman
have long been such familiar names that you will be glad to go with me
over all the scenes of my morning breakfast at Sir Charles Trevelyan's
yesterday. Lady Trevelyan, I believe I have said before, is a sister
of Macaulay.
We were set down at Westbourne Terrace somewhere, I believe, about
eleven o'clock, and found quite a number already in the drawing-room.
I had met Macaulay before, but being seated between him and Dean
Milman, I must confess I was a little embarrassed at times, because I
wanted to hear what they were both saying at the same time. However,
by the use of the faculty by which you play a piano with both hands, I
got on very comfortably.
There were several other persons of note present at this breakfast,
whose conversation I had not an opportunity of hearing, as they sat at
a distance from me. There was Lord Glenelg, brother of Sir Robert
Grant, governor of Bombay, whose beautiful hymns have rendered him
familiar in America. The favorite one, commencing
"When gathering clouds around I view,"
was from his pen.
The historian Hallam was also present, and I think it very likely
there may have been other celebrities whom I did not know. I am always
finding out, a day or two after, that I have been with somebody very
remarkable and did not know it at the time.
Under date of May 18th she writes to her sister Mary:--
DEAR M.,--I can compare the embarrassment of our London life, with its
multiplied solicitations and infinite stimulants to curiosity and
desire, only to that annual perplexity which used to beset us in our
childhood on Thanksgiving Day. Like Miss Edgeworth's philosophic
little Frank, we are obliged to make out a list of what man
_must_ want, and of what he _may_ want; and in our list of
the former we set down, in large and decisive characters, one quiet
day for the exploration and enjoyment of Windsor.
The ride was done all too soon. About eleven o'clock we found
ourselves going up the old stone steps to the castle. We went first
through the state apartments. The principal thing that interested me
was the ball-room, which was a perfect gallery of Vandyke's paintings.
After leaving the ball-room we filed off to the proper quarter to show
our orders for the private rooms. The state apartments, which we had
been looking at, are open at all times, but the private apartments can
only be seen in the Queen's absence and by a special permission, which
had been procured for us on that occasion by the kindness of the
Duchess of Sutherland.
One of the first objects that attracted my attention upon entering the
vestibule was a baby's wicker wagon, standing in one corner. It was
much such a carriage as all mothers are familiar with; such as figures
largely in the history of almost every family. It had neat curtains
and cushions of green merino, and was not royal, only maternal. I
mused over the little thing with a good deal of interest.
We went for our dinner to the White Hart, the very inn which
Shakespeare celebrates in his "Merry Wives," and had a most
overflowing merry time of it. After dinner we had a beautiful drive.
We were bent upon looking up the church which gave rise to Gray's
"Elegy in a Country Churchyard," intending when we got there to have a
little scene over it; Mr. S., in all the conscious importance of
having been there before, assuring us that he knew exactly where it
was. So, after some difficulty with our coachman, and being stopped at
one church which would not answer our purpose in any respect, we were
at last set down by one which looked authentic; embowered in mossy
elms, with a most ancient and goblin yew-tree, an ivy-mantled tower,
all perfect as could be. Here, leaning on the old fence, we repeated
the Elegy, which certainly applies here as beautifully as language
could apply.
Imagine our chagrin, on returning to London, at being informed that we
had not been to the genuine churchyard after all. The gentleman who
wept over the scenes of his early days on the wrong doorstep was not
more grievously disappointed. However, he and we could both console
ourselves with the reflection that the emotion was admirable, and
wanted only the right place to make it the most appropriate in the
world.
The evening after our return from Windsor was spent with our kind
friends, Mr. and Mrs. Gurney. After breakfast the next day, Mr. S.,
C., and I drove out to call upon Kossuth. We found him in an obscure
lodging on the outskirts of London. I would that some of the editors
in America, who have thrown out insinuations about his living in
luxury, could have seen the utter bareness and plainness of the
reception room, which had nothing in it beyond the simplest
necessaries. He entered into conversation with us with cheerfulness,
speaking English well, though with the idioms of foreign languages.
When we parted he took my hand kindly and said, "God bless you, my
child!"
I have been quite amused with something which has happened lately.
This week the "Times" has informed the United Kingdom that Mrs. Stowe
is getting a new dress made! It wants to know if Mrs. Stowe is aware
what sort of a place her dress is being made in; and there is a letter
from a dressmaker's apprentice stating that it is being made up
piecemeal, in the most shockingly distressed dens of London, by poor,
miserable white slaves, worse treated than the plantation slaves of
America!
Now Mrs. Stowe did not know anything of this, but simply gave the silk
into the hands of a friend, and was in due time waited on in her own
apartment by a very respectable-appearing woman, who offered to make
the dress, and lo, this is the result! Since the publication of this
piece, I have received earnest missives, from various parts of the
country, begging me to interfere, hoping that I was not going to
patronize the white slavery of England, and that I would employ my
talents equally against oppression in every form. Could these people
only know in what sweet simplicity I had been living in the State of
Maine, where the only dressmaker of our circle was an intelligent,
refined, well-educated woman who was considered as the equal of us
all, and whose spring and fall ministrations to our wardrobe were
regarded a double pleasure,--a friendly visit as well as a domestic
assistance,--I say, could they know all this, they would see how
guiltless I was in the matter. I verily never thought but that the
nice, pleasant person who came to measure me for my silk dress was
going to take it home and make it herself; it never occurred to me
that she was the head of an establishment.
May 22, she writes to her husband, whose duties had obliged him to
return to America: "To-day we went to hear a sermon in behalf of the
ragged schools by the Archbishop of Canterbury. My thoughts have been
much saddened by the news which I received of the death of Mary
Edmonson."
"_May_ 30. The next day from my last letter came off Miss
Greenfield's concert, of which I send a card. You see in what company
they have put your poor little wife. Funny!--isn't it? Well, the Hons.
and Right Hons. all were there. I sat by Lord Carlisle.
"After the concert the duchess asked Lady Hatherton and me to come
round to Stafford House and take tea, which was not a thing to be
despised, either on account of the tea or the duchess. A lovelier time
we never had,--present, the Duchess of Argyll, Lady Caroline Campbell,
Lady Hatherton, and myself. We had the nicest cup of tea, with such
cream, and grapes and apricots, with some Italian bread, etc.
"When we were going the duchess got me, on some pretext, into another
room, and came up and put her arms round me, with her noble face all
full of feeling.
"'Oh, Mrs. Stowe, I have been reading that last chapter in the "Key";
Argyll read it aloud to us. Oh, surely, surely you will succeed,--God
surely will bless you!'
"I said then that I thanked her for all her love and feeling for us,
told her how earnestly all the women of England sympathized with her,
and many in America. She looked really radiant and inspired. Had those
who hang back from our cause seen her face, it might have put a soul
into them as she said again, 'It will be done--it will be done--oh, I
trust and pray it may!'
"So we kissed each other, and vowed friendship and fidelity--so I came
away.
"To-day I am going with Lord Shaftesbury to St. Paul's to see the
charity children, after which lunch with Dean Milman.
"_May_ 31. We went to lunch with Miss R. at Oxford Terrace,
where, among a number of distinguished guests, was Lady Byron, with
whom I had a few moments of deeply interesting conversation. No
engravings that ever have been circulated in America do any justice to
her appearance. She is of slight figure, formed with exceeding
delicacy, and her whole form, face, dress, and air unite to make an
impression of a character singularly dignified, gentle, pure, and yet
strong. No words addressed to me in any conversation hitherto have
made their way to my inner soul with such force as a few remarks
dropped by her on the present religious aspect of England,--remarks of
such quality as one seldom hears.
"According to request, I will endeavor to keep you informed of all our
goings-on after you left, up to the time of our departure for Paris.
"We have borne in mind your advice to hasten away to the Continent.
Charles wrote, a day or two since, to Mrs. C. at Paris to secure very
private lodgings, and by no means let any one know that we were
coming. She has replied urging us to come to her house, and promising
entire seclusion and rest. So, since you departed, we have been
passing with a kind of comprehensive skip and jump over remaining
engagements. And just the evening after you left came off the
presentation of the inkstand by the ladies of Surrey Chapel.
"It is a beautiful specimen of silver-work, eighteen inches long, with
a group of silver figures on it representing Religion, with the Bible
in her hand, giving liberty to the slave. The slave is a masterly
piece of work. He stands with his hands clasped, looking up to Heaven,
while a white man is knocking the shackles from his feet. But the
prettiest part of the scene was the presentation of a _gold pen_
by a band of beautiful children, one of whom made a very pretty
speech. I called the little things to come and stand around me, and
talked with them a few minutes, and this was all the speaking that
fell to my share.
"To-morrow we go--go to quiet, to obscurity, to peace--to Paris, to
Switzerland; there we shall find the loveliest glen, and, as the Bible
says, 'fall on sleep.'
"_Paris, June_ 4. Here we are in Paris, in a most charming
family. I have been out all the morning exploring shops, streets,
boulevards, and seeing and hearing life in Paris. When one has a
pleasant home and friends to return to, this gay, bustling, vivacious,
graceful city is one of the most charming things in the world; and we
_have_ a most charming home.
"I wish the children could see these Tuileries with their statues and
fountains, men, women, and children seated in family groups under the
trees, chatting, reading aloud, working muslin,--children driving
hoop, playing ball, all alive and chattering French. Such fresh,
pretty girls as are in the shops here! _Je suis ravé_, as they
say. In short I am decidedly in a French humor, and am taking things
quite _couleur de rose_.
"_Monday, June_ 13. We went this morning to the studio of M.
Belloc, who is to paint my portrait. The first question which he
proposed, with a genuine French air, was the question of 'pose' or
position. It was concluded that, as other pictures had taken me
looking at the spectator, this should take me looking away. M. Belloc
remarked that M. Charpentier said I appeared always with the air of an
observer,--was always looking around on everything. Hence M. Belloc
would take me '_en observatrice, mais pas en curieuse_,'--with
the air of observation, but not of curiosity. By and by M. Charpentier
came in. He began panegyrizing 'Uncle Tom,' and this led to a
discussion of the ground of its unprecedented success. In his thirty-
five years' experience as a bookseller, he had known nothing like it.
It surpassed all modern writings! At first he would not read it; his
taste was for old masters of a century or two ago. 'Like M. Belloc in
painting,' said I. At length he found his friend M., the first
intelligence of the age, reading it.
"'What, you, too?' said he.
"'Ah, ah!' replied the friend; 'say nothing about this book! There is
nothing like it. This leaves us all behind,--all, all, miles behind!'
"M. Belloc said the reason was because there was in it more _genuine
faith_ than in any book; and we branched off into florid eloquence
touching paganism, Christianity, and art.
"_Wednesday, June_ 22. Adieu to Paris! Ho for Chalons-sur-Saône!
After affectionate farewells of our kind friends, by eleven o'clock we
were rushing, in the pleasantest of cars, over the smoothest of rails,
through Burgundy. We arrived at Chalons at nine P. M.
"_Thursday_, 23, eight o'clock A. M. Since five we have had a
fine bustle on the quay below our windows. There lay three steamers,
shaped for all the world like our last night's rolls. One would think
Ichabod Crane might sit astride one of them and dip his feet in the
water. They ought to be swift. L'Hirondelle (The Swallow) flew at
five; another at six. We leave at nine.
"_Lyons_. There was a scene of indescribable confusion upon our
arrival here. Out of the hold of our steamer a man with a rope and
hook began hauling baggage up a smooth board. Three hundred people
were sorting their goods without checks. Porters were shouldering
immense loads, four or five heavy trunks at once, corded together, and
stalking off Atlantean. Hat-boxes, bandboxes, and valises burst like a
meteoric shower out of a crater. '_A moi, à moi_!' was the cry,
from old men, young women, soldiers, shopkeepers, and _frères_,
scuffling and shoving together.
"_Saturday, June_ 25. Lyons to Genève. As this was our first
experience in the diligence line, we noticed particularly every
peculiarity. I had had the idea that a diligence was a ricketty, slow-
moulded antediluvian nondescript, toiling patiently along over
impassable roads at a snail's pace. Judge of my astonishment at
finding it a full-blooded, vigorous monster, of unscrupulous railway
momentum and imperturbable equipoise of mind. Down the macadamized
slopes we thundered at a prodigious pace; up the hills we trotted,
with six horses, three abreast; madly through the little towns we
burst, like a whirlwind, crashing across the pebbled streets, and out
upon the broad, smooth road again. Before we had well considered the
fact that we were out of Lyons we stopped to change horses. Done in a
jiffy; and whoop, crick, crack, whack, rumble, bump, whirr, whisk,
away we blazed, till, ere we knew it, another change and another.
"As evening drew on, a wind sprang up and a storm seemed gathering on
the Jura. The rain dashed against the panes of the berlin as we rode
past the grim-faced monarch of the 'misty shroud.' It was night as we
drove into Geneva and stopped at the Messagerie. I heard with joy a
voice demanding if this were _Madame Besshare_. I replied, not
without some scruples of conscience, '_Oui, Monsieur, c'est
moi_,' though the name did not sound exactly like the one to which
I had been wont to respond. In half an hour we were at home in the
mansion of Monsieur Fazy."
From Geneva the party made a tour of the Swiss Alps, spending some
weeks among them. While there Charles Beecher wrote from a small hotel
at the foot of the Jura:--
"The people of the neighborhood, having discovered who Harriet was,
were very kind, and full of delight at seeing her. It was Scotland
over again. We have had to be unflinching to prevent her being
overwhelmed, both in Paris and Geneva, by the same demonstrations of
regard. To this we were driven, as a matter of life and death. It was
touching to listen to the talk of these secluded mountaineers. The
good hostess, even the servant maids, hung about Harriet, expressing
such tender interest for the slave. All had read 'Uncle Tom;' and it
had apparently been an era in their life's monotony, for they said,
'Oh, madam, do write another! Remember, our winter nights here are
very long!'"
Upon their return to Geneva they visited the Castle of Chillon, of
which, in describing the dungeons, Mrs. Stowe writes:--
"One of the pillars in this vault is covered with names. I think it is
Bonnevard's Pillar. There are the names of Byron, Hunt, Schiller, and
ever so many more celebrities. As we were going from the cell our
conductress seemed to have a sudden light upon her mind. She asked a
question or two of some of our party, and fell upon me vehemently to
put my name also there. Charley scratched it on the soft freestone,
and there it is for future ages. The lady could scarce repress her
enthusiasm; she shook my hand over and over again, and said she had
read 'Uncle Tom.' 'It is beautiful,' she said, 'but it is cruel.'
"_Monday, July_ 18. Weather suspicious. Stowed ourselves and our
baggage into our _voiture_, and bade adieu to our friends and to
Geneva. Ah, how regretfully! From the market-place we carried away a
basket of cherries and fruit as a consolation. Dined at Lausanne, and
visited the cathedral and picture-gallery, where was an exquisite
_Eva_. Slept at Meudon.
"_Tuesday, July_ 19. Rode through Payerne to Freyburg. Stopped at
the Zähringer Hof,--most romantic of inns.
"_Wednesday, July_ 20. Examined, not the lions, but the bears of
Berne. Engaged a _coiture_ and drove to Thun. Dined and drove by
the shore of the lake to Interlachen, arriving just after a brilliant
sunset.
"We crossed the Wengern Alps to Grindelwald. The Jungfrau is right
over against us,--her glaciers purer, tenderer, more dazzlingly
beautiful, if possible, than those of Mont Blanc. Slept at
Grindelwald."
From Rosenlaui, on this journey, Charles Beecher writes:--
"_Friday, July 22_. Grindelwald to Meyringen. On we came, to the
top of the Great Schiedeck, where H. and W. botanized, while I slept.
Thence we rode down the mountain till we reached Rosenlaui, where, I
am free to say, a dinner was to me a more interesting object than a
glacier. Therefore, while H. and W. went to the latter, I turned off
to the inn, amid their cries and reproaches.
"Here, then, I am, writing these notes in the _salle à manger_ of
the inn, where other voyagers are eating and drinking, and there is H.
feeding on the green moonshine of an emerald ice cave. One would
almost think her incapable of fatigue. How she skips up and down high
places and steep places, to the manifest perplexity of the honest
guide Kienholz, _père_, who tries to take care of her, but does
not exactly know how! She gets on a pyramid of débris, which the edge
of the glacier is plowing and grinding up, sits down, and falls--not
asleep exactly, but into a trance. W. and I are ready to go on: we
shout; our voice is lost in the roar of the torrent. We send the
guide. He goes down, and stands doubtfully. He does not know exactly
what to do. She hears him, and starts to her feet, pointing with one
hand to yonder peak, and with the other to that knife-like edge that
seems cleaving heaven with its keen and glistening cimeter of snow,
reminding one of Isaiah's sublime imagery, 'For my sword is bathed in
heaven.' She points at the grizzly rocks, with their jags and spear-
points. Evidently she is beside herself, and thinks she can remember
the names of those monsters, born of earthquake and storm, which
cannot be named nor known but by sight, and then are known at once
perfectly and forever."
After traveling through Germany, Belgium, and Holland, the party
returned to Paris toward the end of August, from which place Mrs.
Stowe writes:--
"I am seated in a snug little room at M. Belloc's. The weather is
overpoweringly hot, but these Parisian houses seem to have seized and
imprisoned coolness. French household ways are delightful. I like
their seclusion from the street by these deep-paned quadrangles.
"Madame Belloc was the translator of Maria Edgeworth, by that lady's
desire; corresponded with her for years, and still has many of her
letters. Her translation of 'Uncle Tom' has to me all the merit and
all the interest of an original composition. In perusing it, I enjoy
the pleasure of reading the story with scarce any consciousness of its
ever having been mine."
The next letter is from London _en route_ for America, to which
passage had been engaged on the Collins steamer Arctic. In it Mrs.
Stowe writes:--
"_London, August _28. Our last letters from home changed all our
plans. We concluded to hurry away by the next steamer, if at that late
hour we could get a passage. We were all in a bustle. The last
shoppings for aunts, cousins, and little folks were to be done by us
all. The Palais Royal was to be rummaged; bronzes, vases, statuettes,
bonbons, playthings,--all that the endless fertility of France could
show,--was to be looked over for the 'folks at home.'
"How we sped across the Channel C. relates. We are spending a few very
pleasant days with our kind friends the L.'s, in London.
"_On board the Arctic, September_ 7. On Thursday, September 1, we
reached York, and visited the beautiful ruins of St. Mary's Abbey, and
the magnificent cathedral. It rained with inflexible pertinacity
during all the time we were there, and the next day it rained still,
when we took the cars for Castle Howard station.
"Lady Carlisle welcomed us most affectionately, and we learned that,
had we not been so reserved at the York station in concealing our
names, we should have received a note from her. However, as we were
safely arrived, it was of no consequence.
"Our friends spoke much of Sunmer and Prescott, who had visited there;
also of Mr. Lawrence, our former ambassador, who had visited them just
before his return. After a very pleasant day, we left with regret the
warmth of this hospitable circle, thus breaking one more of the links
that bind us to the English shore.
"Nine o'clock in the evening found us sitting by a cheerful fire in
the parlor of Mr. E. Baines at Leeds. The next day the house was
filled with company, and the Leeds offering was presented.
"Tuesday we parted from our excellent friends in Leeds, and soon found
ourselves once more in the beautiful "Dingle," our first and last
resting-place on English shores.
"A deputation from Belfast, Ireland, here met me, presenting a
beautiful bog-oak casket, lined with gold, and carved with appropriate
national symbols, containing an offering for the cause of the
oppressed. They read a beautiful address, and touched upon the
importance of inspiring with the principles of emancipation the Irish
nation, whose influence in our land is becoming so great. Had time and
strength permitted, it had been my purpose to visit Ireland, to
revisit Scotland, and to see more of England. But it is not in man
that walketh to direct his steps. And now came parting, leave-taking,
last letters, notes, and messages.
"Thus, almost sadly as a child might leave its home, I left the shores
of kind, strong Old England,--the mother of us all."
CHAPTER XI.
HOME AGAIN, 1853-1856.
ANTI-SLAVERY WORK.--STIRRING TIMES IN THE UNITED STATES.--ADDRESS TO
THE LADIES OF GLASGOW.--APPEAL TO THE WOMEN OF AMERICA.--
CORRESPONDENCE WITH WILLIAM LLOYD GARRISON.--THE WRITING OF "DRED."--
FAREWELL LETTER FROM GEORGIANA MAY.--SECOND VOYAGE TO ENGLAND.
After her return in the autumn of 1853 from her European tour, Mrs.
Stowe threw herself heart and soul into the great struggle with
slavery. Much of her time was occupied in distributing over a wide
area of country the English gold with which she had been intrusted for
the advancement of the cause. With this money she assisted in the
redemption of slaves whose cases were those of peculiar hardship, and
helped establish them as free men. She supported anti-slavery lectures
wherever they were most needed, aided in establishing and maintaining
anti-slavery publications, founded and assisted in supporting schools
in which colored people might be taught how to avail themselves of the
blessings of freedom. She arranged public meetings, and prepared many
of the addresses that should be delivered at them. She maintained such
an extensive correspondence with persons of all shades of opinion in
all parts of the world, that the letters received and answered by her
between 1853 and 1856 would fill volumes. With all these multifarious
interests, her children received a full share of her attention, nor
were her literary activities relaxed.
Immediately upon the completion of her European tour, her experiences
were published in the form of a journal, both in this country and
England, under the title of "Sunny Memories." She also revised and
elaborated the collection of sketches which had been published by the
Harpers in 1843, under title of "The Mayflower," and having purchased
the plates caused them to be republished in 1855 by Phillips &
Sampson, the successors of John P. Jewett & Co., in this country, and
by Sampson Low & Co. in London.
Soon after her return to America, feeling that she owed a debt of
gratitude to her friends in Scotland, which her feeble health had not
permitted her adequately to express while with them, Mrs. Stowe wrote
the following open letter:--
TO THE LADIES' ANTI-SLAVERY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW:
_Dear Friends_,--I have had many things in my mind to say to you,
which it was my hope to have said personally, but which I am now
obliged to say by letter.
I have had many fears that you must have thought our intercourse,
during the short time that I was in Glasgow, quite unsatisfactory.
At the time that I accepted your very kind invitation, I was in
tolerable health, and supposed that I should be in a situation to
enjoy society, and mingle as much in your social circles as you might
desire.
When the time came for me to fulfil my engagement with you, I was, as
you know, confined to my bed with a sickness brought on by the
exertion of getting the "Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin" through the press
during the winter.
In every part of the world the story of "Uncle Tom" had awakened
sympathy for the American slave, and consequently in every part of the
world the story of his wrongs had been denied; it had been asserted to
be a mere work of romance, and I was charged with being the slanderer
of the institutions of my own country. I knew that if I shrank from
supporting my position, the sympathy which the work had excited would
gradually die out, and the whole thing would be looked upon as a mere
romantic excitement of the passions.
When I came abroad, I had not the slightest idea of the kind of
reception which was to meet me in England and Scotland. I had thought
of something involving considerable warmth, perhaps, and a good deal
of cordiality and feeling on the part of friends; but of the general
extent of feeling through society, and of the degree to which it would
be publicly expressed, I had, I may say, no conception.
As through your society I was invited to your country, it may seem
proper that what communication I have to make to friends in England
and Scotland should be made through you.
In the first place, then, the question will probably arise in your
minds, Have the recent demonstrations in Great Britain done good to
the anti-slavery cause in America?
The first result of those demonstrations, as might have been expected,
was an intense reaction. Every kind of false, evil, and malignant
report has been circulated by malicious and partisan papers; and if
there is any blessing in having all manner of evil said against us
falsely, we have seemed to be in a fair way to come in possession of
it.
The sanction which was given in this matter to the voice of the
people, by the nobility of England and Scotland, has been regarded and
treated with special rancor; and yet, in its place, it has been
particularly important. Without it great advantages would have been
taken to depreciate the value of the national testimony. The value of
this testimony in particular will appear from the fact that the anti-
slavery cause has been treated with especial contempt by the leaders
of society in this country, and every attempt made to brand it with
ridicule.
The effect of making a cause generally unfashionable is much greater
in this world than it ought to be. It operates very powerfully with
the young and impressible portion of the community; therefore Cassius
M. Clay very well said with regard to the demonstration at Stafford
House: "It will help our cause by rendering it fashionable."
With regard to the present state of the anti-slavery cause in America,
I think, for many reasons, that it has never been more encouraging. It
is encouraging in this respect, that the subject is now fairly up for
inquiry before the public mind. And that systematic effort which has
been made for years to prevent its being discussed is proving wholly
ineffectual.
The "Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin" has sold extensively at the South,
following in the wake of "Uncle Tom." Not one fact or statement in it
has been disproved as yet. I have yet to learn of even an
_attempt_ to disprove.
The "North American Review," a periodical which has never been
favorable to the discussion of the slavery question, has come out with
a review of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," in which, while rating the book very
low as a work of art, they account for its great circulation and
success by the fact of its being a true picture of slavery. They go on
to say that the system is one so inherently abominable that, unless
slaveholders shall rouse themselves and abolish the principle of
chattel ownership, they can no longer sustain themselves under the
contempt and indignation of the whole civilized world. What are the
slaveholders to do when this is the best their friends and supporters
can say for them?
I regret to say that the movements of Christian denominations on this
subject are yet greatly behind what they should be. Some movements
have been made by religious bodies, of which I will not now speak; but
as a general thing the professed Christian church is pushed up to its
duty by the world, rather than the world urged on by the church.
The colored people in this country are rapidly rising in every
respect. I shall request Frederick Douglass to send you the printed
account of the recent colored convention. It would do credit to any
set of men whatever, and I hope you will get some notice taken of it
in the papers of the United Kingdom. It is time that the slanders
against this unhappy race should be refuted, and it should he seen
how, in spite of every social and political oppression, they are
rising in the scale of humanity. In my opinion they advance quite as
fast as any of the foreign races which have found an asylum among us.
May God so guide us in all things that our good he not evil spoken of,
and that we be left to defend nothing which is opposed to his glory
and the good of man!
Yours in all sympathy,
H. B. STOWE.
During the Kansas and Nebraska agitation (1853-54), Mrs. Stowe, in
common with the abolitionists of the North, was deeply impressed with
a solemn sense that it was a desperate crisis in the nation's history.
She was in constant correspondence with Charles Sumner and other
distinguished statesmen of the time, and kept herself informed as to
the minutest details of the struggle. At this time she wrote and
caused to be circulated broadcast the following appeal to the women of
America:--
"The Providence of God has brought our nation to a crisis of most
solemn interest.
"A question is now pending in our national legislature which is most
vitally to affect the temporal and eternal interests, not only of
ourselves, but of our children and our children's children for ages
yet unborn. Through our nation it is to affect the interests of
liberty and Christianity throughout the world.
"Of the woes, the injustice, and the misery of slavery it is not
needful to speak. There is but one feeling and one opinion upon this
subject among us all. I do not think there is a mother who clasps her
child to her breast who would ever be made to feel it right that that
child should be a slave, not a mother among us who would not rather
lay that child in its grave.
"Nor can I believe that there is a woman so unchristian as to think it
right to inflict upon her neighbor's child what she would consider
worse than death were it inflicted upon her own. I do not believe
there is a wife who would think it right that _her_ husband
should be sold to a trader to be worked all his life without wages or
a recognition of rights. I do not believe there is a husband who would
consider it right that his wife should be regarded by law the property
of another man. I do not believe there is a father or mother who would
consider it right were they forbidden by law to teach their children
to read. I do not believe there is a brother who would think it right
to have his sister held as property, with no legal defense for her
personal honor, by any man living.
"All this is inherent in slavery. It is not the abuse of slavery, but
its legal nature. And there is not a woman in the United States, where
the question is fairly put to her, who thinks these things are right.
"But though our hearts have bled over this wrong, there have been many
things tending to fetter our hands, to perplex our efforts, and to
silence our voice. We have been told that to speak of it was an
invasion of the rights of states. We have heard of promises and
compacts, and the natural expression of feeling has in many cases been
repressed by an appeal to those honorable sentiments which respect the
keeping of engagements.
"But a time has now come when the subject is arising under quite a
different aspect.
"The question is not now, shall the wrongs of slavery exist as they
have within their own territories, but shall we permit them to be
extended all over the free territories of the United States? Shall the
woes and the miseries of slavery be extended over a region of fair,
free, unoccupied territory nearly equal in extent to the whole of the
free States?
"Nor is this all! This is not the last thing that is expected or
intended. Should this movement be submitted to in silence, should the
North consent to this solemn breach of contract on the part of the
South, there yet remains one more step to be apprehended, namely, the
legalizing of slavery throughout the free States. By a decision of the
supreme court in the Lemmon case, it may be declared lawful for slave
property to be held in the Northern States. Should this come to pass,
it is no more improbable that there may be four years hence slave
depots in New York city than it was four years ago that the South
would propose a repeal of the Missouri Compromise.
"Women of the free States! the question is not shall we remonstrate
with slavery on its own soil, but are we willing to receive slavery
into the free States and Territories of this Union? Shall the whole
power of these United States go into the hands of slavery? Shall every
State in the Union be thrown open to slavery? This is the possible
result and issue of the question now pending. This is the fearful
crisis at which we stand.
"And now you ask, What can the _women_ of a country do?
"O women of the free States! what did your brave mothers do in the
days of our Revolution? Did not liberty in those days feel the strong
impulse of woman's heart?
"There was never a great interest agitating a community where woman's
influence was not felt for good or for evil. At the time when the
abolition of the slave-trade was convulsing England, women contributed
more than any other laborers to that great triumph of humanity. The
women of England refused to receive into their houses the sugar raised
by slaves. Seventy thousand families thus refused the use of sugar in
testimony of their abhorrence of the manner in which it was produced.
At that time women were unwearied in going from house to house
distributing books and tracts upon the subject, and presenting it
clearly and forcibly to thousands of families who would otherwise have
disregarded it.
"The women all over England were associated in corresponding circles
for prayer and labor. Petitions to the government were prepared and
signed by women of every station in all parts of the kingdom.
"Women of America! we do not know with what thrilling earnestness the
hopes and the eyes of the world are fastened upon our country, and how
intense is the desire that we should take a stand for universal
liberty. When I was in England, although I distinctly stated that the
raising of money was no part of my object there, it was actually
forced upon me by those who could not resist the impulse to do
something for this great cause. Nor did it come from the well-to-do
alone; but hundreds of most affecting letters were received from poor
working men and women, who inclosed small sums in postage-stamps to be
devoted to freeing slaves.
"Nor is this deep feeling confined to England alone. I found it in
France, Switzerland, and Germany. Why do foreign lands regard us with
this intensity of interest? Is it not because the whole world looks
hopefully toward America as a nation especially raised by God to
advance the cause of human liberty and religion?
"There has been a universal expectation that the next step taken by
America would surely be one that should have a tendency to right this
great wrong. Those who are struggling for civil and religious liberty
in Europe speak this word 'slavery' in sad whispers, as one names a
fault of a revered friend. They can scarce believe the advertisements
in American papers of slave sales of men, women, and children, traded
like cattle. Scarcely can they trust their eyes when they read the
laws of the slave States, and the decisions of their courts. The
advocates of despotism hold these things up to them and say: 'See what
comes of republican liberty!' Hitherto the answer has been, 'America
is more than half free, and she certainly will in time repudiate
slavery altogether.'
"But what can they say now if, just as the great struggle for human
rights is commencing throughout Europe, America opens all her
Territories to the most unmitigated despotism?
"While all the nations of Europe are thus moved on the subject of
American slavery, shall we alone remain unmoved? Shall we, the wives,
mothers, and sisters of America, remain content with inaction in such
a crisis as this?
"The first duty of every American woman at this time is to thoroughly
understand the subject for herself, and to feel that she is bound to
use her influence for the right. Then they can obtain signatures to
petitions to our national legislature. They can spread information
upon this vital topic throughout their neighborhoods. They can employ
lecturers to lay the subject before the people. They can circulate the
speeches of their members of Congress that bear upon the subject, and
in many other ways they can secure to all a full understanding of the
present position of our country.
"Above all, it seems to be necessary and desirable that we should make
this subject a matter of earnest prayer. A conflict is now begun
between the forces of liberty and despotism throughout the whole
world. We who are Christians, and believe in the sure word of
prophecy, know that fearful convulsions and over-turnings are
predicted before the coming of Him who is to rule the earth in
righteousness. How important, then, in this crisis, that all who
believe in prayer should retreat beneath the shadow of the Almighty!
"It is a melancholy but unavoidable result of such great encounters of
principle that they tend to degenerate into sectional and personal
bitterness. It is this liability that forms one of the most solemn and
affecting features of the crisis now presented. We are on the eve of a
conflict which will try men's souls, and strain to the utmost the
bonds of brotherly union that bind this nation together.
"Let us, then, pray that in the agitation of this question between the
North and the South the war of principle may not become a mere
sectional conflict, degenerating into the encounter of physical force.
Let us raise our hearts to Him who has the power to restrain the wrath
of men, that He will avert the consequences that our sins as a nation
so justly deserve.
"There are many noble minds in the South who do not participate in the
machinations of their political leaders, and whose sense of honor and
justice is outraged by this proposition equally with our own. While,
then, we seek to sustain the cause of freedom unwaveringly, let us
also hold it to be our office as true women to moderate the acrimony
of political contest, remembering that the slaveholder and the slave
are alike our brethren, whom the law of God commands us to love as
ourselves.
"For the sake, then, of our dear children, for the sake of our common
country, for the sake of outraged and struggling liberty throughout
the world, let every woman of America now do her duty."
At this same time Mrs. Stowe found herself engaged in an active
correspondence with William Lloyd Garrison, much of which appeared in
the columns of his paper, the "Liberator." Late in 1853 she writes to
him:--
"In regard to you, your paper, and in some measure your party, I am in
an honest embarrassment. I sympathize with you fully in many of your
positions. Others I consider erroneous, hurtful to liberty and the
progress of humanity. Nevertheless, I believe you and those who
support them to be honest and conscientious in your course and
opinions. What I fear is that your paper will take from poor Uncle Tom
his Bible, and give him nothing in its place."
To this Mr. Garrison answers: "I do not understand why the imputation
is thrown upon the 'Liberator' as tending to rob Uncle Tom of his
Bible. I know of no writer in its pages who wishes to deprive him of
it, or of any comfort he may derive from it. It is for him to place
whatever estimate he can upon it, and for you and me to do the same;
but for neither of us to accept any more of it than we sincerely
believe to be in accordance with reason, truth, and eternal right. How
much of it is true and obligatory, each one can determine only for
himself; for on Protestant ground there is no room for papal
infallibility. All Christendom professes to believe in the inspiration
of the volume, and at the same time all Christendom is by the ears as
to its real teachings. Surely you would not have me disloyal to my
conscience. How do you prove that you are not trammeled by educational
or traditional notions as to the entire sanctity of the book? Indeed,
it seems to me very evident that you are not free in spirit, in view
of the apprehension and sorrow you feel because you find your
conceptions of the Bible controverted in the 'Liberator,' else why
such disquietude of mind? 'Thrice is he armed who hath his quarrel
just.'"
In answer to this Mrs. Stowe writes:--
I did not reply to your letter immediately, because I did not wish to
speak on so important a subject unadvisedly, or without proper thought
and reflection. The greater the interest involved in a truth the more
careful, self-distrustful, and patient should be the inquiry.
I would not attack the faith of a heathen without being sure I had a
better one to put in its place, because, such as it is, it is better
than nothing. I notice in Mr. Parker's sermons a very eloquent passage
on the uses and influences of the Bible. He considers it to embody
absolute and perfect religion, and that no better mode for securing
present and eternal happiness can be found than in the obedience to
certain religious precepts therein recorded. He would have it read and
circulated, and considers it, as I infer, a Christian duty to send it
to the heathen, the slave, etc. I presume you agree with him.
These things being supposed about the Bible would certainly make it
appear that, if any man deems it his duty to lessen its standing in
the eyes of the community, he ought at least to do so in a cautious
and reverential spirit, with humility and prayer.
My objection to the mode in which these things are handled in the
"Liberator" is that the general tone and spirit seem to me the reverse
of this. If your paper circulated only among those of disciplined and
cultivated minds, skilled to separate truth from falsehood, knowing
where to go for evidence and how to satisfy the doubts you raise, I
should feel less regret. But your name and benevolent labors have
given your paper a circulation among the poor and lowly. They have no
means of investigating, no habits of reasoning. The Bible, as they at
present understand it, is doing them great good, and is a blessing to
them and their families. The whole tendency of your mode of proceeding
is to lessen their respect and reverence for the Bible, without giving
them anything in its place.
I have no fear of discussion as to its final results on the Bible; my
only regrets are for those human beings whose present and immortal
interests I think compromised by this manner of discussion. Discussion
of the evidence of the authenticity and inspiration of the Bible and
of all theology will come more and more, and I rejoice that they will.
But I think they must come, as all successful inquiries into truth
must, in a calm, thoughtful, and humble spirit; not with bold
assertions, hasty generalizations, or passionate appeals.
I appreciate your good qualities none the less though you differ with
me on this point. I believe you to be honest and sincere. In Mr.
Parker's works I have found much to increase my respect and esteem for
him as a man. He comes to results, it is true, to which it would be
death and utter despair for me to arrive at. Did I believe as he does
about the Bible and Jesus, I were of all creatures most miserable,
because I could not love God. I could find no God to love. I would far
rather never have been born.
As to you, my dear friend, you must own that my frankness to you is
the best expression of my confidence in your honor and nobleness. Did
I not believe that "an excellent spirit" is in you, I would not take
the trouble to write all this. If in any points in this note I appear
to have misapprehended or done you injustice, I hope you will candidly
let me know where and how.
Truly your friend,
H. B. STOWE.
[Illustration: Lyman Beecher]
In addition to these letters the following extracts from a subsequent
letter to Mr. Garrison are given to show in what respect their fields
of labor differed, and to present an idea of what Mrs. Stowe was doing
for the cause of freedom besides writing against slavery:--
ANDOVER, MASS., _February_ 18,1854.
DEAR FRIEND,--I see and sincerely rejoice in the result of your
lecture in New York. I am increasingly anxious that all who hate
slavery be united, if not in form, at least in fact,--a unity in
difference. _Our_ field lies in the church, and as yet I differ
from you as to what may be done and hoped there. Brother Edward
(Beecher) has written a sermon that goes to the very root of the
decline of moral feeling in the church. As soon as it can be got ready
for the press I shall have it printed, and shall send a copy to every
minister in the country.
Our lectures have been somewhat embarrassed by a pressure of new
business brought upon us by the urgency of the Kansas-Nebraska
question. Since we began, however, brother Edward has devoted his
whole time to visiting, consultation, and efforts the result of which
will shortly be given to the public. We are trying to secure a
universal arousing of the pulpit.
Dr. Bacon's letter is noble. You must think so. It has been sent to
every member of Congress. Dr. Kirk's sermon is an advance, and his
congregation warmly seconded it. Now, my good friend, be willing to
see that the church is better than you have thought it. Be not
unwilling to see some good symptoms, and hope that even those who see
not at all at first will gain as they go on. I am acting on the
conviction that you love the cause better than self. If anything can
be done now advantageously by the aid of money, let me know. God has
given me some power in this way, though I am too feeble to do much
otherwise.
Yours for the cause,
H. B. STOWE.
Although the demand was very great upon Mrs. Stowe for magazine and
newspaper articles, many of which she managed to write in 1854-55, she
had in her mind at this time a new book which should be in many
respects the complement of "Uncle Tom's Cabin." In preparing her Key
to the latter work, she had collected much new material. In 1855,
therefore, and during the spring of 1856, she found time to weave
these hitherto unused facts into the story of "Dred." In her preface
to the English edition of this book she writes:--
"The author's object in this book is to show the general effect of
slavery on society; the various social disadvantages which it brings,
even to its most favored advocates; the shiftlessness and misery and
backward tendency of all the economical arrangements of slave States;
the retrograding of good families into poverty; the deterioration of
land; the worse demoralization of all classes, from the aristocratic,
tyrannical planter to the oppressed and poor white, which is the
result of the introduction of slave labor.
"It is also an object to display the corruption of Christianity which
arises from the same source; a corruption that has gradually lowered
the standard of the church, North and South, and been productive of
more infidelity than the works of all the encyclopaedists put
together."
The story of "Dred" was suggested by the famous negro insurrection,
led by Nat Turner, in Eastern Virginia in 1831. In this affair one of
the principal participators was named "Dred." An interesting incident
connected with the writing of "Dred" is vividly remembered by Mrs.
Stowe's daughters.
One sultry summer night there arose a terrific thunder-storm, with
continuous flashes of lightning and incessant rumbling and muttering
of thunder, every now and then breaking out into sharp, crashing
reports followed by torrents of rain.
The two young girls, trembling with fear, groped their way down-stairs
to their mother's room, and on entering found her lying quietly in bed
awake, and calmly watching the storm from the windows, the shades
being up. She expressed no surprise on seeing them, but said that she
had not been herself in the least frightened, though intensely
interested in watching the storm. "I have been writing a description
of a thunder-storm for my book, and I am watching to see if I need to
correct it in any particular." Our readers will be interested to know
that she had so well described a storm from memory that even this
vivid object-lesson brought with it no new suggestions. This scene is
to be found in the twenty-fourth chapter of "Dred,"--"Life in the
Swamps."
"The day had been sultry and it was now an hour or two past midnight,
when a thunder-storm, which had long been gathering and muttering in
the distant sky, began to develop its forces. A low, shivering sigh
crept through the woods, and swayed in weird whistlings the tops of
the pines; and sharp arrows of lightning came glittering down among
the branches, as if sent from the bow of some warlike angel. An army
of heavy clouds swept in a moment across the moon; then came a broad,
dazzling, blinding sheet of flame."
What particularly impressed Mrs. Stowe's daughters at the time was
their mother's perfect calmness, and the minute study of the storm.
She was on the alert to detect anything which might lead her to
correct her description.
Of this new story Charles Summer wrote from the senate chamber:--
MY DEAR MRS. STOWE,--I am rejoiced to learn, from your excellent
sister here, that you are occupied with another tale exposing slavery.
I feel that it will act directly upon pending questions, and help us
in our struggle for Kansas, and also to overthrow the slave-oligarchy
in the coming Presidential election. We need your help at once in our
struggle.
Ever sincerely yours,
CHARLES SUMNER.
Having finished this second great story of slavery, in the early
summer of 1856 Mrs. Stowe decided to visit Europe again, in search of
a much-needed rest. She also found it necessary to do so in order to
secure the English right to her book, which she had failed to do on
"Uncle Tom's Cabin."
Just before sailing she received the following touching letter from
her life-long friend, Georgiana May. It is the last one of a series
that extended without interruption over a period of thirty years, and
as such has been carefully cherished:--
OCEAN HOUSE, GROTON POINT, _July_ 26, 1856.
DEAR HATTIE,--Very likely it is too late for me to come with my modest
knock to your study door, and ask to be taken in for a moment, but I
do so want to _bless_ you before you go, and I have not been well
enough to write until to-day. It seems just as if I _could_ not
let you go till I have seen once more your face in the flesh, for
great uncertainties hang over my future. One thing, however, is
certain: whichever of us two gets first to the farther shore of the
great ocean between us and the unseen will be pretty sure to be at
hand to welcome the other. It is not poetry, but solemn verity between
us that we _shall_ meet again.
But there is nothing _morbid_ or _morbific_ going into these
few lines. I have made "Old Tiff's" acquaintance. _He_ is a
verity,--will stand up with Uncle Tom and Topsy, pieces of negro
property you will be guilty of holding after you are dead. Very likely
your children may be selling them.
Hattie, I rejoice over this completed work. Another work for God and
your generation. I am glad that you have come out of it alive, that
you have pleasure in prospect, that you "walk at liberty" and have
done with "fits of languishing." Perhaps some day I shall be set free,
but the prospect does not look promising, except as I have full faith
that "the Good Man above is looking on, and will bring it all round
right." Still "heart and flesh" both "fail me." He will be the
"strength of my heart," and I never seem to doubt "my portion
forever."
If I never speak to you again, this is the farewell utterance.
Yours truly,
GEORGIANA.
Mrs. Stowe was accompanied on this second trip to Europe by her
husband, her two eldest daughters, her son Henry, and her sister Mary
(Mrs. Perkins). It was a pleasant summer voyage, and was safely
accomplished without special incident.
CHAPTER XII.
DRED, 1856.
SECOND VISIT TO ENGLAND.--A GLIMPSE AT THE QUEEN.--THE DUKE OF ARGYLL
AND INVERARY.--EARLY CORRESPONDENCE WITH LADY BYRON.--DUNROBIN CASTLE
AND ITS INMATES.--A VISIT TO STOKE PARK.--LORD DUFFERIN.--CHARLES
KINGSLEY AT HOME.--PARIS REVISITED.--MADAME MOHL'S RECEPTIONS.
After reaching England, about the middle of August, 1856, Mrs. Stowe
and her husband spent some days in London completing arrangements to
have an English edition of "Dred" published by Sampson Low & Co.
Professor Stowe's duties in America being very pressing, he had
intended returning at once, but was detained for a short time, as will
be seen in the following letter written by him from Glasgow, August
29, to a friend in America:--
DEAR FRIEND,--I finished my business in London on Wednesday, and
intended to return by the Liverpool steamer of to-morrow, but find
that every berth on that line is engaged until the 3d of October. We
therefore came here yesterday, and I shall take passage in the steamer
New York from this port next Tuesday. We have received a special
invitation to visit Inverary Castle, the seat of the Duke of Argyll,
and yesterday we had just the very pleasantest little interview with
the Queen that ever was. None of the formal, drawing-room, breathless
receptions, but just an accidental, done-on-purpose meeting at a
railway station, while on our way to Scotland.
The Queen seemed really delighted to see my wife, and remarkably glad
to see me for her sake. She pointed us out to Prince Albert, who made
two most gracious bows to my wife and two to me, while the four royal
children stared their big blue eyes almost out looking at the little
authoress of "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Colonel Grey handed the Queen, with
my wife's compliments, a copy of the new book ("Dred"). She took one
volume herself and handed the other to Prince Albert, and they were
soon both very busy reading. She is a real nice little body with
exceedingly pleasant, kindly manners.
I expect to be in Natick the last week in September. God bless you
all.
C. E. STOWE.
After her husband's departure for the United States, Mrs. Stowe, with
her son Henry, her two eldest daughters, and her sister Mary (Mrs.
Perkins), accepted the Duke of Argyll's invitation to visit the
Highlands. Of this visit we catch a pleasant glimpse from a letter
written to Professor Stowe during its continuance, which is as
follows:--
INVERARY CASTLE, _September_ 6, 1856.
MY DEAR HUSBAND,--We have been now a week in this delicious place,
enjoying the finest skies and scenery, the utmost of kind hospitality.
From Loch Goil we took the coach for Inverary, a beautiful drive of
about two hours. We had seats on the outside, and the driver John,
like some of the White Mountain guides, was full of song and story,
and local tradition. He spoke Scotch and Gaelic, recited ballads, and
sung songs with great gusto. Mary and the girls stopped in a little
inn at St. Catherine's, on the shores of Loch Fine, while Henry and I
took steamboat for Inverary, where we found the duchess waiting in a
carriage for us, with Lady Emma Campbell. . . .
The common routine of the day here is as follows: We rise about half
past eight. About half past nine we all meet in the dining-hall, where
the servants are standing in a line down one side, and a row of chairs
for guests and visitors occupies the other. The duchess with her nine
children, a perfectly beautiful little flock, sit together. The duke
reads the Bible and a prayer, and pronounces the benediction. After
that, breakfast is served,--a very hearty, informal, cheerful meal,--
and after that come walks, or drives, or fishing parties, till lunch
time, and then more drives, or anything else: everybody, in short,
doing what he likes till half past seven, which is the dinner hour.
After that we have coffee and tea in the evening.
The first morning, the duke took me to see his mine of nickel silver.
We had a long and beautiful drive, and talked about everything in
literature, religion, morals, and the temperance movement, about which
last he is in some state of doubt and uncertainty, not inclining, I
think, to have it pressed yet, though feeling there is need of doing
something.
If "Dred" has as good a sale in America as it is likely to have in
England, we shall do well. There is such a demand that they had to
placard the shop windows in Glasgow with,--
"To prevent disappointment,
'Dred'
Not to be had till," etc.
Everybody is after it, and the prospect is of an enormous sale.
God, to whom I prayed night and day while I was writing the book, has
heard me, and given us of worldly goods _more_ than I asked. I
feel, therefore, a desire to "walk softly," and inquire, for what has
He so trusted us?
Every day I am more charmed with the duke and duchess; they are
simple-hearted, frank, natural, full of feeling, of piety, and good
sense. They certainly are, apart from any considerations of rank or
position, most interesting and noble people. The duke laughed heartily
at many things I told him of our Andover theological tactics, of your
preaching, etc.; but I think he is a sincere, earnest Christian.
Our American politics form the daily topic of interest. The late
movements in Congress are discussed: with great warmth, and every
morning the papers are watched for new details.
I must stop now, as it is late and we are to leave here early to-
morrow morning. We are going to Staffa, lona, the Pass of Glencoe, and
finally through the Caledonian Canal up to Dunrobin Castle, where a
large party of all sorts of interesting people are gathered around the
Duchess of Sutherland.
Affectionately yours,
HARRIET.
From Dunrobin Castle one of his daughters writes to Professor Stowe:
"We spent five most delightful days at Inverary, and were so sorry you
could not be there with us. From there we went to Oban, and spent
several days sight-seeing, finally reaching Inverness by way of the
Caledonian Canal. Here, to our surprise, we found our rooms at the
hotel all prepared for us. The next morning we left by post for
Dunrobin, which is fifty-nine miles from Inverness. At the borders of
the duke's estate we found a delightfully comfortable carriage
awaiting us, and before we had gone much farther the postilion
announced that the duchess was coming to meet us. Sure enough, as we
looked up the road we saw a fine cavalcade approaching. It consisted
of a splendid coach-and-four (in which sat the duchess) with liveried
postilions, and a number of outriders, one of whom rode in front to
clear the way. The duchess seemed perfectly delighted to see mamma,
and taking her into her own carriage dashed off towards the castle, we
following on behind."
At Dunrobin Mrs. Stowe found awaiting her the following note from her
friend, Lady Byron:--
LONDON, _September_ 10, 1856.
Your book, dear Mrs. Stowe, is of the "little leaven" kind, and must
prove a great moral force,--perhaps not manifestly so much as
secretly, and yet I can hardly conceive so much power without
immediate and sensible effects; only there will be a strong
disposition to resist on the part of all the hollow-hearted professors
of religion, whose heathenisms you so unsparingly expose. They have a
class feeling like others. To the young, and to those who do not
reflect much on what is offered to their belief, you will do great
good by showing how spiritual food is adulterated. The Bread from
Heaven is in the same case as baker's bread. I feel that one perusal
is not enough. It is a "mine," to use your own simile. If there is
truth in what I heard Lord Byron say, that works of fiction
_lived_ only by the amount of _truth_ which they contained,
your story is sure of long life. . . .
I know now, more than before, how to value communion with you.
With kind regards to your family,
Yours affectionately,
A. T. NOEL BYRON.
From this pleasant abiding-place Mrs. Stowe writes to her husband:--
DUNROBIN CASTLE, _September_ 15, 1856.
MY DEAR HUSBAND,--Everything here is like a fairy story. The place is
beautiful! It is the most perfect combination of architectural and
poetic romance, with home comfort. The people, too, are charming. We
have here Mr. Labouchere, a cabinet minister, and Lady Mary his wife,--
I like him very much, and her, too,--Kingsley's brother, a very
entertaining man, and to-morrow Lord Ellsmere is expected. I wish you
could be here, for I am sure you would like it. Life is so quiet and
sincere and friendly, that you would feel more as if you had come at
the hearts of these people than in London.
The Sutherland estate looks like a garden. We stopped at the town of
Frain, four miles before we reached Sutherlandshire, where a crowd of
well-to-do, nice-looking people gathered around the carriage, and as
we drove off gave three cheers. This was better than I expected, and
looks well for their opinion of my views.
"Dred" is selling over here wonderfully. Low says, with all the means
at his command, he has not been able to meet the demand. He sold fifty
thousand in two weeks, and probably will sell as many more.
I am showered with letters, private and printed, in which the only
difficulty is to know what the writers would be at. I see evidently
happiness and prosperity all through the line of this estate. I see
the duke giving his thought and time, and spending the whole income of
this estate in improvements upon it. I see the duke and duchess
evidently beloved wherever they move. I see them most amiable, most
Christian, most considerate to everybody. The writers of the letters
admit the goodness of the duke, but denounce the system, and beg me to
observe its effects for myself. I do observe that, compared with any
other part of the Highlands, Sutherland is a garden. I observe well-
clothed people, thriving lands, healthy children, fine school-houses,
and all that.
Henry was invited to the tenants' dinner, where he excited much
amusement by pledging every toast in fair water, as he has done
invariably on all occasions since he has been here.
The duchess, last night, showed me her copy of "Dred," in which she
has marked what most struck or pleased her. I begged it, and am going
to send it to you. She said to me this morning at breakfast, "The
Queen says that she began 'Dred' the very minute she got it, and is
deeply interested in it."
She bought a copy of Lowell's poems, and begged me to mark the best
ones for her; so if you see him, tell him that we have been reading
him together. She is, taking her all in all, one of the noblest-
appointed women I ever saw; real old, genuine English, such as one
reads of in history; full of nobility, courage, tenderness, and zeal.
It does me good to hear her read prayers daily, as she does, in the
midst of her servants and guests, with a manner full of grand and
noble feeling.
_Thursday Morning, September 25_. We were obliged to get up at
half past five the morning we left Dunrobin, an effort when one
doesn't go to bed till one o'clock. We found breakfast laid for us in
the library, and before we had quite finished the duchess came in. Our
starting off was quite an imposing sight. First came the duke's
landau, in which were Mary, the duke, and myself; then a carriage in
which were Eliza and Hatty, and finally the carriage which we had
hired, with Henry, our baggage, and Mr. Jackson (the duke's
secretary). The gardener sent a fresh bouquet for each of us, and
there was such a leave-taking, as if we were old and dear friends. We
did really love them, and had no doubt of their love for us.
The duke rode with us as far as Dornach, where he showed us the
cathedral beneath which his ancestors are buried, and where is a
statue of his father, similar to one the tenants have erected on top
of the highest hill in the neighborhood.
We also saw the prison, which had but two inmates, and the old castle.
Here the duke took leave of us, and taking our own carriage we crossed
the ferry and continued on our way. After a very bad night's rest at
Inverness, in consequence of the town's being so full of people
attending some Highland games that we could have no places at the
hotel, and after a weary ride in the rain, we came into Aberdeen
Friday night.
To-morrow we go on to Edinburgh, where I hope to meet a letter from
you. The last I heard from Low, he had sold sixty thousand of "Dred,"
and it was still selling well. I have not yet heard from America how
it goes. The critics scold, and whiffle, and dispute about it, but on
the whole it is a success, so the "Times" says, with much coughing,
hemming, and standing first on one foot and then on the other. If the
"Times" were sure we should beat in the next election, "Dred" would go
up in the scale; but as long as there is that uncertainty, it has
first one line of praise, and then one of blame.
Henry Stowe returned to America in October to enter Dartmouth College,
while the rest of the party pursued their way southward, as will be
seen by the following letters:--
CITY OF YORK, _October_ 10, 1856.
DEAR HUSBAND,--Henry will tell you all about our journey, and at
present I have but little time for details. I received your first
letter with great joy, relief, and gratitude, first to God for
restoring your health and strength, and then to you for so good, long,
and refreshing a letter.
Henry, I hope, comes home with a serious determination to do well and
be a comfort. Seldom has a young man seen what he has in this journey,
or made more valuable friends.
Since we left Aberdeen, from which place my last was mailed, we have
visited in Edinburgh with abounding delight; thence yesterday to
Newcastle. Last night attended service in Durham Cathedral, and after
that came to York, whence we send Henry to Liverpool.
I send you letters, etc., by him. One hundred thousand copies of
"Dred." sold in four weeks! After that who cares what critics say? Its
success in England has been complete, so far as sale is concerned. It
is very bitterly attacked, both from a literary and a religious point
of view. The "Record" is down upon it with a cartload of solemnity;
the "Athenaeum" with waspish spite; the "Edinburgh" goes out of its
way to say that the author knows nothing of the society she describes;
but yet it goes everywhere, is read everywhere, and Mr. Low says that
he puts the hundred and twenty-fifth thousand to press confidently.
The fact that so many good judges like it better than "Uncle Tom" is
success enough.
In my journal to Henry, which you may look for next week, you will
learn how I have been very near the Queen, and formed acquaintance
with divers of her lords and ladies, and heard all she has said about
"Dred;" how she prefers it to "Uncle Tom," how she inquired for you,
and other matters.
Till then, I am, as ever, your affectionate wife,
H. B. STOWE.
After leaving York, Mrs. Stowe and her party spent a day or two at
Carlton Rectory, on the edge of Sherwood Forest, in which they enjoyed
a most delightful picnic. From there they were to travel to London by
way of Warwick and Oxford, and of this journey Mrs. Stowe writes as
follows to her son Henry:--
"The next morning we were induced to send our things to London, being
assured by Mr. G. that he would dispatch them immediately with some
things of his own that were going, and that they should certainly
await us upon our arrival. In one respect it was well for us that we
thus rid ourselves of the trouble of looking after them, for I never
saw such blind, confusing arrangements as these English railroads
have.
"When we were set down at the place where we were to change for
Warwick, we were informed that probably the train had gone. At any
rate it could only be found on the other side of the station. You
might naturally think we had nothing to do but walk across to the
other side. No, indeed! We had to ascend a flight of stairs, go
through a sort of tubular bridge, and down another pair of stairs.
When we got there the guard said the train was just about to start,
and yet the ticket office was closed. We tried the door in vain. 'You
must hurry,' said the guard. 'How can we?' said I, 'when we can't get
tickets.' He went and thumped, and at last roused the dormant
intelligence inside. We got our tickets, ran for dear life, got in,
and then _waited ten minutes_! Arrived at Warwick we had a very
charming time, and after seeing all there was to see we took cars for
Oxford.
"The next day we tried to see Oxford. You can have no idea of it. Call
it a college! it is a city, of colleges,--a mountain of museums,
colleges, halls, courts, parks, chapels, lecture-rooms. Out of twenty-
four colleges we saw only three. We saw enough, however, to show us
that to explore the colleges of Oxford would take a week. Then we came
away, and about eleven o'clock at night found ourselves in London. It
was dripping and raining here, for all the world, just as it did when
we left; but we found a cosy little parlor, papered with cheerful
crimson paper, lighted by a coal-fire, a neat little supper laid out,
and the Misses Low waiting for us. Wasn't it nice?
"We are expecting our baggage to-night. Called at Sampson Low's store
to-day and found it full everywhere of red 'Dreds.'"
Upon reaching London Mrs. Stowe found the following note from Lady
Byron awaiting her:--
OXFORD HOUSE, _October_ 15, 1856.
DEAR MRS. STOWE,--The newspapers represent you as returning to London,
but I cannot wait for the chance, slender I fear, of seeing you there,
for I wish to consult you on a point admitting but of little delay.
Feeling that the sufferers in Kansas have a claim not only to
sympathy, but to the expression of it, I wish to send them a donation.
It is, however, necessary to know what is the best application of
money and what the safest channel. Presuming that you will approve the
object, I ask you to tell me. Perhaps you would undertake the
transmission of my £50. My present residence, two miles beyond
Richmond, is opposite. I have watched for instructions of your course
with warm interest. The sale of your book will go on increasing. It is
beginning to be understood.
Believe me, with kind regards to your daughters,
Your faithful and affectionate
A. T. NOEL BYRON.
To this note the following answer was promptly returned:--
GROVE TERRACE, KENTISH TOWN, _October_ 16,1856.
DEAR LADY BYRON,--How glad I was to see your handwriting once more!
how more than glad I should be to see _you_! I do long to see
you. I have so much to say,--so much to ask, and need to be refreshed
with a sense of a congenial and sympathetic soul.
Thank you, my dear friend, for your sympathy with our poor sufferers
in Kansas. May God bless you for it! By doing this you will step to my
side; perhaps you may share something of that abuse which they who
"know, not what they do" heap upon all who so feel for the right. I
assure you, dear friend, I am _not_ insensible to the fiery darts
which thus fly around me. . . .
Direct as usual to my publishers, and believe me, as ever, with all my
heart,
Affectionately yours,
H. B. S.
Having dispatched this note, Mrs. Stowe wrote to her husband
concerning their surroundings and plans as follows:--
"_Friday, 16th_. Confusion in the camp! no baggage come, nobody
knows why; running to stations, inquiries, messages, and no baggage.
Meanwhile we have not even a clean collar, nothing but very soiled
traveling dresses; while Lady Mary Labouchere writes that her carriage
will wait for us at Slough Station this afternoon, and we must be off
at two. What's to be done? Luckily I did not carry all my dresses to
Dunrobin; so I, of all the party, have a dress that can be worn. We go
out and buy collars and handkerchiefs, and two o'clock beholds us at
the station house.
"_Stoke Park_. I arrived here alone, the baggage not having yet
been heard from. Mr. G., being found in London, confessed that he
delayed sending it by the proper train. In short, Mr. G. is what is
called an easy man, and one whose easiness makes everybody else un
easy. So because he was easy and thought it was no great matter, and
things would turn out well enough, without any great care, _we_
have had all this discomfort.
"I arrived alone at the Slough Station and found Lady Mary's carriage
waiting. Away we drove through a beautiful park full of deer, who were
so tame as to stand and look at us as we passed. The house is in the
Italian style, with a dome on top, and wide terraces with stone
balustrades around it.
"Lady Mary met me at the door, and seemed quite concerned to learn of
our ill-fortune. We went through a splendid suite of rooms to a
drawing-room, where a little tea-table was standing.
"After tea Lady Mary showed me my room. It had that delightful,
homelike air of repose and comfort they succeed so well in giving to
rooms here. There was a cheerful fire burning, an arm-chair drawn up
beside it, a sofa on the other side with a neatly arranged sofa-table
on which were writing materials. One of the little girls had put a pot
of pretty greenhouse moss in a silver basket on this table, and my
toilet cushion was made with a place in the centre to hold a little
vase of flowers. Here Lady Mary left me to rest before dressing for
dinner. I sat down in an easy-chair before the fire, and formed
hospitable resolutions as to how I would try to make rooms always look
homelike and pleasant to tired guests. Then came the maid to know if I
wanted hot water,--if I wanted anything,--and by and by it was time
for dinner. Going down into the parlor I met Mr. Labouchere and we all
went in to dinner. It was not quite as large a party as at Dunrobin,
but much in the same way. No company, but several ladies who were all
family connections.
"The following morning Lord Dufferin and Lord Alfred Paget, two
gentlemen of the Queen's household, rode over from Windsor to lunch
with us. They brought news of the goings-on there. Do you remember one
night the Duchess of S. read us a letter from Lady Dufferin,
describing the exploits of her son, who went yachting with Prince
Napoleon up by Spitzbergen, and when Prince Napoleon and all the rest
gave up and went back, still persevered and discovered a new island?
Well, this was the same man. A thin, slender person, not at all the
man you would fancy as a Mr. Great Heart,--lively, cheery, and
conversational.
"Lord Alfred is also very pleasant.
"Lady Mary prevailed on Lord Dufferin to stay and drive with us after
lunch, and we went over to Clifden, the duchess's villa, of which we
saw the photograph at Dunrobin. For grace and beauty some of the rooms
in this place exceed any I have yet seen in England.
"When we came back my first thought was whether Aunt Mary and the
girls had come. Just as we were all going up to dress for dinner they
appeared. Meanwhile, the Queen had sent over from Windsor for Lady
Mary and her husband to dine with her that evening, and such
invitations are understood as commands.
"So, although they themselves had invited four or five people to
dinner, they had to go and leave us to entertain ourselves. Lady Mary
was dressed very prettily in a flounced white silk dress with a
pattern of roses woven round the bottom of each flounce, and looked
very elegant. Mr. Labouchere wore breeches, with knee and shoe buckles
sparkling with diamonds.
"They got home soon after we had left the drawing-room, as the Queen
always retires at eleven. No late hours for her.
"The next day Lady Mary told me that the Queen had talked to her all
about 'Dred,' and how she preferred it to 'Uncle Tom's Cabin,' how
interested she was in Nina, how provoked when she died, and how she
was angry that something dreadful did not happen to Tom Gordon. She
inquired for papa, and the rest of the family, all of whom she seemed
to be well informed about.
"The next morning we had Lord Dufferin again to breakfast. He is one
of the most entertaining young men I have seen in England, full of
real thought and noble feeling, and has a wide range of reading. He
had read all our American literature, and was very flattering in his
remarks on Hawthorne, Poe, and Longfellow. I find J. R. Lowell less
known, however, than he deserves to be.
"Lord Dufferin says that his mother wrote him some verses on his
coming of age, and that he built a tower for them and inscribed them
on a brass plate. I recommend the example to you, Henry; make yourself
the tower and your memory the brass plate.
"This morning came also, to call, Lady Augusta Bruce, Lord Elgin's
daughter, one of the Duchess of Kent's ladies-in-waiting; a very
excellent, sensible girl, who is a strong anti-slavery body.
"After lunch we drove over to Eton, and went in to see the provost's
house. After this, as we were passing by Windsor the coachman suddenly
stopped and said, 'The Queen is coming, my lady.' We stood still and
the royal cortege passed. I only saw the Queen, who bowed graciously.
"Lady Mary stayed at our car door till it left the station, and handed
in a beautiful bouquet as we parted. This is one of the loveliest
visits I have made."
After filling a number of other pleasant engagements in England, among
which was a visit in the family of Charles Kingsley, Mrs. Stowe and
her party crossed the Channel and settled down for some months in
Paris for the express purpose of studying French. From the French
capital she writes to her husband in Andover as follows:--
PARIS, _November_ 7, 1856.
MY DEAR HUSBAND,--On the 28th, when your last was written, I was at
Charles Kingsley's. It seemed odd enough to Mary and me to find
ourselves, long after dark, alone in a hack, driving towards the house
of a man whom we never had seen (nor his wife either).
My heart fluttered as, after rumbling a long way through the dark, we
turned into a yard. We knocked at a door and were met in the hall by a
man who stammers a little in his speech, and whose inquiry, "Is this
Mrs. Stowe?" was our first positive introduction. Ushered into a
large, pleasant parlor lighted by a coal fire, which flickered on
comfortable chairs, lounges, pictures, statuettes, and book-cases, we
took a good view of him. He is tall, slender, with blue eyes, brown
hair, and a hale, well-browned face, and somewhat loose-jointed
withal. His wife is a real Spanish beauty.
How we did talk and go on for three days! I guess he is tired. I'm
sure we were. He is a nervous, excitable being, and talks with head,
shoulders, arms, and hands, while his hesitance makes it the harder.
Of his theology I will say more some other time. He, also, has been
through the great distress, the "Conflict of Ages," but has come out
at a different end from Edward, and stands with John Foster, though
with more positiveness than he.
He laughed a good deal at many stories I told him of father, and
seemed delighted to hear about him. But he is, what I did not expect,
a zealous Churchman; insists that the Church of England is the finest
and broadest platform a man can stand on, and that the thirty-nine
articles are the only ones he could subscribe to. I told him you
thought them the best summary (of doctrine) you knew, which pleased
him greatly.
Well, I got your letter to-night in Paris, at No. 19 Rue de Clichy,
where you may as well direct your future letters.
We reached Paris about eleven o'clock last night and took a carriage
for 17 Rue de Clichy, but when we got there, no ringing or pounding
could rouse anybody. Finally, in despair, we remembered a card that
had been handed into the cars by some hotel-runner, and finding it was
of an English and French hotel, we drove there, and secured very
comfortable accommodations. We did not get to bed until after two
o'clock. The next morning I sent a messenger to find Mme. Borione, and
discovered that we had mistaken the number, and should have gone to
No. 19, which was the next door; so we took a carriage and soon found
ourselves established here, where we have a nice parlor and two
bedrooms.
There are twenty-one in the family, mostly Americans, like ourselves,
come to learn to speak French. One of them is a tall, handsome, young
English lady, Miss Durant, who is a sculptress, studying with Baron de
Triqueti. She took me to his studio, and he immediately remarked that
she ought to get me to sit. I said I would, "only my French lessons."
"Oh," said he, smiling, "we will give you French lessons while you
sit." So I go to-morrow morning.
As usual, my horrid pictures do me a service, and people seem relieved
when they see me; think me even handsome "in a manner." Kingsley, in
his relief, expressed as much to his wife, and as beauty has never
been one of my strong points I am open to flattery upon it.
We had a most agreeable call from Arthur Helps before we left London.
He, Kingsley, and all the good people are full of the deepest anxiety
for our American affairs. They really do feel very deeply, seeing the
peril so much plainer than we do in America.
_Sunday night_. I fear I have delayed your letter too long. The
fact is, that of the ten days I have been here I have been laid up
three with severe neuralgia, viz., _toothache in the backbone_,
and since then have sat all day to be modeled for my bust.
We spent the other evening with Baron de Triqueti, the sculptor. He
has an English wife, and a charming daughter about the age of our
girls. Life in Paris is altogether more simple and natural than in
England. They give you a plate of cake and a cup of tea in the most
informal, social way,--the tea-kettle sings at the fire, and the son
and daughter busy themselves gayly together making and handing tea.
When tea was over, M. de Triqueti showed us a manuscript copy of the
Gospels, written by his mother, to console herself in a season of
great ill-health, and which he had illustrated all along with
exquisite pen-drawings, resembling the most perfect line engravings. I
can't describe the beauty, grace, delicacy, and fullness of devotional
feeling in these people. He is one of the loveliest men I ever saw.
We have already three evenings in the week in which we can visit and
meet friends if we choose, namely, at Madame Mohl's, Madame Lanziel's,
and Madame Belloc's. All these salôns are informal, social gatherings,
with no fuss of refreshments, no nonsense of any kind. Just the
cheeriest, heartiest, kindest little receptions you ever saw.
A kiss to dear little Charley. If he could see all the things that I
see every day in the Tuileries and Champs Elysées, he would go wild.
All Paris is a general whirligig out of doors, but indoors people seem
steady, quiet, and sober as anybody.
_November_ 30. This is Sunday evening, and a Sunday in Paris
always puts me in mind of your story about somebody who said, "Bless
you! they make such a noise that the Devil couldn't meditate." All the
extra work and odd jobs of life are put into Sunday. Your washerwoman
comes Sunday, with her innocent, good-humored face, and would be
infinitely at a loss to know why she shouldn't. Your bonnet, cloak,
shoes, and everything are sent home Sunday morning, and all the way to
church there is such whirligiging and pirouetting along the boulevards
as almost takes one's breath away. Today we went to the Oratoire to
hear M. Grand Pierre. I could not understand much; my French ear is
not quick enough to follow. I could only perceive that the subject was
"La Charité," and that the speaker was fluent, graceful, and earnest,
the audience serious and attentive.
Last night we were at Baron de Triqueti's again, with a party invited
to celebrate the birthday of their eldest daughter, Blanche, a lovely
girl of nineteen. There were some good ladies there who had come
eighty leagues to meet me, and who were so delighted with my miserable
French that it was quite encouraging. I believe I am getting over the
sandbar at last, and conversation is beginning to come easy to me.
There were three French gentlemen who had just been reading "Dred" in
English, and who were as excited and full of it as could be, and I
talked with them to a degree that astonished myself. There is a review
of "Dred" in the "Revue des Deux Mondes" which has long extracts from
the book, and is written in a very appreciative and favorable spirit.
Generally speaking, French critics seem to have a finer appreciation
of my subtle shades of meaning than English. I am curious to hear what
Professor Park has to say about it. There has been another review in
"La Presse" equally favorable. All seem to see the truth about
American slavery much plainer than people can who are in it. If
American ministers and Christians could see through their sophistical
spider-webs, with what wonder, pity, and contempt they would regard
their own vacillating condition!
We visit once a week at Madame Mohl's, where we meet all sorts of
agreeable people. Lady Elgin doesn't go into society now, having been
struck with paralysis, but sits at home and receives her friends as
usual. This notion of sitting always in the open air is one of her
peculiarities.
I must say, life in Paris is arranged more sensibly than with us.
Visiting involves no trouble in the feeding line. People don't go to
eat. A cup of tea and plate of biscuit is all,--just enough to break
up the stiffness.
It is wonderful that the people here do not seem to have got over
"Uncle Tom" a bit. The impression seems fresh as if just published.
How often have they said, That book has revived the Gospel among the
poor of France; it has done more than all the books we have published
put together. It has gone among the _les ouvriers_, among the
poor of Faubourg St. Antoine, and nobody knows how many have been led
to Christ by it. Is not this blessed, my dear husband? Is it not worth
all the suffering of writing it?
I went the other evening to M. Grand Pierre's, where there were three
rooms full of people, all as eager and loving as ever we met in
England or Scotland. Oh, if Christians in Boston could only see the
earnestness of feeling with which Christians here regard slavery, and
their surprise and horror at the lukewarmness, to say the least, of
our American church! About eleven o'clock we all joined in singing a
hymn, then M. Grand Pierre made an address, in which I was named in
the most affectionate and cordial manner. Then followed a beautiful
prayer for our country, for America, on which hang so many of the
hopes of Protestantism. One and all then came up, and there was great
shaking of hands and much effusion.
Under date of December 28, Mrs. Perkins writes: "On Sunday we went
with Mr. and Mrs. (Jacob) Abbott to the Hôtel des Invalides, and I
think I was never more interested and affected. Three or four thousand
old and disabled soldiers have here a beautiful and comfortable home.
We went to the morning service. The church is very large, and the
colors taken in battle are hung on the walls. Some of them are so old
as to be moth-eaten. The service is performed, as near as possible, in
imitation of the service before a battle. The drum beats the call to
assemble, and the common soldiers march up and station themselves in
the centre of the church, under the commander. All the services are
regulated by the beat of the drum. Only one priest officiates, and
soldiers are stationed around to protect him. The music is from a
brass band, and is very magnificent.
"In the afternoon I went to vespers in the Madeleine, where the music
was exquisite. They have two fine organs at opposite ends of the
church. The 'Adeste Fidelis' was sung by a single voice, accompanied
by the organ, and after every verse it was taken up by male voices and
the other organ and repeated. The effect was wonderfully fine. I have
always found in our small churches at home that the organ was too
powerful and pained my head, but in these large cathedrals the effect
is different. The volume of sound rolls over, full but soft, and I
feel as though it must come from another sphere.
"In the evening Mr. and Mrs. Bunsen called. He is a son of Chevalier
Bunsen, and she a niece of Elizabeth Fry,--very intelligent and
agreeable people."
Under date of January 25, Mrs. Stowe writes from Paris:--"Here is a
story for Charley. The boys in the Faubourg St. Antoine are the
children of _ouvriers_, and every day their mothers give them two
sous to buy a dinner. When they heard I was coming to the school, of
their own accord they subscribed half their dinner money to give to me
for the poor slaves. This five-franc piece I have now; I have bought
it of the cause for five dollars, and am going to make a hole in it
and hang it round Charley's neck as a medal.
"I have just completed arrangements for leaving the girls at a
Protestant boarding-school while I go to Rome.
"We expect to start the 1st of February, and my direction will be, E.
Bartholimeu, 108 Via Margaretta."
CHAPTER XIII.
OLD SCENES REVISITED, 1856.
EN ROUTE TO ROME.--TRIALS OF TRAVEL.--A MIDNIGHT ARRIVAL AND AN
INHOSPITABLE RECEPTION.--GLORIES OP THE ETERNAL CITY.--NAPLES AND
VESUVIUS.--VENICE.--HOLY WEEK IN ROME.--RETURN TO ENGLAND.--LETTER
FROM HARRIET MARTINEAU ON "DRED."--A WORD FROM MR. PRESCOTT ON
"DRED."--FAREWELL TO LADY BYRON.
After leaving Paris Mrs. Stowe and her sister, Mrs. Perkins, traveled
leisurely through the South of France toward Italy, stopping at
Amiens, Lyons, and Marseilles. At this place they took steamer for
Genoa, Leghorn, and Civita Vecchia. During their last night on
shipboard they met with an accident, of which, and their subsequent
trials in reaching Rome, Mrs. Stowe writes as follows:--
About eleven o'clock, as I had just tranquilly laid down in my berth,
I was roused by a grating crash, accompanied by a shock that shook the
whole ship, and followed by the sound of a general rush on deck,
trampling, scuffling, and cries. I rushed to the door and saw all the
gentlemen hurrying on their clothes and getting confusedly towards the
stairway. I went back to Mary, and we put on our things in silence,
and, as soon as we could, got into the upper saloon. It was an hour
before we could learn anything certainly, except that we had run into
another vessel. The fate of the Arctic came to us both, but we did not
mention it to each other; indeed, a quieter, more silent company you
would not often see. Had I had any confidence in the administration of
the boat, it would have been better, but as I had not, I sat in
momentary uncertainty. Had we then known, as we have since, the fate
of a boat recently sunk in the Mediterranean by a similar
carelessness, it would have increased our fears. By a singular chance
an officer, whose wife and children were lost on board that boat, was
on board ours, and happened to be on the forward part of the boat when
the accident occurred. The captain and mate were both below; there was
nobody looking out, and had not this officer himself called out to
stop the boat, we should have struck her with such force as to have
sunk us. As it was, we turned aside and the shock came on a paddle-
wheel, which was broken by it, for when, after two hours' delay, we
tried to start and had gone a little way, there was another crash and
the paddle-wheel fell down. You may be sure we did little sleeping
that night. It was an inexpressible desolation to think that we might
never again see those we loved. No one knows how much one thinks, and
how rapidly, in such hours.
In the Naples boat that was sunk a short time ago, the women perished
in a dreadful way. The shock threw the chimney directly across the
egress from below, so that they could not get on deck, and they were
all drowned in the cabin.
We went limping along with one broken limb till the next day about
eleven, when we reached Civita Vecchia, where there were two hours
more of delay about passports. Then we, that is, Mary and I, and a Dr.
Edison from Philadelphia, with his son Alfred, took a carriage to
Rome, but they gave us a miserable thing that looked as if it had been
made soon after the deluge. About eight o'clock at night, on a lonely
stretch of road, the wheel came off. We got out, and our postilions
stood silently regarding matters. None of us could speak Italian, they
could not speak French; but the driver at last conveyed the idea that
for five francs he could get a man to come and mend the wheel. The
five francs were promised, and he untackled a horse and rode off. Mary
and I walked up and down the dark, desolate road, occasionally
reminding each other that we were on classic ground, and laughing at
the oddity of our lonely, starlight promenade. After a while our
driver came back, Tag, Rag, and Bobtail at his heels. I don't think I
can do greater justice to Italian costumes than by this respectable
form of words.
Then there was another consultation. They put a bit of rotten timber
under to pry the carriage up. Fortunately, it did not break, as we all
expected it would, till after the wheel was on. Then a new train of
thought was suggested. How was it to be kept on? Evidently they had
not thought far in that direction, for they had brought neither hammer
nor nail, nor tool of any kind, and therefore they looked first at the
wheel, then at each other, and then at us. The doctor now produced a
little gimlet, with the help of which the broken fragments of the
former linchpin were pushed out, and the way was cleared for a new
one. Then they began knocking a fence to pieces to get out nails, but
none could be found to fit. At last another ambassador was sent back
for nails. While we were thus waiting, the diligence, in which many of
our ship's company were jogging on to Rome, came up. They had plenty
of room inside, and one of the party, seeing our distress, tried hard
to make the driver stop, but he doggedly persisted in going on, and
declared if anybody got down to help us he would leave him behind.
An interesting little episode here occurred. It was raining, and Mary
and I proposed, as the wheel was now on, to take our seats. We had no
sooner done so than the horses were taken with a sudden fit of
animation and ran off with us in the most vivacious manner, Tag, Rag,
and Co. shouting in the rear. Some heaps of stone a little in advance
presented an interesting prospect by way of a terminus. However, the
horses were luckily captured before the wheel was off again; and our
ambassador being now returned, we were set right and again proceeded.
I must not forget to remark that at every post where we changed horses
and drivers, we had a pitched battle with the driver for more money
than we had been told was the regular rate, and the carriage was
surrounded with a perfect mob of ragged, shock-headed, black-eyed
people, whose words all ended in "ino," and who raved and ranted at us
till finally we paid much more than we ought, to get rid of them.
At the gates of Rome the official, after looking at our passports,
coolly told the doctor that if he had a mind to pay him five francs he
could go in without further disturbance, but if not he would keep the
baggage till morning. This form of statement had the recommendation of
such precision and neatness of expression that we paid him forthwith,
and into Rome we dashed at two o'clock in the morning of the 9th of
February, 1857, in a drizzling rain.
We drove to the Hotel d'Angleterre,--it was full,--and ditto to four
or five others, and in the last effort our refractory wheel came off
again, and we all got out into the street. About a dozen lean, ragged
"corbies," who are called porters and who are always lying in wait for
travelers, pounced upon us. They took down our baggage in a twinkling,
and putting it all into the street surrounded it, and chattered over
it, while M. and I stood in the rain and received first lessons in
Italian. How we did try to say something! but they couldn't talk
anything but in "ino" as aforesaid. The doctor finally found a man who
could speak a word or two of French, and leaving Mary, Alfred, and me
to keep watch over our pile of trunks, he went off with him to apply
for lodgings. I have heard many flowery accounts of first impressions
of Rome. I must say ours was somewhat sombre.
A young man came by and addressed us in English. How cheering! We
almost flew upon him. We begged him, at least, to lend us his Italian
to call another carriage, and he did so. A carriage which was passing
was luckily secured, and Mary and I, with all our store of boxes and
little parcels, were placed in it out of the rain, at least. Here we
sat while the doctor from time to time returned from his wanderings to
tell us he could find no place. "Can it be," said I, "that we are to
be obliged to spend a night in the streets?" What made it seem more
odd was the knowledge that, could we only find them, we had friends
enough in Rome who would be glad to entertain us. We began to
speculate on lodgings. Who knows what we may get entrapped into?
Alfred suggested stories he had read of beds placed on trap-doors,--of
testers which screwed down on people and smothered them; and so, when
at last the doctor announced lodgings found, we followed in rather an
uncertain frame of mind.
We alighted at a dirty stone passage, smelling of cats and onions,
damp, cold, and earthy, we went up stone stairways, and at last were
ushered into two very decent chambers, where we might lay our heads.
The "corbies" all followed us,--black-haired, black-browed, ragged,
and clamorous as ever. They insisted that we should pay the pretty
little sum of twenty francs, or four dollars, for bringing our trunks
about twenty steps. The doctor modestly but firmly declined to be thus
imposed upon, and then ensued a general "chatteration;" one and all
fell into attitudes, and the "inos" and "issimos" rolled freely. "For
pity's sake get them off," we said; so we made a truce for ten francs,
but still they clamored, forced their way even into our bedroom, and
were only repulsed by a loud and combined volley of "No, no, noes!"
which we all set up at once, upon which they retreated.
Our hostess was a little French woman, and that reassured us. I
examined the room, and seeing no trace of treacherous testers, or
trap-doors, resolved to avail myself without fear of the invitation of
a very clean, white bed, where I slept till morning without dreaming.
The next day we sent our cards to M. Bartholimeu, and before we had
finished breakfast he was on the spot. We then learned that he had
been watching the diligence office for over a week, and that he had
the pleasant set of apartments we are now occupying all ready and
waiting for us.
_March 1._
MY DEAR HUSBAND,--Every day is opening to me a new world of wonders
here in Italy. I have been in the Catacombs, where I was shown many
memorials of the primitive Christians, and to-day we are going to the
Vatican. The weather is sunny and beautiful beyond measure, and
flowers are springing in the fields on every side. Oh, my dear, how I
do long to have you here to enjoy what you are so much better fitted
to appreciate than I,--this wonderful combination of the past and the
present, of what has been and what is!
Think of strolling leisurely through the Forum, of seeing the very
stones that were laid in the time of the Republic, of rambling over
the ruined Palace of the Cæsars, of walking under the Arch of Titus,
of seeing the Dying Gladiator, and whole ranges of rooms filled with
wonders of art, all in one morning! All this I did on Saturday, and
only wanted you. You know so much more and could appreciate so much
better. At the Palace of the Cæesars, where the very dust is a
_mélange_ of exquisite marbles, I saw for the first time an
acanthus growing, and picked my first leaf.
Our little _ménage_ moves on prosperously; the doctor takes
excellent care of us and we of him. One sees everybody here at Rome,
John Bright, Mrs. Hemans' son, Mrs. Gaskell, etc., etc. Over five
thousand English travelers are said to be here. Jacob Abbot and wife
are coming. Rome is a world! Rome is an astonishment! Papal Rome is an
enchantress! Old as she is, she is like Niñon d'Enelos,--the young
fall in love with her.
You will hear next from us at Naples.
Affectionately yours,
H. B. S.
From Rome the travelers went to Naples, and after visiting Pompeii and
Herculaneum made the ascent of Vesuvius, a graphic account of which is
contained in a letter written at this time by Mrs. Stowe to her
daughters in Paris. After describing the preparations and start, she
says:--
"Gradually the ascent became steeper and steeper, till at length it
was all our horses could do to pull us up. The treatment of horses in
Naples is a thing that takes away much from the pleasure and comfort
of such travelers as have the least feeling for animals. The people
seem absolutely to have no consideration for them. You often see
vehicles drawn by one horse carrying fourteen or fifteen great, stout
men and women. This is the worse as the streets are paved with flat
stones which are exceedingly slippery. On going up hill the drivers
invariably race their horses, urging them on with a constant storm of
blows.
"As the ascent of the mountain became steeper, the horses panted and
trembled in a way that made us feel that we could not sit in the
carriage, yet the guide and driver never made the slightest motion to
leave the box. At last three of us got out and walked, and invited our
guide to do the same, yet with all this relief the last part of the
ascent was terrible, and the rascally fellows actually forced the
horses to it by beating them with long poles on the back of their
legs. No Englishman or American would ever allow a horse to be treated
so.
"The Hermitage is a small cabin, where one can buy a little wine or
any other refreshment one may need. There is a species of wine made of
the grapes of Vesuvius, called 'Lachryma Christi,' that has a great
reputation. Here was a miscellaneous collection of beggars, ragged
boys, men playing guitars, bawling donkey drivers, and people wanting
to sell sticks or minerals, the former to assist in the ascent, and
the latter as specimens of the place. In the midst of the commotion we
were placed on our donkeys, and the serious, pensive brutes moved
away. At last we reached the top of the mountain, and I gladly sprang
on firm land. The whole top of the mountain was covered with wavering
wreaths of smoke, from the shadows of which emerged two English
gentlemen, who congratulated us on our safe arrival, and assured us
that we were fortunate in our day, as the mountain was very active. We
could hear a hollow, roaring sound, like the burning of a great
furnace, but saw nothing. 'Is this all?' I said. 'Oh, no. Wait till
the guide comes up with the rest of the party,' and soon one after
another came up, and we then followed the guide up a cloudy, rocky
path, the noise of the fire constantly becoming nearer. Finally we
stood on the verge of a vast, circular pit about forty feet deep, the
floor of which is of black, ropy waves of congealed lava.
"The sides are sulphur cliffs, stained in every brilliant shade, from
lightest yellow to deepest orange and brown. In the midst of the lava
floor rises a black cone, the chimney of the great furnace. This was
burning and flaming like the furnace of a glass-house, and every few
moments throwing up showers of cinders and melted lava which fell with
a rattling sound on the black floor of the pit. One small bit of the
lava came over and fell at our feet, and a gentleman lighted his cigar
at it.
"All around where we stood the smoke was issuing from every chance
rent and fissure of the rock, and the Neapolitans who crowded round us
were every moment soliciting us to let them cook us an egg in one of
these rifts, and, overcome by persuasion, I did so, and found it very
nicely boiled, or rather steamed, though the shell tasted of Glauber's
salt and sulphur.
"The whole place recalled to my mind so vividly Milton's description
of the infernal regions, that I could not but believe that he had
drawn the imagery from this source. Milton, as we all know, was some
time in Italy, and, although I do not recollect any account of his
visiting Vesuvius, I cannot think how he should have shaped his
language so coincidently to the phenomena if he had not.
"On the way down the mountain our ladies astonished the natives by
making an express stipulation that our donkeys were not to be beaten,--
why, they could not conjecture. The idea of any feeling of compassion
for an animal is so foreign to a Neapolitan's thoughts that they
supposed it must be some want of courage on our part. When, once in a
while, the old habit so prevailed that the boy felt that he must
strike the donkey, and when I forbade him, he would say, 'Courage,
signora, courage.'
"Time would fail me to tell the whole of our adventures in Southern
Italy. We left it with regret, and I will tell you some time by word
of mouth what else we saw.
"We went by water from Naples to Leghorn, and were gloriously seasick,
all of us. From Leghorn we went to Florence, where we abode two weeks
nearly. Two days ago we left Florence and started for Venice, stopping
one day and two nights _en route_ at Bologna, Here we saw the
great university, now used as a library, the walls of which are
literally covered with the emblazoned names and coats of arms of
distinguished men who were educated there.
"_Venice_. The great trouble of traveling in Europe, or indeed of
traveling anywhere, is that you can never _catch_ romance. No
sooner are you in any place than being there seems the most natural,
matter-of-fact occurrence in the world. Nothing looks foreign or
strange to you. You take your tea and your dinner, eat, drink, and
sleep as aforetime, and scarcely realize where you are or what you are
seeing. But Venice is an exception to this state of things; it is all
romance from beginning to end, and never ceases to seem strange and
picturesque.
"It was a rainy evening when our cars rumbled over the long railroad
bridge across the lagoon that leads to the station. Nothing but flat,
dreary swamps, and then the wide expanse of sea on either side. The
cars stopped, and the train, being a long one, left us a little out of
the station. We got out in a driving rain, in company with flocks of
Austrian soldiers, with whom the third-class cars were filled. We went
through a long passage, and emerged into a room where all nations
seemed commingling; Italians, Germans, French, Austrians, Orientals,
all in wet weather trim.
"Soon, however, the news was brought that our baggage was looked out
and our gondolas ready.
"The first plunge under the low, black hood of a gondola, especially
of a rainy night, has something funereal in it. Four of us sat
cowering together, and looked, out of the rain-dropped little windows
at the sides, at the scene. Gondolas of all sizes were gliding up and
down, with their sharp, fishy-looking prows of steel pushing their
ways silently among each other, while gondoliers shouted and jabbered,
and made as much confusion in their way as terrestrial hackmen on dry
land. Soon, however, trunks and carpet-bags being adjusted, we pushed
off, and went gliding away up the Grand Canal, with a motion so calm
that we could scarce discern it except by the moving of objects on
shore. Venice, _la belle_, appeared to as much disadvantage as a
beautiful woman bedraggled in a thunder-storm."
"_Lake Como_. We stayed in Venice five days, and during that time
saw all the sights that it could enter the head of a _valet-de-
place_ to afflict us with. It is an affliction, however, for which
there is no remedy, because you want to see the things, and would be
very sorry if you went home without having done so. From Venice we
went to Milan to see the cathedral and Leonardo da Vinci's 'Last
Supper.' The former is superb, and of the latter I am convinced, from
the little that remains of it, that it _was_ the greatest picture
the world ever saw. We shall run back to Rome for Holy Week, and then
to Paris.
"_Rome_. From Lake Como we came back here for Holy Week, and now
it is over.
"'What do you think of it?'
"Certainly no thoughtful or sensitive person, no person impressible
either through the senses or the religious feelings, can fail to feel
it deeply.
"In the first place, the mere fact of the different nations of the
earth moving, so many of them, with one accord, to so old and
venerable a city, to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus, is
something in itself affecting. Whatever dispute there may be about the
other commemorative feasts of Christendom, the time of this epoch is
fixed unerringly by the Jews' Passover. That great and solemn feast,
therefore, stands as an historical monument to mark the date of the
most important and thrilling events which this world ever witnessed.
"When one sees the city filling with strangers, pilgrims arriving on
foot, the very shops decorating themselves in expectancy, every church
arranging its services, the prices even of temporal matters raised by
the crowd and its demands, he naturally thinks, Wherefore, why is all
this? and he must be very careless indeed if it do not bring to mind,
in a more real way than before, that at this very time, so many years
ago, Christ and his apostles were living actors in the scenes thus
celebrated to-day."
As the spring was now well advanced, it was deemed advisable to bring
this pleasant journey to a close, and for Mrs. Stowe at least it was
imperative that she return to America. Therefore, leaving Rome with
many regrets and lingering, backward glances, the two sisters hurried
to Paris, where they found their brother-in-law, Mr. John Hooker,
awaiting them. Under date of May 3 Mrs. Stowe writes from Paris to her
husband: "Here I am once more, safe in Paris after a fatiguing
journey. I found the girls well, and greatly improved in their
studies. As to bringing them home with me now, I have come to the
conclusion that it would not be expedient. A few months more of study
here will do them a world of good. I have, therefore, arranged that
they shall come in November in the Arago, with a party of friends who
are going at that time.
"John Hooker is here, so Mary is going with him and some others for a
few weeks into Switzerland. I have some business affairs to settle in
England, and shall sail from Liverpool in the Europa on the sixth of
June. I am _so_ homesick to-day, and long with a great longing to
be with you once more. I am impatient to go, and yet dread the voyage.
Still, to reach you I must commit myself once more to the ocean, of
which at times I have a nervous horror, as to the arms of my Father.
'The sea is his, and He made it.' It is a rude, noisy old servant, but
it is always obedient to his will, and cannot carry me beyond his
power and love, wherever or to whatever it bears me."
Having established her daughters in a Protestant boarding-school in
Paris, Mrs. Stowe proceeded to London. While there she received the
following letter from Harriet Martineau:--
AMBLESIDE, _June_ 1.
DEAR MRS. STOWE,--I have been at my wits' end to learn how to reach
you, as your note bore no direction but "London." Arnolds, Croppers,
and others could give no light, and the newspapers tell only where you
_had_ been. So I commit this to your publishers, trusting that it
will find you somewhere, and in time, perhaps, bring you here.
_Can't_ you come? You are aware that we shall never meet if you
don't come soon. I see no strangers at all, but I hope to have breath
and strength enough for a little talk with you, if you could come. You
could have perfect freedom at the times when I am laid up, and we
could seize my "capability seasons" for our talk.
The weather and scenery are usually splendid just now. Did I see you
(in white frock and black silk apron) when I was in Ohio in 1835? Your
sister I knew well, and I have a clear recollection of your father. I
believe and hope you were the young lady in the black silk apron.
Do you know I rather dreaded reading your book! Sick people _are_
weak: and one of my chief weaknesses is dislike of novels,--(except
some old ones which I almost know by heart). I knew that with you I
should be safe from the cobweb-spinning of our modern subjective
novelists and the jaunty vulgarity of our "funny philosophers"--the
Dickens sort, who have tired us out. But I dreaded the alternative,--
the too strong interest. But oh! the delight I have had in "Dred!" The
genius carries all before it, and drowns everything in glorious
pleasure. So marked a work of genius claims exemption from every sort
of comparison; but, _as you ask for my opinion of the book_, you
may like to know that I think it far superior to "Uncle Tom." I have
no doubt that a multitude of people will say it is a falling off,
because they made up their minds that any new book of yours must be
inferior to that, and because it is so rare a thing for a prodigious
fame to be sustained by a second book; but, in my own mind I am
entirely convinced that the second book is by far the best. Such
faults as you have are in the artistic department, and there is less
defect in "Dred" than in "Uncle Tom," and the whole material and
treatment seem to me richer and more substantial. I have had critiques
of "Dred" from the two very wisest people I know--perfectly unlike
each other (the critics, I mean), and they delight me by thinking
exactly like each other and like me. They distinctly prefer it to
"Uncle Tom." To say the plain truth, it seems to me so splendid a work
of genius that nothing that I can say can give you an idea of the
intensity of admiration with which I read it. It seemed to me, as I
told my nieces, that our English fiction writers had better shut up
altogether and have done with it, for one will have no patience with
any but didactic writing after yours. My nieces (and you may have
heard that Maria, my nurse, is very, very clever) are thoroughly
possessed with the book, and Maria says she feels as if a fresh
department of human life had been opened to her since this day week. I
feel the freshness no less, while, from my travels, I can be even more
assured of the truthfulness of your wonderful representation. I see no
limit to the good it may do by suddenly splitting open Southern life,
for everybody to look into. It is precisely the thing that is most
wanted,--just as "Uncle Tom" was wanted, three years since, to show
what negro slavery in your republic was like. It is plantation-life,
particularly in the present case, that I mean. As for your exposure of
the weakness and helplessness to the churches, I deeply honor you for
the courage with which you have made the exposure; but I don't suppose
that any amendment is to be looked for in that direction. You have
unburdened your own soul in that matter, and if they had been
corrigible, you would have helped a good many more. But I don't expect
that result. The Southern railing at you will be something unequaled,
I suppose. I hear that three of us have the honor of being abused from
day to day already, as most portentous and shocking women, you, Mrs.
Chapman, and myself as (the traveler of twenty years ago). Not only
newspapers, but pamphlets of such denunciation are circulated, I'm
told. I'm afraid now I, and even Mrs. Chapman, must lose our fame, and
all the railing will be engrossed by you. My little function is to
keep English people tolerably right, by means of a London daily paper,
while the danger of misinformation and misreading from the "Times"
continues. I can't conceive how such a paper as the "Times" can fail
to be _better informed_ than it is. At times it seems as if its
New York correspondent was making game of it. The able and excellent
editor of the "Daily News" gives me complete liberty on American
subjects, and Mrs. Chapman's and other friends' constant supply of
information enables me to use this liberty for making the cause better
understood. I hope I shall hear that you are coming. It is like a
great impertinence--my having written so freely about your book: but
you asked my opinion,--that is all I can say. Thank you much for
sending the book to me. If you come you will write our names in it,
and this will make it a valuable legacy to a nephew or niece.
Believe me gratefully and affectionately yours,
HARRIET MARTINEAU.
In London Mrs. Stowe also received the following letter from Prescott,
the historian, which after long wandering had finally rested quietly
at her English publishers awaiting her coming.
PEPPERELL, _October_ 4, 1856.
MY DEAR MRS. STOWE,--I am much obliged to you for the copy of "Dred"
which Mr. Phillips put into my hands. It has furnished us our
evening's amusement since we have been in the country, where we spend
the brilliant month of October.
The African race are much indebted to you for showing up the good
sides of their characters, their cheerfulness, and especially their
powers of humor, which are admirably set off by their peculiar
_patois_, in the same manner as the expression of the Scottish
sentiment is by the peculiar Scottish dialect. People differ; but I
was most struck among your characters with Uncle Tiff and Nina. The
former a variation of good old Uncle Tom, though conceived in a
merrier vein than belonged to that sedate personage; the difference of
their tempers in this respect being well suited to the difference of
the circumstances in which they were placed. But Nina, to my mind, is
the true _hero_ of the book, which I should have named after her
instead of "Dred." She is indeed a charming conception, full of what
is called character, and what is masculine in her nature is toned down
by such a delightful sweetness and kindness of disposition as makes
her perfectly fascinating. I cannot forgive you for smothering her so
prematurely. No _dramatis personæ_ could afford the loss of such
a character. But I will not bore you with criticism, of which you have
had quite enough. I must thank you, however, for giving Tom Gordon a
guttapercha cane to perform his flagellations with.
I congratulate you on the brilliant success of the work, unexampled
even in this age of authorship; and, as Mr. Phillips informs me,
greater even in the old country than in ours. I am glad you are likely
to settle the question and show that a Yankee writer can get a
copyright in England--little thanks to our own government, which
compels him to go there in order to get it.
With sincere regard, believe me, dear Mrs. Stowe,
Very truly yours,
WM. H. PRESCOTT.
From Liverpool, on the eve of her departure for America, Mrs. Stowe
wrote to her daughters in Paris:--
I spent the day before leaving London with Lady Byron. She is lovelier
than ever, and inquired kindly about you both. I left London to go to
Manchester, and reaching there found the Rev. Mr. Gaskell waiting to
welcome me in the station. Mrs. Gaskell seems lovely at home, where
besides being a writer she proves herself to be a first-class
housekeeper, and performs all the duties of a minister's wife. After
spending a delightful day with her I came here to the beautiful
"Dingle," which is more enchanting than ever. I am staying with Mrs.
Edward Cropper, Lord Denman's daughter.
I want you to tell Aunt Mary that Mr. Ruskin lives with his father at
a place called Denmark Hill, Camberwell. He has told me that the
gallery of Turner pictures there is open to me or my friends at any
time of the day or night. Both young and old Mr. Ruskin are fine
fellows, sociable and hearty, and will cordially welcome any of my
friends who desire to look at their pictures.
I write in haste, as I must be aboard the ship tomorrow at eight
o'clock. So good-by, my dear girls, from your ever affectionate
mother.
Her last letter written before sailing was to Lady Byron, and serves
to show how warm an intimacy had sprung up between them. It was as
follows:--
_June_ 5, 1857.
DEAR FRIEND,--I left you with a strange sort of yearning, throbbing
feeling--you make me feel quite as I did years ago, a sort of
girlishness quite odd for me. I have felt a strange longing to send
you something. Don't smile when you see what it turns out to be. I
have a weakness for your pretty Parian things; it is one of my own
home peculiarities to have strong passions for pretty tea-cups and
other little matters for my own quiet meals, when, as often happens, I
am too unwell to join the family. So I send you a cup made of
primroses, a funny little pitcher, quite large enough for cream, and a
little vase for violets and primroses--which will be lovely together--
and when you use it think of me and that I love you more than I can
say.
I often think how strange it is that I should _know_ you--you who
were a sort of legend of my early days--that I should love you is only
a natural result. You seem to me to stand on the confines of that land
where the poor formalities which separate hearts here pass like mist
before the sun, and therefore it is that I feel the language of love
must not startle you as strange or unfamiliar. You are so nearly there
in spirit that I fear with every adieu that it may be the last; yet
did you pass within the veil I should not feel you lost.
I have got past the time when I feel that my heavenly friends are
_lost_ by going there. I feel them _nearer_, rather than
farther off.
So good-by, dear, dear friend, and if you see morning in our Father's
house before I do, carry my love to those that wait for me, and if I
pass first, you will find me there, and we shall love each other
_forever_.
Ever yours,
H. B. STOWE.
The homeward voyage proved a prosperous one, and it was followed by a
joyous welcome to the "Cabin" in Andover. The world seemed very
bright, and amid all her happiness came no intimation of the terrible
blow about to descend upon the head of the devoted mother.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE MINISTER'S WOOING, 1857-1859.
DEATH OF MRS. STOWE'S OLDEST SON.--LETTER TO THE DUCHESS OF
SUTHERLAND.--LETTER TO HER DAUGHTERS IN PARIS.--LETTER TO HER SISTER
CATHERINE.--VISIT TO BRUNSWICK AND ORR'S ISLAND.--WRITES "THE
MINISTER'S WOOING" AND "THE PEARL OF ORR'S ISLAND."--MR. WHITTIER'S
COMMENTS.--MR. LOWELL ON THE "MINISTER'S WOOING."--LETTER TO MRS.
STOWE FROM MR. LOWELL.--JOHN RUSKIN ON THE "MINISTER'S WOOING."--A
YEAR OF SADNESS.--LETTER TO LADY BYRON.--LETTER TO HER DAUGHTER.--
DEPARTURE FOR EUROPE.
Immediately after Mrs. Stowe's return from England in June, 1857, a
crushing sorrow came upon her in the death of her oldest son, Henry
Ellis, who was drowned while bathing in the Connecticut River at
Hanover, N. H., where he was pursuing his studies as a member of the
Freshman class in Dartmouth College. This melancholy event transpired
the 9th of July, 1857, and the 3d of August Mrs. Stowe wrote to the
Duchess of Sutherland:--
DEAR FRIEND,--Before this reaches you you will have perhaps learned
from other sources of the sad blow which has fallen upon us,--our
darling, our good, beautiful boy, snatched away in the moment of
health and happiness. Alas! could I know that when I parted from my
Henry on English shores that I should never see him more? I returned
to my home, and, amid the jubilee of meeting the rest, was fain to be
satisfied with only a letter from him, saying that his college
examinations were coming on, and he must defer seeing me a week or two
till they were over. I thought then of taking his younger brother and
going up to visit him; but the health of the latter seeming
unfavorably affected by the seacoast air, I turned back with him to a
water-cure establishment. Before I had been two weeks absent a fatal
telegram hurried me home, and when I arrived there it was to find the
house filled with his weeping classmates, who had just come bringing
his remains. There he lay so calm, so placid, so peaceful, that I
could not believe that he would not smile upon me, and that my voice
which always had such power over him could not recall him. There had
always been such a peculiar union, such a tenderness between us. I had
had such power always to call up answering feelings to my own, that it
seemed impossible that he could be silent and unmoved at my grief. But
yet, dear friend, I am sensible that in this last sad scene I had an
alleviation that was not granted to you. I recollect, in the mournful
letter you wrote me about that time, you said that you mourned that
you had never told your own dear one how much you loved him. That
sentence touched me at the time. I laid it to heart, and from that
time lost no occasion of expressing to my children those feelings that
we too often defer to express to our dearest friends till it is
forever too late.
He did fully know how I loved him, and some of the last loving words
he spoke were of me. The very day that he was taken from us, and when
he was just rising from the table of his boarding-house to go whence
he never returned, some one noticed the seal ring, which you may
remember to have seen on his finger, and said, How beautiful that ring
is! Yes, he said, and best of all, it was my mother's gift to me. That
ring, taken from the lifeless hand a few hours later, was sent to me.
Singularly enough, it is broken right across the name from a fall a
little time previous. . . .
It is a great comfort to me, dear friend, that I took Henry with me to
Dunrobin. I hesitated about keeping him so long from his studies, but
still I thought a mind so observing and appreciative might learn from
such a tour more than through books, and so it was. He returned from
England full of high resolves and manly purposes. "I may not be what
the world calls a Christian," he wrote, "but I will live such a life
as a Christian ought to live, such a life as every true man ought to
live." Henceforth he became remarkable for a strict order and energy,
and a vigilant temperance and care of his bodily health, docility and
deference to his parents and teachers, and perseverance in every duty.
. . . Well, from the hard battle of this life he is excused, and the
will is taken for the deed, and whatever comes his heart will not be
pierced as mine is. But I am glad that I can connect him with all my
choicest remembrances of the Old World.
Dunrobin will always be dearer to me now, and I have felt towards you
and the duke a turning of spirit, because I remember how kindly you
always looked on and spoke to him. I knew then it was the angel of
your lost one that stirred your hearts with tenderness when you looked
on another so near his age. The plaid that the duke gave him, and
which he valued as one of the chief of his boyish treasures, will hang
in his room--for still we have a room that we call his.
You will understand, you will feel, this sorrow with us as few can. My
poor husband is much prostrated. I need not say more: you know what
this must be to a father's heart. But still I repeat what I said when
I saw you last. Our dead are ministering angels; they teach us to
love, they fill us with tenderness for all that can suffer. These
weary hours when sorrow makes us for the time blind and deaf and dumb,
have their promise. These hours come in answer to our prayers for
nearness to God. It is always our treasure that the lightning strikes.
. . . I have poured out my heart to you because you can understand.
While I was visiting in Hanover, where Henry died, a poor, deaf old
slave woman, who has still five children in bondage, came to comfort
me. "Bear up, dear soul, she said; you must bear it, for the Lord
loves ye." She said further, "Sunday is a heavy day to me, 'cause I
can't work, and can't hear preaching, and can't read, so I can't keep
my mind off my poor children. Some on 'em the blessed Master's got,
and they's safe; but, oh, there are five that I don't know where they
are."
What are our mother sorrows to this! I shall try to search out and
redeem these children, though, from the ill success of efforts already
made, I fear it will be hopeless. Every sorrow I have, every lesson on
the sacredness of family love, makes me the more determined to resist
to the last this dreadful evil that makes so many mothers so much
deeper mourners than I ever can be. . . .
Affectionately yours,
H. B. STOWE.
[Illustration: THE DUCHESS OF SUTHERLAND]
About this same time she writes to her daughters in Paris: "Can
anybody tell what sorrows are locked up with our best affections, or
what pain may be associated with every pleasure? As I walk the house,
the pictures he used to love, the presents I brought him, and the
photographs I meant to show him, ail pierce my heart, I have had a
dreadful faintness of sorrow come over me at times. I have felt so
crushed, so bleeding, so helpless, that I could only call on my
Saviour with groanings that could not be uttered. Your papa justly
said, 'Every child that dies is for the time being an only one; yes--
his individuality no time, no change, can ever replace.'
"Two days after the funeral your father and I went to Hanover. We saw
Henry's friends, and his room, which was just as it was the day he
left it.
"'There is not another such room in the college as his,' said one of
his classmates with tears. I could not help loving the dear boys as
they would come and look sadly in, and tell us one thing and another
that they remembered of him. 'He was always talking of his home and
his sisters,' said one. The very day he died he was so happy because I
had returned, and he was expecting soon to go home and meet me. He
died with that dear thought in his heart.
"There was a beautiful lane leading down through a charming glen to
the river. It had been for years the bathing-place of the students,
and into the pure, clear water he plunged, little dreaming that he was
never to come out alive.
"In the evening we went down to see the boating club of which he was a
member. He was so happy in this boating club. They had a beautiful
boat called the Una, and a uniform, and he enjoyed it so much.
"This evening all the different crews were out; but Henry's had their
flag furled, and tied with black crape. I felt such love to the dear
boys, all of them, because they loved Henry, that it did not pain me
as it otherwise would. They were glad to see us there, and I was glad
that we could be there. Yet right above where their boats were gliding
in the evening light lay the bend in the river, clear, still,
beautiful, fringed with overhanging pines, from whence our boy went
upward to heaven. To heaven--if earnest, manly purpose, if sincere,
deliberate strife with besetting sin is accepted of God, as I firmly
believe it is. Our dear boy was but a beginner in the right way. Had
he lived, we had hoped to see all wrong gradually fall from his soul
as the worn-out calyx drops from the perfected flower. But Christ has
taken him into his own teaching.
"'And one view of Jesus as He is,
Will strike all sin forever dead.'
"Since I wrote to you last we have had anniversary meetings, and with
all the usual bustle and care, our house full of company. Tuesday we
received a beautiful portrait of our dear Henry, life-size, and as
perfect almost as life. It has just that half-roguish, half-loving
expression with which he would look at me sometimes, when I would come
and brush back his hair and look into his eyes. Every time I go in or
out of the room, it seems to give so bright a smile that I almost
think that a spirit dwells within it.
"When I am so heavy, so weary, and go about as if I were wearing an
arrow that had pierced my heart, I sometimes look up, and this smile
seems to say, 'Mother, patience, I am happy. In our Father's house are
many mansions.' Sometimes I think I am like a gardener who has planted
the seed of some rare exotic. He watches as the two little points of
green leaf first spring above the soil. He shifts it from soil to
soil, from pot to pot. He watches it, waters it, saves it through
thousands of mischiefs and accidents. He counts every leaf, and marks
the strengthening of the stem, till at last the blossom bud was fully
formed. What curiosity, what eagerness,--what expectation--what
longing now to see the mystery unfold in the new flower.
"Just as the calyx begins to divide and a faint streak of color
becomes visible,--lo! in one night the owner of the greenhouse sends
and takes it away. He does not consult me, he gives me no warning; he
silently takes it and I look, but it is no more. What, then? Do I
suppose he has destroyed the flower? Far from it; I know that he has
taken it to his own garden. What Henry might have been I could guess
better than any one. What Henry is, is known to Jesus only."
Shortly after this time Mrs. Stowe wrote to her sister Catherine:--
If ever I was conscious of an attack of the Devil trying to separate
me from the love of Christ, it was for some days after the terrible
news came. I was in a state of great physical weakness, most
agonizing, and unable to control my thoughts. Distressing doubts as to
Henry's spiritual state were rudely thrust upon my soul. It was as if
a voice had said to me: "You trusted in God, did you? You believed
that He loved you! You had perfect confidence that he would never take
your child till the work of grace was mature! Now He has hurried him
into eternity without a moment's warning, without preparation, and
where is he?"
I saw at last that these thoughts were irrational, and contradicted
the calm, settled belief of my better moments, and that they were
dishonorable to God, and that it was my duty to resist them, and to
assume and steadily maintain that Jesus in love had taken my dear one
to his bosom. Since then the Enemy has left me in peace.
It is our duty to assume that a thing which would be in its very
nature unkind, ungenerous, and unfair has not been done. What should
we think of the crime of that human being who should take a young mind
from circumstances where it was progressing in virtue, and throw it
recklessly into corrupting and depraving society? Particularly if it
were the child of one who had trusted and confided in Him for years.
No! no such slander as this shall the Devil ever fix in my mind
against my Lord and my God! He who made me capable of such an
absorbing, unselfish devotion for my children, so that I would
sacrifice my eternal salvation for them, He certainly did not make me
capable of more love, more disinterestedness than He has himself. He
invented mothers' hearts, and He certainly has the pattern in his own,
and my poor, weak rush-light of love is enough to show me that some
things can and some things cannot be done. Mr. Stowe said in his
sermon last Sunday that the mysteries of God's ways with us must be
swallowed up by the greater mystery of the love of Christ, even as
Aaron's rod swallowed up the rods of the magicians.
Papa and mamma are here, and we have been reading over the
"Autobiography and Correspondence." It is glorious, beautiful; but
more of this anon.
Your affectionate sister,
HATTIE.
ANDOVER, _August_ 24, 1857.
DEAR CHILDREN,--Since anniversar 
Compiled From Her Letters and Journals by Her Son Charles Edward Stowe /